The Criterion Collection

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by ccfixx

It's referencing Harold Lloyd in The Freshman.

Sounds about right.

He enrolls at Tate University in the film (noted by the T) and plays football (represented by the dog's football attire).

[jetthead]

Originally Posted by RiFiFi1955

The set looks awesome but I have never seen a single Zatoichi film. I would like to just see one before I even gain any interest in this set.

I believe you can check them out on Youtube.

[Snicket]

Originally Posted by iScottie

[Show spoiler]

Thanks!

[Brad1963]

Originally Posted by ccfixx

It's referencing Harold Lloyd in The Freshman.

The Lloyd films seem to be coming quicker than the Chaplin ones.

[captveg]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

The Lloyd films seem to be coming quicker than the Chaplin ones.

In general the Lloyd films were kept in much better condition as compared to the Chaplin films, so that may have something to do with it.

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Originally Posted by captveg

In general the Lloyd films were kept in much better condition as compared to the Chaplin films, so that may have something to do with it.

WHY were they kept in better condition than Chaplin's? Don't get me wrong, Lloyd is great but Chaplin is... Chaplin. Even back then he was arguably the most popular filmmaker and entertainer on earth.

[KrugerIndustrial]

Just watched Egoyan's Exotica. What a film. Here's my mini-review.

A gay, exotic eggs smuggling pet shop owner who is into black in more than one way. A troubled tax inspector who makes him an desperate offer. Hypnotically beautiful Christina in a school girl uniform. Her jealous boyfriend with a secret or two. A room full of hotness, a room full of broken dreams. Oh seductive Exotica. Just don't touch. Everybody knows it's coming apart. Take one last look at this sacred heart before it blows and everybody knows.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by deepbreathsanddeath

WHY were they kept in better condition than Chaplin's? Don't get me wrong, Lloyd is great but Chaplin is... Chaplin. Even back then he was arguably the most popular filmmaker and entertainer on earth.

I don't know much of anything about these particular cases but one general reason popular films are often in poor condition is that popularity means more prints which means more handling of those elements.

I think Star Wars in the poster child for that phenomenon.

[captveg]

Originally Posted by deepbreathsanddeath

WHY were they kept in better condition than Chaplin's? Don't get me wrong, Lloyd is great but Chaplin is... Chaplin. Even back then he was arguably the most popular filmmaker and entertainer on earth.

Lloyd kept his films in limited circulation for long periods of time and his estate followed suit, which helped preserve the elements. Chaplin was more popular, and reissued his films more often, and he also made changes to them, which degraded the quality of the original materials.

The more popular the film, the worse the film elements are usually in.

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[bluesilo]

If I didn't care for Red Desert, should I still blind buy La Notte?

[Lordy]

Originally Posted by lemonski

He's also terrific in The Pledge, another understated role.

Agreed.

[Lordy]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I watched The Petrified Forest last night and loved it. It's fast-paced and fun, but also a lot more emotionally resonant than I was expecting. Humphrey Bogart shines in one of his first career-defining roles, but Leslie Howard and Betty Davis are just as memorable.

With these films in the Ultimate Gangster Collection: Classics, I've been watching the lead-in material before each film (previews, newsreels, Merry Melodies cartoons, movie shorts), so it's quite fun to get the full effect.

All of this Chinatown talk is arousing my interest, and I hope that the film will be waiting for me when I get home on Sunday. This was a blind buy for me, but 10 dollars was the right price, and I've been curious about the film for a long while.

I envy you for being in the situation of not having seen it, but about to see it for the first time. It's so engrossing. Those two hours just fly by. It's like peeling back an onion: layer upon layer are slowly revealed. Fabulous cinema.

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

The Lloyd films seem to be coming quicker than the Chaplin ones.

5 Chaplins in 3 years seems like a quicker rate than 2 Lloyds in 2 years? Did I understand you correctly?

[Scottie]

I honestly don't like Lloyd.

[octagon]

That's okay, I don't really care for Chaplin (at least not yet, anyway).

Though I have to admit, the roller-skating bit in Modern Times was pretty freaking impressive.

[JoeBuck]

Originally Posted by bluesilo

If I didn't care for Red Desert, should I still blind buy La Notte?

Hard to say.
I personally thought Red Desert was okay but liked La Notte a lot, so maybe?
Give the trailer a watch and maybe judge off that. Its my favorite of the trilogy for sure.

[The Great Owl]

I loved Safety Last!, so I'm excited about The Freshman. I love the Lloyd movies and the Chaplin movies alike, although my preferences lean more in Chaplin's direction simply out of familiarity's sake.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by captveg

In general the Lloyd films were kept in much better condition as compared to the Chaplin films, so that may have something to do with it.

Originally Posted by deepbreathsanddeath

WHY were they kept in better condition than Chaplin's? Don't get me wrong, Lloyd is great but Chaplin is... Chaplin. Even back then he was arguably the most popular filmmaker and entertainer on earth.

Harold was unusually forward-thinking about new film technology and what would happen to silent films--The Lloyd Estate kept an iron grip on the films (which most silent filmmakers didn't), and was shopping for a more respectable film-preservation buyer after the last Lionsgate(?) collection, so it was easier to acquire them directly from one source than to get all the M2K Chaplin prints.

(And as for "But what about Chaplin?", well, most people didn't really care about silent films after the sound era--Up until the late 50's and early 60's, when Buster Keaton came out of retirement, most people outside of film school thought silent films were public-domain trash just good for goofy outdated stock footage or overdubbing.
Even Chaplin's films weren't even that much seen outside of college theaters until his "reappearance" in the 70's, just before his death.)

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I loved Safety Last!, so I'm excited about The Freshman. I love the Lloyd movies and the Chaplin movies alike, although my preferences lean more in Chaplin's direction simply out of familiarity's sake.

I don't know if The Freshman is actually funnier than Safety Last (mostly because SL is pretty much just one extended gag for the last half hour), but it's a great companion piece. SL didn't have as much trademarked Lloyd "worm turns" pathos, and Freshman gives us more of Lloyd's humor-of-embarrassment.

Harold Lloyd, The Freshman (1925), living football dummy, humorinhistory.com - YouTube

Nice to know I wasn't the only one who got it on the first toss.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I loved Safety Last!, so I'm excited about The Freshman. I love the Lloyd movies and the Chaplin movies alike, although my preferences lean more in Chaplin's direction simply out of familiarity's sake.

They are both great films, but I might slightly prefer The Freshman to Safety Last!

I need to see them again soon...

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by octagon

That's okay, I don't really care for Chaplin (at least not yet, anyway).

Though I have to admit, the roller-skating bit in Modern Times was pretty freaking impressive.

A teetotaler, I see. Yeah, Modern Times is undeniably impressive, even if you are averse to schmaltz. Have you seen Monsieur Verdoux? I have a feeling you would take to that film.