The Criterion Collection

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Yeah, I think it's the only silent film I have left to see beside The Buster Keaton Collection.

Dude! The two silents you have to see now are Tabu (1931) and Intolerance (1917)

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Yeah, I think it's the only silent film I have left to see beside The Buster Keaton Collection.

The world will never be a worthwhile place to live until Nosferatu (1922) is given a Blu-ray treatment.*


*If such a thing is practical, considering the condition of the source material.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Dude! The two silents you have to see now are Tabu (1931) and Intolerance (1917)

Thanks for the recommendations. I'll make a mental note.

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

The world will never be a worthwhile place to live until Nosferatu (1922) is given a Blu-ray treatment.*


*If such a thing is practical, considering the condition of the source material.

Looks like it's coming out in Italy in August.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Nosfe...Blu-ray/48351/

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Looks like it's coming out in Italy in August.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Nosfe...Blu-ray/48351/

Kick ass sea bass! This is good news.

I do not have a region free player, but the fact that this is being released somewhere around the world is indicative that it will hit these shores at some point in the hopefully not-too-distant future.

The original Nosferatu really is a tremendous movie. It's still the best vampire movie ever made, and I make a tradition out of watching it every Halloween.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I just watched Safety Last! and I must admit, while it was quite humorous at times, I was a bit let down at the hype that everybody created surrounding it.

I didn't expect over half of the film to consist of Harold Lloyd trying to impress his girlfriend with a job position he never had. When the exciting part did come around, it was rather short lived and predictable, in my opinion.

From the silent films that I've seen thus far in the collection, I would rank them in the following order:

Lonesome
Gold Rush
Modern Times
Safety Last!
People On Sunday

Don't let me opinion on the film deter you folks from checking it out, though. The PQ and AQ are rather impressive, and while it did fall short for me, it was still entertaining. It's great to see how not only films, but also the world, used to be back in the 1920s.

The "exciting part" took up a great deal of the film. How long did you expect to see him climbing a wall in a 73 minute film?

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

The "exciting part" took up a great deal of the film. How long did you expect to see him climbing a wall in a 73 minute film?

I wasn't expecting it to be climbing for the majority of the film, but I thought it would be a bit more than just

[Show spoiler]"I'm not the person that I'm pretending to be" followed by "let me climb this building".

[nagysaudio]

Any chance Criterion might release Verhoeven's masterpiece The Fourth Man (1983)?

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I wasn't expecting it to be climbing for the majority of the film, but I thought it would be a bit more than just "I'm not the person that I'm pretending to be" followed by "let me climb this building".

Spoiler tag that! Luckily the spoiler nazis dont stalk this thread.

Didn't have time to write my thoughts a couple hrs ago, but I suggested you watch Tabu because I know you're a big Malick fan and it almost seems like the definitive "proto-Malick" film. It touches on cultural differences, the clash between man and nature, etc. It is also one of the most gorgeous films you will ever see.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Luckily the spoiler nazis dont stalk this thread.

Yes, if Nazis were known for anything it was their almost fanatical obsession with consideration for others.

[lemonski]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Didn't have time to write my thoughts a couple hrs ago, but I suggested you watch Tabu because I know you're a big Malick fan and it almost seems like the definitive "proto-Malick" film. It touches on cultural differences, the clash between man and nature, etc. It is also one of the most gorgeous films you will ever see.

I'm a big Malick fan, but I didn't like Tabu at all. It felt like an old newsreel documentary... explorer visits South Seas, see how the inhabitants go about their daily lives, etc. If it weren't silent, I'd half expect a voiceover in an English accent describing the "natives at play". Although, I did notice the piece of music that Malick re-uses in The Tree Of Life, I'd say he's been influenced by the film.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by octagon

Yes, if Nazis were known for anything it was their almost fanatical obsession with consideration for others.

Hahaha!

[billyearle]

It's been suggested that Criterion no longer has the rites to Tales Of Hoffmann. Anyone know of any clues to a possible blu-ray release by anybody? I've held off on the DVD, but now am debating if another issue will have the Sorcerer's Apprectice short (which I've never seen). Also, is that "Arthouse Essentials" DVD just a re-issue of the Criterion, possibly with slightly better PQ?
I've also been searching for a DVD (or future blu) of Powell's film of Bartok's opera Bluebeard's Castle, and it seems there is no DVD release anywhere. Any word on this would be greatly appreciated.
This is a rather huge thread, so if you don't reply soon, please drop me a PM.

[jrsl76]

Originally Posted by billyearle

It's been suggested that Criterion no longer has the rites to Tales Of Hoffmann. Anyone know of any clues to a possible blu-ray release by anybody? I've held off on the DVD, but now am debating if another issue will have the Sorcerer's Apprectice short (which I've never seen). Also, is that "Arthouse Essentials" DVD just a re-issue of the Criterion, possibly with slightly better PQ?
I've also been searching for a DVD (or future blu) of Powell's film of Bartok's opera Bluebeard's Castle, and it seems there is no DVD release anywhere. Any word on this would be greatly appreciated.
This is a rather huge thread, so if you don't reply soon, please drop me a PM.

It's not suggested. It's actively Out of Print. Studiocanal ended their deal with Criterion and roughly 30-40 titles went out of print over a 2 year or so time frame. Tales Of Hoffman was in the 1st group I believe.

The Essential Art house release is a bare bones release. EAH is Criterion's budget line for certain titles and it has the exact same transfer.

You'd do yourself a favor to track down the Criterion release soon imho. The Studiocanal titles I didn't have, I mostly tracked down via Half.com or Amazon Sellers. If you go for a Used - Like New copy from a private seller, I'd imagine it would be around $30-40. It depends on waiting it out till you see the right copy at the right price. I try to go with sellers who indicate that everything is there and that it's been watched once or they specify positive attributes to the home enviroment (like non smoking home) etc.

Those sellers tend to be selling copies in excellent condition.

In fact, I just did an Amazon check for you. I didn't see any copies I personally would buy in the Used section, but in the New section, there's one for $40 that I MIGHT consider buying (although it says it's open and thus shouldn't actually be in the new section).

There's also a Very Good condition copy listed by GoHastings on Ebay.

As for the other film, I have no idea.

[billyearle]

Originally Posted by jrsl76

It's not suggested. It's actively Out of Print. Studiocanal ended their deal with Criterion and roughly 30-40 titles went out of print over a 2 year or so time frame. Tales Of Hoffman was in the 1st group I believe.

The Essential Art house release is a bare bones release. EAH is Criterion's budget line for certain titles and it has the exact same transfer.

You'd do yourself a favor to track down the Criterion release soon imho. The Studiocanal titles I didn't have, I mostly tracked down via Half.com or Amazon Sellers. If you go for a Used - Like New copy from a private seller, I'd imagine it would be around $30-40. It depends on waiting it out till you see the right copy at the right price. I try to go with sellers who indicate that everything is there and that it's been watched once or they specify positive attributes to the home enviroment (like non smoking home) etc.

Those sellers tend to be selling copies in excellent condition.

In fact, I just did an Amazon check for you. I didn't see any copies I personally would buy in the Used section, but in the New section, there's one for $40 that I MIGHT consider buying (although it says it's open and thus shouldn't actually be in the new section).

There's also a Very Good condition copy listed by GoHastings on Ebay.

As for the other film, I have no idea.

Thanks! I ordered a used copy.
When I moved overseas I sold of ton of DVDs which I regret. I used to own the Criterion DVD of Juliet of The Spirits, and on my old setup it used to have some issues- Juliets hair would sometimes "smear" when she moved fast. But I'm guessing that was my old equipment? I don't like the color timing as much on the newer European DVD I got and wanna reget the Criterion, unless anyone knows of upcoming bluray.
Also the Eisenstein Sound Years set is beckoning unless blurays are on the horizon. (I see you have both these DVDs so thought it's a good time to ask .

[jrsl76]

There has been no word on Juliet or Eisenstein. I'd lay odds that sooner or later, Juliet would get a blu due to the visual style of the films.

I'd also guess that the Eisenstein might eventually upgrade, but a timetable on either is anyone's guess.

[Judex]

This may interest those of you who live in and around New York.

On July 12th, a new 35mm restoration of Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’avventura will open at the Film Forum in New York, courtesy of Janus Films.

Hopefully this will be on Blu soon along with L'eclisse & La Notte preferably in a boxset.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I wasn't expecting it to be climbing for the majority of the film, but I thought it would be a bit more than just "I'm not the person that I'm pretending to be" followed by "let me climb this building".

To be fair, some of the best gags are in that first part. I actually thought the first part was as exciting as the climb. But to each his own. I can't wait to see what it looks like on blu. I hope to pick it up during the BN sale.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I wasn't expecting it to be climbing for the majority of the film, but I thought it would be a bit more than just "I'm not the person that I'm pretending to be" followed by "let me climb this building".

From what I've seen of Safety Last!, I'm sure that it was an awesome spectacle for moviegoers in 1923. I also have a feeling that I'll get a real kick out of seeing the whole film.

It's funny how many popular movies back then were so much better than today's movies as far as pacing. The original 1933 version of King Kong is still one of the most brilliantly paced movies ever made, and it never skips a beat. We've still got a lot to learn from enjoying cinema from a historical perspective, but the truth is that a lot of the older movies are simply more enjoyable than most movies today on a pure entertainment scale.

[shortmartin]

Originally Posted by rickah88

Thank you.
What was the point of the post, I wonder? He referenced that post in the Shout! Factory thread.

In the original post I was kidding . . . I mentioned five movies that all had to do with fathers, and it was father's day in the US. So it was just a joke. Figured this would be obvious to anyone looking at the list . . . Mr. Mom and the Pursuit of Happyness . . . although I would love to see Paper Moon as a Criterion release.

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

You should see The Phantom Carriage. That one will freak you out.

Originally Posted by iScottie

Yeah, I think it's the only silent film I have left to see beside The Buster Keaton Collection.

I was going to suggest that. Great film! A must see IMO. One of the best silent films in the collection.

I actually prefer The Cabinet of Dr Caligari over Nosferatu. Also would love to see Faust ,Häxan, Vampyre, The Man Who Laughs and the Josef von Sternberg boxset get a Bluray release.

When will Criterion get around to releasing The Passion of Joan of Arc?