The Criterion Collection

[ccfixx]

Originally Posted by italy12

Probably because the booklet did not require anything larger then the plastic case in which it is held. The booklets that accompany the cardboard releases are much, much thicker and larger and will not fit in a plastic case.

That's true, but Criterion took out some of the contents of the "Double Life" booklet for the blu-ray release. If Criterion had kept the booklet the same as the DVD release then it would not have fit into a plastic case.

CC

[buffetfroid]

Originally Posted by wilky61

Well, I said in my review that SSoS reminds me of the grittiness/corruptness of Fritz Lang's The Big Heat combined with the drama of Citizen Kane. The main characters aren't gangsters, cops, and detectives, but nor were they in Sunset Blvd. People get bent out-of-shape restricting the film-noir genre/time period, but I just think of film-noir as all 1940s/1950s shadowy crime dramas. So I'm pretty inclusive with my definition of noir, and I count films such as Ace in the Hole, Leave Her to Heaven (which is in color), Blast of Silence (which came out in the 60s), Night of the Hunter, and Sweet Smell of Success under this inclusive definition. For instance, many trademarks of noir can be seen in SSoS's depiction of the underworld of urban life (cynical outlook, flawed protagonist, use of sexual tension, shady morals, stylish low-key photography).

Oh I certainly agree it has some noir elements. Film noir will always be an ambiguous subset of film history. Is it a genre or just a style? Is is specfic to a time and place (i.e. post-war Hollywood films)? SSoS would be a great double feature with Ace in the Hole (which incidentally I don't consider a noir either). Both are very cynical films dealing with manipulation and the struggle for influence within the world of print media. Anyway, for me one of the most important component of a noir is the "element of crime" (Criterion reference!) which is basically lacking from SSoS (and Night of the Hunter, to me) but is present in Sunset Blvd, Leave Her to Heaven, etc.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by silentblu

I've never had problems of damage because of Amazon packaging. Maybe it is your carrier?

United Parcel Smashers, mostly. Often in conjunction with bubble bags. Sometimes Amazon really packs their boxes wierd too.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

I can only think of two Nic Roeg BDs, Walkabout and The Man Who Fell To Earth (although Insignificance seems to be in the pipe). Is there a third I'm missing?

Not that I'm aware of..... (Criterion that is) he was involved as a cinematographer for Casino Royale and Dr. Zhivago though.

[ccfixx]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Not that I'm aware of..... (Criterion that is) he was involved as a cinematographer for Casino Royale and Dr. Zhivago though.

And don't forget "Performance," which I finally picked up on DVD the other day after owning the VHS for many years.

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[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

I can only think of two Nic Roeg BDs, Walkabout and The Man Who Fell To Earth (although Insignificance seems to be in the pipe). Is there a third I'm missing?

He will have a 3rd one this year if that counts.

[rkish]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

I have only seen "If..."

I think you'll enjoy it.... but I'm certainly curious to hear your thoughts about "O' Lucky Man!"

Thanks Beta!

Bizarre would be the best description I can give you about "O' Lucky Man!". It's a film that I think you would also enjoy, but some parts are a little disturbing...a train wreck that you can't take your eyes off of.

It'll be interesting watching "If..." and then "O' Lucky Man!" next week. Haven't seen it in over 35 years.

FYI..."O' Lucky Man!" is 2 minutes short of being 3 hours long!

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

I can only think of two Nic Roeg BDs, Walkabout and The Man Who Fell To Earth (although Insignificance seems to be in the pipe). Is there a third I'm missing?

No. There was a mistake in the .xls my buddy sent me. Roeg was listed with Bigger Than Life.

[buffetfroid]

Originally Posted by rkish

Thanks Beta!

Bizarre would be the best description I can give you about "O' Lucky Man!". It's a film that I think you would also enjoy, but some parts are a little disturbing...a train wreck that you can't take your eyes off of.

It'll be interesting watching "If..." and then "O' Lucky Man!" next week. Haven't seen it in over 35 years.

FYI..."O' Lucky Man!" is 2 minutes short of being 3 hours long!

I've seen If..., O Lucky Man!, and the third part of this "trilogy",Britannia Hospital. The latter is not so good, the other two are, though its been at least ten years since I saw O Lucky Man!

[Ite]

Wow Something Wild is coming on Criterion, was this on Criterion DVD before or will be brand new?

[Arkadin]

it's a new title in the collection.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Ite

Wow Something Wild is coming on Criterion, was this on Criterion DVD before or will be brand new?

New.... (the Spine numbers are dead give-aways too )

[buffetfroid]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

I've seen M referred to a number of times as the first or one of the first noir films. Low-key lighting was common in German Expressionism 20 years before it became a staple of American noir. M is probably more a vestigal Expressionism picture than a proto-noir one (or maybe both?). Also, The Maltese Falcon was released in 1941, so you have to go at least as far back as that.

I concur about Ace In The Hole. Packaging is somewhat similar as well.

Seen that about M as well but it isn't one "in my opinion". That goes back to the genre/style/movement debate. German Expressionism definitely had an influence on film noir and no doubt M did as well. A number of directors of noir films came from UFA (or elsewhere in Europe) as well. James Naremore's More Than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts is a great book if anyone is not familiar with it.

[SlickDamian]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Here is a quick summary of Criterion BR releases so far:

Blu-rays by Country:

Country ct
USA 43
France 20
UK 10
Japan 9
Italy 6
Sweden 4
Germany 3
China 2
Hong Kong 1
India 1
Austria 1
Australia 1
Iran 1
Mexico 1
UK,US 1
USSR 1

I'm surprised that there aren't any Canadian films in the Blu Collection yet. The Barbarian Invasions spring to mind as a prime candidate.

[repete66211]

Originally Posted by SlickDamian

I'm surprised that there aren't any Canadian films in the Blu Collection yet. The Barbarian Invasions spring to mind as a prime candidate.

...or Strange Brew? Hamlet, Max von Sydow...it's just begging for the Criterion treatment.

[g.schweet]

Originally Posted by repete66211

...or Strange Brew? Hamlet, Max von Sydow...it's just begging for the Criterion treatment.

Take off, eh!

[repete66211]

Gimme a toasted back bacon, hold the toast.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Also, The Maltese Falcon was released in 1941, so you have to go at least as far back as that.

Does anybody else have any trouble completely accepting The Maltese Falcon as noir?

I know, I know - hard-boiled private eye, femme fatale, seminal noir...

It never really struck me as all that gritty, either visually or substantively. Huston does do some pretty interesting things with the camera and with light/shadow but there are a lot of stock interiors too. An awful lot, in fact.

Bogart's Sam Spade never really never comes off as flawed or really even ethically vulnerable. He plays him as a pretty straight arrow (with the obvious exception of showing as little regard for Archer's marriage as Archer did and even there he doesn't come off as that much of a tool).

Which undercuts the temptation/seduction angle. I never really sensed a lot of sexual tension between Bogart and Astor to begin with and I never got the impression he would cross any serious lines for her. Even at the very end there's no real feeling that he's conflicted to the point of seriously considering not being the good guy.

Anyway, just to be clear, none of this is a knock on the film in the slightest.

It's a great movie in all senses of the word.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by SlickDamian

I'm surprised that there aren't any Canadian films in the Blu Collection yet. The Barbarian Invasions spring to mind as a prime candidate.

Actually, what is extremely disappointing is that Spain is not represented.

Pro-B

[stobbart]

This is from Criterion's facebook


"The Criterion Collection To celebrate, when we hit 50,000 Facebook fans, we'll post a promo code for 50% off all in-stock DVDs and Blu-rays at Criterion.com, but get ready -- the code will only be valid for 50,000 seconds!"


ill post the code when it goes live. 50,000 seconds its about 13 hours