The Criterion Collection

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I like your analysis, and that reflects a lot of how I feel about the film. The subtle aspects of the movie, including the concepts that you mentioned above, are far more unnerving to me than the outright visceral horror scenes.

The Exorcist doesn't work for me. I first saw it during its initial theatrical release, and I felt that the "outright visceral horror scenes" completely overwhelmed any of the more subtle aspects of the story. On the contrary, I loved Blatty's novel, where the focus of the story was on Father Damian's loss of faith, and how Regan's possession affected him.

I gave The Exorcist a second viewing on cable some time in the 80s, and it didn't work any better for me then.

The only scene in it that completely wigs me out is the scene in the hospital where Regan is getting a spinal tap.

I admit to being at an extreme disadvantage with regard to this film, because some friends and I saw the Leslie Nielsen spoof, Repossessed, upon its release during our freshman year in college, and I did not see The Exorcist until after that. Sad as it seems, this order of cinematic experiences is why a lot of the horror aspects of The Exorcist are lost on me.

Yeah, it's often the case that your impressions can get twisted around by other things. I know more than one person who can't watch Tod Browning's Dracula anymore because of how Lugosi's accent has been parodied so much that Lugosi himself seems like a parody.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

Don't forget Jack Macgowran (Cul de Sac).

Ahhh.... Burke Dennings. Sadly, I've never seen Cul de Sac, but I shall remedy that one of these days.

[t4t3r]

If you haven't received a shipping email yet, check your order on criterion.com. I never received an email with tracking, but my order shows as shipped on the website and is scheduled for delivery Friday.

[Tin Drum]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Ahhh.... Burke Dennings. Sadly, I've never seen Cul de Sac, but I shall remedy that one of these days.

Yes. Everyone should see Donald Pleasence in drag before they die.

Not my favorite Polanski by a stretch but a well done film.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Tin Drum

Yes. Everyone should see Donald Pleasence in drag before they die.

Not my favorite Polanski by a stretch but a well done film.

After watching Donald Pleasence's performance in Wake in Fright, I'm probably ready to see a movie featuring him in drag.

Despite the obvious ick factor, though, Wake in Fright is an outstanding movie and an outstanding Blu-ray.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by jayembee

On the contrary, I loved Blatty's novel, where the focus of the story was on Father Damian's loss of faith, and how Regan's possession affected him.

I suggest you give it another chance. I actually think the movie is more about Father Damian than it is about Regan. That is one of the reasons the climax is so powerful for me.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I like your analysis, and that reflects a lot of how I feel about the film. The subtle aspects of the movie, including the concepts that you mentioned above, are far more unnerving to me than the outright visceral horror scenes.

I admit to being at an extreme disadvantage with regard to this film, because some friends and I saw the Leslie Nielsen spoof, Repossessed, upon its release during our freshman year in college, and I did not see The Exorcist until after that. Sad as it seems, this order of cinematic experiences is why a lot of the horror aspects of The Exorcist are lost on me.

I love how 1970s movies were so adept at generating unease. The eerie everyday city streets scenes in movies like Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), The Exorcist, and Marathon Man had an creepy undercurrent to them like nothing else since.

...and this reminds me that I still need to write a review of the Marathon Man Blu-ray, which I thought was spectacular.

I remember watching Repossessed years ago, and I would probably have the same feeling if I hadn't already seen The Exorcist.

I know what you mean about 1970s movies. One that comes to mind for me is Taxi Driver. The scenes of him driving at night are eerie in a way that many other films have failed to capture.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Wake in Fright is an outstanding movie

I'm glad to hear you say that. I just got Wake in Fright from the library, although it is only the DVD.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

I suggest you give it another chance. I actually think the movie is more about Father Damian than it is about Regan. That is one of the reasons the climax is so powerful for me.

I agree, although it took a few viewings for this to sink in with me.

Incidentally, I had never actually owned a copy of The Exorcist until now, and my previous viewings were confined to VHS rentals during the 1990s, and a couple of cable TV showings. The Exorcist is spectacular on Blu-ray! I already liked The Exorcist enough to purchase it in the first place during the cheap WBShop sale this week, but the experience of watching it on Blu-ray elevated my respect of the movie several notches.

I've only ever seen the original theatrical version of The Exorcist, and that's what I watched last night. I'm planning to watch the Extended Director's Cut tonight, since they were nice enough to include it and all. I've heard that a lot of the additions are rather superfluous, but it will be fun to compare and contrast.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

I'm glad to hear you say that. I just got Wake in Fright from the library, although it is only the DVD.

Looking forward to reading your thoughts about the film. It's an uncanny recipe, to say the least. A couple spoonfuls of Walkabout, a couple spoonfuls of Deliverance, a couple spoonfuls of Straw Dogs, and so on...

[bwdowiak]

What is the word on the potential release of a blu-ray Criterion edition for Hitchcock’s “Notorious”? I don’t really know how the licensing rights work. There was an inferior DVD prior to the Criterion release for “Notorious.” And now we’ve got the MGM release that some are not too crazy about. Do 2 companies own the rights at the same time? Can they?
I know Great Owl probably has some insight on this… or anyone else??

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by GxyExpress999

Placed an order.

3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman Criterion Blu-Ray Box Set
Charulata Criterion Blu-Ray
The Big City Criterion Blu-Ray

Nice pick-ups...
The Big City is one of my 2 favorite Satyajit Ray films.
Charulata is Satyajit Ray's favorite Satyajit Ray film.

Did not see anybody else picking his movies in this sale

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

What is the word on the potential release of a blu-ray Criterion edition for Hitchcock’s “Notorious”? I don’t really know how the licensing rights work. There was an inferior DVD prior to the Criterion release for “Notorious.” And now we’ve got the MGM release that some are not too crazy about. Do 2 companies own the rights at the same time? Can they?
I know Great Owl probably has some insight on this… or anyone else??

Seems very unlikely since it is marked as Out of Print on the Criterion site: http://www.criterion.com/films/682-notorious

I think all other titles that Criterion released that had a previous blu-ray version from another company never went OOP.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Seems very unlikely since it is marked as Out of Print on the Criterion site: http://www.criterion.com/films/682-notorious

I think all other titles that Criterion released that had a previous blu-ray version from another company never went OOP.

Thanks, Pedro. I didn't realize that the DVD version is now OOP. Bummer. Guess that means that my two prized Criterion DVDs (The Third Man, Notorious) will never make into my blu-ray collection.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

What is the word on the potential release of a blu-ray Criterion edition for Hitchcock’s “Notorious”? I don’t really know how the licensing rights work. There was an inferior DVD prior to the Criterion release for “Notorious.” And now we’ve got the MGM release that some are not too crazy about. Do 2 companies own the rights at the same time? Can they?
I know Great Owl probably has some insight on this… or anyone else??

I would not hold my breath waiting for Criterion Blu-rays of Hitchcock's Rebecca, Spellbound, or Notorious, since MGM took the rights back several years ago, but I personally have no complaints about the existing MGM Blu-rays of these films.

If Criterion ever secures the rights to these films again and releases them on Blu-ray, then I'll immediately pull the trigger, but the MGM Blu-rays are superb placeholders until then.

Here's a good CriterionCast article comparing the Criterion DVD edition of Notorious versus the MGM Blu-ray.

I used to own the Criterion DVD of Notorious, and I sold it to make way for the existing Blu-ray (and made a lot of money off of the sale), but the only thing that I really miss is the awesome cover art of the Criterion edition.

[GxyExpress999]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

Nice pick-ups...
The Big City is one of my 2 favorite Satyajit Ray films.
Charulata is Satyajit Ray's favorite Satyajit Ray film.

Did not see anybody else picking his movies in this sale

But at least both titles are sold out at critreion.com now.

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by GxyExpress999

But at least both titles are sold out at critreion.com now.

great...

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Here's a good CriterionCast article comparing the Criterion DVD edition of Notorious versus the MGM Blu-ray.

Thanks, Owl. Interesting article. Still undecided what I'll do. I guess I'll see how much I can get for my Criterion DVD. If I can get a few bucks for it, then I suppose it'd be worth replacing. As much as all of the bonus features are fun, I don't get into them as much as some do. I find that sites like this or the internet in general are (usually) a good enough supplement to my viewing experience. With that being said, I want the best picture resolution and audio available.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

Nice pick-ups...
The Big City is one of my 2 favorite Satyajit Ray films.
Charulata is Satyajit Ray's favorite Satyajit Ray film.

Did not see anybody else picking his movies in this sale

I picked both of those up during this sale. I was beginning my "Back log" of movies to hold off on buying until the next (hopeful) B&N sale, and I had all of the titles minus August-releases-on, so I picked up everything I could that wasn't out-of-print from August-on.

What I'm missing:

Seconds
Autumn Sonata
3 Films by Rossellini

I'll try to hold off on them all until the next sale, but I'll probably bite on Seconds and Autumn Sonata.

[ParticleDan]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

Nice pick-ups...
The Big City is one of my 2 favorite Satyajit Ray films.
Charulata is Satyajit Ray's favorite Satyajit Ray film.

Did not see anybody else picking his movies in this sale

I would have, but I grabbed them during b&n's b2g1 free sale. I really enjoyed The Music Room so I'm looking forward to seeing Ray's other films.

[JJJ225]

The MGM Notorious Blu Ray is DEFINITELY an improvement over the Criterion DVD, even if it could be better. It's still very good I think.