The Criterion Collection

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by NeilZ

I know it's not going to happen but I wish Criterion would create a sub label just dedicated to Japanese cinema (even if it only had 1~2 releases per month). So many blu ray upgrades in line waiting for what feels like forever.

Yeah, I don't think anything would make me happier. They have too MANY Japanese films that will probably never see a Blu-ray and they picked up a ton of Hideo Gosha titles that are really good.

[jshaide]

Originally Posted by NeilZ

I know it's not going to happen but I wish Criterion would create a sub label just dedicated to Japanese cinema (even if it only had 1~2 releases per month). So many blu ray upgrades in line waiting for what feels like forever.

I'd love for like 8-10 concentrated sets that'd help "clean house" so to speak. Various directors, a Czech New Wave set, etc. etc.

[dvining]

How about just bringing the Eclipse series to Blu-ray?

Straight HD masters with little work in restoration. Barebones extras, if any. Small packages of 4-5 movies.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by dvining

How about just bringing the Eclipse series to Blu-ray?

Straight HD masters with little work in restoration. Barebones extras, if any. Small packages of 4-5 movies.

Exactly. I think this would be a fantastic idea, but because it's a fantastic idea that just means Criterion won't do it.

[NeoNical]

Wouldn't Criterion have to spend extra on restoring some of those Eclipse titles? These titles weren't very clean and had tons of damages. Also, I don't recall Criterion restoring any films lately and having other restorations already done and just transferring it to Blu-ray (Like all those StudioCanal titles).

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by NeoNical

Wouldn't Criterion have to spend extra on restoring some of those Eclipse titles? These titles weren't very clean and had tons of damages. Also, I don't recall Criterion restoring any films lately and having other restorations already done and just transferring it to Blu-ray (Like all those StudioCanal titles).

Yes, a lot of them were very dated masters in need of proper restorations. Many of the early Kurosawa films for instance were rough.

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by dvining

How about just bringing the Eclipse series to Blu-ray?

Straight HD masters with little work in restoration. Barebones extras, if any. Small packages of 4-5 movies.

Because without restorations, most would look like garbage. Then people would complain the PQ was terrible, and the merry-go-round continues.

[Burt Lancaster]

Originally Posted by dvining

How about just bringing the Eclipse series to Blu-ray?

Straight HD masters with little work in restoration. Barebones extras, if any. Small packages of 4-5 movies.

Respectfully diagree. I would prefer longer period of restoration for each film, then quick subpar releases for several movies at once.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by NeoNical

Wouldn't Criterion have to spend extra on restoring some of those Eclipse titles? These titles weren't very clean and had tons of damages. Also, I don't recall Criterion restoring any films lately and having other restorations already done and just transferring it to Blu-ray (Like all those StudioCanal titles).

It doesn't have to be the EXACT same titles from the DVD Eclipse line, but of titles that that don't require restorations and that Criterion already has an HD scan of. It essence it would be new titles for sets, but would now be an HD brand.

Criterion has hundreds of titles with nice HD scans that probably will never get a Blu-ray, so maybe starting these boxsets would be a good idea.

[CRASHLANDING]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

Criterion has hundreds of titles with nice HD scans that probably will never get a Blu-ray, so maybe starting these boxsets would be a good idea.

It seems like their plan for bringing those to market is via streaming on the Criterion Channel rather than physical media. Not the answer that we disc collectors want to hear, but they probably don't think it would sell enough BDs to justify the work & expense. That's probably why a lot of that unreleased library content is on the Channel, together with a lot of the Eclipse stuff.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by CRASHLANDING

It seems like their plan for bringing those to market is via streaming on the Criterion Channel rather than physical media. Not the answer that we disc collectors want to hear, but they probably don't think it would sell enough BDs to justify the work & expense. That's probably why a lot of that unreleased library content is on the Channel, together with a lot of the Eclipse stuff.

Yeah, that's pretty much what it is and there really isn't much we can do about it. Once they started pushing their streaming I noticed a bit of a decline in the type of films they released. Either way, I've vented about this in the past, and it's pointless, but it's just slightly frustrating mainly because they have some of my most wanted films period and I don't think they will ever see the light of day on disc unless they decide to sub license at some point.

[Filmtastic1939]

Over Criterion ---- where is 1940 Thief of Bagdad in blu ray ---- let us know if they have Ginga Din or more Astaire and Rogers - where is the restored Devil and Daniel Webster - how about the Bulldog Drummond films? They need more 1930s and 40s CLASSICS!

[NeilZ]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Yes, a lot of them were very dated masters in need of proper restorations. Many of the early Kurosawa films for instance were rough.

Weren't they released as restored blu rays in Japan and some in France? I heard they blu rays were quite good actually, even for the very early movies like Sugatan Sanshiro, Men Who Tread Tiger's tail etc.

[Scottie]

All That Breathes is coming.

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=32232

[MifuneFan]

I wonder what Sideshow Films is to Janus/Criterion? I've been seeing them partnered up with Criterion/Janus for many new release films and acquisitions. They've co-partnered with Janus for Drive My Car, EO, No Bears, The Eight Mountains, All That Breathes, and many others. I'm not sure if they are working with anyone else besides Janus, or if Janus is simply picking up most of their titles for theatrical distribution. I hadn't heard about Sideshow until Drive My Car, which I believe is when the studio was created, and now I feel like every new theatrical release has Janus and Sideshow's name together.

edit: Here's an article from a year ago about the success of Drive My Car, which discusses the formation of Sideshow and their relationship to Janus in more detail:

https://www.indiewire.com/2022/02/dr...on-1234698888/

In September, a release announced the film’s domestic acquisition by Janus Films (aka Criterion) alongside something called “Sideshow, a new theatrical label.” Rumors had veteran IFC Films executive Jonathan Sehring in charge, three years after he left his former employer, but he would not confirm it until this week. The story of Sideshow is a risk — a company launched exclusively to release one movie — but it’s an educated one that’s already paying off.

Janus has been in the arthouse business for decades. Among its last major prestige titles was Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-winning “The Great Beauty,” but the company wasn’t prepared to handle the complexities of a pandemic-era release on its own, especially from a lesser-known filmmaker.

Enter Sehring. The veteran IFC Films executive departed that company in 2018 after almost two decades, during which he engineered successful releases for risky arthouse titles ranging from “Y Tu Mama Tambien” to “Boyhood.” With “Drive My Car,” he and his peers saw the opportunity to launch a bespoke theatrical label with the ability to partner with larger entities.

“Sideshow came about between longtime collaborators who wanted to ensure that select films/new works in contemporary cinema that we loved were given the attention of a specialized theatrical release and did not risk getting lost,” Sehring told me via email this week. “The idea was to partner with our longtime friends at Janus Films and Criterion and give ‘Drive My Car’ the positioning of a release from the company that had released Kurosawa, Bergman, Fellini as well as many contemporary works by filmmakers like Paolo Sorrentino and Aki Kaurismaki. ‘Drive My Car’ ticked all the boxes as the exact type of film we wanted to release and felt aligned with the vision.”

[MifuneFan]

More Sideshow/Janus pick-ups coming later this year:

Sideshow & Janus Films Continue Berlin Spending Spree To Take North American Rights For Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize Winner ‘Afire’

Sideshow, Janus Films Acquire Berlin Award-Winning Family Drama ‘Tótem’

[DimitriL]

Originally Posted by Filmtastic1939

Over Criterion ---- where is 1940 Thief of Bagdad in blu ray ---- let us know if they have Ginga Din or more Astaire and Rogers - where is the restored Devil and Daniel Webster - how about the Bulldog Drummond films? They need more 1930s and 40s CLASSICS!

In the last few years, we got a Dietrich box, The Magnificent Ambersons, A Matter of Life and Death, Detour, Swing Time, Cluny Brown, All About Eve, Now Voyager, Holiday, Leave Her to Heaven, Destry Rides Again, Dance Girl Dance, The Circus, The Cameraman, The Gunfighter, History is Made at Night, Merrily We Go to Hell, Bringing Up Baby, Show Boat, The Baker's Wife, Nightmare Alley, The Lady Eve, High Sierra, Citizen Kane, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Love Affair, Double Indemnity, Arsenic and Old Lace, Imitation of Life (and a Mildred Pierce 4k in the offing) - and I'm sure I'm missing some. I mean, this is not an insignificant portion of their output.

We all want to see more of this and that, but I mean, this seems like a pretty damn fair effort at balance.

[Member-167298]

A few questions as I get ready for my first Criterion sale in years…

I assume the chance of 4K upgrades for the following titles are quite high?

- Being There
- Election
- Ghost World

What about the BBS and Fellini boxes?

Also, will Universal most likely release their own 4Ks of the following?

- Breakfast Club
- Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Finally, are 4K upgrades for Fox titles like Beyond the Valley of the Dolls unlikely?

Thanks for any and all insights and/or rumors!

[Filmtastic1939]

Originally Posted by DimitriL

In the last few years, we got a Dietrich box, The Magnificent Ambersons, A Matter of Life and Death, Detour, Swing Time, Cluny Brown, All About Eve, Now Voyager, Holiday, Leave Her to Heaven, Destry Rides Again, Dance Girl Dance, The Circus, The Cameraman, The Gunfighter, History is Made at Night, Merrily We Go to Hell, Bringing Up Baby, Show Boat, The Baker's Wife, Nightmare Alley, The Lady Eve, High Sierra, Citizen Kane, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Love Affair, Double Indemnity, Arsenic and Old Lace, Imitation of Life (and a Mildred Pierce 4k in the offing) - and I'm sure I'm missing some. I mean, this is not an insignificant portion of their output.

We all want to see more of this and that, but I mean, this seems like a pretty damn fair effort at balance.

Yes that is amazing

[jordan-r]

Originally Posted by PrestonXI

A few questions as I get ready for my first Criterion sale in years…

I assume the chance of 4K upgrades for the following titles are quite high?

- Being There
- Election
- Ghost World

I haven't seen any reason to think 4K upgrades are coming for those anytime soon.