The Criterion Collection

[UNCMT9]

Had some gift cards and picked up Army of Shadows for less than $10. This will be a blind buy but I've heard nothing but rave reviews. Is Leon Morin worth a buy? Thanks so much for the recommendations of those on this site.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

While I've got an arthouse, mind you an hour train ride away, I have a harder time seeing stuff that falls in the middle ground like Stoker, and most likely Before Midnight.

Yeah, we get the "Big Indies" (like Stoker on one screen) but not the limited ones like To The Wonder, Holy Motors, etc. Hell, we finally got Amour in March, Cinemark sucks

[AverageAtBest]

Originally Posted by UNCMT9

Had some gift cards and picked up Army of Shadows for less than $10. This will be a blind buy but I've heard nothing but rave reviews. Is Leon Morin worth a buy? Thanks so much for the recommendations of those on this site.

Army of Shadows is sooooooooooo worth it. Still have yet to watch my copy of Leon Morin because I have a few I have yet to watch yet.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by UNCMT9

Had some gift cards and picked up Army of Shadows for less than $10. This will be a blind buy but I've heard nothing but rave reviews. Is Leon Morin worth a buy? Thanks so much for the recommendations of those on this site.

While not the strongest of the Melville films, it's still good and explores war through the eyes of the clergy. So yes, it's worth it, in my opinion.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by iScottie

While not the strongest of the Melville films, it's still good and explores war through the eyes of the clergy. So yes, it's worth it, in my opinion.

I have a feeling that one day I will have more affection for Leon Morin, Priest than his most beloved films (Bob Le Flambour, Le Samorai, Le Cercle Rouge & Army of Shadows). It's the one film of his that doesn't exactly feel old fashioned (there's no getting around it, he was a classical filmmaker) and built on genre tropes (especially those found in 30's and 40's French gangster films).

It's kind of like his Barry Lyndon: the exception to the rule.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I have a feeling that one day I will have more affection for Leon Morin, Priest than his most beloved films (Bob Le Flambour, Le Samorai, Le Cercle Rouge & Army of Shadows). It's the one film of his that doesn't exactly feel old fashioned (there's no getting around it, he was a classical filmmaker) and built on genre tropes (especially those found in 30's and 40's French gangster films).

It's kind of like his Barry Lyndon: the exception to the rule.

I didn't really warm up to it either, but it's still better than most films nowadays.

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

On the flipside...

What recent films, as in films from the past decade or so, would everyone like to see released as Criterion titles.

I'll get the ball rolling...

The Return
Love Crime
24 Hour Party People
Lost in Translation
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Downfall
Touching the Void

I like your list, haven't seen some of them but they all look really good. I'd definitely second Lost.

Just to add some titles . . . Ghost World, Italian for Beginners, Eternal Sunshine, A Very Long Engagement, Squid and Whale, Paranoid Park, more Soderbergh.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Touching the Void

I really loved that film. I'd buy it on blu-ray, easily.

[Scottie]

I hope Tokyo! is announced. Such a shame it's currently OOP.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I hope Tokyo! is announced. Such a shame it's currently OOP.

This would be fantastic. Bong Joon-ho's segment is so beautiful and moving.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

This would be fantastic. Bong Joon-ho's segment is so beautiful and moving.

I'm mostly interested in it for Leos Carax, but I'm open to anything.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by AverageAtBest

In response for Leon Morin Priest being 20 bucks I also got Leon Morin Priest for 20 but it was a used copy which was as good as new. If I knew it would be 20 bucks new on Amazon I would have waited and saved myself the "Oh I hope I didn't play for a shoddy used copy". But I somehow got Army of Shadows for 20 bucks(the same seller once he put another copy of AoS up raised the price to 46 now).

I wish Le Cercle Rouge, Pierrot Le Fou, and Playtime could magically appear for 20 bucks on amazon.

But for those also new to collecting criterion releases I am noticing a good strategy to take is if a movie is a bit out of your range especially out of print ones be patient. A few weeks ago the cheapest copy of The Third Man on blu-ray on Amazon was 250. Now there are copies available for 100 bucks or more less than that. And the lowest priced copy of Le Cercle Rouge was 10-20 more than it is now. Now the Leon Morin, Priest being 20 new on Amazon. Now if only The Third Man could get even lower on a day when I have no bills for the week then I will get that one out of the way.

Do you think that any Criterion BD will ever be as valuable or sell for such a high price as "The Third Man"? I keep wondering if that title is more special than these other out of print Criterions such as "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (BD) or "Pierrot Le Fou" (BD) or more recently all of the Melville Criterion BDs (Le Cercle Rouge, Army of Shadows, Leon Morin).

What is it about "The Third Man" that makes its value so high? Perhaps its the very first Criterion BD to ever go out of print, making it more "rare"?

Don't you all just love collecting Criterions that are out of print? I'm personally a bit obsessed with it.

(and I just bought "Mafioso" on Criterion DVD that is also now OOP... got it for $25, so not too bad)

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by jw007

Do you think that any Criterion BD will ever be as valuable or sell for such a high price as "The Third Man"? I keep wondering if that title is more special than these other out of print Criterions such as "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (BD) or "Pierrot Le Fou" (BD) or more recently all of the Melville Criterion BDs (Le Cercle Rouge, Army of Shadows, Leon Morin).

What is it about "The Third Man" that makes its value so high? Perhaps its the very first Criterion BD to ever go out of print, making it more "rare"?

Don't you all just love collecting Criterions that are out of print? I'm personally a bit obsessed with it.

(and I just bought "Mafioso" on Criterion DVD that is also now OOP... got it for $25, so not too bad)

The Third Man is more of a well-known film than the others, plus it has the Criterion name tag attached to it. That's the only reason.

[AverageAtBest]

Originally Posted by jw007

Do you think that any Criterion BD will ever be as valuable or sell for such a high price as "The Third Man"? I keep wondering if that title is more special than these other out of print Criterions such as "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (BD) or "Pierrot Le Fou" (BD) or more recently all of the Melville Criterion BDs (Le Cercle Rouge, Army of Shadows, Leon Morin).

What is it about "The Third Man" that makes its value so high? Perhaps its the very first Criterion BD to ever go out of print, making it more "rare"?

Don't you all just love collecting Criterions that are out of print? I'm personally a bit obsessed with it.

(and I just bought "Mafioso" on Criterion DVD that is also now OOP... got it for $25, so not too bad)

I think The Third Man went out of Print around the same time as The Man Who Fell To Earth, Pierrot Le Fou, Playtime, and Chungking Express.

The other OOP ones are OOP as of a month ago. And yea I am getting towards insanity status as far as getting the OOP blu-rays is concerned.

I am still wondering why The Third Man is so expensive compared to the other OOP ones that went OOP around the time it did. I really want to get it too but it is so expensive right now and I am trying to save up for July. I literally had to talk myself out of buying it now with money saved for July.

I think spine number, demand, and rarity are factors? The spine number factor makes some sense as of the blu-rays The Third Man is the only OOP Blu-Ray that has less than 3 digits on the spine. Then again Playtime is less expensive than the man who fell to earth and the latter is way pricier than playtime.

I guess we shouldn't complain at the prices for the blu-ray of the Third Man as I am pretty sure the original White Ring DVD release of Salo was going for as much as 300 when it went OOP.

[AverageAtBest]

Originally Posted by iScottie

The Third Man is more of a well-known film than the others, plus it has the Criterion name tag attached to it. That's the only reason.

I could see that, isn't it the only Criterion to feature Orson Welles too?

[AverageAtBest]

This reminds me as far as Criterion Blu-Rays go(especially The Third Man) what do I look out for as far as seeing if the copy is fake or not?

[octagon]

Originally Posted by AverageAtBest

I could see that, isn't it the only Criterion to feature Orson Welles too?

A Safe Place FTW!

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by AverageAtBest

I could see that, isn't it the only Criterion to feature Orson Welles too?

As far as Blu-rays are concerned, he's also in A Safe Place, a film featured in the America Lost and Found collection. Otherwise, he's in a couple of DVD Criterions, specifically F ror Fake and Mr. Arkadin.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by jw007

What is it about "The Third Man" that makes its value so high? Perhaps its the very first Criterion BD to ever go out of print, making it more "rare"?

That's why. The rarer it is, the more valuable over the other titles. If a different blu-ray had gone OOP before that, that film would be going for more.

Really, the only reason it goes for that much money right now is because of the Criterion logo on the cover.

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by AverageAtBest

I think The Third Man went out of Print around the same time as The Man Who Fell To Earth, Pierrot Le Fou, Playtime, and Chungking Express.

I am still wondering why The Third Man is so expensive compared to the other OOP ones that went OOP around the time it did. I really want to get it too but it is so expensive right now and I am trying to save up for July. I literally had to talk myself out of buying it now with money saved for July.

The Third Man was the first to go OOP in late 2009-ish, followed by Man Who Fell shortly after. Pierrot Le Fou didn't go OOP until 2011, and Playtime, I think, late 2012. Chungking went OOP just a few months ago, if I remember correctly.

Someone can probably correct me or verify that..