The Criterion Collection

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

Herzog, not Wenders. But big-ups to the New German Cinema regardless!

Edit: and with the Schlondorff upgrade and likely some Fassbinder upgrades on the near horizon, should be a big year. Now where is the Road Trilogy box set...

I'll go stand in the corner now...save me some lunch Joe.

[pro-bassoonist]

Full Press Sheet:

TWO-LANE BLACK TOP – Blu-ray Edition
Drag racing east from L.A. in a souped-up ’55 Chevy are the wayward Driver and Mechanic (singer/songwriter James Taylor and the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson, in their only acting roles), accompanied by a tagalong Girl (Cockfighter’s Laurie Bird). Along the way, they meet Warren Oates’s Pontiac GTO–driving wanderer and challenge him to a cross-country race—the prize: their cars’ pink slips. But no summary can do justice to the existential punch of Two-Lane Blacktop. With its gorgeous widescreen compositions and sophisticated look at American male obsession, this stripped-down narrative from maverick director Monte Hellman (The Shooting) is one of the artistic high points of 1970s cinema, and possibly the greatest road movie ever made.

1971 • 103 minutes • Color • Monaural • 2.35:1 aspect ratio

DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• Restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director Monte Hellman, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, supervised by Hellman and presented in DTS-HD Master Audio
• Two audio commentaries: one by Hellman and filmmaker Allison Anders and one by screenwriter Rudolph Wurlitzer and author David N. Meyer
• Interviews with Hellman, actor James Taylor, musician Kris Kristofferson, producer Michael Laughlin, and production manager Walter Coblenz
• Screen test outtakes
• Performance and Image, a look at the restoration of a ’55 Chevy used in the movie and the film’s locations today
• Color Me Gone, photos and publicity from Two-Lane Blacktop
• Trailer
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Kent Jones; appreciations by director Richard Linklater and musician Tom Waits; and a reprint of the 1970 Rolling Stone article “On Route 66, Filming Two-Lane Blacktop,” by Michael Goodwin

TITLE: Two-Lane Blacktop (BLU-RAY EDITION)
CAT. NO: CC2219BD
UPC: 7-15515-10241-4
ISBN: 978-1-60465-678-7
SRP: $39.95
STREET: 1/8/13

THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH – Blu-ray Edition
An ordinary British couple vacationing in Switzerland suddenly find themselves embroiled in a case of international intrigue when their daughter is kidnapped by spies plotting a political assassination. This fleet and gripping early thriller from the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, was the first film the director made after signing to the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation. Besides affirming Hitchcock’s brilliance, it gave the brilliant Peter Lorre (M) his first English-speaking role, as a slithery villain. With its tension and gallows humor, it’s pure Hitchcock, and it set the tone for films like The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes.

1934 • 75 minutes • Black & White • Monaural • 1.33:1 aspect ratio

SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
• New audio commentary featuring film historian Philip Kemp
• New interview with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro
• The Illustrated Hitchcock, an extensive interview with director Alfred Hitchcock from 1972, conducted by journalist Pia Lindstrom and film historian William Everson
• Audio excerpts from filmmaker François Truffaut’s legendary 1962 interviews with Hitchcock
• Restoration demonstration
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme

TITLE: The Man Who Knew Too Much (BLU-RAY EDITION)
CAT. NO: CC2220BD
UPC: 7-15515-10041-0
ISBN: 978-1-60465-679-4
SRP: $39.95
STREET: 1/15/13

THE TIN DRUM – Blu-ray Edition
Oskar is born in Germany in 1924 with an advanced intellect. Repulsed by the hypocrisy of adults and the irresponsibility of society, he refuses to grow older after his third birthday. While the chaotic world around him careers toward the madness and folly of World War II, Oskar pounds incessantly on his beloved tin drum and perfects his uncannily piercing shrieks. The Tin Drum, which earned the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for best foreign-language film, is a visionary adaptation from Volker Schlöndorff (Young Törless) of Nobel laureate Günter Grass’s acclaimed novel, characterized by surreal imagery, arresting eroticism, and clear-eyed satire.

1979 • 163 minutes • Color • 5.1 surround • In German with English subtitles • 1.66:1 aspect ratio

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• New, restored high-definition digital transfer of the complete version, approved by director Volker Schlöndorff
• Newly remastered 5.1 surround soundtrack, approved by Schlöndorff and presented in DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition
• New interview with Schlöndorff about the making of The Tin Drum and the creation of the 2010 restored, complete version
• New interview with film scholar Timothy Corrigan
• German audio recording from 1987 of author Günter Grass reading an excerpt from his novel The Tin Drum with musical accompaniment, illustrated with the corresponding scene from the film
• Television interview excerpts featuring Schlöndorff, Grass, actors David Bennent and Mario Adorf, and cowriter Jean-Claude Carrière reflecting on their experiences making the film
• Trailer
• New English subtitle translation
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Atkinson and 1978 statements by Grass about the adaptation of his novel

ITLE: The Tin Drum (BLU-RAY EDITION)
CAT. NO: CC2222BD
UPC: 7-15515-10181-3
ISBN: 978-1-60465-681-7
SRP: $39.95
STREET: 1/15/13


IVAN'S CHILDHOOD – Blu-ray Edition
The debut feature by the great Andrei Tarkovsky (Andrei Rublev), Ivan’s Childhood is a poetic journey through the shards and shadows of one boy’s war-ravaged youth. Moving back and forth between the traumatic realities of World War II and serene moments of family life before the conflict began, Tarkovsky’s film remains one of the most jarring and unforgettable depictions of the impact of war on children.

1962 • 95 minutes • Black & White • Monaural • 1.33:1 aspect ratio

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• Appreciation of filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky and Ivan’s Childhood featuring Vida T. Johnson, coauthor of The Films of Andrei Tarkovsky: A Visual Fugue
• Interviews with cinematographer Vadim Yusov and actor Nikolai Burlyaev
• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Dina Iordanova; “Between Two Films,” Tarkovsky’s essay on Ivan’s Childhood; and “Ivan’s Willow,” a poem by the director’s father, Arseny Tarkovsky

TITLE: Ivan’s Childhood (BLU-RAY EDITION)
CAT. NO: CC2226BD
UPC: 7-15515-10221-6
ISBN: 978-1-60465-685-5
SRP: $39.95
STREET: 1/22/13

PINA – Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray
The boundless imagination and physical marvels of the work of the German modern-dance pioneer Pina Bausch leap off the screen in this exuberant tribute by Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire). A long-planned film collaboration between the director and the choreographer was in preproduction when Bausch died in 2009. Two years later, Wenders decided to go ahead with the project, reconceiving it as an homage to his late friend. The result, shot in stunning 3D, is a remarkable visual experience and a vivid representation of Bausch’s art, enacted by a group of staggeringly talented dancers from her company, the Tanztheater Wuppertal. Pina is an adventurous work of cinema that highlights the bold legacy of one of the world’s true creative visionaries.

2011 • 103 minutes • Color • 5.1 surround • In German, English, Russian, French, Italian, Slovenian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean, with English subtitles • 1.85:1 aspect ratio

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• High-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Wim Wenders, presented in two editions: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray combo, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack, and DVD
• Audio commentary featuring Wenders
• The Making of “Pina” (available in 3D)
• Deleted scenes with commentary by Wenders (available in 3D)
• Behind-the-scenes footage
• Interview with Wenders
• Trailer
• English subtitle translation
• PLUS: A booklet featuring a piece by novelist and essayist Siri Hustvedt; reprinted pieces by Wenders and choreographer Pina Bausch; information on the dances featured in the film; and portraits of the dancers

TITLE: Pina (2-DISC BLU-RAY 3D/BLU-RAY COMBO EDITION)
CAT. NO: CC2224BD
UPC: 7-15515-10201-8
ISBN: 978-1-60465-683-1
SRP: $49.95
STREET: 1/22/13


ATTENTION CANADA: THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, IVAN’S CHILDHOOD & TWO-LANE BLACKTOP are available in all Canada. THE TIN DRUM is available in English-Speaking Canada only. PINA is a US only release.

Pro-B

[jrsl76]

As always, I'm interested in them all, but The Man Who Knows Too Much is the exciting title for me.

I'm also excited about Two Lane as I waited for the US upgrade instead of buying the UK steel.

I wish Criterion would get Hellman's Cockfighter though.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

I would not rush to call this release a disappointment.

In fact, I expect it to be clearly better than the Eureka release - whose transfer reveals many traces of noise corrections. While on a relatively small screen (46-50) in motion they are not terribly distracting, I have to believe that if they are eliminated on the Criterion release the film will look substantially better, especially when projected. There is definitely quite a bit of room for improvement on this UK release, and if there is a label that can do it right, Criterion is definitely it.

Pro-B

Pro-B, how does the whole supervised and approved by the director thing work? Both the Criterion and MOC releases of Two-lane Blacktop say the same thing, so wouldn't that mean they should be pretty identical (or at least nearly so)?, or would Eureka have done work to the director-approved master after the fact?

[Arkadin]

note to The Tin Drum CC dvd owners--a number of special features from the dvd are not being carried over to this new release, so might want to hold on to the earlier dvd.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Pro-B, how does the whole supervised and approved by the director thing work? Both the Criterion and MOC releases of Two-lane Blacktop say the same thing, so wouldn't that mean they should be pretty identical (or at least nearly so)?, or would Eureka have done work to the director-approved master after the fact?

Hello MifuneFan,

Just a quick reply because I am on my way out...

The Eureka release has noted "new restored high-definition master". In other words, the two releases could have completely different high-definition transfers.

Master and transfer are different animals.

By the way, tomorrow night we will have a review for an upcoming Criterion release which I think you will like. Or so your name suggests...

Pro-B

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Hello MifuneFan,

Just a quick reply because I am on my way out...

The Eureka release has noted "new restored high-definition master". In other words, the two releases could have completely different high-definition transfers.

Master and transfer are different animals.

By the way, tomorrow night we will have a review for an upcoming Criterion release which I think you will like. Or so your name suggests...

Pro-B

Thanks for the reply! I wasn't sure because on Amazon UK, the MoC release of two-lane said "New restored high-definition master, supervised and approved by Monte Hellman" which sounded almost the same as the wording for the Criterion release.

Can't wait to read the upcoming review!

[Fallglimmer]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

I like them all, actually, except for Pina which I have not seen yet. Dance is an artform that has never appealed to me but I am intrigued.



Just continuing my long-standing gripe that Criterion is playing catch-up on their upgrades. Picnic at Hanging Rock? Rififi? Ashes and Diamonds? Band of Outsiders? Shadows? Faces? A Woman Under The Influence? The Killing of a Chinese Bookie? Patience...

I literally just ordered Bande a Part from Amazon.fr so I was half expecting that one to be announced...but with Weekend next month I felt pretty safe they wouldn't go back to Godard so soon.

[octagon]

Once again, not bad overall.

Nothing really jumps out as a must have but TLB, TTD and IC are pretty definite and since I broke down on The 39 Steps I've got a feeling TMWKTM will only be a matter of time as well.

Pina is the only one leaving me kinda cold but who knows.

[Templar]

Good bunch, and i'm most looking forward to Two Lane Blacktop and TMWKTM

[EddieLarkin]

I'm sure there is only one director approved HD transfer of Two-Lane Blacktop about. And I don't believe MoC have the ability to apply their own noise correction or any other digital f***ery. So I wouldn't be surprised if the DNR is "baked in" to the transfer itself, from the DVD era, since presumably Universal would have performed the remaster and then handed it off to Criterion (and eventually MoC for the Blu-ray).

[marctheshark]

Why is Pina a US-only release?

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by marctheshark

Why is Pina a US-only release?

Where do you see that it is? If it is US only, it is probably due to licensing and the existence of this edition: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Pina-Blu-ray/41608/

[Snicket]

The MSRP of Pina is only $50, for a 3D Criterion combo pack that seems pretty reasonable. I was expecting it to be higher.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Snicket

The MSRP of Pina is only $50, for a 3D Criterion combo pack that seems pretty reasonable. I was expecting it to be higher.

Damn, another 3D disc that will go to waste

Great Lineup, yet again I will get everything. Especially excited for Hitchcock & Tarkovsky!

....Please. Give. Us. More. Antonioni.

[jrsl76]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Damn, another 3D disc that will go to waste

I never really gave much of a rat's ass about having 3D...until I was slightly interested in Hugo in 3D, then Creature Of The Black Lagoon & Dial M For Murder, now Pina.

Still, it's not in the cards right now to get a new TV and Oppo Blu-ray player.

[ShellOilJunior]

Another month passes and no word on a Hiroshima mon amour upgrade. I cannot be the only one that wants it on blu-ray.

I'm not sure why they didn't knock it out when they had Resnais supervising the Marienbad transfer a few years ago.

[oildude]

I don't believe it.....after two years of waiting, month after month, for one of my five or six most wanted upgrades to be announced, it finally happens.

Ivan's Childhood!!


*breaks out into a Snoopy happy dance*

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

It's interesting you say that because I almost posted that people might not want to get too excited about the PQ of the Two-Lane Blacktop release based on the MoC edition. I remember the night scenes showing noise and there not being a whole lot of depth to the picture overall. Whether Criterion's transfer is any better will remain to be seen. Let us know, will you?

Definitely, will do, Joe

[ROclockCK]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

They are two of my favorite directors so you could've said worse.

You're being w-a-y too kind Joe, but thanks anyway.