The Criterion Collection

[nathan_393]

Originally Posted by Roninblues

You asked.

I did indeed - thanks for the input!

Red Shoes pops up almost every single time and it's near the top of my wishlist, but I'm not sure if I want it RIGHT now or if I should wait.

Maybe I'll start selling all my personal possessions so I can get more of these.

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by Todd_Gaines

Any thoughts on "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence?" After viewing "In the Realm of the Senses," I want to add more Ôshima to the collection.

Less Ôshima than Lean Todd, but the connective tissue is still there. I was just happy to see Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence treated so well after too many years of indifferent-to-non-existent handling on home video (the last I saw this film was on Laserdisc, panned and scanned). The AQ and PQ specs of this Blu-ray are very good; they scanned at 4k and did some major clean-up work on the dust, scratches, and splice marks. Plus the background features are rich and interesting, although skewed a bit toward Ryûichi Sakamoto's participation, who both co-starred in and scored the film. When Criterion released this title, I thought it was among the best Blu's in their collection, since equalled by many others, of course. Overall though, a top tier package or darn close.

[retablo]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

It looks like the Three Colours films are presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
I'd assumed they would be in 1.66:1, as per The Double Life of Véronique and many other European films.
Does anyone know if the films were projected in different ratios around the world?

Three Colors was shot to be 1.85:1. That's their intended ratio.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by nathan_393

I've got a limit of the 3 Blus that I can afford to get in the B&N sale. I'll put my list in here:

The Killing
The Rules of the Game
400 Blows
Bottle Rocket
Double Life of Veronique
Last Year at Marienbad
Red Shoes
Shock Corridor
Au Revoir Les Enfants
The Naked Kiss
Pierrot Le Fou

I'm leaning towards The Killing, Bottle Rocket, and Pierrot Le Fou. Is Pierrot really worth it, or will I are if I don't ever see it?

All the films would be blind buys for me so if anybody can point out some kind of instant classic, I'd appreciate that. I'm a big film noir fan and I love good dialogue.

The Killing - no brainer if you like noir, you get two greats with this release

Red Shoes - classic and it looks stunning on blu-ray

Au Revoir les Enfants - this is a powerful and moving film that should get more attention around here than it does


Runners Up:

Naked Kiss and Shock Corridor - if you like noir and dialog, this is in your face classic B-movie stuff.

Bottle Rocket - some vocal Wes haters here, but I really like this quirky little dramedy. It has a lot of heart and is funny too.

Perrot le Fou - this is not one of my favorites and I find all the randomness and made-up-as-it-goes-along feel of it to be tedious, but I cannot deny it has a certain daring brilliance to it. I just have to be in the right mood to watch it. It has some great scenes, it is one of the few Godards in the collection on BD (and looks gorgeous, the colors really pop), and it is out of print, so grab it while you can.

Last Year at Marienbad - probably one of the best looking films in the collection, and a showcase for how good B&W can look on BD. It is one of my favorites, but I don't often list it as a recommendation. It is complex, open to many interpretations, non-linear, and is one of the few films where multiple watching is a must if you want to better understand what is reality and what is a possibility.

NOTE: I have not yet watched Double Life of Veronique even though it is in my collecton, so I cannot comment on it. However, there are a lot of members of this thread who really like this film. It gets listed here frequently as one of the top recommended films in the collection.

[*DrStrangelove*]

Is Pierrot le Fou really going OOP???

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

Is Pierrot le Fou really going OOP???

Yes. It's been out of print on Criterion's own site for awhile now. Supplies just haven't dried up in the market yet.

For must-have fans of this film and Criterion completists alike, this sale should be the time to buy.

[*DrStrangelove*]

Originally Posted by Roninblues

No, it is.
http://www.criterion.com/films/149-pierrot-le-fou

Crap! This just went from number 6 in my to get list to number 1!

[tenia]

Personally, I really love Pierrot le fou.
I'm not especially fond of Godard's work as a whole, but Pierrot is so colorful, so pop, that it's always a lot of fun watching it.

[retablo]

Originally Posted by ROclockCK

Yes. It's been out of print on Criterion's own site for awhile now. Supplies just haven't dried up in the market yet.

For must-have fans of this film and Criterion completists alike, this sale should be the time to buy.

A testament to the unimportance of Godard these days. Even going out of print, there are still copies available everywhere.

Originally Posted by nathan_393

I've got a limit of the 3 Blus that I can afford to get in the B&N sale. I'll put my list in here:

The Killing
The Rules of the Game
400 Blows
Bottle Rocket
Double Life of Veronique
Last Year at Marienbad
Red Shoes
Shock Corridor
Au Revoir Les Enfants
The Naked Kiss
Pierrot Le Fou

I'm leaning towards The Killing, Bottle Rocket, and Pierrot Le Fou. Is Pierrot really worth it, or will I are if I don't ever see it?

All the films would be blind buys for me so if anybody can point out some kind of instant classic, I'd appreciate that. I'm a big film noir fan and I love good dialogue.

Veronique, Red Shoes, 400 Blows. Rules of the Game & The Killing second tier.

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by retablo

A testament to the unimportance of Godard these days. Even going out of print, there are still copies available everywhere.

Not one of my all-time faves either retablo. Even during the day, Godard was too strident, esoteric, and didactic for my tastes. Admittedly, I've ignored a schwack of his works, so there could be some cinematic gems out there I'm not aware of. Feel free to enlighten me if I've missed anything essential.

But whenever *trapped* into watching Godard, it always felt like some sort of weird cinematic punishment for enjoying too many Cy Endfield adventures as a kid...à chacun son goût.

[Darkcritic]

Originally Posted by nathan_393

I did indeed - thanks for the input!

Red Shoes pops up almost every single time and it's near the top of my wishlist, but I'm not sure if I want it RIGHT now or if I should wait.

Maybe I'll start selling all my personal possessions so I can get more of these.

You know, The Red Shoes is one of those titles that almost never go up in price at Amazon.com. Chances are, if you don't manage to get it under the sale you can still grab it at some point later in the near future. If like you say, you are a noir fan, I would go with the films I already recommend in my first list and add a great noir, so here is the new one ...

- The Last Year at Marienbad
- The Rules of the Game
- The Killing

[dwane5]

Originally Posted by nathan_393

I've got a limit of the 3 Blus that I can afford to get in the B&N sale. I'll put my list in here:

The KillingThe Rules of the Game
400 Blows
Bottle Rocket
Double Life of Veronique
Last Year at Marienbad
Red ShoesShock Corridor
Au Revoir Les Enfants
The Naked Kiss
Pierrot Le Fou
I'm leaning towards The Killing, Bottle Rocket, and Pierrot Le Fou. Is Pierrot really worth it, or will I are if I don't ever see it?

All the films would be blind buys for me so if anybody can point out some kind of instant classic, I'd appreciate that. I'm a big film noir fan and I love good dialogue.

i have all 3 and loved them. pierrot le fou, godard, isnt for everyone but this is a title thats been out of print for some monthis. the supply may run out soon. with the killing u actually get 2 movies.

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by retablo

A testament to the unimportance of Godard these days. Even going out of print, there are still copies available everywhere.

And the fact the other 2 out of print blu-rays are in the English Language. The language of the country in which the company is based in speaks.

Even the crappiest of English language movies will outsell a foreign title here (not just Godard, since your hate for him has been noted before). The Third Man will still sell less than say Transformers. Is that because of an "unimportance"?


What if Red Desert went out of print? You think that will be gone in no time or would it be a testament to the unimportance of Antonioni? But the importance of Nicolas Roeg and David Bowie is higher than ever, thanks to the language that we speak.

[Guitar Joe]

Today's B&N Score

Cul-De-Sac
Bigger Than Life
High and Low
Salo
Carlos
The Seventh Seal
Revanche
Breathless
The Phantom Carriage


I picked these up at the store today, and I'm going to order more online since I have an online gift certificate.

This is the first time I have money while the sale is going on, so I'm going nuts this year.

[TriuneImpurityRites]

thinking about hitting B&N, for another 50 3pack score

[ROclockCK]

I haven't been hanging around here very long, but I've noticed the posting pace has picked up considerably as we near the 'millennium'.

Just file under: odd little observations of no specific import. Carry on...

[octagon]

Originally Posted by SpiderBaby

The language of the country in which the company is based in speaks

...thanks to the language that we speak.

And what language is that, exactly?

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by octagon

And what language is that, exactly?

The same one that most likely is in the top selling titles of this company.

Example: 3 Wes Andersons are in the top 15 best selling Criterion films on Amazon (9 being English language, 1 being Godzilla, which has an English version. so 10. Also 2 sets that includes English films. Only 3 of the 15 are full on foreign with no English version, 1 being a pre-order and 1 being sold as a horror film.). Funny, the last title, Pierrot le Fou is in the top 15 above I would take it, alot of things (you know, "the importants").

Barnes & Noble has Pierrot le fou blu-ray rank 48 in dvd sales. It has nothinig to do with stock obviously, it's prob because Godard is not important. Not bad for a French movie from the 60's (since things like Transformers are in the 12,000's).

[Boob-Ray]

So far, I've managed to pick up...

Dazed and Confused
The Phantom Carriage
Island Of Lost Souls
and The Complete Jean Vigo.

The only one I've watched (a bit of) was the Vigo set. Popped it in for a peak...and couldn't stop watching. Watched the first film, the silent one. That was good stuff. I know I hit pay dirt when I'm giggling at brilliance!

[Hawkguy]

so I just watched 'Sweet Smell of Success', which I'd picked up during the sale. I have owned the early 2001 non-Criterion edition of the DVD and never watched it....now I'm regretting that. Such a brilliant film! I can't believe I waited this long...the cinematography is amazing, and the acting truly unforgettable....really inspiring stuff... I'd strongly recommend it to anyone considering the purchase.