The Criterion Collection

[MifuneFan]

Françoise Lebrun visited Criterion HQ the other day. Almost certainly related to a release of The Mother and the Wh0re (La maman et la putain) (1973), if not a Jean Eustache set.

[spiritinblack82]

Originally Posted by Sifox211

I recently finished watching all of the films and supplements in Vol.1. I have around three hundred Criterions and have to say this was one of the most exciting for me. Can't wait to work through the other three

That has me more excited to get into this set, complete blind buy but can't go wrong with anything recommended by Martin Scorsese. I'll surely end up getting the rest of the sets eventually.

[MarkGubarenko]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

if not a Jean Eustache set.

All of this Eustache planned to be restored in 4K by the end of the year

THE MOTHER AND THE ***** 1973
MY LITTLE LOVES 1974
THE VIRGIN OF PESSAC 1969
THE VIRGIN OF PESSAC 79 1979
NUMERO ZERO 1971

• SHORT FILMS:
SANTA CLAUS HAS BLUE EYES 1966
ROBINSON’S PLACE 1964
LES PHOTOS D’ALIX 1980
THE PIG 1970
A DIRTY STORY & A DIRTY STORY TOLD BY JEAN-NOEL PICQ 1977

[Mike0284]

With the 15th falling on a Saturday, what are the chances we get a Friday announcement?

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by mike0284

with the 15th falling on a saturday, what are the chances we get a friday announcement?

0.9%

[jw007]

Has anyone seen John Huston's Under the Volcano? Since its not available to purchase on criterion.com at this time, I decided to watch it on HBO Max. I had no idea there are hundreds of Criterions available to watch on there these days. It blew my mind after spending hours adding a whole bunch of Criterions to my queue.

Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of John Huston's films even though I admire his films (The Asphalt Jungle and Wise Blood being the others available in the collection, in addition to his early classics such as The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Key Largo, and The African Queen), so I wanted to give this film, one of his last, directed in 1984, a shot.

Huston's final film set in Mexico stars Albert Finney as an alcoholic ambassador during the unfolding days of World War II. Adapted from the 1947 novel by Malcolm Lowry, the movie is famous for Albert Finney's portrayal of an alcoholic named Geoffery Firmin on a collision course with catastrophe (the term is actually referred to in the film by the character at one point). Despite Finney's performance of Firmin, Under the Volcano is still a minor work compared to his noir classics from the 1940s.

I found the movie overall to be a strong character study above anything. There isn't much of a story to be found here however, if you're into narrative. I certainly was captivated by the character's poetic dialogue, hearkening back to the poetry of Dylan Thomas and the works of Herman Melville, James Joyce, Joseph Conrad, George Orwell, and William Faulkner. Firmin is a tragic character; a tortured soul who is surrounded by the love of his ex-wife (Yvonne played by Jacqueline Bisset) and admiration of his half-brother Hugh (played by Anthony Andrews). The fact that this downward spiral of Geoffery Firmin takes place on the "Day of the Dead" in Quauhnahuac, Mexico is all the more symbolic and powerful. There is a scene in the beginning of the movie where the character is followed around town by a lonely dog. The character is established early on in the movie as someone who is tender, yet lost, depending on the help of others, much like the dog itself.

Throughout the film, there are ominous undertones of the allegorical approaching storm of war (whether its set back in Europe or in the heart of this character). Malcolm Lowry, who wrote the novel, once said: It's "a prophecy, a political warning, a cryptogram, a preposterous movie, and a writing on the wall".

There is no doubt Under the Volcano is as explosive as the title itself.

[dkelly26666]

Originally Posted by Mike0284

With the 15th falling on a Saturday, what are the chances we get a Friday announcement?

Yeah, it's not likely.

I'd be happy to be wrong, but it's not likely.

Last Monday was a 'holiday', and they had a Flash Sale this week. Plus, the 15th is a Saturday.

I'm assuming AT LEAST Monday, maybe even Tuesday, next week.

I'd love to be wrong, but I'm not even looking for them today.

[Matt89]

Wow, my package shipped yesterday and it's currently out for delivery.

[MifuneFan]

omg wheres the new releaszes

[Gacivory]

Does anyone know if Shinji Aoyama's Eureka is one of the films Criterion has been sitting on?

[AreaFive]

It's incredible that Criterion has yet to release a Kurosawa, Ozu, or Kobayashi boxed set.

[dvining]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

0.9%

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by AreaFive

It's incredible that Criterion has yet to release a Kurosawa, Ozu, or Kobayashi boxed set.

Maybe November 2023? We can hope. Right now I'm hoping for Heroic Trio to be announced on Monday.

[cgpublic]

Special delivery thanks to the Lost Highway:

[Matt89]

So my package arrived, and Criterion will be getting an email. I'd say only three of the six titles in my order actually arrived in good condition. For All Mankind has deep scratches on both the UHD and BD, Le cercle rouge arrived with the discs fine, but the front page of the booklet is torn in half and Lost Highway arrived with both discs (mostly) ok, but the digipack is crushed. Night of the Living Dead, The Last Waltz and Cat People are fine, which surprised me as every single disc inside The Last Waltz and NOTLD were loose and sliding around.

They're very good at replacing stuff so I'm not too worried, but annoying that this stuff is so common. My last order from their last flash sale had a couple digipacks in it and they too were crushed. Maybe it's time Criterion does away with these cheap ass digipacks. The clear plastic cases are much sturdier.

[Gacivory]

Criterion adjacent news. The British company Second Run announced a Blu-Ray release of Andrzej Wajda’s War Trilogy. The release, like most/if not all are Region Free. The one difference, is they state Ashes & Diamonds is from a 2K scan done by Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych, Poland, but the Criterion is from a 4K scan. I just thought I would mention it for anyone interested. The DiabolikDVD price is $41.99. So about the price of two half off Criterion’s.

[stvn1974]

Drove 45 minutes to the closest Barnes and Noble and picked up a nice minty copy of Lost Highway on 4K. I didn't even mind paying retail considering what it would have looked like if amazon had shipped it. Also, neither disc was scratched. I am going to have Lost Highway and Muholland Dr. double feature tonight.

[Feiereisel]

Flash sale scratch report: Lost Highway and Le Corbeau are clean; Blow Out has hairline scratches that hopefully will not affect playback.

Edit: Blow Out plays fine. Looks tremendous—well done, Criterion.

[stvn1974]

Finished my first viewing of the Lost Highway BD and it was a beauty. Gimme Inland Empire now!

[dvining]

I hate my mailman.

Delivered one package, but decided to mark my Criterion delivery as "incomplere address" and will attempt again tomorrow.

Gonna be honest, not the first time. I'll get it tomorrow, but come on.