The Criterion Collection

[mande2013]

I apologize if I made myself a little unpopular and abrasive on this thread a few days back.

That said, I just wanted to point out that my UHD copy of Blow Out I just purchased is visibly scratched and does unfortunately have playback issues that begin at around the 47 minute mark of the film. I sent a message to Criterion, so we'll see what happens. In the past two years, this is probably the second or third time I've encountered playback issues on a Criterion disc that was not a "known issue". My playback issues with European-pressed discs have only ever been "known issue" discs, such as Potemkine's Eric Rohmer blu-rays.

P.S. Blow Out is the only one of my five Criterion UHDs, specifically, that's had playback issues so far, for what it's worth.

Citizen Kane (atrocious packaging designed to scratch disc), Le Cercle Rouge (loose disc), Raging Bull (just some general scratching on data surface), and The Red Shoes have all played fine so far.

[RevolverOcelScott]

Originally Posted by JWFORD

It's also interesting that Criterion's efforts to right this wrong are seen as "virtue signaling" or "woke." Or, that the Black films (and only the Black ones) added to the collection are somehow unworthy of being there, despite all of them being critically, culturally and historically significant.

I see it less as virtue signalling and more overcompensation. The article came out, and since then pretty much every single month has had one or two titles. To me it comes across as someone saying "I have a black friend" when accused of racism.

Some of the titles they chose since then are phenomenal, and although every title isn't for me, I appreciate as a whole what Criterion is trying to do for film in general. A few of the titles I had never heard of, checked out, and enjoyed. As many people have said, if you don't like em don't buy them, but it does comes across phony when you release barely any, get called out, then go balls to the wall on it. Especially when as someone else pointed out, they are focusing a ton on US based black filmmakers, and not "black cinema" in general.

[pd89]

What is honestly going on with that Mexican plant. I picked up an additional 8 Criterion bluray and 4k sets, and half of them contain scratches....I'm just getting fed up at this point.

[mande2013]

Originally Posted by pd89

What is honestly going on with that Mexican plant. I picked up an additional 8 Criterion bluray and 4k sets, and half of them contain scratches....I'm just getting fed up at this point.

Underpaid laborers sticking it to bougie a***oles and their overpriced boutique discs...

[pd89]

Originally Posted by mande2013

underpaid laborers sticking it to bougie a***oles and their overpriced boutique discs... :d

ooooooooof

[Rayjg]

Originally Posted by MJS

Some of those do not actually have black directors (Beasts of No Nations, Mississippi Masala, Round Midnight)

That will be the next NYT article: Criterion and Cultural Misappropriation: The Ugly Truth by JWFORD Mea Culpa by MifuneFan

[yoloswegmaster420]

[Pinot Grigio]

Originally Posted by JWFORD

I find it interesting that the NYT calling attention to an ugly truth about the Criterion Collection is considered political by some. It's also interesting that Criterion's efforts to right this wrong are seen as "virtue signaling" or "woke." Or, that the Black films (and only the Black ones) added to the collection are somehow unworthy of being there, despite all of them being critically, culturally and historically significant. Hell, at least a third of them have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. That's certainly more than I can say for many of the other films included here. *cough, cough* Lost Highway.

Edit: I also don't understand the point of constantly bemoaning their inclusion. You don't buy them anyway.

I think if they weren't called out for this, and they still released these films, most people wouldn't have an issue. It's more the idea that Criterion has/had a mission and a NYT article molded that perspective. Having these in the collection and being widely accessible is nothing but a positive, but one hopes that their inclusion from 'C' is genuine.

Maybe, a theory, that people were enjoying the general gist of films announced years ago and now they sense a spot for what they usually would buy is being taken up by something out of left field. Which might be valid, if I ever believed that those people bought every Criterion release of every month, which I don't.

Now, where are the ex-YU films, Criterion?

Originally Posted by RevolverOcelScott

I see it less as virtue signalling and more overcompensation. The article came out, and since then pretty much every single month has had one or two titles. To me it comes across as someone saying "I have a black friend" when accused of racism.

[...]but it does comes across phony when you release barely any, get called out, then go balls to the wall on it.

Yes. This is it.

[ToonySpoonGoon]

Maybe if I make an article about their lack of pre-code they'll release some

[mande2013]

Well I can only say I think Criterion has altered for the better what films are generally perceived to be "essential" in its efforts to be more inclusive, or at the very least, they've contributed to this expansion of the "canon". If we expand the discussion beyond specifically African-American directors, it's partly thanks to Criterion (as well as to Scorsese) that the likes of Lino Brocka and films like Touki Bouki are seen as "essential" nowadays. Are their efforts at being inclusive somewhat forced and premeditated? Perhaps, but so what. That's frankly just the general zeitgeist these days (just as the zeitgeist in the late 60s and early 70s was "hippie culture", "screw the establishment" etc.), and if that's the needed impetus to make films like Touki Bouki or those of Melvin Van Peebles more widely seen then so be it. I guess that's my two cents. Also, Criterion is allowed to release things that are "just" historical curiosities, just like Penguin does on the literary side. Not everything they release needs to be Sight&Sound top 50 material.

I just remember that 12-15 years ago the scope of what was considered "essential" didn't extend much beyond the US, Europe (including Soviet cinema), Japan, and Satyajit Ray. We've come a ways since then for the better I think, at least when it comes to the availability of obscure and "hard to find" films. The franchise glut of modern filmmaking is its own discussion of course.

I think if Criterion had simply "stuck to their guns" without giving into pressure to be more inclusive on the pretext they were going "to stick to only releasing truly great art" they would have dug an even bigger hole for themselves, since the attacks from the camp they're now "appeasing" would have only escalated.

[bergman864]

I think there are some films from non Black and African American directors that have seen the light of day because of Criterion's decision to expand their releases. And I think that's being overlooked thinking solely about the fact that they're now releasing more films by black directors.

Works like Bergman Island, The Worst Person in the World, The Infernal Affairs Trilogy, La Llorona, Take Out, Throw Down, Rolling Thunder Review, Minding the Gap, the films from Netflix and Amazon, and the many works by women filmmakers (which started before the article but has been consistent likely because of the current attention).

I'm sure we all have a list of Criterion rumors and DVD upgrades we'd like to see get Blu-ray releases but I'm glad Criterion is putting a spotlight on some other movies that don't always fit with the other boutique labels.

[mande2013]

On the bright side, Criterion has agreed to send me a replacement disc for my defective Blow Out 4k UHD with photographic evidence of having vandalized the faulty disc of course.

[Sifox211]

Originally Posted by mande2013

Well I can only say I think Criterion has altered for the better what films are generally perceived to be "essential" in its efforts to be more inclusive, or at the very least, they've contributed to this expansion of the "canon". If we expand the discussion beyond specifically African-American directors, it's partly thanks to Criterion (as well as to Scorsese) that the likes of Lino Brocka and films like Touki Bouki are seen as "essential" nowadays. Are their efforts at being inclusive somewhat forced and premeditated? Perhaps, but so what. That's frankly just the general zeitgeist these days (just as the zeitgeist in the late 60s and early 70s was "hippie culture", "screw the establishment" etc.), and if that's the needed impetus to make films like Touki Bouki or those of Melvin Van Peebles more widely seen then so be it. I guess that's my two cents. Also, Criterion is allowed to release things that are "just" historical curiosities, just like Penguin does on the literary side. Not everything they release needs to be Sight&Sound top 50 material.

I just remember that 12-15 years ago the scope of what was considered "essential" didn't extend much beyond the US, Europe (including Soviet cinema), Japan, and Satyajit Ray. We've come a ways since then for the better I think, at least when it comes to the availability of obscure and "hard to find" films. The franchise glut of modern filmmaking is its own discussion of course.

I think if Criterion had simply "stuck to their guns" without giving into pressure to be more inclusive on the pretext they were going "to stick to only releasing truly great art" they would have dug an even bigger hole for themselves, since the attacks from the camp they're now "appeasing" would have only escalated.

Well said. And let's not forget that Touki Bouki which has been mentioned several times in this discussion, was actually released in 2013 as part of WCP.1, several years before the NYT article. Criterion probably did need to step up coverage of non-white filmmakers, but let's not accept the agenda that before that article they were ignoring that area.

[bergman864]

Originally Posted by Sifox211

Well said. And let's not forget that Touki Bouki which has been mentioned several times in this discussion, was actually released in 2013 as part of WCP.1, several years before the NYT article. Criterion probably did need to step up coverage of non-white filmmakers, but let's not accept the agenda that before that article they were ignoring that area.

Up until that article, they had 4 black directors represented in their DVD/Blu-ray catalogue and 4 African directors.

We can split hairs about whether they were ignored or not but they sure were underrepresented. And it's not like there was a lack of Black directed films from the 90s they could've chosen given they had other films from the 90s represented in the collection.

And like I mentioned above female directors were underrepresented in the collection as well. This wouldn't be such a big deal and the films would speak for themselves but when you notice these two specific areas are lacking in the collection it's hard to think it's merely a coincidence.

[dkelly26666]

Originally Posted by yoloswegmaster420

Pages for Pier Paolo Pasolini's Accattone, The Hawks and the Sparrows, and Love Meetings are now on the Janus site, alongside La Dolce Vita (though that is U.K. only).

Praise be! Finally may mean that some more Pier Paolo Pasolini films are coming to Criterion!

Hopefully a big box set.

[MifuneFan]

Hey, maybe La Dolce Vita might get a 4K release, seeing as how Paramount is playing nice with them again.

[dorium]

holy shit I never expected Hollywood Shuffle to get the respect it deserves and a full restoration job. Very excited for that release and one I wont be waiting for a sale to get.

[gbm82]

Originally Posted by criticalblur

I hope Romeo and Juliet's 4k restoration is significant because im pretty content with the italian Blu ray release and Criterion's cover is incredibly ugly.

uhh....

[Rayjg]

Originally Posted by yoloswegmaster420

Schleepy buddy?

[Pinot Grigio]

Originally Posted by gbm82

uhh....

I love Criterion's cover... hard to believe it's being criticized.

The other looks like a generic 2000s studio DVD cover.