The Criterion Collection

[zoodermin]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Here, in a nut shell, is why I am a physical media enthusiast.

I've been watching a good number of films from the late 1930s, of late, especially from 1939. I'm seeing Gone With the Wind tomorrow night in the theater. I saw The Wizard of Oz in the theater January. I'm watching The Hunchback of Notre Dame, saved to my DVR, in the morning. I could go on.

There's a documentary called 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year, hosted by Kenneth Branagh, and I've wanted to see it for some time after learning about it in a discussion about one of the movies released that year (I forget which). I've not been able to find it anywhere. It's not part of Amazon Prime's streaming service. Not on Hulu or Netflix. I can't stream it, or rent it on Youtube.

I was looking at the Gone With the Wind boxed set tonight, and happened to see the documentary was part of that three disc set. Well, I have GWTW on blu-ray (the Scarlett Edition), and lo and behold, the documentary is included in the set, as well.

If I didn't have that disc, there's no way I could see it.

Yes, buying all these discs is expensive. Yes, many of them I won't watch for a while. And they take up a good amount of space. But, time and time again, when I want to watch something that's not a new release, or a big name like The Godfather, Casablanca or Gone With the Wind, I can't find it. Anywhere. But if I own it, it takes all of thirty seconds to pull it off my shelf, pop it into my player, and dim the lights.

Not being subjected to the whims of streaming content providers is a truly wonderful thing!

Agreed. I'm excited for the Criterion Channel (hopefully it'll come to South America soon) but I will continue buying the films I like. I'll also add another value to physical media: when your internet connection fails, you can't use any streaming service but you can just pop a movie into your player and enjoy.

[Hellspawn28]

I want to see Gods & Monsters get a Blu-Ray release from Criterion. It seems like the type of movie that you would release and there's no R1 Blu-Ray release of it yet.

[AaronJ]

Also, another advantage to physical media for me, in my particular situation, is that buying a Blu-ray is cheaper than going to the theater. I don't drive, and the closest theater isn't *that* close. So between Uber there and back, a (Dolby Cinema) ticket, probably a Coke ... just waiting a few months and getting the Blu is a better deal. Plus, that way, it's not an experience that comes and goes. I can watch it forever.

Granted, Blu-rays, food, clothes, and maybe a few other things are all I spend money on anyways. So, it's not like going to the theater would put me in the poor house, and I do plan on going more this year (assuming there are things I want to go see). But it's just more convienent to wait for the Blu-ray and have it there on my shelf for many years.

[latehong]

Originally Posted by Hellspawn28

I want to see Gods & Monsters get a Blu-Ray release from Criterion. It seems like the type of movie that you would release and there's no R1 Blu-Ray release of it yet.

I'd love that but Lionsgate has the distribution right in the US so probably no chance at least for a while.

Meanwhile, I'd like to see Criterion releases of some lesser-known James Whale movies: Waterloo Bridge, The Kiss Before the Mirror, One More River, Remember the Last Night?, Show Boat, The Great Garrick, etc.

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by latehong

I'd love that but Lionsgate has the distribution right in the US so probably no chance at least for a while.

Meanwhile, I'd like to see Criterion releases of some lesser-known James Whale movies: Waterloo Bridge, The Kiss Before the Mirror, One More River, Remember the Last Night?, Show Boat, The Great Garrick, etc.

I would also love more James Whale on Blu!

[AaronJ]

Ok, I've been meaning to ask this for a long time, years in fact. How do you people know who has the rights to a particular film?

[StarDestroyer52]

I also watched my copy of Detour and was blown away. Ever since I first saw this on Noir Alley in 2017, I was blown away by this gem. I want to think everyone involved for the amount of hard work everyone put it restoring this

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Ok, I've been meaning to ask this for a long time, years in fact. How do you people know who has the rights to a particular film?

I think it's a mix of the site having some label reps who respond to direct questions about rights (the Kino Lorber Insider being a prime example), some knowledgeable members who work in the industry (such as Aclea, who posts a lot of valuable stuff in many threads), and then some amateur sleuths who use IMDb and other resources to piece things together.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Ok, I've been meaning to ask this for a long time, years in fact. How do you people know who has the rights to a particular film?

http://www.filmaf.com is a useful starting point for a lot of films.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Also, another advantage to physical media for me, in my particular situation, is that buying a Blu-ray is cheaper than going to the theater. I don't drive, and the closest theater isn't *that* close. So between Uber there and back, a (Dolby Cinema) ticket, probably a Coke ... just waiting a few months and getting the Blu is a better deal. Plus, that way, it's not an experience that comes and goes. I can watch it forever.

Granted, Blu-rays, food, clothes, and maybe a few other things are all I spend money on anyways. So, it's not like going to the theater would put me in the poor house, and I do plan on going more this year (assuming there are things I want to go see). But it's just more convienent to wait for the Blu-ray and have it there on my shelf for many years.

I feel so spoiled that I have a small, arthouse movie theater with 4 screens just 5 blocks (7 minute walk) from my house where I can see a new, first run movie for just $7 on Bargain Wednesdays (I did that for The Favorite and Greta recently). Sometimes a friend of mine gets in for free cause he knows one of the theater receptionists there.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by jw007

I feel so spoiled that I have a small, arthouse movie theater with 4 screens just 5 blocks (7 minute walk) from my house where I can see a new, first run movie for just $7 on Bargain Wednesdays (I did that for The Favorite and Greta recently). Sometimes a friend of mine gets in for free cause he knows one of the theater receptionists there.

Wow.

Yeah, and it's not like I live in the middle of nowhere, either. It's just where I live, in particular, isn't near any theaters I want to visit. There's only one, and the quality is sub-par. And for any art-house-y type movies, then yeah, it's all the way across town. Oh well.

Like I've said before, I hardly leave the house anyways other than to get some groceries.

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by Reddington

I think it's a mix of the site having some label reps who respond to direct questions about rights (the Kino Lorber Insider being a prime example), some knowledgeable members who work in the industry (such as Aclea, who posts a lot of valuable stuff in many threads), and then some amateur sleuths who use IMDb and other resources to piece things together.

And then invaluable members like BarnDoor in the KLSC threads who are very good at piecing things together.

[yoloswegmaster420]

I just asked KL Insider if they had any Powell and Pressburger films and said that "another company" has the rights to 2 of them. I think this may mean that Criterion has gotten the rights back for 'Tales of Hoffmann' and 'Peeping Tom'.

[AaronJ]

I really thank all of you guys.

I just always wondered how this was possible to get this info. This has been very informative to learn how these things are done, who knows whom, etc. Thanks a lot.

[bonehica]

Is anyone still having issues trying to add blu rays to your "My Collection" on the Criterion website? The only ones that I have been able to add were the ones I ordered during the recent flash sale, which Criterion adds automatically. I just can't add any manually from the individual film/disc page.

[Xtempo]

Originally Posted by bonehica

Is anyone still having issues trying to add blu rays to your "My Collection" on the Criterion website? The only ones that I have been able to add were the ones I ordered during the recent flash sale, which Criterion adds automatically. I just can't add any manually from the individual film/disc page.

weird i've been able to add to both the wishlist and the general list. maybe contact them? I am not sure.

[Richard--W]

If anyone is on the fence about buying DETOUR, take my advice: don't hesitate.
This is an outstanding restoration that surpasses all my expectations. Watching
the film last night was like discovering a hidden gem. I thought I knew DETOUR
well, but I've never seen it looking as good as this. It so artfully made and rich
in textures. The sharp resolute picture with all its shadow detail drives home the
feverish momentum and rush toward doom of the piece. The old Image / Wade
Williams DVD looks like a blurry mudpie compared to the Criterion.

Criterion's DETOUR is a basic cornerstone in any film noir collection.

Absolutely essential.

[critterdvd]

Originally Posted by bonehica

Is anyone still having issues trying to add blu rays to your "My Collection" on the Criterion website? The only ones that I have been able to add were the ones I ordered during the recent flash sale, which Criterion adds automatically. I just can't add any manually from the individual film/disc page.

I still haven't had any luck on my computer, however I've been able to add them on my iPhone and iPad...

[bonehica]

Originally Posted by Xtempo

weird i've been able to add to both the wishlist and the general list. maybe contact them? I am not sure.

Originally Posted by critterdvd

I still haven't had any luck on my computer, however I've been able to add them on my iPhone and iPad...

I almost exclusively use Safari as my browser, so I tried a little experiment and used Chrome. And, voila! No issues whatsoever. So, obviously Safari isn't playing well with Criterion.com. I will have to do some investigating as to why. Hmmm...

[The Great Owl]

Al Roberts, a small-time nightclub pianist played by Tom Neal, decides to travel across the country from New York City to Los Angeles, where his girlfriend, who once sang at the same club, is pursuing her dreams of Hollywood stardom. After pawning off his meager possessions, he takes to the road to hitchhike the entire way, unaware that his dreams for a bright future will soon be derailed by a nightmarish whirlwind of happenstance misfortunes, unwise decisions, and dead bodies. As this chain of events is relayed through flashback sequences, our down-and-out antihero states, “Whichever way you turn, Fate sticks out a foot to trip you.”

Fate appears in the form of Vera, a wide-eyed and unkempt young woman who lashes out against the world around her with seething cynicism and a venomous tongue. This character, as portrayed in a tour-de-force performance by Ann Savage, is the most vicious femme fatale in the world of film noir, and, unlike the seductively sultry dames who usually grace the genre to manipulate unwitting men, she wastes no time in carving up those around her with a display of feral emotion. I will not disservice prospective viewers by revealing how Vera attaches herself, like a leech, to our bewildered protagonist, but, once these two are joined at the hip, she pulls him by the collar down a side road to Hell.

The low-budget 1945 crime drama, Detour, which was directed by B movie auteur Edgar G. Ulmer (The Black Cat), is one of the most nail-bitingly riveting motion pictures that classic-era noir has to offer, and its short run time of just under 70 minutes belies a myriad of hidden complexities. At first glance, this film’s many technical shortcomings, including obtrusive rear screen projection, foggy backgrounds in lieu of city streets, mirror-flipped images, and camera zooms, come across as shoddy, but the seemingly inept production ultimately works in the script’s favor. Film noir is full of fraudulent characters who earn our sympathy for the simple reason that they themselves do not realize that they are doing anything wrong. The crude flashbacks narrated by Al Roberts paint a picture of a somewhat less-than-reliable recollection of the events. Did his disastrous life turns really happen as described, or is he just another criminal who is grasping at straws to rationalize his choices? It is a common adage that women can get men into trouble, but the truth is that men allow themselves to get into trouble first.

I have seen Detour several times, and I find that its wildly fun plot becomes more enjoyable with each subsequent viewing. I always crack up laughing at how Neal’s character manages to get himself into such a spot.

Until now, this masterpiece of on-the-fly cinema has lingered in the public domain, where it has been cursed with subpar picture quality on DVD editions and on YouTube. The new 4K restoration that was released on Blu-ray this week by The Criterion Collection is a revelation. This is one of my all-time favorite films, and it has never looked better.

The 2004 documentary, Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen, is a blast, with its input from the likes of Wim Wenders, John Landis, Joe Dante, Roger Corman, and even Ann Savage herself. The Noah Isenberg interview is informative and engaging. The restoration feature, of course, is a treat.