The Criterion Collection

[TJS_Blu]

I thought I'd throw this out there ahead of the flash sale. Shout! Factory has acquired Westchester Films. In case you forgot, Westchester is where CC obtained Stagecoach, I Married a Witch, Foreign Correspondent, and To Be or Not To Be. There are also potential CC editions of Breaker Morant and The Long Voyage Home. Additional titles that may be part of issued releases include Insomnia, John Cassavetes Box, Godzilla, Quadrophenia, the forthcoming The Shooting/Ride in the Whirlwind release and DVDs of Hoop Dreams, Hopscotch, & The Ruling Class. There is some speculation on the Criterion forum (which is where I got most of this), that CC could lose the rights to these titles at any time. This last is, let me repeat, speculation. So, you may want to consider when you are making your purchasing decisions. Of course, things could continue on as they have, but something to think about.

extraneous comment, I'll be somewhat disappointed (like Bruce Banner) if my Stagecoach disc is defective and CC no longer has the rights.

[Gusto-Guus]

Originally Posted by TJS_Blu

Here's what we know.

People's Exhibit A
People's Exhibit B

So you tell us!

Is that a book of Mr. Arkadin or are they planning some grande special edition?

NVM, Just read the description on the Criterion webpage.

[Arkadin]

the article makes it sound like Shout! is mainly interested in this library for streaming purposes, not for future bd releases.
Will be interesting to see how many bds actually materialize.
at least Criterion got to release the films it did, especially the Cassavetes box set.

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

the article makes it sound like Shout! is mainly interested in this library for streaming purposes, not for future bd releases.

That's my thinking as well. But, If I didn't already have the titles I want, I'd probably pick them up just to be safe.

[Brad1963]

Has anyone noticed that Tootsie has been moved back to December 16.

http://www.criterion.com/films/28609-tootsie.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Just finished watching Solaris (1972) for the first time. I can safely say it wasn't my cup of tea. It had an interesting premise, some nice imagery here and there, but overall I just found it to be quite dull, and hard to get into. The first half worked better for me, but about 2/3rds in, it just felt kind of maddening,and I couldn't wait for it to end. The score was nice though, quite haunting at times

Yeah, I had the same reaction. But I also am curious enough to revisit it at some point.

[the sordid sentinel]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

That would be wonderful. Maybe Criterion will be able at last to release a better edition of Ran. Personally, I would love a BD release of The Fallen Idol and Bob le flambeur

Yeah, would love a Ran remaster. Such a beautiful movie and deserves much better treatment than the Studio Canal version I own currently. I actually wish that movie would receive a full 4k restoration, but that is probably too much to ask.

Watched Videodrome tonight. Great as always. Cronenberg has always amazed me with his efficiency. Seems like the majority of his movies are around the 90 minute mark, yet they cover a lot of ground.

[Scottie]

His name is Pierre. He is a thirty-something-year-old ex-fighter pilot from the Indochina War. He suffers from amnesia after crash landing his plane amongst the fighting. Her name is uncertain. Sometimes she is Françoise, sometimes she is Cybèle, sometimes she is no one at all. Although these two individuals come from different walks of life, both are in dire need of a someone to lean on.

The Criterion Collection's 2K restoration of the film looks excellent in terms of video quality and audio quality. The characters and objects fully stand out against the complimentary black and white cinematography. Regarding the actual cinematography, Henri Decaë's eye for detail is some of the best that I have ever seen. Almost every single scene in the film is framed with such elegancy and perfection that it is difficult to not be amazed by it. In terms of the audio quality, I typically have my television volume between the 25-30 level range for almost every release by The Criterion Collection. Sundays and Cybèle only needed to be between the 15-20 range in order to sound solid and crystal clear.

The Criterion Collection's release of the film includes such extras as interviews, a trailer, and director Serge Bourguignon's 1960 Palme d'Or winning short film, Le Sourire (The Smile), which chronicles the coming-of-age of a young Buddhist monk. The cinematography in this short film is as impressive as the main feature and it also appears to be digitally remastered.

I am inclined to say that I enjoyed Sundays and Cybèle alone for its cinematography. Unfortunately, I was not as impressed with the narrative as I had hoped to be. While the acting is exceptional, the characters of Pierre and Cybèle are very childlike and immature. The pedophilic overtones that are exhibited between these two characters grows quite repetitive and tiresome by the end of the film. Furthermore, the extremity of the characters has the tendency to burrow deep below each viewer's skin. Despite my lukewarm reaction towards the film, it is nice to see that such an overlooked film as Sundays and Cybèle is finding its way into the home video market through such a studio as The Criterion Collection.

[JJJ225]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

Has anyone noticed that Tootsie has been moved back to December 16.

http://www.criterion.com/films/28609-tootsie.

Damn. I was hoping to get during the next B&N sale.

[The Great Owl]

I revisited Walkabout tonight. I took a look at the disc and noticed that mine says, "Second Printing", on the disc art, so that might be why it still plays well.

Walkabout is such a masterful and haunting film that I have had in my collection for many years now, first on DVD and now on Blu-ray.

David Gulpilil has contributed so much to Australian cinema, and he could well be the face of the Aborigine people as far as most Americans are concerned. He even had a minor role in The Right Stuff, which is one of my favorite 1980s films. He is featured prominently in Peter Weir's The Last Wave, which I keep praying will be upgraded to Blu-ray soon.

[Brad1963]

Originally Posted by JJJ225

Damn. I was hoping to get during the next B&N sale.

The Criterion FB page shows Dustin Hoffman taping an interview. It looks like the delay could be because of that,

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by TJS_Blu

I thought I'd throw this out there ahead of the flash sale. Shout! Factory has acquired Westchester Films. In case you forgot, Westchester is where CC obtained Stagecoach, I Married a Witch, Foreign Correspondent, and To Be or Not To Be. There are also potential CC editions of Breaker Morant and The Long Voyage Home. Additional titles that may be part of issued releases include Insomnia, John Cassavetes Box, Godzilla, Quadrophenia, the forthcoming The Shooting/Ride in the Whirlwind release and DVDs of Hoop Dreams, Hopscotch, & The Ruling Class. There is some speculation on the Criterion forum (which is where I got most of this), that CC could lose the rights to these titles at any time. This last is, let me repeat, speculation. So, you may want to consider when you are making your purchasing decisions. Of course, things could continue on as they have, but something to think about.

extraneous comment, I'll be somewhat disappointed (like Bruce Banner) if my Stagecoach disc is defective and CC no longer has the rights.

Keep in mind that whatever Criterion's license deal is for any of these titles, they will continue to be in force until the terms of the license is up. At that point, Criterion may well not be able to renew the license, and lose the rights. But the rights won't suddenly be pulled from them before their license is up. That's why their StudioCanal titles didn't go OOP all at once.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Walkabout...meh. It was alright in terms of cinematography and what not, but the story did nothing for me. I feel as if the point it was trying to make regarding cultural blending and mingling was often lost in those moments where the characters were struggling to survive and find help.

That was the point....that through struggle to survive and find help, they culturally blended, adapted, and became a family in the wild. The nearer they draw back toward white Australian civilization, the more they begin to regress and drift apart.

[rdandura]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Keep in mind that whatever Criterion's license deal is for any of these titles, they will continue to be in force until the terms of the license is up. At that point, Criterion may well not be able to renew the license, and lose the rights. But the rights won't suddenly be pulled from them before their license is up. That's why their StudioCanal titles didn't go OOP all at once.

That's the last thing I want: Shout to become the next StudioCanal and take a large chunk of Criterions' catalog with them.

[CHEЯNOБLY!]

Originally Posted by oildude

That was the point....that through struggle to survive and find help, they culturally blended, adapted, and became a family in the wild. The nearer they draw back toward white Australian civilization, the more they begin to regress and drift apart.

This. Walkabout is a beautifully sad and poetic film...love it.

[dressedtokill]

Where can I find the newsletter clue?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by oildude

That was the point....that through struggle to survive and find help, they culturally blended, adapted, and became a family in the wild. The nearer they draw back toward white Australian civilization, the more they begin to regress and drift apart.

Oops. I was assuming that the main purpose was to convey a cultural blend and the struggling to survive was the backdrop to the film. I often feel like the struggle became the main focus more so than the cultural blend, hence my initial criticism.

Thanks for the clarification.

[Edward J Grug III]

About three pages back.

Originally Posted by Oscar Rothman

[dressedtokill]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

About three pages back.

It's not working for me…

[starman15317]

I hope that some of these Westchester titles don't go OOP, especially Godzilla or Hoop Dreams.