The Criterion Collection

[mande2013]

Considering the recent discussion of Godard and Karina, this had me thinking about something. Breathless is one of the few films I find myself endlessly drawn to revisit, whereas I need to be in the mood to sit through a Mizoguchi as brilliant as his work obviously is. I wonder, is this a sign that Breathless is a great but light and accessible film that's not too emotionally draining, enabling me to sit through it casually regardless of my mood or is it because the very greatest works keep us coming back for more repeatedly. So in short, is rewatchability a sign of greatness or a sign of accessibility and lack of emotional demands. For instance, how often is someone going to revisit Andrei Rublev or even The Gospel According to Matthew. Is the ability for a film to transcend all those limitations, such as "needing to be in the mood" a true mark of the best of the best, or something else? Surprisingly, the films I find I'm able to watch regardless of mood tend to be either French films, such as Breathless, Le Cercle Rouge, Belle de Jour, Rules of the Game, PlayTime, That Obscure Object of Desire, or in some cases American films like North by Northwest or Heat, and I'd hesitate to argue Heat is one of the ten or even fifty greatest films ever made, even if it's still very good. So is it perhaps the case that such films are comforting, lending themselves to rewatchability, since they don't place heavy emotional demands on the viewer the way a Mizoguchi melodrama does? Or maybe art shouldn't ideally be emotionally taxing even if it should be intellectually and sensorially taxing...

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by dml1988

Thankfully the B&N by me here in Michigan is loaded with Criterion Collection titles. The Seventh Seal is the one I am most curious about. Is Seven Samurai worth a purchase? That one gets brought up alot.

Seven Samurai is a classic. For a three hour film it flies by quickly. If you've seen the Magnificent Seven, it's also interesting to see how the original was adapted into a western. It's definitely worth a purchase.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by SkyAntoine

WCP II is 52% off this morning @ $59.66.

Hmm... I'm tempted to bite.

I know I won't keep the set but I'm interested in seeing the films. They're not available for rental on Amazon.

[dml1988]

Thanks for the replies you guys, I will most likely grab The Seventh Seal and Seven Samurai for sure. The rest will be guesswork lol

[mja345]

Originally Posted by mande2013

Considering the recent discussion of Godard and Karina, this had me thinking about something. Breathless is one of the few films I find myself endlessly drawn to revisit, whereas I need to be in the mood to sit through a Mizoguchi as brilliant as his work obviously is. I wonder, is this a sign that Breathless is a great but light and accessible film that's not too emotionally draining, enabling me to sit through it casually regardless of my mood or is it because the very greatest works keep us coming back for more repeatedly. So in short, is rewatchability a sign of greatness or a sign of accessibility and lack of emotional demands. For instance, how often is someone going to revisit Andrei Rublev or even The Gospel According to Matthew. Is the ability for a film to transcend all those limitations, such as "needing to be in the mood" a true mark of the best of the best, or something else?

"Breathless" is a film you can show to the vast majority of people and they will enjoy it. I've watched it with my mom, my dad, my girlfriend, several of my buddies, and they all enjoyed it immensely. The more I watch it, "Breathless" reminds me a lot of a Woody Allen films and I believe it served as a template for much of his 70s work, particularly in the latter part of the decade. I don't know that Godard ever intended it to be that accessible given his later work. I think the definition of a great film is very personal and malleable. I think that there are many great films that are extremely accessible and that there are others that require a great deal of effort to really appreciate. It's more of a personal decision as far as which ones you consider more authentically great IMO.

[mande2013]

Originally Posted by mja345

"Breathless" is a film you can show to the vast majority of people and they will enjoy it. I've watched it with my mom, my dad, my girlfriend, several of my buddies, and they all enjoyed it immensely. The more I watch it, "Breathless" reminds me a lot of a Woody Allen films and I believe it served as a template for much of his 70s work, particularly in the latter part of the decade. I don't know that Godard ever intended it to be that accessible given his later work. I think the definition of a great film is very personal and malleable. I think that there are many great films that are extremely accessible and that there are others that require a great deal of effort to really appreciate. It's more of a personal decision as far as which ones you consider more authentically great IMO.

Of course you also have the reverse phenomenon of films intended for mass audiences that "accidentally" turned out to be 'difficult art films', like Rules of the Game and Lola Montes, since they've only ever been appreciated by the arthouse crowd.

[Scholer]

Originally Posted by mande2013

Considering the recent discussion of Godard and Karina, this had me thinking about something. Breathless is one of the few films I find myself endlessly drawn to revisit, whereas I need to be in the mood to sit through a Mizoguchi as brilliant as his work obviously is. I wonder, is this a sign that Breathless is a great but light and accessible film that's not too emotionally draining, enabling me to sit through it casually regardless of my mood or is it because the very greatest works keep us coming back for more repeatedly. So in short, is rewatchability a sign of greatness or a sign of accessibility and lack of emotional demands. For instance, how often is someone going to revisit Andrei Rublev or even The Gospel According to Matthew. Is the ability for a film to transcend all those limitations, such as "needing to be in the mood" a true mark of the best of the best, or something else? Surprisingly, the films I find I'm able to watch regardless of mood tend to be either French films, such as Breathless, Le Cercle Rouge, Belle de Jour, Rules of the Game, PlayTime, That Obscure Object of Desire, or in some cases American films like North by Northwest or Heat, and I'd hesitate to argue Heat is one of the ten or even fifty greatest films ever made, even if it's still very good. So is it perhaps the case that such films are comforting, lending themselves to rewatchability, since they don't place heavy emotional demands on the viewer the way a Mizoguchi melodrama does? Or maybe art shouldn't ideally be emotionally taxing even if it should be intellectually and sensorially taxing...

For me it's quite the contrary. I never enjoy a typical Godard film by itself, I enjoy it in context to how it was made and on it's overall significance in relation to cinema. An exception would maybe be A Band Apart, but I still need to be in the right mood for it.

But when it comes to a Mizogouchi, a Bresson, or a Tarkovsky film, I can lose myself in it what ever my mindset may be at the time. Modern directors I feel similarly for include David Fincher, Xavier Dolan, PTA, Wong Kar Wai and especially Hirokazu Kore-eda. And among older directors still working I'd obviously count Malick, Miyazaki, Scorcese and Ken Loach as well. But there are others like Bella Tarr, the Dardennes and Hanake whose films I adore, but do not see myself coming back to. Another notable example is Kobayashi, whose films are almost gigantic in impact, but I need to be in a particular mindset to appreciate almost any of his films.

[scottpcusa]

I am anxiously waiting for any of the 11 Criterion blu-rays on my wishlist to pop up in one of those coveted green lines at the top of my blu-ray.com page so I can buy a few before the B&N sale!

[senseabove]

Originally Posted by dml1988

Hello everyone, this is going to be my first time dipping into the B&N Criterion sale. Am actually looking at quite a few titles to get, curious what you would all recommend. Here is what I am looking at:

Seven Samurai
The Lady Vanishes
The Seventh Seal
The 39 Steps
Sullivan's Travels
The Killers
The Phantom Carriage
Ace in the Hole
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Sweet Smell of Success
The Great Dictator
Kiss Me Deadly
Monsieur Verdoux
Safety Last!
Foreign Correspondent
The Uninvited
Blood Simple
Lone Wolf and Cub

Long list I know, but those are what I am looking at to add to my ever growing collection. Just curious what you would all recommend, or if there are some I may have missed. Thanks

If you're thinking about the Hitchcocks, you might as well wait until the next Criterion.com sale and pick up the "Classic Hitchcock" box (which is only available from Criterion.com) for $50, as it'll have all four, rather than buying each individually at $20:
https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/11...ssic-hitchcock

[dml1988]

Originally Posted by senseabove

If you're thinking about the Hitchcocks, you might as well wait until the next Criterion.com sale and pick up the "Classic Hitchcock" box (which is only available from Criterion.com) for $50, as it'll have all four, rather than buying each individually at $20:
https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/11...ssic-hitchcock

Oh wow, yeah I didn't even think about that. How often does Criterion.com do their sales?

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by dml1988

Hello everyone, this is going to be my first time dipping into the B&N Criterion sale. Am actually looking at quite a few titles to get, curious what you would all recommend.

[Show spoiler]Here is what I am looking at:

Seven Samurai
The Lady Vanishes
The Seventh Seal
The 39 Steps
Sullivan's Travels
The Killers
The Phantom Carriage
Ace in the Hole
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Sweet Smell of Success
The Great Dictator
Kiss Me Deadly
Monsieur Verdoux
Safety Last!
Foreign Correspondent
The Uninvited
Blood Simple
Lone Wolf and Cub

Long list I know, but those are what I am looking at to add to my ever growing collection. Just curious what you would all recommend, or if there are some I may have missed. Thanks

If there's one film in the collection that's a safe bet as a blind buy, it's this one.

Great way to introduce the whole family to the Criterion experience.

...you're welcome.

[Show spoiler]

[baheidstu]

You know that creepy uncle at every family function who tells the same shitty jokes over and over again....

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

If there's one film in the collection that's a safe bet as a blind buy, it's this one.

Great way to introduce the whole family to the Criterion experience.

...you're welcome.

[Show spoiler]

[dml1988]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

If there's one film in the collection that's a safe bet as a blind buy, it's this one.

Great way to introduce the whole family to the Criterion experience.

...you're welcome.

[Show spoiler]

Thankfully, even though I have never seen it, I know all about that movie. Yeah that would be a nice film to show the kiddies lol

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

If there's one film in the collection that's a safe bet as a blind buy, it's this one.

Great way to introduce the whole family to the Criterion experience.

...you're welcome.

[Show spoiler]

Thanks for the recommendation RayJ! No, I mean it

[senseabove]

Originally Posted by dml1988

Oh wow, yeah I didn't even think about that. How often does Criterion.com do their sales?

They have one-day flash sales twice a year. So, unfortunately, it does require patience...

[jshaide]

Jeez, Amazon is genius selling newer Criterions for more than 50 off just a week before the BN sale.

[javy]

Originally Posted by senseabove

They have one-day flash sales twice a year. So, unfortunately, it does require patience...

When are these 2 day sales usually?

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by dml1988

Hello everyone, this is going to be my first time dipping into the B&N Criterion sale. Am actually looking at quite a few titles to get, curious what you would all recommend. Here is what I am looking at:

Seven Samurai
The Lady Vanishes
The Seventh Seal
The 39 Steps
Sullivan's Travels
The Killers
The Phantom Carriage
Ace in the Hole
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Sweet Smell of Success
The Great Dictator
Kiss Me Deadly
Monsieur Verdoux
Safety Last!
Foreign Correspondent
The Uninvited
Blood Simple
Lone Wolf and Cub

Long list I know, but those are what I am looking at to add to my ever growing collection. Just curious what you would all recommend, or if there are some I may have missed. Thanks

I would just buy the Classic Hitchcock Criterion set which has(The Man Who Knew Too Much, The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, and Foreign Correspondent). I got it on the Criterion website for $76 after shipping.

You can't go wrong with Seven Samurai which is one of the best films of all time. Nor with The Seventh Seal, another classic among the best films ever. Also The Great Dictator is IMO Chaplin's best talkie a bit better than Limelight. I have never seen Monseiur Verdoux so I can't vouch for it. I really want to get Safety Last.

[flyry]

Originally Posted by dml1988

Hello everyone, this is going to be my first time dipping into the B&N Criterion sale. Am actually looking at quite a few titles to get, curious what you would all recommend. Here is what I am looking at:


Long list I know, but those are what I am looking at to add to my ever growing collection. Just curious what you would all recommend, or if there are some I may have missed. Thanks

High and Low

[Shanghai Express]

Originally Posted by dml1988

Hello everyone, this is going to be my first time dipping into the B&N Criterion sale. Am actually looking at quite a few titles to get, curious what you would all recommend. Here is what I am looking at:

Seven Samurai
The Lady Vanishes
The Seventh Seal
The 39 Steps
Sullivan's Travels
The Killers
The Phantom Carriage
Ace in the Hole
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Sweet Smell of Success
The Great Dictator
Kiss Me Deadly
Monsieur Verdoux
Safety Last!
Foreign Correspondent
The Uninvited
Blood Simple
Lone Wolf and Cub

Long list I know, but those are what I am looking at to add to my ever growing collection. Just curious what you would all recommend, or if there are some I may have missed. Thanks

A great list so far. Most of my own favorite films are pre-Code Hollywood, and Criterion has a few I'd recommend. Trouble In Paradise and the Lubitsch Musicals Eclipse set (for The Smiling Lieutenant alone) are absolute essentials imo. I'd also recommend The Scarlet Empress if it weren't for the poor A/V quality which is well below Criterion's current standard.