The Criterion Collection

[Barrysupreme]

Just finished Fanny And Alexander and thought I'd share my thoughts

Having never seen this movie, I opted to watch the 320 minute television version. All I can say to summarize is, amazing, from start to finish, Bergman captivates you with simple storytelling, with wonderful sets and fine actors, F&A is a sumptious masterpiece not to be ignored.

The Criterion Bluray is something to behold. Almost everyshot is sharp and vibrant, grain is intact but not abtrusive, and the audio is near perfect also. If you haven't seen it or you are thinking of upgrading from DVD, I highly recommend you do so.

Top marks all around!

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by Pyoko

I'll never get a complete collection.

Same here, I only purchase the titles I really wish to have and I will re-watch over and over. The rest of them I rent or catch them on TV.

[tenia]

Originally Posted by Barrysupreme

The Criterion Bluray is something to behold. Almost every shot is sharp and vibrant, grain is intact but not abtrusive, and the audio is near perfect also. If you haven't seen it or you are thinking of upgrading from DVD, I highly recommend you do so.

Having looked through 30 min of the 2nd episode, I'm still quite sad about the decision to squeeze the whole TV version on 1 disc, with a limited bitrate.

As a result, some backgrounds and most of the low-light scenes are pretty noisy, with a lot of fuzzy close-ups.

But, as you said, you also get some very vibrant colors, an intact grain, and a pretty good sound.

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

Same here, I only purchase the titles I really wish to have and I will re-watch over and over. The rest of them I rent or catch them on TV.

I will never get the complete collection simply because I've bought some titles somewhere else (for instance, the 2 Chabrol in the much more complete Gaumont BDs).

[nametag]

Aah, I managed to snag a copy of The Man Who Fell to Earth for £32 on eBay! Not sure someone knew what they were selling, and it was in the UK too so no big shipping fees. It's in the card casing though, so not sure how I'll get hold of the plastic case replacement...

[Criterion Collector]

Originally Posted by nametag

Aah, I managed to snag a copy of The Man Who Fell to Earth for £32 on eBay! Not sure someone knew what they were selling, and it was in the UK too so no big shipping fees. It's in the card casing though, so not sure how I'll get hold of the plastic case replacement...

Awesome! Nice score nametag.

I believe what you seek is here http://www.criterion.com/shop_produc...-fell-to-earth

Once again, congrats.

BTW: You have a nice collection of Criterion films, a lot of quality titles in there, including the beloved Third Man. That one is a bit difficult to come across for a decent price these days.

[*DrStrangelove*]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Did you bother getting Kagemusha as well? It was the last Kurosawa BD I grabbed, because I heard it wasn't as enjoyable as his earlier ones Criterion has released, and after watching it, I agree. It's not bad, but compared to the others, it's my least favourite Kurosawa on BD. I'd rank Yojimbo and High and Low as my favourites. Yes, I enjoyed those two more than Seven Samurai.

Although it's not out on BD yet, I'd try to rent The Bad Sleep Well, it's one of my favourites, and as much as I enjoy Rashomon, I'd rather see it come to BD after The Bad Sleep Well.

I enjoyed both Yojimbo and Sanjuro, although Yojimbo has the slight edge for enjoyment. I also found it fun to watch Yojimbo alongside A Fistful of Dollars, which isn't as enjoyable since I watched Yojimbo. It's still an excellent film, Toshiro's so much better than Clint, although Clint is pretty awesome.

No I didn't get Kagemusha. The trailer didn't interest me and the word of mouth kind of swayed me from getting it. I am very interested in The Bad Sleep Well. I've heard very good things about it. I hope there's an upgrade soon. I kinda wonder why Criterion chose Kagemusha to upgrade rather than Kurosawa's more beloved films. I don't get it. I'm sure they have their reasons thou.

[Oblivion138]

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

I finally saw Yojimbo and thought it was a great samurai film. Looking forward to Sanjuro next. This was my first Kurosawa film and I can already tell I'm gonna be a fan. I still have Seven Samurai then High and Low to watch. Gonna have a Kurosawa marathon today.

Coincidentally, I watched Seven Samurai and High & Low a few days ago. I need to revisit Yojimbo and Sanjuro soon, as well. As many times as I've seen these films, they just never get old.

Really hope that Criterion will hasten more Kurosawa onto BD...starting with Rashomon and The Bad Sleep Well. Followed by Iriku and Throne of Blood.

[tenia]

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

No I didn't get Kagemusha. The trailer didn't interest me and the word of mouth kind of swayed me from getting it. I am very interested in The Bad Sleep Well. I've heard very good things about it. I hope there's an upgrade soon. I kinda wonder why Criterion chose Kagemusha to upgrade rather than Kurosawa's more beloved films. I don't get it. I'm sure they have their reasons thou.

I think it's logical due to the beautiful visuals you can find in Kagemusha.
I'm quite happy to have seen it in BD (especially in the only release containing the uncut version).

However, I'm quite sure Rashomon will come very soon. There will be a Swiss release in February 2012.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

I kinda wonder why Criterion chose Kagemusha to upgrade rather than Kurosawa's more beloved films. I don't get it. I'm sure they have their reasons thou.

Once Studio Canal took away the rights to Ran, which Criterion was very close to releasing, they probably just picked the next closest thing that they had on hand in decent enough shape for a near future release to fill the void. It came out a few months after Ran was scheduled to come out.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

No I didn't get Kagemusha. The trailer didn't interest me and the word of mouth kind of swayed me from getting it. I am very interested in The Bad Sleep Well. I've heard very good things about it. I hope there's an upgrade soon. I kinda wonder why Criterion chose Kagemusha to upgrade rather than Kurosawa's more beloved films. I don't get it. I'm sure they have their reasons thou.

I love Kagemusha. Like Ran, it is epic in scope and has a great performance from Nakadai. I think some of the film's criticisms stem from Nakadai being a last minute replacement for the lead. But Kurosawa tailors the film very well for his actor and the end result is excellent IMO. On the other hand I found Red Beard quite boring on the whole and The Bad Sleep Well was immensely dull till the halfway mark where I gave up on it. Stephen Prince gives a wonderful commentary on Kagemusha where he talks about the actual historical context of the film and the dramatic license that Kurosawa takes for his vesion.

[drbikeshorts]

I'm a big fan of Kagemusha - it was one of the first Kurosawa's I ever saw.
The only reason I haven't upgraded it is because it's not really a film I'll re-watch a lot of times and I did watch my DVD copy a couple of years ago.
Frankly, it's the same with Ran and Red Beard. They're all incredibly powerful films, but not films you'd watch a couple of times a year.
Plus, they're all really, really long! Kagemusha and Red Beard are both 3 hours long and Ran isn't far off that.
Rashomon is a film I saw many, many years ago, so I really need to re-watch it. Pretty sure I'll get the upgrade when it finally comes.
My number one on the Kurosawa wish-list: Throne of Blood.

Edit: I just added Kagemusha to my cart and I'll get it at the next B&N sale. Next year will be a good time to re-watch it. Plus, the Criterion blu-ray looks so much better than my muddy DVD copy.

[moody41]

Originally Posted by Criterion Collector

Awesome! Nice score nametag.

I believe what you seek is here http://www.criterion.com/shop_produc...-fell-to-earth

Once again, congrats.

BTW: You have a nice collection of Criterion films, a lot of quality titles in there, including the beloved Third Man. That one is a bit difficult to come across for a decent price these days.

He's from the UK and I'm afraid Criterion only ship to Canada/US.

[ShellOilJunior]

Thanks to those who voted in BEST NEW SPINE.

Next Poll:

Vote for the catalog release of the year (Best upgrade).

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...dpT3c6MQ#gid=0

[DetroitSquirreL]

Can anyone tell me the difference between the Criterion & Masters Of Cinema releases for ' M ' ? Besides UK & US release and region coding

[DetroitSquirreL]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Thanks to those who voted in BEST NEW SPINE.

Next Poll:

Vote for the catalog release of the year (Best upgrade).

[Show spoiler]
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...dpT3c6MQ#gid=0

Voted

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Thanks to those who voted in BEST NEW SPINE.

Next Poll:

Vote for the catalog release of the year (Best upgrade).

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...dpT3c6MQ#gid=0

I was going to say "I can't vote yet because I haven't received my Fanny And Alexander yet but I see you included all of the pre-orders, so I guess "Technical upgrade" doesn't need to be taken into account, so sight-unseen, that is my vote!

[DetroitSquirreL]

Here's a 30% 1 item code for B&N ( N7C7K8T )...just thought I'd share (I got it in an email and have no desire to shop there anymore)

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by melo4mvp

Just got an email from them. They are Scanavo cases. Pretty good deal if your looking to buy some replacement cases in bulk.

http://stores.casetopia.com/-strse-9...ent/Detail.bok

Originally Posted by silentblu

Yeah. Always read them after watching. Although it seems a lot of the time it is just summarizing the film I just watched. I've stopped reading the essays because of this and the fact the writing isn't very good or necessarily correct.

If I've never seen a film I tend to stay away from reviews. I like to go into a film fresh without any preconceived notions. You only get to see a film the 1st time once. In reviews I find a generalized discussion of the mood of the film to be more beneficial then a synopsis. That and I will look at the technical aspects of a review as well like the PQ & AQ.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Thanks to those who voted in BEST NEW SPINE.

Next Poll:

Vote for the catalog release of the year (Best upgrade).

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...dpT3c6MQ#gid=0

Ridiculous! We're expected to pick only one? Impossible!
However, I did pick The Battle of Algiers.
The Rules of the Game was very close, but my copy hasn't arrived yet for me to re-watch it.

[italy12]

Originally Posted by ccfixx

Yes, it's been discussed quite a few times over the years... it's best to print out a cover. You also have to decide what you're going to do with 2nd disc of the Ben Button release since Criterion doesn't make a 2-disc plastic blu-ray case.

Can you help us make our own digipaks? I would google it myself, but you're my personal "google".