The Criterion Collection

[nametag]

Originally Posted by NHassell18

Just wondering, is 'The Thin Red Line' region locked? I am from the UK, and my Blu-Ray player is only Region B compatible, however am very eager to see the film (never have) and would rather do so on Blu-Ray (there isn't one available over here). Any help will be appreiciated, as I'd rather not spend top doller importing it, to find I can't actually play it.

Thanks guys!

As BasicGreatGuy said - it is region A locked. I may as well add that every Criterion release is region A locked so you'd have to invest in a region free player in order to play any of them. When you want to know the region status of a title, it's always worth doing a search and finding its review page on Blu-ray.com as almost all American releases say what its region status is.

Originally Posted by plattopus

The difference might be that in 20 years time it's within most households' grasp to own a 150" screen with 4K resolution. A 1080p Blu-ray that blows minds today will look like even the best DVDs do today.

I can understand this perhaps being affordable but I'm not sure that many people would want or get screens that big. People's rooms are only so big and having dedicated home theaters is not especially commonplace. And of course you'd need a screen that big to tell the difference between 1080p and 4k. I guess I think of it like Audio CD, which has been the common physical format for music for what, 20 years? There are plenty of new audio formats which are higher quality, but they were only really used by enthusiasts and thus the amount of stuff released on it was limited. I think BD has enough problems trying to convince people it is worth the upgrade from DVD as it is, another physical format of higher quality I think would be nearly impossible to sell to a wide range of consumers

[rkish]

Originally Posted by ccfixx

Absolutely agree.

The trigger word in Marcus' post was "investment". Using that word automatically makes it sound as if you're buying movies on disc for the wrong reasons. I hope you're not expecting the releases from Criterion to part of your retirement nest egg somewhere down the line. I guess it really doesn't matter, though, since we're all going to die one of these days and Criterion releases will be the last thing on our minds.

CC

PS... I type this on my phone as I poop, so it may not make sense.

Just as long as you don't poop on your phone.

Why am I getting this image of someone buying the box of cereal, just for the secret decoder ring inside...and then throwing the cereal in the trash...

[mckee74]

Originally Posted by NHassell18

Just wondering, is 'The Thin Red Line' region locked? I am from the UK, and my Blu-Ray player is only Region B compatible, however am very eager to see the film (never have) and would rather do so on Blu-Ray (there isn't one available over here). Any help will be appreiciated, as I'd rather not spend top doller importing it, to find I can't actually play it.

Thanks guys!

It definately is Region A locked, indeed all Criterion releases are.

It is the reason I bought a Region A player, and I don't regret it.

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by ccfixx

Absolutely agree.

The trigger word in Marcus' post was "investment". Using that word automatically makes it sound as if you're buying movies on disc for the wrong reasons. I hope you're not expecting the releases from Criterion to part of your retirement nest egg somewhere down the line. I guess it really doesn't matter, though, since we're all going to die one of these days and Criterion releases will be the last thing on our minds.

CC

PS... I type this on my phone as I poop, so it may not make sense.

CC, now that is a holiday image we can all cherish....

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by octagon

That's been my experience as well. I've seen a lot of classics/revivals/midnight showings on big screens and expecting a good print (let alone a pristine one) is usually setting the bar too high.

There are obviously exceptions. The 50th anniversary run of Citizen Kane was awfully good. But most are pretty beat up.

Half of all pre-1950 films have been completely lost and will never be seen by anyone again. It's partially because of sales to cable & broadcasters, but mainly because of DVD and BD, that films get restored at all.

Even big budget, Academy Award winning films like 2001, West Side Story, Oklahoma and Lawrence of Arabia were pretty much left to rot before they were restored. I was at an AES or SMPTE meeting, probably around 1990, held at the Ziegfeld in New York City, and before the meeting started, they played the first 20 minutes of a 70mm 6-track print of West Side Story. The print had completely faded - there was almost nothing to see and my understanding is that the negative was in very poor condition as well.

Having said that, the Film Forum frequently does manage to get new prints, although they're not always made from the original film negative, which may or may not exist anymore. And some museums, like the Museum of Modern Art have their own archive prints, although that's no guarantee that they haven't faded as well. I think there's only one place in the U.S. that is equipped to show nitrate prints - I think it might be at USC or UCLA.

IMO, the biggest mistake the industry ever made was moving away from 3-strip Technicolor. Since each strip was actually black and white (shot through a colored filter), those negatives have held up far better than other color negative stock. The only problem is that you can't get a print made via normal means.

Most 35mm prints have become junk and because most movie theatres have successfully pushed the unions out and now let the minimum wage "popcorn kid" run the movies (although someone more knowledgeable usually builds up the platters), projection is a disaster: the prints get ruined quickly, even though most films don't play very long these days.

Back before continuous feed platters were invented, theatres had multiple projectors with each reel mounted on a separate projector. In a decent theatre, the projectionist would clean the projector that wasn't running, at least blowing the dust out of it.

Today, with continuous feed platters (in theatres that still show film), if a piece of dirt gets caught in the gate, it gets ground up and can completely scratch an entire film. And because the film is always in the gate, the projectors don't get cleaned until the next film comes along.

Of course, as digital presentation replaces film, those issues are disappearing (to be replaced by new ones, which won't be discussed in this post.)

[JediFonger]

re: value Criterion BDs. in media market, the true value is typically determined by the resell/used market. in another words, how much can a used copy sell for? so, most Criterion BDs can go for $20-25+ still, that means it's got VALUE!

whereas most non-Criterion (esp. mass market movies) can be sold for $5-10, it doesn't have much resell value.

[eatingclass]

Originally Posted by greekak229

What are the specifics to that problem exactly? Curious.

The timing is fine all the way up until about 00:46:xx. At that point, the subs start showing up about two seconds before the corresponding lines begin and disappear about two seconds before they end.

Searched for anyone else having this problem, but haven't read anything online. Hopefully, they get back to me.

[Strevlac]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

Half of all pre-1950 films have been completely lost and will never be seen by anyone again. It's partially because of sales to cable & broadcasters, but mainly because of DVD and BD, that films get restored at all.

Even big budget, Academy Award winning films like 2001, West Side Story, Oklahoma and Lawrence of Arabia were pretty much left to rot before they were restored. I was at an AES or SMPTE meeting, probably around 1990, held at the Ziegfeld in New York City, and before the meeting started, they played the first 20 minutes of a 70mm 6-track print of West Side Story. The print had completely faded - there was almost nothing to see and my understanding is that the negative was in very poor condition as well.

Having said that, the Film Forum frequently does manage to get new prints, although they're not always made from the original film negative, which may or may not exist anymore. And some museums, like the Museum of Modern Art have their own archive prints, although that's no guarantee that they haven't faded as well. I think there's only one place in the U.S. that is equipped to show nitrate prints - I think it might be at USC or UCLA.

IMO, the biggest mistake the industry ever made was moving away from 3-strip Technicolor. Since each strip was actually black and white (shot through a colored filter), those negatives have held up far better than other color negative stock. The only problem is that you can't get a print made via normal means.

Most 35mm prints have become junk and because most movie theatres have successfully pushed the unions out and now let the minimum wage "popcorn kid" run the movies (although someone more knowledgeable usually builds up the platters), projection is a disaster: the prints get ruined quickly, even though most films don't play very long these days.

Back before continuous feed platters were invented, theatres had multiple projectors with each reel mounted on a separate projector. In a decent theatre, the projectionist would clean the projector that wasn't running, at least blowing the dust out of it.

Today, with continuous feed platters (in theatres that still show film), if a piece of dirt gets caught in the gate, it gets ground up and can completely scratch an entire film. And because the film is always in the gate, the projectors don't get cleaned until the next film comes along.

Of course, as digital presentation replaces film, those issues are disappearing (to be replaced by new ones, which won't be discussed in this post.)

That post was way too good for this forum. It needs more

[buffetfroid]

Originally Posted by Strevlac

That post was way too good for this forum. It needs more

Indeed

[Vedder]

if anyone is interested, i have the yojimbo/sanjuro set for sale or trade. pm if interested

[BasicGreatGuy]

"Paths of Glory" looks fabulous. So glad I went ahead and purchased it. Excellent movie.

[greekak229]

Originally Posted by BasicGreatGuy

"Paths of Glory" looks fabulous. So glad I went ahead and purchased it. Excellent movie.

Without a doubt, one of my favorite Criterions.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by BasicGreatGuy

"Paths of Glory" looks fabulous. So glad I went ahead and purchased it. Excellent movie.

[Show spoiler]It's possible Criterion could knock this down a notch with an equally impressive release of The Killing but it's going to be a hard act to follow

[BluPat]

Originally Posted by ZoetMB

Half of all pre-1950 films have been completely lost and will never be seen by anyone again. It's partially because of sales to cable & broadcasters, but mainly because of DVD and BD, that films get restored at all.

Even big budget, Academy Award winning films like 2001, West Side Story, Oklahoma and Lawrence of Arabia were pretty much left to rot before they were restored. I was at an AES or SMPTE meeting, probably around 1990, held at the Ziegfeld in New York City, and before the meeting started, they played the first 20 minutes of a 70mm 6-track print of West Side Story. The print had completely faded - there was almost nothing to see and my understanding is that the negative was in very poor condition as well.

Having said that, the Film Forum frequently does manage to get new prints, although they're not always made from the original film negative, which may or may not exist anymore. And some museums, like the Museum of Modern Art have their own archive prints, although that's no guarantee that they haven't faded as well. I think there's only one place in the U.S. that is equipped to show nitrate prints - I think it might be at USC or UCLA.

IMO, the biggest mistake the industry ever made was moving away from 3-strip Technicolor. Since each strip was actually black and white (shot through a colored filter), those negatives have held up far better than other color negative stock. The only problem is that you can't get a print made via normal means.

Most 35mm prints have become junk and because most movie theatres have successfully pushed the unions out and now let the minimum wage "popcorn kid" run the movies (although someone more knowledgeable usually builds up the platters), projection is a disaster: the prints get ruined quickly, even though most films don't play very long these days.

Back before continuous feed platters were invented, theatres had multiple projectors with each reel mounted on a separate projector. In a decent theatre, the projectionist would clean the projector that wasn't running, at least blowing the dust out of it.

Today, with continuous feed platters (in theatres that still show film), if a piece of dirt gets caught in the gate, it gets ground up and can completely scratch an entire film. And because the film is always in the gate, the projectors don't get cleaned until the next film comes along.

Of course, as digital presentation replaces film, those issues are disappearing (to be replaced by new ones, which won't be discussed in this post.)

Great post. I love classic Hollywood and it's films.

[italy12]

Just finished watching "A Christmas Tale" and I was thoroughly impressed! What a great family drama! The acting, in my opinion, was superb. The dysfunction was hard to turn away from, and it reminded me a lot of my immediate family...not to such an extreme, however.

Just another reason I love the CC. So many choices!! I tried to decide which one to watch tonight, and a few had jumped to mind...Paths of Glory, Cronos, Videodrome, Easy Rider and Summer Hours, but A Christmas Tale was the one that made it into my player. It seems to be one of the least talked about Criterions here, and after finally seeing it, I don't understand why.

Is it just me?

[tfunk]

Originally Posted by BasicGreatGuy

"Paths of Glory" looks fabulous. So glad I went ahead and purchased it. Excellent movie.

I'll also +1 this. So far, it's the best blind buy I made during the B&N sale by a freaking mile.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by italy12

Just finished watching "A Christmas Tale" and I was thoroughly impressed! What a great family drama! The acting, in my opinion, was superb. The dysfunction was hard to turn away from, and it reminded me a lot of my immediate family...not to such an extreme, however.

Just another reason I love the CC. So many choices!! I tried to decide which one to watch tonight, and a few had jumped to mind...Paths of Glory, Cronos, Videodrome, Easy Rider and Summer Hours, but A Christmas Tale was the one that made it into my player. It seems to be one of the least talked about Criterions here, and after finally seeing it, I don't understand why.

Is it just me?

I'm sure it beats A CHRISTMAS STORY by a lot

[metropolis]

My copy of Walkabout freezes up in the scene where the aborigine rubs the boys back with blood (to cure his sunburn). Does anyone else have this problem?

[Beta Man]

Just got the news letter...... is "Wacky Holly" a clue.... or am I reading too much into things? (or both )

Also, didn't see it discussed because I was gone, but on the previous newsletter, what is the general thought of what the "Bucket of Flour" is????


EDIT:

ahh it's Kawaita Hana.... heard of it, but have never seen it....

[fdm]

Originally Posted by metropolis

My copy of Walkabout freezes up in the scene where the aborigine rubs the boys back with blood (to cure his sunburn). Does anyone else have this problem?

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=4725