The Criterion Collection

[Sifox211]

Originally Posted by Shane Rollins

... I wonder how those in the UK who order some UK discs are doing. I haven't heard of these issues with UK discs. Then again, UK discs don't have most of the problems US ones have - scratches, floaters, missing inserts, blank discs - never heard a peep from that side of the pond...

I have about 300 Criterions, going back 25 years; probably a third of the BDs are UK ones. I haven't had the misalignment problem with any of them, nor a scratched disk (disclosure: quite a few are still sealed!).

[darrellmaclaine]

QC with the UK releases is exceptionally high - the only example of it not being is the Region B version of the Tod Browning set which doesn't work on some brands of player and which they have never acknowledged or issued replacements for, despite the volume of returns they are clearly aware of.

Our main issues in the UK are (a) the sheer amount of US releases they could mirror here as they have the rights but seemingly won't, even if a UK boutique has had to delete their version, wiping them out of UK availability entirely, (b) the fact they never have proper sales even after the 30% price increase in 2022, (c) titles being left to fall out of print/availability for years with no acknowledgement, (d) much more limited format availability - there are only 5 DVDs and if a preexisting title gets a 4K upgrade then its Blu-ray is deleted, meaning that some Blu-rays are now exclusive to combi packs that cost £30 ($38) even though UHD has peaked at a sub-10% market penetration in the UK, and (e) a new strategy under the new distributors where they now mostly just mirror 2 or 3 of the biggest US titles each month and no longer go back to pick up older titles, including the big ones that were unreleased in 2021/2022 when we were between distributors and only getting dregs.

As well as issues that aren't Criterion's fault but still hurt - like we can't get Paramount titles here as they have blocked the UK for licences/renewals, and they aren't the only ones closing their UK sales desks. (But y'know, physical media is dropping off in the UK much faster than it is in the US, so it'll soon be academic. Studios and distributors can't really pivot to complaining about piracy if they keep treating the UK like the black sheep of the family.)

[apricissimus]

Originally Posted by AnimalCMan

Oh yeah, I already realigned these and no need for a replacement as I'd only request that if these were torn, which thankfully they weren't.

But before somebody on here asks why this is even a big deal, well, the big deal is how prevalent this issue has become and how little Criterion seems to care. The fact they consider themselves this prestige company for releasing films on blu-ray and 4K UHD and yet have such poor quality control is a joke, nobody should be putting up with this.

I actually encourage everyone on here who has this issue complain to Criterion about it. I'm hoping if enough people make noise they will listen. They are the ONLY company I know of where this issue is so prevalent and that right there is a big red flag.

What in their production process is causing this to keep happening? Are these just awful employees or are there machines loading the cover into the case and doing a terrible job? I'd be curious if anyone knows what the process is at any company for how this is done.

I have to admit, I don't understand why anyone would care at all about a misaligned insert when you can very easily just fix it yourself. It seems like sometimes people on this forum fetishize the physical product over the movie itself.

Clearly, Criterion's priorities are misaligned (no pun intended) from yours.

[mande2013]

I was under the impression the scratch issue recently migrated over to the UK editions, as well, since they switched to the Polish plant.

[Shane Rollins]

Originally Posted by mande2013

I was under the impression the scratch issue recently migrated over to the UK editions, as well, since they switched to the Polish plant.

Originally Posted by apricissimus

I have to admit, I don't understand why anyone would care at all about a misaligned insert when you can very easily just fix it yourself. It seems like sometimes people on this forum fetishize the physical product over the movie itself.

Clearly, Criterion's priorities are misaligned (no pun intended) from yours.

The ones that are a little off, sure. But the ones that are so jacked up that the insert and/or case are damaged, they're the ones that are problematic.

When I bought After Hours, two were slightly off (fairly common), two were so off that the insert had ripples and bends in it, and the fifth was normal. And I bought the fifth one.

The first two are common, and I've seen it on almost every Scanovo release. The insert is just slightly off, but it gets torn in the bend of the case. You'd think they would've figured this out by now.

[Andyh335]

So night and fog is only 32 minutes long and charged at $32

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Andyh335

So night and fog is only 32 minutes long and charged at $32

It includes a 99-min documentary among other extras.

[Gacivory]

Originally Posted by Andyh335

So night and fog is only 32 minutes long and charged at $32

The Blu-Ray is $20 during the half off sale.

[sherlockjr]

Originally Posted by Andyh335

So night and fog is only 32 minutes long and charged at $32

NIGHT AND FOG and thousands of other titles where Janus Films/Criterion own the North American rights is available for streaming on the The Criterion Channel streaming service for just $11 a month.

Those titles usually include all the on disk supplements, including commentary tracks, and in this case that would also include the 90 minute documentary about the French reaction to NIGHT AND FOG.

Since the disk is only available on BD, you won't be downgrading picture quality too badly by streaming as opposed to a 4K disk. Streaming is not something Criterion tries to steer people away from: the website page for each title includes a large logo if the title is available on The Criterion Channel. I'm guessing that's an indication that revenue may be close to equivalent or even greater from streaming than from disk sales.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by sherlockjr

NIGHT AND FOG and thousands of other titles where Janus Films/Criterion own the North American rights is available for streaming on the The Criterion Channel streaming service for just $11 a month.

Those titles usually include all the on disk supplements, including commentary tracks, and in this case that would also include the 90 minute documentary about the French reaction to NIGHT AND FOG.

Since the disk is only available on BD, you won't be downgrading picture quality too badly by streaming as opposed to a 4K disk. Streaming is not something Criterion tries to steer people away from: the website page for each title includes a large logo if the title is available on The Criterion Channel. I'm guessing that's an indication that revenue may be close to equivalent or even greater from streaming than from disk sales.

That particular member is in England, so the Criterion Channel isn't officially supported there. Based on some comments I read on reddit, you can sign up for account using a VPN, and watch through select browsers without using one after.

[Jope]

has there been any mention of criterion releasing albert brooks’ modern romance?

[sherlockjr]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

That particular member is in England, so the Criterion Channel isn't officially supported there. Based on some comments I read on reddit, you can sign up for account using a VPN, and watch through select browsers without using one after.

Yes that works. I know a couple people who've done that successfully and been streaming Criterion Channel successfully on other continents after the sign up via a US located VPN.

[dwk]

Originally Posted by Jope

has there been any mention of criterion releasing albert brooks’ modern romance?

No rumors, but it seems possible (they still are releasing Sony titles and they have a good relationship with Brooks.)

[FlexMentallo]

Watched Night and Fog recently on Max in the US and man what a gut punch of a documentary even if it is short. Being filmed so soon after the fact and so unflinching in some of the archival footage it really hits you.

I don't really want to rewatch it again but I am interested in that documentary about it so maybe will pick up the disc in a future sale.

Kind of reminds me of getting World at War on disc where beyond the show itself being great all the ancillary interviews, material and the making of really add to the whole package.

[DimitriL]

Originally Posted by dwk

No rumors, but it seems possible (they still are releasing Sony titles and they have a good relationship with Brooks.)

Yep. It seems extremely likely that he's one of the directors of whom they intend to have the entire works of.

[dwk]

Originally Posted by DimitriL

Yep. It seems extremely likely that he's one of the directors of whom they intend to have the entire works of.

Shame that they haven't, and likely wont ever be able to, include his SNL shorts on any of the releases.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by Andyh335

So night and fog is only 32 minutes long and charged at $32

It's unlikely most folks could stomach it if it were any longer than 32 minutes. For me it remains the most harrowingly frightening and depressing film I have ever seen.

[TheZeppo]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

It's unlikely most folks could stomach it if it were any longer than 32 minutes. For me it remains the most harrowingly frightening and depressing film I have ever seen.

Agreed. I think a double feature of Night and Fog followed by the flip-side of the coin 1945: The Savage Peace would be enough to warrant guaranteed nightmares.

[BaronBlud]

Originally Posted by Colonel Blimp

I don't think it's that complicated - they aren't gaining and they aren't willing to lose.

It's somebody's job to oversee any physical media decisions. They have certain titles that they figure "okay, we'll release those."

Anything else is a risk - sure it might make some unknown profit to license or release something, etc etc. BUT it might also lose a dollar off the balance sheet. The guy who's job it is might look bad and get fired.

Nobody's pushing them to do anything. That person is not going to earn a promotion because he licensed Sideways to Criterion. Maybe the transfer goes wrong and people complain that Disney mistreats their negatives. Who knows. They can ONLY lose.

So some version of that is the reason, not any sort of 5-dimensional chess. I don't ever ascribe malice to what can be blamed on apathy.

There's no way a major studio loses money on licensing, it's just that the money they can make - tens of thousands with individual titles, hundreds of thousands with larger deals - is only pocket change compared to the revenues these corporations generate every quarter so they can't be bothered with it at all. A notable benefit to studios like MGM, Universal and Paramount is that they get new restorations from boutique labels with licensing, but Disney doesn't care about that, nor do they care about the profits of licensing, or making the cinematic history they hold locked up widely available in good editions. There are no risks or downsides with licensing, they just don't care is all.

[Shane Rollins]

Originally Posted by BaronBlud

There's no way a major studio loses money on licensing, it's just that the money they can make - tens of thousands with individual titles, hundreds of thousands with larger deals - is only pocket change compared to the revenues these corporations generate every quarter so they can't be bothered with it at all. A notable benefit to studios like MGM, Universal and Paramount is that they get new restorations from boutique labels with licensing, but Disney doesn't care about that, nor do they care about the profits of licensing, or making the cinematic history they hold locked up widely available in good editions. There are no risks or downsides with licensing, they just don't care is all.

The questions I'd like answered, if possible, is why the hell does Disney spend tens of thousands per title (at least) to restore films they have no intention of ever releasing, why they refuse to release so much of their content (not just Song Of The South and other controversial stuff, but tons of their content in general), and what do they gain from withholding it?