The Criterion Collection

[Mr. Kino]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

With regards to the many DVD's going OOP by Criterion, they still hold the rights to most of them, and they're just going OOP because they don't feel there's any financial incentive to press more copies. There will undoubtedly be a growing number in the future, and it stands to reason that eventually most, if not all of their DVD's will go out of print.

Wonder if they couldn’t pull a Warner Archive and adopt an on demand business model though… at this point, I have to believe there would be a market for that, given how many titles have never been released on dvd or most likely never will be upgraded for blu in the traditional approach for Collection titles. Maybe even relaunch eclipse as MOD dvds and blu-rays and put out discs without extras at a lower price point.

Does it make sense?

[dwk]

Originally Posted by Egbert Souse

Reverted to Costa-Gavras?:
The Confession

I think that this was initially licensed from Costa-Gavras/KG Productions (as was the still in-print State of Siege), but there is/was a rights dispute with Paramount and KG Productions and I guess the film is with Paramount now.

[speedracer5]

Originally Posted by sherlockjr

Norma Shearer had six Best Actress Oscar nominations--including one win--in nine years. Even after Irving Thalberg's death she got a new six picture contract from MGM for $150,000 for each film. I'd say that pretty much makes her a star, not a starlet!

What led to her lower modern visibility was her retirement from acting in 1942. Most well-remembered classic Hollywood actors today are those who's careers were more prominent in the 40s, 50s and later since their films were run on broadcast TV much more often than films from the 1930s, especially pre-Code films which mostly didn't appear on TV until the 1970s or even the 1990s.

Shearer had been acting in films since 1919 at the age of 17, so maybe she'd just had enough? She certainly had enough money--not only her own earnings but she had forced MGM to pay the Thalberg estate Thalberg's contractual profit percentage on films he'd supervised that were released from 1924-1938--so she could certainly afford to live well for her next 41 years.

Norma also discovered Janet Leigh and got her into her first film at MGM in the late-40s.

[Shane Rollins]

Originally Posted by jw007

I remember a decade ago or more I was scouring different Barnes & Nobles for recent OOP Criterions and hiding a few in the store so I could come back and buy them. Totally immoral of me but it was a treasure hunt where I had a lot of time on my hands. I even spent a pretty penny for The Third Man blu-ray online and love to see how much it's worth every few years (of course what makes this special is the supplements). Sought after items like OOP Criterions are still going on today.

I've admittedly done the same thing, which helped me greatly, caused a lot of customers to not get their title, and irritated the store employees each time they had to disassemble shelving to recover my picks.

My most notable B&N stories are both Criterion-related. One, I bought Videodrome on DVD before the sale (first Criterion I'd ever bought), assuming two discs and a bigger box meant it was better and had more content. So I literally got to pay more to get less. Yay. Two, with money in hand (trying to convince the store employees it wasn't a setup), I tried and failed to convince the employees to get me a copy of Godzilla: The Showa Era out of the back that wasn't spider-wrapped, since the one on the floor looked terrible. Needless to say I left with my money and no Godzilla.

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

It figures. Thalberg was a jackass.

I like when people call Thalberg for what he was. Yes, he was a creative genius who played a role in the creation of hundreds of not thousands of amazing films. But he was also a very nasty person who played a role in the destruction of many films, most notable Greed, which ironically wasn't cut because of its obscene length (but there was no way it would've been released at eight hours long anyway), but was cut because Stroheim and Thalberg had beef, and Thalberg just wanted to stick it to Stroheim on a project that Stroheim considered to be his greatest piece of work.

Originally Posted by Mr. Kino

Wonder if they couldn’t pull a Warner Archive and adopt an on demand business model though… at this point, I have to believe there would be a market for that, given how many titles have never been released on dvd or most likely never will be upgraded for blu in the traditional approach for Collection titles. Maybe even relaunch eclipse as MOD dvds and blu-rays and put out discs without extras at a lower price point.

Does it make sense?

From the outside looking in it makes perfect sense, especially the Eclipse part. However, I'd like to know the inner workings of Criterion first, since they may either do just this in the future, or do such work with their main line that this request will be moot.

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Yeah, compared to other labels, they definitely keep Blu-rays in print longer, which is something that doesn't get touch on enough. Hundreds of Kino titles, and so many of Eureka's Masters of Cinema line are OOP now. Even if it's a rarer occurrence, I do think Criterion should always give advanced warning when something is going OOP though. That's something that Kino, Indicator, and Shout do really well. It's also unfortunate that they're now letting so many of their DVD's go OOP now, as it'll likely be the last physical release for many of them.

The advance warning would be great, but other than that Criterion is the best when it comes to stuff being in print or out of print.

They're also the worst OOP ones to buy though, since it seems like there's few that aren't at least the full B&N cost of buying it new.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

Yeah, it's a pretty good show. I just watched the DVD sampling of episodes last year and wound up enjoying a lot of it. Only a certain number of episodes are in the public domain and that's what's out on DVD everywhere, but a whole series set on Blu would be awesome!

I had no idea Tris(tram) Coffin was in a series. I remember him usually in Monogram films or Serials. I love character actors and it was usually he or John Eldrege who would be the slick boss of a mob in Poverty Row quickies. I believe both of them also played that type on The Adventures of Superman.

[OceanBlue]

Out of yesterday's Criterion US title announcements, am possibly interested in getting You Can Count On Me (have only seen this film once, at the local cinema either at the time it was originally released in cinemas, or at a one-off screening) and the combo pack releases of The Big Heat and Barry Lyndon.

[HarryAlbright89]

Much like you HenryHill I'm always more interested in the deeper cuts during closet videos or hauls from fellow film fans.

My personal unsung top five is:
1. I Knew Her Well- Carries all the intellectual weight and themes of La Dolce Vita without the aimless meandering. Steffania Sandrelli is a revelation in the film, and the ending stays with you.
2. Flowers of Shanghai- A slow burning drama that is equal parts opulent and intimate. For anyone who loves high end cinematography and subtle acting performances this is the film for you.
3. An Unmarried Woman- Jill Clayburgh delivers an immersive emotional performance as a person searching for reinvention in the wake of a divorce. Terrific supporting turns from Allen Bates and Michael Murphy supplement this wonderful blend of drama and comedy with deft hands.
4. Les Visiteurs du Soir- A rich film cocktail of surrealism with fairy tale sensibilities that will have you wondering how it doesn't get talked about in the same breath as La Belle et la Bete.
5. The Tales of Hoffmann- Beautifully imaginative mixture of music and visuals that is Powell and Pressburger's live action answer to Fantasia. The second act in Venice is one of the greatest visual treats in all of cinema as Ludmilla Tcherina makes a memorable entrance upon a gondola.

[Professor Echo]

Attention Mizoguchi fans (and who isn't?): The surviving fragment of his 1929 silent film Tôkyô kôshinkyoku was uploaded on one of my favorite YouTube channels in a very watchable copy (though with questionable music accompaniment) and is fascinating to see. Has this ever made it onto a Mizoguchi Blu as an extra?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ShkSTsJtos

[MifuneFan]

Holy hell the music there is abysmal.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Holy hell the music there is abysmal.

I muted it and watched it silent.

Here is a "podcast" from (presumably) the channel's creators discussing the film. Sounds all scripted, but pretty interesting anyway. It's 7 minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkHmlubVsPg

[partynakedpod]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

I muted it and watched it silent.

Here is a "podcast" from (presumably) the channel's creators discussing the film. Sounds all scripted, but pretty interesting anyway. It's 7 minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkHmlubVsPg

It is scripted, because it's AI voices reading a script.

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by partynakedpod

It is scripted, because it's AI voices reading a script.

Are you sure? I've gotten pretty tuned into AI voices as they are everywhere on YouTube videos, but I didn't really hear it here. I'll have to listen again.

[koberulz]

Doesn't sound anything like AI to me at all. Sounds like non-actors cold-reading a script.

[Namuhana]

Originally Posted by Professor Echo

Are you sure? I've gotten pretty tuned into AI voices as they are everywhere on YouTube videos, but I didn't really hear it here. I'll have to listen again.

Doesn't sound like AI to me at all either.

[Brad1963]

🚚 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 🚚 After last month’s wildly successful stop at SXSW, the Criterion Mobile Closet is coming to Los Angeles! We'll be making two LA stops this spring in partnership with Vidiots and the American Cinematheque at Aero Theatre.
Will you be joining us? Learn more and sign up to receive updates and get important information about location, the opening and closing of our line, logistics, etc. https://www.criterion.com/current/po...in-los-angeles
VIDIOTS • APRIL 26-27
Hours: 11am to 8pm
AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE AT THE AERO THEATRE • June 6—7
Hours: 11am to 8pm

The Criterion Mobile Closet is finally coming to L.A. I'm probably going to attend in June at the Aero.

[dwk]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

The Criterion Mobile Closet is finally coming to L.A. I'm probably going to attend in June at the Aero.

Ask about new to disc Japanese titles, for your buddy DukeTogo.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by dwk

Ask about new to disc Japanese titles, for your buddy DukeTogo.

If they ever come to San Francisco I'd find a way to make it work and visit them to bug them about their new to HD Japanese output. Haha.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Shane Rollins

I've admittedly done the same thing, which helped me greatly, caused a lot of customers to not get their title, and irritated the store employees each time they had to disassemble shelving to recover my picks.

My most notable B&N stories are both Criterion-related. One, I bought Videodrome on DVD before the sale (first Criterion I'd ever bought), assuming two discs and a bigger box meant it was better and had more content. So I literally got to pay more to get less. Yay. Two, with money in hand (trying to convince the store employees it wasn't a setup), I tried and failed to convince the employees to get me a copy of Godzilla: The Showa Era out of the back that wasn't spider-wrapped, since the one on the floor looked terrible. Needless to say I left with my money and no Godzilla.

Sometimes I wonder if I'll get hit with some bad karma in my next life having been a Criterion con artist, secretly hiding the blu-rays and dvds in Barnes & Noble stores. This would make for a great Seinfeld episode by the way. I'll call it: The Blu-ray Bozo. "No blu-rays for you!"

[Professor Echo]

Originally Posted by jw007

Sometimes I wonder if I'll get hit with some bad karma in my next life having been a Criterion con artist, secretly hiding the blu-rays and dvds in Barnes & Noble stores. This would make for a great Seinfeld episode by the way. I'll call it: The Blu-ray Bozo. "No blu-rays for you!"

I've done that hiding at Half Price Books when I haven't had enough money during a visit only to be hit with instant Karma when I went back a week later and found out the store had an advance inventory and all the hidden titles totally vanished from the entire place!

[Sommerswerd]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjY2SluwCME