The Criterion Collection

[SammyJankis]

Completely forgot that Criterion mentioned a Wim Wenders boxset a while back. Hope that surfaces in the coming month. Need to see more of his earlier work.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Completely forgot that Criterion mentioned a Wim Wenders boxset a while back. Hope that surfaces in the coming month. Need to see more of his earlier work.

Based off of what he's made Pre-Paris, Texas, it looks as if the ones that I would be interested in visiting are Alice In The Cities, The American Friend, Hammett, Kings Of The Road, Summer In The City, and The Wrong Move.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Completely forgot that Criterion mentioned a Wim Wenders boxset a while back. Hope that surfaces in the coming month. Need to see more of his earlier work.

Same Here. I still haven't even seen the collaboration he made with Michelangelo Antonioni. Shame on me.

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Based off of what he's made Pre-Paris, Texas, it looks as if the ones that I would be interested in visiting are Alice In The Cities, The American Friend, Hammett, Kings Of The Road, Summer In The City, and The Wrong Move.

His road pictures are the ones I'm most interested in.

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Same Here. I still haven't even seen the collaboration he made with Michelangelo Antonioni. Shame on me.

I'm interested in it, even if it's supposedly a mixed bag.

[soroka528]

I was wondering if there was any word on whether or not Pygmalion would be released on Blu-Ray. Does Criterion even still hold the rights?

[Robinh]

I was wondering what the overall impression of 3:10 to Yuma is? It's on sale at B&N plus I have a 15% off coupon thinking of picking up.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Robinh

I was wondering what the overall impression of 3:10 to Yuma is? It's on sale at B&N plus I have a 15% off coupon thinking of picking up.

I heard the remake is better, but I'd still give the original a chance, especially if you like westerns.

I received my copy, as well as Jubal, a couple weeks ago, but I haven't gotten around to watching it yet.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by shadedpain4

I would love a Heima blu. I know they released a download only HD version (with unreleased material no less) but that's not the same.

Oops, I forgot Heima is not on BD yet. I wish more and more classic music documentaries would be available on BD such as the Bob Dylan film No Direction Home as well as U2: ZooTV Live in Sydney.

Criterion needs to release some more music titles! Gimme Shelter and Complete Monterey Pop Festival are the only Criterion music/concert film blu's available, right?

[brandon_260]

To go back to the Cannes chat, winners have been announced, for those interested. Blue is the Warmest Color took Palme d'Or, Kore-eda got the Jury Prize. Really glad to see most of the stuff I am excited about took home prizes.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayli...award-20130526

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

To go back to the Cannes chat, winners have been announced, for those interested. Blue is the Warmest Color took Palme d'Or, Kore-eda got the Jury Prize. Really glad to see most of the stuff I am excited about took home prizes.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayli...award-20130526

Oh nice!

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by Abaddon22

I'm happy but embarrassed to say this but I just purchased my first Criterion Embarrassed because I have been collecting blu's for a while and never picked one up lol

Don't be. Go after the films you think you will enjoy, not the label they're released on.

[The Great Owl]

I'm short on time right now, because I will be leaving the apartment soon, but I'll write a few words...



The Criterion Collection has a reputation for releasing understated masterpieces that benefit from minimalism and subtlety. Luchino Visconti's The Leopard, by contrast, is an epic in every sense of the word, and it marches across the screen with a grandiose opulence that demands undivided attention. Like Gone with the Wind or The Godfather, The Leopard is a lengthy film that can intimidate a prospective viewer simply by way of its perceived immensity in scope. Before I finally cleared my schedule and sat down to enjoy this 1963 Italian production that clocks in at over three hours, I felt the same anticipatory head rush that one might feel when starting the first page of an expansive Tolstoy novel.

The Leopard takes place in nineteenth century Italy, and outlines a series of pivotal events in life of the Don Fabrizio, Prince of Salina, a nobleman played with an undeniable larger-than-life presence by American actor Burt Lancaster, as he realizes that his aristocratic way of life is endangered in the face of political revolutions and social shifts in the wake of Giuseppe Garibaldi landing on the coast of Sicily in 1860 and the ensuing unification of Italy. The Prince views the shifting allegiances of his nephew, Tancredi (Alain Delon), as "ignoble", but also understands Tancredi's wisdom concerning the need to evolve with the tide in order to preserve status and prestige. When Tancredi's romance with the gorgeous Angelica (Claudia Cardinale) figures into the equation to maintain wealth and ambition, The Leopard mesmerizes with its multiple undercurrents of jealousy, resentment, and best-laid plans that splash together during an elaborate ballroom scene that takes up most of the final hour of the film. Burt Lancaster's Prince Fabrizio hovers about the celebrations with a unique dignity to show that an aging lion is still a lion.

Some eager online research into the nineteenth century unification of Italy may benefit the viewer, but Visconti's The Leopard is ultimately an intimate meditation on the loss of a way of life, and one man's acceptance of his own inevitable mortality. One does not need to have a scholarly understanding of the Italian politics at hand to identify with the Prince of Salina as he stares tearfully into a mirror while the cacophony of the ballroom festivities is heard from a few feet away.

The Leopard is a joy to behold in all its cinematic scope, and I found myself pausing the film at certain points or replaying certain scenes simply to marvel at the beauty. A scene with the Prince and Don Ciccio, where the two debate about an election on a hilltop during a rabbit hunt while mountains and valleys spread out endlessly on the horizon, is one of the most wondrous sights that I have ever enjoyed during a high definition movie presentation. The Leopard is everything that I had hoped it would be, and this epic masterpiece is given a lovely treatment on this Criterion Blu-ray.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

1) You should consider buying the StudioCanal version of The Third Man, I bought mine for $12.99

If not region locked he should also consider the UK Studio Canal edition since unlike the US release it includes the feature-length Shadowing The Third Man documentary (in PAL).

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

It seems like the Palme d'Or will most likely be between Blue Is The Warmest Color and Like Father, Like Son.

Welp. Not surprising.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

Welp. Not surprising.

Especially considering The Secret of the Grain is a fantastic film.
---------------

Unrelated, but I picked up Art School Confidential & Farewell my Concubine (which is fantastic). I would love to see CC release the latter.

[SammyJankis]

IFC Films picked up Blue is the Warmest Color, so the chances for it getting a Criterion release are more likely.

[mport5150]

Just watched 3:10 to Yuma.....not your typical Western formula.....very good movie!

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

IFC Films picked up Blue is the Warmest Color, so the chances for it getting a Criterion release are more likely.

Sweet!

[KRW1]

Originally Posted by jw007

Oops, I forgot Heima is not on BD yet. I wish more and more classic music documentaries would be available on BD such as the Bob Dylan film No Direction Home as well as U2: ZooTV Live in Sydney.

Criterion needs to release some more music titles! Gimme Shelter and Complete Monterey Pop Festival are the only Criterion music/concert film blu's available, right?

Don't forget The Monkees 'Head' in the BBS Story boxset. One of the best boxsets I own, Last Picture Show, Head and Five Easy Pieces are worth the price alone (esp if you wait for sale time) and the others are icing on the cake.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by SammyJankis

IFC Films picked up Blue is the Warmest Color, so the chances for it getting a Criterion release are more likely.

I'll be good with any type of release, as long as it doesn't take over a year