The Criterion Collection

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by Xtempo

going through my burn copies I got of the TV when I had cable some years back. I somehow don't remember this but Janus had Hanzo the Razor Sword of Justice. Of course back when I copied it I had no idea about Janus or the Criterion Collection.

Anyone know why they never put this out on home video? I should probably upgrade to a real release sometime anyway.

Send them an e-mail letting them know your interest as well as our interest here. I'm actually surprised these haven't been released. I believe they have released things that are more controversial than these films. I see these more along the lines of the Lone Wolf and Cub movies, just with a lot more rape and less violence.

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by Cinematt

https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/67...akira-kurosawa

Will they do it again with Blu-ray? I’d love to be wrong but I doubt it.

I would be happy with individual releases of Drunken Angel, The Stray Dog, and The Bad Sleep Well. Imagine, Dersu Uzala needs a lot of work done to it before it could come to BluRay.

[latehong]

Originally Posted by StarDestroyer52

I would be happy with individual releases of Drunken Angel, The Stray Dog, and The Bad Sleep Well. Imagine, Dersu Uzala needs a lot of work done to it before it could come to BluRay.

It seems Mosfilm has restored it.


First, in 2016:

In last year’s Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon, Mosfilm unveiled the restored versions of Sergey Eisenstein’s “Alexander Nevsky” and
“Ivan the Terrible,” for which took 8 months, because it was in very poor condition. For films in relatively good condition it can take around 2 months.

“Currently, we are completing a frame-by-frame restoration several movies,” – said General Director of “Mosfilm”, adding that among them –
“War and peace” by Sergei Bondarchuk (1968),
“Liberation“ by Yuri Ozerov (1970-71), - Blu-Ray Released in Germany (Synced in Russian)
“Dersu Uzala” by Akira Kurosawa (1975).

And last year in Spain (link):

Akira Kurosawa’s classic ‘Dersu Uzala’ returns to screen

Dersu Uzala, Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film in 1975 and a mature masterpiece of director Akira Kurosawa, will be released in 28 cinemas across Spain, with restored prints, starting today, Friday, July 10.

Here's the trailer from A Contracorriente Films, the Spanish distribution company:

youtu.be/UEpnV3UG-UE

Also last year, at the 37th Fajr International Film Festival in Iran, Dersu Uzala was screened under the "Restored Classics" section.

[MifuneFan]

Criterion has the Dogme 95 classic Festen aka The Celebration (1998)

[TheHistorian]

My guess on a new AK box is that being so close to having all 30 films, they might wait until they can get the rights to the last few. They need to get Ran back, and then I think they're short only Quiet Duel and Rhapsody in August, but I could be forgetting one.

[BenOswald]

Originally Posted by StarDestroyer52

I would be happy with individual releases of Drunken Angel, The Stray Dog, and The Bad Sleep Well. Imagine, Dersu Uzala needs a lot of work done to it before it could come to BluRay.

I could see a mini-boxset of 'Post War Kurosawa' coming out with these titles, kinda like the recent Buñuel boxset.

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by latehong

It seems Mosfilm has restored it.


First, in 2016:




And last year in Spain (link):



Here's the trailer from A Contracorriente Films, the Spanish distribution company:

[Show spoiler]youtu.be/UEpnV3UG-UE

Also last year, at the 37th Fajr International Film Festival in Iran, Dersu Uzala was screened under the "Restored Classics" section.

I stand corrected. Hopefully we won't have to wait forever then for a BluRay or an AK set.

[CelestialAgent]

Stealing from a Facebook group, but apparently Thomas Vinterberg's Festen is coming to Criterion, and the stream starts with the Criterion logo.

https://ondemand.drafthouse.com/film/the-celebration/

[yoloswegmaster420]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

Stealing from a Facebook group, but apparently Thomas Vinterberg's Festen is coming to Criterion, and the stream starts with the Criterion logo.

https://ondemand.drafthouse.com/film/the-celebration/

Already been posted:

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Criterion has the Dogme 95 classic Festen aka The Celebration (1998)

[drownsoda]

I know it's not Blu-ray, but it seems like most of the recently-OOP Criterion titles are still available to purchase in DVD format—FYE and Amazon both have Rosemary's Baby, Harold and Maude, and Days of Heaven available on DVD. If you wanted to at least have the Criterion bonus features (I am assuming the Paramount Blu-ray editions won't have them), it might be worth picking up if you don't want to pay the scalpers' prices for the Blu-ray editions.

[chane]

Originally Posted by Rizor

What questions do you have? They've been helpful in the past, but I haven't emailed them in a few years.

Originally Posted by Cholly

What the hell is a formatting surprise?

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

While I'm sure this will be deleted shortly, I will say Jon hasn't responded to me in a long while. Used to always respond, but no longer.

Originally Posted by Gacivory

What were the issues with the movies?

Originally Posted by Cremildo

Respectfully, what the hell are you talking about?

Here’s what I had emailed Jon Mulvaney on 2/28/21:

Mr. Mulvaney:

The movies treasured by many of us were shot in aspect ratios ranging mostly between the wide angle formats 2.35:1 or 1.85:1 or the squarish 1.33:1-and rarely, 1.37:1. In any case, many cinephiles often enjoy varying the magnification of select images while viewing. That is, as was always so with DVDs, wide range and on the fly slow motion and zoom control can provide a more varied and intimate connection with visual content.

Unfortunately, BDs are often authored using software (e.g. Oracle’s BD-J platform) which, arbitrarily (?), disables the player’s zoom and sometimes also slow motion controls.

Examples are zoom control for https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Lolita-Blu-ray/15355/ and
https://www.hometheaterforum.com/whi...lu-ray-review/

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Spiri...Blu-ray/13523/

but no zoom for
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Psycho-Blu-ray/7741/

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/All-T...Blu-ray/99404/

https://www.criterion.com/films/27896-harold-and-maude

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Gilda-Blu-ray/91898/

The last title, like all non-wide screen formats, I watch on a 4:3 screen, but as it was filmed in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio format there are vertical and horizontal black bars around the entire image, thus making the image look smaller than it already is on a 32” 4:3 screen. Though no bargain, I would gladly part with some content loss by cropping (not stretching) to overshoot the bars. But unlike this Blu-Ray release https://www.hometheaterforum.com/whi...lu-ray-review/ , I have no such option because Criterion’s authoring disabled the player's zoom control.

Same problem with this Blu-Ray edition
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Leave...lu-ray/258990/

As there can be no logical reason for doing otherwise, when authoring all future Blu-Ray releases please insure full functionality of slow motion and zoom control.

Thank you.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by TheHistorian

My guess on a new AK box is that being so close to having all 30 films, they might wait until they can get the rights to the last few. They need to get Ran back, and then I think they're short only Quiet Duel and Rhapsody in August, but I could be forgetting one.

I wouldn't be surprised if they already had Ran back, and Rhapsody in August shouldn't be too hard to get since it's with MGM and Criterion seems to be able to deal with them on a frequent basis. I'm not sure what the deal is with Quiet Duel, but hopefully they can get that.

Hopefully a set isn't too far out at this point. November would be a perfect time to release it.

[mmarczi]

Originally Posted by chane

Here’s what I had emailed Jon Mulvaney on 2/28/21:

[Show spoiler]Mr. Mulvaney:

The movies treasured by many of us were shot in aspect ratios ranging mostly between the wide angle formats 2.35:1 or 1.85:1 or the squarish 1.33:1-and rarely, 1.37:1. In any case, many cinephiles often enjoy varying the magnification of select images while viewing. That is, as was always so with DVDs, wide range and on the fly slow motion and zoom control can provide a more varied and intimate connection with visual content.

Unfortunately, BDs are often authored using software (e.g. Oracle’s BD-J platform) which, arbitrarily (?), disables the player’s zoom and sometimes also slow motion controls.

Examples are zoom control for https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Lolita-Blu-ray/15355/ and
https://www.hometheaterforum.com/whi...lu-ray-review/

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Spiri...Blu-ray/13523/

but no zoom for
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Psycho-Blu-ray/7741/

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/All-T...Blu-ray/99404/

https://www.criterion.com/films/27896-harold-and-maude

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Gilda-Blu-ray/91898/

The last title, like all non-wide screen formats, I watch on a 4:3 screen, but as it was filmed in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio format there are vertical and horizontal black bars around the entire image, thus making the image look smaller than it already is on a 32” 4:3 screen. Though no bargain, I would gladly part with some content loss by cropping (not stretching) to overshoot the bars. But unlike this Blu-Ray release https://www.hometheaterforum.com/whi...lu-ray-review/ , I have no such option because Criterion’s authoring disabled the player's zoom control.

Same problem with this Blu-Ray edition
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Leave...lu-ray/258990/

As there can be no logical reason for doing otherwise, when authoring all future Blu-Ray releases please insure full functionality of slow motion and zoom control.

Thank you.

I'm really not sure personal preferences like this and zoom functioning fall under "important questions"...and you also didn't ask a question. It was a suggestion.

[Jr7936]

After having the ak100 set in my hands and adding it to my collection since I purchased it used from a forum member I can't imagine them doing another big box like they did on dvd with matching discs, cases and dvd menus. Instead it will probably be something like fellini or varda sets

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

I wouldn't be surprised if they already had Ran back, and Rhapsody in August shouldn't be too hard to get since it's with MGM and Criterion seems to be able to deal with them on a frequent basis. I'm not sure what the deal is with Quiet Duel, but hopefully they can get that.

Hopefully a set isn't too far out at this point. November would be a perfect time to release it.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by chane

The movies treasured by many of us were shot in aspect ratios ranging mostly between the wide angle formats 2.35:1 or 1.85:1 or the squarish 1.33:1-and rarely, 1.37:1. In any case, many cinephiles often enjoy varying the magnification of select images while viewing. That is, as was always so with DVDs, wide range and on the fly slow motion and zoom control can provide a more varied and intimate connection with visual content.

Whoa. Now I feel guilty for just hitting the "Play Movie" button after inserting the disc. I guess I should turn in my cinephile card
Ah well, in any case I always support more options for viewers (nuts to David "no chapter stops" Lynch), so I support Mr. chane's request too.

[SuperFlyHighGuy]

Finally picked up The Double Life of Veronique blu-ray and watched it. I didn't remember the film at all after so many years but that made it all new to me. Everything I've seen of Kieslowski's over the past few years has been marvelous, he was a real genius of narrative structure and execution, in the least. This was a beautiful film.

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by chane

Here’s what I had emailed Jon Mulvaney on 2/28/21:

Mr. Mulvaney:

[Show spoiler]The movies treasured by many of us were shot in aspect ratios ranging mostly between the wide angle formats 2.35:1 or 1.85:1 or the squarish 1.33:1-and rarely, 1.37:1. In any case, many cinephiles often enjoy varying the magnification of select images while viewing. That is, as was always so with DVDs, wide range and on the fly slow motion and zoom control can provide a more varied and intimate connection with visual content.

Unfortunately, BDs are often authored using software (e.g. Oracle’s BD-J platform) which, arbitrarily (?), disables the player’s zoom and sometimes also slow motion controls.

Examples are zoom control for https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Lolita-Blu-ray/15355/ and
https://www.hometheaterforum.com/whi...lu-ray-review/

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Spiri...Blu-ray/13523/

but no zoom for
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Psycho-Blu-ray/7741/

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/All-T...Blu-ray/99404/

https://www.criterion.com/films/27896-harold-and-maude

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Gilda-Blu-ray/91898/

The last title, like all non-wide screen formats, I watch on a 4:3 screen, but as it was filmed in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio format there are vertical and horizontal black bars around the entire image, thus making the image look smaller than it already is on a 32” 4:3 screen. Though no bargain, I would gladly part with some content loss by cropping (not stretching) to overshoot the bars. But unlike this Blu-Ray release https://www.hometheaterforum.com/whi...lu-ray-review/ , I have no such option because Criterion’s authoring disabled the player's zoom control.

Same problem with this Blu-Ray edition
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Leave...lu-ray/258990/

As there can be no logical reason for doing otherwise, when authoring all future Blu-Ray releases please insure full functionality of slow motion and zoom control.

Thank you.

Clearly something you are passionate about, but it's not a question. And respectfully, I'm not sure "Mulvaney" was ever going to click all those links to review your examples.

A short paragraph asking a direct question might have elicited a response.

[Pro Grain]

You know what would be really cool? A compendium of all of Criterion's essays, published online and on their booklets.

[koberulz]

Originally Posted by chane

many cinephiles often enjoy varying the magnification of select images while viewing. That is, as was always so with DVDs, wide range and on the fly slow motion and zoom control can provide a more varied and intimate connection with visual content.

Pretty sure it's just you.

[Pro Grain]

Lots of articles on Lynne Ramsey on Twitter. Could this, perhaps, mean remasters of her films, Ratcatcher upgraded and You Were Never Really Here on Criterion?