The Criterion Collection

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by jw007

Fantastic! What part of India? I would love to see Northern India and check out the Buddhist monasteries up north around Rishikesh and do some meditation and find serious enlightenment and eat Navratna Korma daily.

My longest plane ride was 12 hours to Tel Aviv though.

enjoy your trip!

I’ll be in the province of Punjab. It is in northwest India. My wife’s family lives there.

Last time I was there we visited Rajasthan, Amritsar, Agra. If any of you end up there one day and are given the choice between seeing the Taj Mahal or The Golden Temple, for the love of Krishna, please tell your hosts to take you to Golden Temple. It is pretty awesome!

I’ve had korma although I don’t know that I’ve had it prepared the way you are accustomed to. I don’t think I liked it too much.

[RojD]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

As I mentioned the other day, I’m flying to India tomorrow.

Here is how I will keep myself sane for 16 hours and 55 minutes:

I’m reading the Orson Welles novel Mr. Arkadin that comes with the 3 disc CC DVD box set.

I plan to watch disc 2 of my DVD copy of Citizen Kane. There is a documentary film called The Battle Over Citizen Kane that I haven’t seen.

..and I’m bringing Antonioni’s L’Eclisse which I have never seen.

I’m a rather slow reader. I’m 3 chapters into the Welles novel and it’d be pretty cool to finish it before I get to New Delhi. We’ll see!

India?! No early Merchant-Ivory?

The background in that documentary is great. Not sure Epstein and Lennon prove their central thesis that Welles and Hearst destroyed each other, but the background is great.

Does your DVD have the Ebert commentary? That's like a documentary in itself. A very good one.

Hope your trip is good.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by KrugerIndustrial

The Secret of the Grain (Same here)

I love this film. I blind bought it when it first came out and have seen it 3-4 times. I prefer it to Blue (Although, a re-watch of Blue is needed for me).

[alien2010]

Is it announcement day today?

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by alien2010

Is it announcement day today?

No, cause Criterion hate me, they will most likley do Monday, but know my luck it will be delayed till next Friday :P

[jw007]

Two nights ago I finally finished my week-long, epic viewings of the Pierre Etaix box set. Honestly, at first I didn't understand what Etaix was going for... he confounded me. I was totally confused and couldn't understand if I should laugh or take his technique seriously.

But as I kept watching his films, from The Suitor to YoYo to As Long as You've Got Your Health to Le Grand Amour and finally Land of Milk and Honey, along with his 3 shorts (including the most amazing and excellent Happy Anniversary), I realized what Etaix was going for. His use of slapstick and deadpan comedy, combined with docudrama depictions of circus life and his passion for being a clown made me realize just how original he is, and though I can compare him to Jacque Tati (whom he also worked for), Etaix is actually more controversial and subversive than him.

I especially found Rupture, his 1961 short film and very first film, to be incredibly effective for what it was. I didn't laugh nonstop but I found myself laughing at certain moments, just like I did in all his films. There were clever tricks he used and wise storytelling which I found very effective.

I think Etaix is not very well known to the general public and its a tragedy that his film career ended after he destroyed his future with Land of Milk and Honey, his documentary which satirized and "demeaned" French culture. He couldn't get anyone to buy his scripts after that and that was that.

I noticed one constant in Etaix's films and that was his character/s always had some sort of lost, forgotten love or romance involved in the story. I also felt that his films also focused on the obsession of beautiful women or glamorized the female body to some degree (as seen in the hilarious The Suitor). Personally, my favorite film was Le Grand Amour (The Great Love) as I felt everything came together for him. I could see modern day director Michel Gondry imitating Etaix in his surrealist films, esp. the scene where the characters were in their beds rolling around the countryside of France. Etaix was a sort of cinematic magician and his effective use of sleight of hand and acrobatics was quite original.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the Pierre Etaix box set and found his light comedies to be very interesting and refreshing.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I’ll be in the province of Punjab. It is in northwest India. My wife’s family lives there.

Last time I was there we visited Rajasthan, Amritsar, Agra. If any of you end up there one day and are given the choice between seeing the Taj Mahal or The Golden Temple, for the love of Krishna, please tell your hosts to take you to Golden Temple. It is pretty awesome!

I’ve had korma although I don’t know that I’ve had it prepared the way you are accustomed to. I don’t think I liked it too much.

Fantastic. And yes, I have no interest in seeing the Taj Mahal...I'm more interested in off the beaten path sights and sounds. Love getting away from tourist traps too and infiltrating the local scenes where the real India is. Speaking of which, you should have brought along Louis Malle's Phantom India, as the whole movie is about 6 hours in length (that would really help the time go by faster on the plane ride).

[Thebunk]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

I love this film. I blind bought it when it first came out and have seen it 3-4 times. I prefer it to Blue (Although, a re-watch of Blue is needed for me).

Can I ask why you are comparing this to Blue (assuming you mean The Three Colors Blue and not Blue is the Wamest Color)? I love the Three Colors so if this is anything like those films, please let me know!

EDIT - Nevermind, I noticed it is the same director as BITWC. That said, I read the synopsis and it sounds right up my alley, considering it is my secret dream to open a restaurant some day...

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

Changing subjects - I'm thinking of snagging an Eclipse set tonight after work. Anyone have any strong opinions on:

Early Bergman
Malle Docs
Shochiku Horror

It should be known that I do not generally like horror films, but adore Japanese cinema.

The Shochiku Horror set is both fun and impressive, with a variety of horror sub-genres covered. The first film is more the stereotyped campy sci-fi monster movie, but the other three are well-scripted and surprisingly dark cold-war thrillers with a strong socio-political subtext, but disguised as genre films. Of the other three films, one's a post-apocalyptic survival/vampire movie, one's a black & white revenge ghost story with classic sci-fi/horror elements, and one's an unusually timely ecological atomic-era military paranoia melodrama. All are beautifully shot and just as enjoyable for fans of Japanese cinema in general as for sci-fi/horror fans. I'd love for this set to be upgraded to Blu-ray, but the DVDs look quite good.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by Namuhana

I've had my BD of Vivre Sa Vie for a while now, but I've forgotten to ask: does anyone else's copy not remember where you left off? Luckily the film is broken up into small tableaux, so it's not that annoying, but I was just wondering if this was the same for everyone.

Yes, a lot of the early Criterion BDs are like this.

Originally Posted by KrugerIndustrial

Thanks. I've had my eye on L'Eclisse ever since it was announced. But to be honest, and I know it's a film I'll get eventually, one Antonioni is enough this time. I'd like the third film to be different, perhaps from a director I've never heard of before. Maybe that will turn out to be a gem and make me want to search for the rest of the director's films. Which is one of the reasons why I love CC.

Just a few titles I've been browsing and found interesting.

Pale Flower (I like Kurosawa's non-Samurai films, perhaps this would be a nice companion piece to go with High & Low? But is it a style over substance type of a film? Not that it's always a bad thing.)
Branded to Kill (Some people rave about the film and some hate it. If I love High & Low, will this most likely be a hit or miss with me?)
Vanya on 42nd Street (The only film of his I've seen is Elevator to the Gallows which I liked a lot. I've seen bits of the film on YouTube and it seems to be one of those nice little flicks best seen very late at night.)
La Promesse (Review sounds good, but how depressing is this actually? I try to avoid overly depressing films at the moment.)
Il Sorpasso (Haven't heard nothing but good.)
The Secret of the Grain (Same here)
Vanishing (I know I would enjoy this but does it have much of a replay value once you know the killer/ending? Secretsquirrel mentioned Tell No One which is one of my favorite French films.)

Then there's Diabolique, Charade and Cul-De-Sac, all of which I've seen and love.

Decisions, decisions...

Pale Flower wasn't Kurosawa, it was Masahiro Shinoda. It's a fantastic film.

I love Branded to Kill, but I love Tokyo Drifter a wee bit more

La Promesse is less depressing than Rosetta. I like it the most out of those two films.

[Brad1963]

The restored print of Jour Se Leve opened today in Los Angeles. I'd love it on Blu ray. Hoping that Criterion will get it back.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Quick question for the group... I noticed yesterday at BN a plastic case edition of Foreign Correspondent, and the original digi-pack style packaging (both dual format it seemed). Anyone else see these? I didn't see it as a replacement package on Criterion's site, so just wondering what gives. I like the look of the special packaging, but sometimes they take up a lot of space, i.e. Red River and Fantastic Mr. Fox. Is this just a random title they did, or has anyone heard that they are doing this more often?

You have a sharp eye, my friend! I kept glancing at the copies of Foreign Correspondent in the store yesterday, thinking they didn't quite look like mine, but I couldn't put my finger on what was different. Duh! Thanks for pointing out what should have been obvious!

[Helikaon]

Originally Posted by jmclick

You have a sharp eye, my friend! I kept glancing at the copies of Foreign Correspondent in the store yesterday, thinking they didn't quite look like mine, but I couldn't put my finger on what was different. Duh! Thanks for pointing out what should have been obvious!

They are slowly fazing out the dual format editions and replacing them with Blu-ray only cases.

Hidden Fortress has, as far as I know, always been in a plastic case.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by CinemaBlu

Unfortunately, in North America, it's the ONLY Douglas Sirk film you can own on Blu-ray. I'd love to see Written on the Wind released next.

Oh, yeah, I'd love it if Criterion would upgrade Written on the Wind to blu-ray. Talk about lush, overblown melodrama on a grand scale! I've always been fond of the two dramas that Sirk did with Barbara Stanwyck, All I Desire and (especially) There's Always Tomorrow. Both are really slyly subversive when considered in context of the mid-1950's. I know they'll never get the Criterion treatment, but blu-ray editions with some intelligent commentary would be nice.

[Sifox211]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

The restored print of Jour Se Leve opened today in Los Angeles. I'd love it on Blu ray. Hoping that Criterion will get it back.

They showed it here a couple of weeks ago - it looks really good.

Next up is a showing of Playtime and the week after that, 2001

[silverlakephil]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

The restored print of Jour Se Leve opened today in Los Angeles. I'd love it on Blu ray. Hoping that Criterion will get it back.

I hope this happens since the 4k restorations have already been released in Europe.

[TJS_Blu]

Wenders's fans will be happy to hear:

While a lot of his early films have been out of circulation, many will be coming back theatrically and some will reach DVD for the first time via the Criterion Collection, which has already released “Wings of Desire” and “Paris, Texas.” “You're going to see a lot of it [come out]," Wenders told The Playlist. "Except for [the detective noir] ‘Hammett,’ I produced all my films myself, so I own them all."

Pressed for more about what's coming from Criterion, Wenders seemed reluctant to get into full details, but confirmed that his Road Trilogy— “Alice In The Cities,” “The Wrong Move," and “Kings of the Road”— would surface on the boutique DVD label (eagle-eyed cinephiles will notice that ‘Alice’ is already available on Hulu Plus’ Criterion channel).

Source

[mande2013]

Originally Posted by Helikaon

They are slowly fazing out the dual format editions and replacing them with Blu-ray only cases.

Hidden Fortress has, as far as I know, always been in a plastic case.

Are they going to change the labels of the blu-ray discs, so that the blu-ray disc which comes with the dual format edition won't correspond with the blu-ray only cover art coming with the new Scanavo cases? Also, what about the think booklets, the ones that wouldn't actually fit in a plastic case. I ask about the discs in case I wanted to get a Scanavo case for Persona. Would it not be enough to just transfer the blu-ray to that?

[Scottie]

I saw Birdman this afternoon and I will add to the comments regarding the wish for a future spine for it. Very well made!

Originally Posted by KrugerIndustrial

Pale Flower (I like Kurosawa's non-Samurai films, perhaps this would be a nice companion piece to go with High & Low? But is it a style over substance type of a film? Not that it's always a bad thing.)
Branded to Kill (Some people rave about the film and some hate it. If I love High & Low, will this most likely be a hit or miss with me?)
Vanya on 42nd Street (The only film of his I've seen is Elevator to the Gallows which I liked a lot. I've seen bits of the film on YouTube and it seems to be one of those nice little flicks best seen very late at night.)
La Promesse (Review sounds good, but how depressing is this actually? I try to avoid overly depressing films at the moment.)
Il Sorpasso (Haven't heard nothing but good.)
The Secret of the Grain (Same here)
Vanishing (I know I would enjoy this but does it have much of a replay value once you know the killer/ending? Secretsquirrel mentioned Tell No One which is one of my favorite French films.)

If you are a fan of Japanese Yakuza films, then I would recommend Branded to Kill and Pale Flower. I'm mixed when it comes to them, but I know plenty of others who enjoy the cool styles.

Vanya on 42nd Street is sadly nothing at all like Elevator to the Gallows (one of the best films to ever be made, in my opinion). It is dreadfully boring and consists of several individuals rehearsing a play in a rundown theater for approximately two hours.

La Promesse is good, but then again, I am a fan of The Dardenne Brothers. If you have seen some of their other films and enjoyed them, I do not see why you would not enjoy this one. It is a bit sad at points, but it is not too too depressing overall.

Il Sorpasso is a fun Italian road movie. I found it really refreshing and enjoyable.

The Secret of the Grain is good, as well, and deals with cultural shifts surrounding an Arabic family and their friends.

The Vanishing is very good and one of the best films to deal with a sociopath. It took me about two or three viewings for me to appreciate, but it has certainly paid off for me in the long run.

[StLouisRibs]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I saw Birdman this afternoon and I will add to the comments regarding the wish for a future spine for it. Very well made!

Does Criterion have any precedence for Fox Searchlight stuff, though? Looking it up, there's the Ice Storm (which I just checked and is licensed directly from Fox) and the Darjeeling Limited (and we know Anderson's got a thing that he retains home video control to some degree on everything, so that one would be regardless, and Budapest will come out in a few years time for sure).

Notable titles from Directors with early films in the collection would be The Tree of Life, Slumdog Millionaire and 12 Years a Slave. I'd say those are slightly more likely than Birdman at the moment (by virtue of having directors who have worked with the collection in the past), but still exceptionally unlikely.