The Criterion Collection

[Hawkguy]

I'm in the exact same situation as the posters above as well

[Sukuri]

I saw L'Atalante a while back, can't for the life of me remember what happened in the film. Wasn't something I would have considered rewatching.

On blu-ray however....

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

Whatever you do, the 2 "must haves" for anybody serious in film that I would recommend, get the Jean Vigo and The Rules of the Game (which this one is coming out next month, could be during the Barnes and Noble 50% off sale.) If serious, learn up on them if you like.

You could get both of these next month during that sale for $40.

This is all you need:

Here's your Vigo endorsement.

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Although I own a good amount of Criterion films, I have yet to see any of the Jean Vigo films and am on the fence about buying the box set during the B and N sale. I know how influential Vigo is, but can anyone please weigh in about whether this would be a good purchase?

IMO, I would say confidently that it is the best Criterion release of the year. Once you take into consideration the time period and what you see on the screen, you will see how great his films are. Frankly, I think I enjoyed the supplements more than the films, as they really open the door to Vigo.

[jcs913]

Originally Posted by Sukuri

I saw L'Atalante a while back, can't for the life of me remember what happened in the film. Wasn't something I would have considered rewatching.

On blu-ray however....

Like I mentioned above, the films are not about plot, but substance and style. What you see on the screen is very simple and whether it is on blu-ray or an 8k digital projector it does not matter. If you are interested in film and the history of it, then this is a cornerstone of education. The supplements really help enjoy L'Atalante much more, along with a few viewings...

[Monty70]

Very happy with Island of Lost Souls BD. The audio/video presentation has a few rough spots, but the BD looks very good overall. (especially when you consider the age of the film and the history of the original camera negative)

The film itself is an absolute classic of pre code sci fi horror. (The big C went all out on the menu for this one by the way) I want a Criterion version of Freaks (1932) badly now.

[Show spoiler] "What is the Law?"

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Here's your Vigo endorsement.

Well....a spiderbaby bare recommendation isn't necessarily what I'd call persuasive or informative. Plus, he recommends The Rules of the Game, which while considered one of the greatest films of all-time, I find dull and uninteresting.

Stating that it is essential for someone who's "serious" about film doesn't really answer the question. I'm looking for some detail from those who've seen each of the films about what they either liked or disliked about them.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by jcs913

IMO, I would say confidently that it is the best Criterion release of the year. Once you take into consideration the time period and what you see on the screen, you will see how great his films are. Frankly, I think I enjoyed the supplements more than the films, as they really open the door to Vigo.

Thank you for your response. What supplement(s) did you find particularly good? And do you feel that the set is worth it based solely on L'Atalante and the supplements, or did you find the other encompassed films to also be enjoyable? From what I've read, people seem to recommend the collection based more on the undeniable influence of Vigo and the excellent quality of the restoration and supplements, rather than the quality or enjoyable nature of the films.

[colinrgeorge]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Well....a spiderbaby bare recommendation isn't necessarily what I'd call persuasive or informative. Plus, he recommends The Rules of the Game, which while considered one of the greatest films of all-time, I find dull and uninteresting.

Stating that it is essential for someone who's "serious" about film doesn't really answer the question. I'm looking for some detail from those who've seen each of the films about what they either liked or disliked about them.

I have to agree. I recently rented The Rules of the Game and was also underwhelmed. It seemed like a fairly typical comedy of manners with few standout visuals. Not a bad flick, but pretty forgettable by Criterion standards.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by SHMACKDOJO

I have to agree. I recently rented The Rules of the Game and was also underwhelmed. It seemed like a fairly typical comedy of manners with few standout visuals. Not a bad flick, but pretty forgettable by Criterion standards.

I feel that Renoir's Grand Illusion is a much better film, but even that I was ultimately underwhelmed with. The irony is that his father, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, is one of my absolute favorite artists.

[SpiderBaby]

Vigo's films are very playful, Rebellion-like, full of youth, anarchistic, violent (in ideas).

I don't know what kind of recommendation you want, but countless times I have said it is the best release (film-wise) they have put out since blu-ray (maybe even ever if not tied with releases like Berlin Alexanderplatz, etc).

Things you might look forward to:

The cinematography was by Boris Kaufman, the brother of Soviet filmmaker Dziga Vertov. The first project "À propos de Nice" can remind one of silent Soviet films.

Zéro de conduite is a film of youth, rebellion and Anarchy (which Vigo knows alot about).

L'Atalante, his most known film (and for good reason), is a/the great example of early Poetic Realism. I will just take a quote to sum it up (since I can't do any better) "classical, almost violent and always tormented, fevered, overflowing with ideas and with fantasy; truculent; a virulent and even demonical romanticism that still remains humanistic."

I can't recommend anything better.

Edit: I never thought I would push one of these "3 Reasons" vids, but here I go:

Three Reasons: The Complete Jean Vigo - YouTube

[colinrgeorge]

Does anyone here have experience ordering replacement covers from Criterion? It's been over two weeks for one item (had them ship a replacement yesterday) and about 9 days for the other. How long do their replacement shipments usually take?

[oildude]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Only you can decide if the disc is "worth it" ($20) to you. I know you're just asking for more info, but ultimately you will need to watch the films to sort out whether or not any of us have good taste.

Most if not all of the films are available on YouTube or Archive.org - why not take a look?

My two cents on the films anyway:

[Show spoiler]For some context, I think if you enjoy The 400 Blows, The Human Condition or Italian Neorealist films you'll find this set very worthwhile.

I think if you cross your arms and expect to be wowed by L'Atalante (especially if you're already wary going into it) you'll miss the point. It's the story of a young couple in love with each other but with a less than perfect marriage and situation. These aren't films that have grand stories to tell, they are snapshots from life, both the good and bad parts.

L'Atalante isn't overly melodrama, it isn't schmaltzy, it isn't polished to a fine sheen. It's just a very real-seeming, poetic film about a few people's existence. And since they live on a barge, their existence isn't glamorous but it isn't quite "normal" either -- sort of blue-collar bohemian. There is a mildly surreal quality to it, but more in the sense of a dream than any kind of weirdness.

Zero de conduite is just one of my favorite films, a sort of whimsical precursor to The 400 Blows. But again, much of its charm lies in its observance of the daily ups and downs of life rather than any conventional three-act hero quest plot.

Then, when you step outside the films themselves, consider their context, their contemporaries, how they were 20 years ahead of their time stylistically and what they influenced, it sinks in how significant they are beyond just being lovely humanist portrayals, and how one of the great unanswered questions in film history is "what if Vigo had lived to make more films?". I haven't watched any of the extras on the disc yet, but I'm sure they also say something to that effect.

One caveat: I also love The Rules of the Game.

Nice take on the films, Joe. I like how you describe them and put them into their proper context.

[retablo]

Originally Posted by SHMACKDOJO

I have to agree. I recently rented The Rules of the Game and was also underwhelmed. It seemed like a fairly typical comedy of manners with few standout visuals. Not a bad flick, but pretty forgettable by Criterion standards.

Well, it was derived from a famous comedy of manners from the 19th century, updated to the late 30s. Few beforehand and few since have been handled so effectively.

Doubt it's very forgettable by Criterion standards, considering it ranks (on some lists) as one of the greatest films ever made. "The decennial poll of international critics by the Sight & Sound magazine ranked it #10 in 1952, moved it up to #3 in 1962, and #2 in 1972, 1982, and 1992; in 2002 it fell back to #3, behind Citizen Kane and Vertigo.[3]"

[oildude]

Originally Posted by SHMACKDOJO

Does anyone here have experience ordering replacement covers from Criterion? It's been over two weeks for one item (had them ship a replacement yesterday) and about 9 days for the other. How long do their replacement shipments usually take?

I think it depends on the film, and whether they have the cases in stock. If they are out of stock in their Kentucky warehouse, they will ship from their NYC office, or at least that is what they did for my replacement case for The Man Who Fell to Earth. It delayed my entire order by several weeks before they finally shipped out all but the case for TMWFTE. That came separately from their NYC office. Criterion never contacted me to explain the delay. After three weeks with no shipping email or anything, I finally sent an email to them. They were very responsive and nice, apologizing for not letting me know what was going on.

In the end, it took almost a month to get my order, and then I got two repeated orders within a few days of each other - one from the warehouse (including the previously out-of-stock TMWFTE case), and one from the NYC office, plus an additional case for TMWFTE.

I have since contacted them about returning all the duplicates they sent me.

[BluPix]

Originally Posted by sskclickgeneral

I am scared for the upcoming B&N sale. Even though I only plan on picking up Salo, I know I'll end up buying as many as possible. Including:
- Island of Lost Souls
- Modern Times
- Paths of Glory
- The Killing
- Kagemusha
- Wings of Desire
- The Phantom Carriage
- Che
- The Great Dictator
- In the Realm of the Senses
- The Rules of the Game
- Revanche
- The 400 Blows
- A Christmas Tale

The last sale I only intended on getting Antichrist. I ended up getting:
- Antichrist
- Yojimbo/Sanjuro
- Videodrome
- The Seventh Seal
- Seven Samurai
- Les Diaboliques

Looks as if you and I have similar tastes -- and a similar problem, lol. I've dropped the pretense that I'll actually buy only one or two Criterion titles, especially during a major sale. I just plan to have a budget where I can buy, perhaps, ten titles or so and just go from there.

This in addition to the Criterion titles that I've already preordered.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

Vigo's films are very playful, Rebellion-like, full of youth, anarchistic, violent (in ideas).

I don't know what kind of recommendation you want, but countless times I have said it is the best release (film-wise) they have put out since blu-ray (maybe even ever if not tied with releases like Berlin Alexanderplatz, etc).

Things you might look forward to:

The cinematography was by Boris Kaufman, the brother of Soviet filmmaker Dziga Vertov. The first project "À propos de Nice" can remind one of silent Soviet films.

Zéro de conduite is a film of youth, rebellion and Anarchy (which Vigo knows alot about).

L'Atalante, his most known film (and for good reason), is a/the great example of early Poetic Realism. I will just take a quote to sum it up (since I can't do any better) "classical, almost violent and always tormented, fevered, overflowing with ideas and with fantasy; truculent; a virulent and even demonical romanticism that still remains humanistic."

I can't recommend anything better.

Edit: I never thought I would push one of these "3 Reasons" vids, but here I go:

Three Reasons: The Complete Jean Vigo - YouTube

Great, thanks for your help spiderbaby! That's exactly what I was looking for--substantive reasons for why it is such an essential release, as opposed to just a claim to "get it." I also appreciate the fact that you gave a blurb about each film, since although my knowledge of L'Atalante is limited, my knowledge of the other two films is even less. I anticipate picking it up, to go along with Carlos, Orpheus, The Killing, and Three Colors.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Only you can decide if the disc is "worth it" ($20) to you. I know you're just asking for more info, but ultimately you will need to watch the films to sort out whether or not any of us have good taste.

Most if not all of the films are available on YouTube or Archive.org - why not take a look?

My two cents on the films anyway:

For some context, I think if you enjoy The 400 Blows, The Human Condition or Italian Neorealist films you'll find this set very worthwhile.

I think if you cross your arms and expect to be wowed by L'Atalante (especially if you're already wary going into it) you'll miss the point. It's the story of a young couple in love with each other but with a less than perfect marriage and situation. These aren't films that have grand stories to tell, they are snapshots from life, both the good and bad parts.

L'Atalante isn't overly melodrama, it isn't schmaltzy, it isn't polished to a fine sheen. It's just a very real-seeming, poetic film about a few people's existence. And since they live on a barge, their existence isn't glamorous but it isn't quite "normal" either -- sort of blue-collar bohemian. There is a mildly surreal quality to it, but more in the sense of a dream than any kind of weirdness.

Zero de conduite is just one of my favorite films, a sort of whimsical precursor to The 400 Blows. But again, much of its charm lies in its observance of the daily ups and downs of life rather than any conventional three-act hero quest plot.

Then, when you step outside the films themselves, consider their context, their contemporaries, how they were 20 years ahead of their time stylistically and what they influenced, it sinks in how significant they are beyond just being lovely humanist portrayals, and how one of the great unanswered questions in film history is "what if Vigo had lived to make more films?". I haven't watched any of the extras on the disc yet, but I'm sure they also say something to that effect.

One caveat: I also love The Rules of the Game.

Thank you Joe. I think it would be great to revisit your post after having seen the films, as you seem to make good analytical points about the films that should be interesting to read after viewing them. It's also nice to know that I can view the films on several different sites.

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Great, thanks for your help spiderbaby! That's exactly what I was looking for--substantive reasons for why it is such an essential release, as opposed to just a claim to "get it." I also appreciate the fact that you gave a blurb about each film, since although my knowledge of L'Atalante is limited, my knowledge of the other two films is even less. I anticipate picking it up, to go along with Carlos, Orpheus, The Killing, and Three Colors.

no problem.

[BluPix]

Originally Posted by Zen_Amako

It would be nice if Amazon would match the B&N sale. That way we wouldn't need to cancel our preorders for titles being released during the sale.

My thoughts exactly.