The Criterion Collection

[Illy Scorsese]

Got these three from the flash sale:

"The Graduate"
"Gilda"
"The Emigrants/The New Land"



Wish I had waited to get "Inside Llewyn Davis" and "The Kid" now after I bought them from Amazon 2 weeks ago... But hey, it happens.

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

Jellyfish Eyes?
I haven't seen it of course but from the comments I' ve read..

I didn't mind Jellyfish Eyes, but I watch (and enjoy) all kinds of Japanese films.

[RobertLuketic]

Picked up:

L'Eclisse
Gilda

Long live the flesh sales

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

I just made my first Twilight Time purchase last week. I picked up an unopened copy of The Big Heat, and it will have plenty of company on my shelf soon. There are a hell of a lot of titles I want from them, chief among them Birdman of Alcatraz, Inherit the Wind, Mississippi Burning, Philadelphia, As Good as It Gets, A Man For All Seasons, All The King's Men, Lilies of the Field, and Judgement at Nuremberg. Nuremberg absolutely blew me away. The performances from Spencer Tracy and Maximilian Schell were, as expected, riveting, but I thought Burt Lancaster and Judy Garland stole the spotlight. Lancaster's nuanced portrayal of Ernst Janning was simply enthralling. Film is at its most powerful, in my humble opinion, when the viewer is left to contemplate the morality of a human being's actions. Janning, a respected judge, and by all means a fair man with an even temperament, was guilty of following the letter of the law, even when his conscience told him to resist. His story was intriguing to me, both as somebody who studied law in college, and as a man with German and Polish ancestry, because he did exactly what his position required-a judge is not meant to interpret the ethical implications of the law, rather, they are there to enforce the very letter of the law. And while it is possible, on some level, to at least empathize with his position, ultimately, this moral man was compelled to perpetuate what may very well be the greatest evil man has ever wrought. Then there was Judy Garland's performance. It's my belief that Judy Garland's stature has never been what it deserves to be, since her death. She was infinitely talented, and while everybody knows her from The Wizard of Oz, and Meet Me in St. Louis, it is in A Star is Born, and to a greater extent, Nuremberg, where she really has a chance to put her talents as a dramatic actress on display. Her turn as Irene Hoffman Waller was unforgettable. This poor woman was being pulled in every possible direction, by her father, by incomprehensible laws enacted via jingoistic fervor, by her guilt, and by a prosecutor pulling her back to a past she wanted so desperately to forget. Judy's performance absolutely dripped with heartache, and regret. It was her bad luck to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the same year as Rita Moreno for West Side Story, because what Judy Garland put to film deserved a gold statue. And, Nuremberg belongs in every serious film enthusiast's library. I'm a real sucker for courtroom dramas, and that holds its own against 12 Angry Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington...any of them.

By the way, Great Owl, I've just started exploring westerns, as you can see by looking at my recent purchases. I will check out Twilight Times' forum tonight, and read up on Cowboy, based on your suggestion. /tip of the cap.

Very good thoughts on Nuremberg! I agree with you, to the extent that it can be agreed upon. I obviously cannot speak to German law, but the concept of a judge is largely the same across the world. A judge's job is to follow the law, in some cases or situations to be the finder of fact, and ultimately, his overriding purpose is to enforce the law. Ethics are certainly involved, as they are with any lawyer (in theory), but morality has no place in a courtroom. Literally, none.

When I was a prosecutor, one of the questions I, and many others, would ask in jury selection is whether the person was comfortable sitting in judgment of another, or whether he or she firmly subscribes to the belief that only God can judge. Reason for same is obvious--if the person refuses to judge another, he or she has no place on a jury because that person will be guided solely by their respective moral compass, and will not follow the law that is given to them.

I think the film does an excellent job of arguing that Lancaster was duty bound to follow the law and to not make moral decisions. However, his situation is different than many others, because he was directly facilitating mass murder. In that situation, the argument is that he should have taken a stand against it, or, simply fled. Easier said than done of course, as he likely would have been killed. But what's worse, dying for a cause or directly sending people to die solely due to their religion?

For me, Schell was the standout actor. However, the script was the true star, presenting compelling arguments on both sides.

[joie]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

I'm watching now Fanny and Alexander , the TV version (for the 2nd time).
I had watched the 1st Christmas episode around Christmas and now I'm watching the rest.
I've never seen the theatrical version but I don't think I could watch a severely cut version, I like this as it is.

However, I can't find anywhere in the net a detailed overview of what's been cut (you know, like those overviews that are in the movie cencorship site).
Anyone know a place to look?

Didn't the theatrical release occur before the TV series aired? If so, I would say the TV version is padded rather than say the theatrical version is cut.

[silverlakephil]

Whoever mentioned that the Zatoichi:The Blind Swordsman was out of stock was a bit premature. I bought a copy last night and with my $50 certificate it came out to $62.47! I just checked, and it's O/S again.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by oildude

For the past several years I have maintained self discipline during the Criterion Flash Sales and ordered only a few each sale. I usually wait to get most of what I want at the B&N sales. Today that all went out the window.

I swore I would only make the one order using my $10 coupon I had been saving since last year:

The Graduate
Death By Hanging
I Knew Her Well
Lady Snowblood
Bitter Rice


Then after work I threw in the towel on my monthly budget and made a second order:

The Emigrants/The New Land
The American Friend
The Kid

I reasoned that it's a long time to July and the only other title I will pick up between now and then will be In a Lonely Place on release day. I think alcoholics, gamblers, and diet cheats make similar arguments with themselves.

I need to teach you ART (Advanced Rationalization Techniques). Work with me here, okay?

It can be argued that Criterion holds these flash sales to move inventory and generate income. Some of these profits are re-invested into future Criterion releases that film aficionados worldwide are anxiously praying for. In some cases, these film buffs have been waiting for years for titles that have been slowly inching their way down the Criterion development pipeline.

By participating in these sales and liberating funds that can be used to hasten these highly anticipated releases along, you are, in essence, providing humanitarian relief to those who wait. You are easing their suffering, working to quench their terrible thirst for cinematic nourishment. Therefore, placing an order is not a selfish act! On the contrary, it is a noble act of service, the embodiment of the kindness, consideration, and charity that exemplify the best and purest love that human beings are capable of extending to one another.

As a great American once said, "Ask not if you have ordered too much; ask instead if you have ordered too little."

[shadedpain4]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

Zatoichi now OOS. I guess now we wait and see if the "It's not going OOP" was truthful. Amazon OOS for weeks now, Criterion.com has been in and out of stock with slim numbers for a while. Bn.com, BBY, etc all OOS for online orders though quite a few B&N stores seem to still have copies.

3rd Party, Reseller, Ebay prices have been sneaking higher since Christmas with at least a couple copies sold above MSRP

Didn't they say it was likely to be out of stock for awhile since it will take awhile to make more of the packaging?

[Nuck Horris]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

I know this isn't Criterion related but a really cool tribute to Andrzej Zulawski from Massive Attack and the stunning Rosamund Pike.

Massive Attack, Young Fathers - Voodoo In My Blood - YouTube

Of The Wand & The Moon - Tear It Apart - YouTube

[diskspinner]

12 more minutes remaining for the flash sale...

HURRY!!!

Extended by an hour till 1PM ET it seems...

[italy12]

Placed an order yesterday to make it to my $50 certificate. This order consisted of:

The Complete Lady Snowblood
Bitter Rice
Speedy

Today, after receiving my GC, I made another purchase:

Gilda
Inside Llewyn Davis
Death by Hanging
The American Friend

[Saucerful]

Originally Posted by jmclick

I need to teach you ART (Advanced Rationalization Techniques). Work with me here, okay?

[Show spoiler]It can be argued that Criterion holds these flash sales to move inventory and generate income. Some of these profits are re-invested into future Criterion releases that film aficionados worldwide are anxiously praying for. In some cases, these film buffs have been waiting for years for titles that have been slowly inching their way down the Criterion development pipeline.

By participating in these sales and liberating funds that can be used to hasten these highly anticipated releases along, you are, in essence, providing humanitarian relief to those who wait. You are easing their suffering, working to quench their terrible thirst for cinematic nourishment. Therefore, placing an order is not a selfish act! On the contrary, it is a noble act of service, the embodiment of the kindness, consideration, and charity that exemplify the best and purest love that human beings are capable of extending to one another.

As a great American once said, "Ask not if you have ordered too much; ask instead if you have ordered too little."

All joking aside, that's why I'm maybe not as picky with my Criterion blind buys as I am otherwise. Best case scenario: I've found another gem. Worst case scenario: I've subsidized the next gem.

[Dr_Bedlo]

Originally Posted by jmclick

I need to teach you ART (Advanced Rationalization Techniques). Work with me here, okay?......As a great American once said, "Ask not if you have ordered too much; ask instead if you have ordered too little."

I like your thinking, although my bank account doesn't. But thank you for helping me feel better about my Flash Sale Blitz....

The American Friend,
Bitter Rice,
The Complete Lady Snowblood,
Death by Hanging,
The Emigrants/The New Land,
The Graduate,
Inside Lleweyn Davis,
The Kid, and
La Promesse

[Herry Dunston]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

12 more minutes remaining for the flash sale...

HURRY!!!

Extended by an hour till 1PM ET it seems...

Probably because of the server issues that happened in the first hour. Eh, I'm fine with what I'm getting for this sale.

Now to set up for the next sale. Get ready, Moonrise Kingdom...

[PfR73]

I recently noticed that a few Criterion Blu-Rays that are supposed to feature Uncompressed Monaural audio tracks do not have the advertised tracks, they have lossy Dolby Digital tracks instead of the LPCM tracks they should have.

The back of the Tati Shorts disc from the Complete Jacques Tati box set states "New 2k digital restorations of all seven shorts, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks"
But both my Playstation3 & computer show the shorts only have Dolby Digital tracks. This is confirmed by the blu-ray.com review, which states "The first six shorts arrive with French Dolby Digital 1.0 tracks, while Forza Bastia arrives with French Dolby Digital 2.0. track."

This is also a problem with Easy Rider from the America Lost & Found box set. The disc should feature a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track, a 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track, and an "uncompressed monaural soundtrack." Since the mono track is the film's original sound mix, it is the most important to be presented in a lossless format. The 5.1 & 2.0 DTS-HDMA tracks are both described as "optional."
However, the mono track is not uncompressed (LPCM). It is only a Dolby Digital track. The 5.1 & 2.0 tracks are both correctly DTS-HDMA as described, but, again, both my Playstation3 & computer show the mono track (audio track 3) is lossy Dolby Digital rather than uncompressed LPCM. Again, this is confirmed by the blu-ray.com review, which states "There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and English Dolby Digital 1.0."

Criterion recently announced a standalone Blu-Ray release of Easy Rider separate from the box set. Criterion's website is also listing this release as containing an "uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray," but as it currently stands, if the disc is exactly the same as the one in the box set, this will not be accurate.

I've sent an email to Jon Mulvaney about this. I hope he will respond, or that, if necessary, others will send emails about this issue. It may seem like a minor issue to some, but I think it is important. Since the Tati shorts were all restored in 2K, they really deserve to be presented with the full quality of uncompressed audio in addition to the HD picture; and since they were given their own disc (rather than being tossed as extra features on the other discs), disc capacity seems like it should not be an issue. Similarly, as I said with Easy Rider, the mono track is the film's original sound mix, it is the most important of the 3 mixes on the disc to be presented in a lossless format.

[olivianewtonyawn]

Originally Posted by jmclick

As a great American once said, "Ask not if you have ordered too much; ask instead if you have ordered too little."

As the homepage countdown clock reached ten minutes remaining, I did ask myself the second very important question and the answer was a resounding YES.

Yesterday ordered:
The American Friend
The Graduate
Inside Llewyn Davis
I Knew Her Well
Secret Sunshine

Today went back for:
The Complete Lady Snowblood
The Brood
The 400 Blows (DVD upgrade finally)

[silverlakephil]

DVDBeaver's review of Bicycle Thieves has been posted and there's seems to be another aspect ratio dilemma vs theirs and Arrow's release. I personally can't tell much of a difference, not as extreme as the drama caused by their initial release of Dressed To Kill !

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by silverlakephil

DVDBeaver's review of Bicycle Thieves has been posted and there's seems to be another aspect ratio dilemma vs theirs and Arrow's release. I personally can't tell much of a difference, not as extreme as the drama caused by their initial release of Dressed To Kill !

Also looks like it will be a digipak (65 pages booklet plus the DVD was a digipak, even though the review mentions transparent keep case, that has been wrong several times probably because they don't get the final packaging)

BTW the biggest diffeerence I see is that Criterion is darker, I too can't see much difference in the faces being wider probably because the framing is a bit different too.

[Namuhana]

So, I wasn't able to hold off and ended up ordering three films even though I shouldn't have. I'm already cursing myself about it, but I'm also very happy. I got The Man Who Knew Too Much, Bitter Rice, and I Knew Her Well.

[albabe]

Ooooh... I had a Field Day last night and this morning. I picked-up a few half-Price goodies at the Criterion Half-Off Sale (5, I think) and then got an email saying that I had accrued 500 Points, which amounted to $50 Credit!!! So I ordered a few more this morning!!!