The Criterion Collection

[blujazz]

What in the world!!!!

[Vidov]

Originally Posted by blujazz

What in the world!!!!

I can´t believe what I am seeing. Since the New Years Hint I´ve been waiting every month for an announcement, every month I tell myself "It´s ok, next month".

And now this. I just hope that the original versions will be included in the set...

[Sommerswerd]

Originally Posted by regeyer

I've glanced through the written material that is provided, but I've never read it completely. Quite often I never even open it.

As for special features, I occasionally watch them when they are in a foreign language with English subtitles. However, when the special features are spoken in English, Criterion will not provide subtitles. In fact, if there is an English speaking person and a foreign language speaking person in an interview they'll provide the subtitles for the foreign language only.

As a deaf person I contacted Criterion about this and they basically told me that it would cost too much to provide the additional subtitles. I don't believe that for one minute.

The strange thing is that they often port over existing extras from previous releases and sometimes those extras already have English subtitles but when it appears on the Criterion release, those English subtitles are not never included. For example, I believe the original MGM release of The Great Escape has English subtitles for the extras.

[randian]

How can subtitles be expensive? How much can it possibly cost to pay somebody to listen, record the timestamps and words, and add that to the disc as player-added subtitles (not burned in)? A couple of hours of some cheap intern with good ears aren't exactly pricey.

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by randian

How can subtitles be expensive? Much much can it possibly cost to pay somebody to listen, record the timestamps and words, and add that to the disc as player-added subtitles (not burned in)? A couple of hours of some cheap intern with good ears aren't exactly pricey.

Some intern doing it fast? You’d end up with poor sentence structure. Just like your second sentence. So I guess you’d say it could end up, much much, poorly.

[Mike0284]

[randian]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

Some intern doing it fast? You’d end up with poor sentence structure. Just like your second sentence. So I guess you’d say it could end up, much much, poorly.

Simply typos like mine and ungrammatical English can easily be checked by proofreaders.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by randian

Simply typos like mine and ungrammatical English can easily checked by proofreaders.

Are you doing that on purpose?

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by randian

How can subtitles be expensive? How much can it possibly cost to pay somebody to listen, record the timestamps and words, and add that to the disc as player-added subtitles (not burned in)? A couple of hours of some cheap intern with good ears aren't exactly pricey.

Exactly.

BTW, Criterion is the worst for providing subtitles. Most other distributors offer both English Subtitles and English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The difference is that for the Deaf the subtitles also include major sound effects, such as door creaking, women screaming, etc.

I've actually seen Criterion releases in foreign languages where if the actor happens to say anything in English, even one word, they won't provide the subtitles for it. That's how ridiculous they are. And that has nothing to do with cost.

[randian]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

Are you doing that on purpose?

Darn mobile keyboards

[dwk]

Originally Posted by regeyer

Exactly.

BTW, Criterion is the worst for providing subtitles. Most other distributors offer both English Subtitles and English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The difference is that for the Deaf the subtitles also include major sound effects, such as door creaking, women screaming, etc.

I've actually seen Criterion releases in foreign languages where if the actor happens to say anything in English, even one word, they won't provide the subtitles for it. That's how ridiculous they are. And that has nothing to do with cost.

I cant think of any boutique label whose releases routinely have two sets of English subs.

As for subbing English in foreign films, if the english dialogue is under a certain percent it is deemed nonessential.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by joy-division

It's just amazing how he manages to capture(with the help of the cinematographer of course) those specific moment. The sun just in the right position, the birds flocking away

Same definitely goes for TTRL. The opening is just drawdropping

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVD0...ature=youtu.be

Our church has a Tongan congregation and their singing is just like this. So peaceful....calming......

[BluCollector13]

Originally Posted by Ranger517

Criterion should try and get a hold of Warren Beatty's Bulworth. That movie is primed and made for Criterion. Great comedy with great political satire with an absolute mint soundtrack.

Crazy you mention that, I was JUST thinking about how "Bulworth" is in desperate need of a good home video release. A Criterion would definitely be justified, especially given the current domestic climate of the last few years.

[omgitsgodzilla]

Originally Posted by blujazz

What in the world!!!!

Originally Posted by Mike0284

And I thought the Godzilla box was a massive L

Seriously, I was slightly dubious when I heard it was L'Immagine Ritrovata doing the restorations, but this is incredible. Why would you just cut scenes that are damaged in the negative instead of seeking out another element? How are you going to be pedantic about the original aspect ratios in the middle of a screed about how you explicitly don't give a shit how the films were originally presented? How do you then change the aspect ratio of one of the films?

There's nothing inherently wrong with Wong creating new versions if he wants to, but not ensuring that the original versions are properly preserved and available alongside them is just irresponsible, and can hardly be called "restoration."

Auteurism was a mistake

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by randian

How can subtitles be expensive? How much can it possibly cost to pay somebody to listen, record the timestamps and words, and add that to the disc as player-added subtitles (not burned in)? A couple of hours of some cheap intern with good ears aren't exactly pricey.

From what I have heard, subtitle houses charge per minute (this can be 10-15$ per min for a decent job). You have to pay additional charges if the subtitles need to identify who is talking (essential for a multi-participant commentary), or for any custom formatting. This could significantly raise the cost of making the original authoring, especially if they have hours of extras, to the extent they may have to raise the price of discs to retain their margin if they accommodated subs on all extras.

Like people have said, it's not just Criterion, almost none of the boutique labels (other than maybe the BFI which is partially public funded and is bound to follow some rules) commission subs for English extras. It is definitely sad that you have to suffer on this account, but they are not by far the worst offenders, they're just one among many.

What is a more desirable solution is if newer players could come up with auto-generated subs, like Youtube has. Of course, it will have its own share of troubles (and unintended hilarity), but it beats expecting a load of labels to jump up to the plate for what they regard as a niche requirement.

[blujazz]

If they don’t include the original versions, it should be called “reimagination” not “restoration”.

[Scottie]

Mandabi (1968, Ousmane Sembène)
https://www.janusfilms.com/films/2015

[cjamescook]

Originally Posted by blujazz

If they don’t include the original versions, it should be called “reimagination” not “restoration”.

It's more like an extension of the term "Director's Cut".

[DimitriL]

Originally Posted by blujazz

If they don’t include the original versions, it should be called “reimagination” not “restoration”.

While they’re being called restorations, WKW’s note above explicitly calls these versions “new works.”

[joy-division]

Decided yesterday to finally watch the Criterion extended cut of The New World but then thought why not see what the Final Cut is like seeing as I've seen it too many times to remember Will get back to the Making of another day seeing as it's so long
Popped tge Final cut disc in, watched the difference extra & wondered what the point was of watching the middle version (will get around to it eventually) so put in the theatrical disc thinking there was a commentary track There should at least be a score track

Ended up watching A Hidden Life. As beautiful a film as it is, it is definitely not an easy watch & up there with the toughest to see - not included ones that are intentionally gruesome