The Criterion Collection

[jw007]

Originally Posted by oildude

I have posted several times in the past about my admiration and enjoyment of Black Moon. To me, it is Louis Malle’s homage to Lewis Carroll in an inerpretation that is uniquely Malle. Think Alice in Wonderland re-imagined for the sexual revolution and the 1970s, set against a dystopian backdrop of an ultimate future war between the sexes, where a young teenage girl trying to escape the conflict falls down the rabbit hole. The film is filled with metaphors for a girl's sexual awakening. Lily navigates a tortuous path toward her own understanding of impending womanhood, in a Wonderland filled with Carroll-like nonsensical characters rich with satire and symbolism and sometimes nothing at all.

I really like Black Moon. It is both ahead of its time and dated by the passage of time. I won't go so far to call it brilliant, but it is damn close. One of my favorite Criterions, although I hesitate to recommend it as a blind buy.

Interesting take on this film. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It's funny how I once thought this movie was ridiculous and now I changed my mind about it and understand the whole point of it more.

[Oblivion138]

Originally Posted by noob_saibot

Thanks, but I wasn't asking about the Japanese DVD. I meant the Japanese blu-ray:

http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B...pf_rd_i=489986

There are scenes that look great on the Criterion release. But I don't understand why there's so much damage left after all that effort. It's especially anticlimactic during battle scenes. Sometimes the shot is so distorted, you can hardly see what's going on. (No, not because it's raining).

I know it looks a lot better than it's DVD counterparts. But a video quality rating of 4.5 / 5 led me to expect something different.

I know that you were asking about the Japanese BD. I was referring to the Japanese BD. That's why I referred to it as "the Japanese BD," rather than "the Japanese DVD." haha And I linked to comparison frames between the Criterion BD and the Toho BD.

Here...I've uploaded the screenshots so that I can post them here:


TOHO: http://imageshack.us/a/img845/7305/s...raibluray2.jpg
CRITERION: http://imageshack.us/a/img714/4723/l...uraibluray.jpg

TOHO: http://imageshack.us/a/img690/708/se...bluray1brd.jpg
CRITERION: http://imageshack.us/a/img444/4723/l...uraibluray.jpg


However much it may look like a DVD, those screenshots are from the Japanese BD release of Seven Samurai. If that doesn't make you appreciate what Criterion did with their restoration, then I guess nothing ever will.

[GentleGiant]

Originally Posted by Oblivion138

I know that you were asking about the Japanese BD. I was referring to the Japanese BD. That's why I referred to it as "the Japanese BD," rather than "the Japanese DVD." haha And I linked to comparison frames between the Criterion BD and the Toho BD.

Here...I've uploaded the screenshots so that I can post them here:


TOHO: http://imageshack.us/a/img845/7305/s...raibluray2.jpg
CRITERION: http://imageshack.us/a/img714/4723/l...uraibluray.jpg

TOHO: http://imageshack.us/a/img690/708/se...bluray1brd.jpg
CRITERION: http://imageshack.us/a/img444/4723/l...uraibluray.jpg


However much it may look like a DVD, those screenshots are from the Japanese BD release of Seven Samurai. If that doesn't make you appreciate what Criterion did with their restoration, then I guess nothing ever will.

Yes, the difference is quite noticeable, to say the least.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by hustlermane

Good to see Eclipse series getting some love! To the guys talking about the Fassbinder set, I thought it over as well, but there's a far superior UK set (in fact, two volumes) - the first set has all 5 of the eclipse films plus four others, has a load of special features and retails for about 20 pounds plus postage. So even in the 50% off sale it works out to be much the same for a vastly better package. Unless you're not into importing (being from neither country, either way I have to import) or are extremely brand loyal I'd recommend checking it out. Mind you, can't vouch for it personally (I'll be picking it up later from Amazon UK when my wallet has recovered from the Criterion sale beatdown it got).

I think next sale I'll bite the bullet on the Kobayashi and late Ozu sets.

The Late Ozu set is one of gems of my collection. At the price it is now it's one of the best investments, movie-wise, you can make IMO.

[noob_saibot]

Originally Posted by Oblivion138

I know that you were asking about the Japanese BD. I was referring to the Japanese BD. That's why I referred to it as "the Japanese BD," rather than "the Japanese DVD." haha And I linked to comparison frames between the Criterion BD and the Toho BD.

Here...I've uploaded the screenshots so that I can post them here:


TOHO: http://imageshack.us/a/img845/7305/s...raibluray2.jpg
CRITERION: http://imageshack.us/a/img714/4723/l...uraibluray.jpg

TOHO: http://imageshack.us/a/img690/708/se...bluray1brd.jpg
CRITERION: http://imageshack.us/a/img444/4723/l...uraibluray.jpg


However much it may look like a DVD, those screenshots are from the Japanese BD release of Seven Samurai. If that doesn't make you appreciate what Criterion did with their restoration, then I guess nothing ever will.

The Criterion screenshots do look better. Guess I'll have to wait for the 4k upgrade, or something...

[Tin Drum]

Finished up the television version of Fanny and Alexander last night and, wow, what a marvel of a film.

So many powerful moments and I had a sense of dread throughout. The few absurd/comedic moments could not bring down my guard. I even felt for the Bishop in his climactic scene (the most powerful, IMO).

Gorgeous cinematography and the musical cues of the score were on point. I really liked that even though the production was massive the scale seemed so small and intimate. The final act (Demons) is an amazing piece of celluloid.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Tin Drum

Finished up the television version of Fanny and Alexander last night and, wow, what a marvel of a film.

So many powerful moments and I had a sense of dread throughout. The few absurd/comedic moments could not bring down my guard. I even felt for the Bishop in his climactic scene (the most powerful, IMO).

Gorgeous cinematography and the musical cues of the score were on point. I really liked that even though the production was massive the scale seemed so small and intimate. The final act (Demons) is an amazing piece of celluloid.

Glad that you enjoyed it! I'm looking forward to my annual December viewing of Fanny and Alexander soon. I've always watched the entire television version in one sitting, and cold rainy Sunday afternoons in December are perfect for that sort of thing when I'm trying to avoid mall traffic in my neighborhood.

Originally Posted by Thebunk

Can someone tell me if the TV version of Fanny & Alexander contains more scenes with respect to

[Show spoiler]the supernatural or mystical parts of the film or is the extra run time more towards building the characters?

Funnily enough, I've never actually bothered watching the shorter theatrical version of Fanny and Alexander, despite having owned the big set on DVD for years and now on Blu-ray. I started with the television version, and I've seen it a few times, but I've never felt the need to go shorter. I should probably give it a try to compare and contrast, because I don't need to let a Criterion disc go to waste.

[Tin Drum]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Glad that you enjoyed it! I'm looking forward to my annual December viewing of Fanny and Alexander soon. I've always watched the entire television version in one sitting, and cold rainy Sunday afternoons in December are perfect for that sort of thing when I'm trying to avoid mall traffic in my neighborhood.

Funnily enough, I've never actually bothered watching the shorter theatrical version of Fanny and Alexander, despite having owned the big set on DVD for years and now on Blu-ray. I started with the television version, and I've seen it a few times, but I've never felt the need to go shorter. I should probably give it a try to compare and contrast, because I don't need to let a Criterion disc go to waste.

Unfortunately, I don't have the time/energy after work or on weekends to watch in one sitting (would love to though - BAM Rose Cinemas is showing the entire television version while I am in NYC but I can't take the time from other things to see it either)

I definitely want to see the theatrical version just to see what was cut but I want to let the longer version sink in for a while before I do that.

Speaking of the

[Show spoiler]supernatural

parts -

[Show spoiler]when Jacobi is kidnapping the children in the chest: the Bishop runs to their room and Emilie is standing there with two figures lying on the floor. The camera moves very quickly from them (and at the time I was too wrapped up in the film to backtrack and I don't have the blu in front of me to check right now) but are they the Bishop's daughters? If so, I am sort of surprised as it seems most of the supernatural elements are from the point of view of Alexander.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by the sordid sentinel

Seconds was a blind buy for me as well. Watched it yesterday, and like you, really enjoyed it. The ending was incredibly visceral. Rock Hudson is so good in that role. A big selling point to me beforehand was James Wong Howe's camerawork. It definitely doesn't disappoint. I don't think I have ever seen movie that felt so claustrophobic in the close ups, yet the wide shots look like something you could hang on your wall. Alec Baldwin's Will Geer impersonation in the bonus materials had me seriously laughing out loud. I will be checking out Frankenheimer's commentary some day soon.

Eyes Without a Face was my other blind buy and I checked it out tonight. Another winner. Something about the daughter and that ghostly mask was quite eerie. Really shocked me how intense and graphic parts of it were, but it never felt like exploitation. Loved the ending..sort of operatic in a way. Watched the Blood of the Beasts documentary. Was thinking somewhere Morrissey's head is exploding. I felt the director's comments about that doc were very interesting.

Thanks to all here who recommended these 2 great movies. I will be revisiting them often for sure.

I laughed out loud at the comment about Morrissey's head exploding. "Meat is Murder." (I don't see eye-to-eye with Morrissey in this regard, but he's still one of my favorite artists.)
I was unnerved by Blood of the Beasts, but I am glad that I watched it once through to help with my appreciation of the director's relatively clinical style of filmmaking. I also like the juxtaposition of the Paris outskirts footage and the slaugherhouse footage.

I am glad that you enjoyed Seconds, and I myself am feeling the need to take that movie for another spin after watching it about three times in a row when I first purchased it.

I watched the George Stevens movie, Giant, for the first time last night by way of the new James Dean digibook Blu-ray, and my thoughts drifted to Seconds several times while watching Rock Hudson's performance. It's rather amazing that Seconds was filmed about ten years after Giant, because Rock Hudson's aging character during that epic film makes the actor seem older to me than he does in Seconds.

[GxyExpress999]

Originally Posted by brandon_260

This is the first time I've seen the packaging for Madame De... and it is beautiful. I've got the disc with me up here in the Arctic, but the case is down home with my parents. I'm eager to get my hands on the proper thing next month.

I didn't know about the packaging either until it arrived yesterday. I was a little hesitant about purchasing it because of its PQ issues, but I caved and got it.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Tin Drum

Speaking of the

[Show spoiler]supernatural

parts -

[Show spoiler]when Jacobi is kidnapping the children in the chest: the Bishop runs to their room and Emilie is standing there with two figures lying on the floor. The camera moves very quickly from them (and I don't have the blu in front of me to check) but are they the Bishop's daughters? If so, I am sort of surprised as it seems most of the supernatural elements are from the point of view of Alexander but this was, I believe, the only scene that was not.

[Show spoiler]The general interpretation of this scene is that the uncle used magic to create the illusion of the children upstairs, and that is why the Bishop is told not to touch them. The use of the supernatural is odd in this sequence, and I had to rewind the scene a few times during my first viewing, because I was quite befuddled.

My take on the supernatural events in the film, aside from filing them under Bergman's logic, is to think of the film as a not-necessarily-reliable account of the story from a witness after the fact. Since the film is entitled Fanny and Alexander, although Fanny herself does not say much during the whole story, I could imagine this narrative being told by an older version of Fanny many years later as per her perception of what went on while she was there and by what she learned from family members later on with respect to the sequences when she is absent. Several elements of the film have that "Tim Burton's Big Fish" feel to them where someone is telling a story from a combination of actual memories and embellished hindsight.

Not sure of any of this makes sense, but it's fun to kick around in my head.

[klauswhereareyou]

Does anyone know when the Barnes and Noble sale is over?

[Tin Drum]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

[Show spoiler]The general interpretation of this scene is that the uncle used magic to create the illusion of the children upstairs, and that is why the Bishop is told not to touch them. The use of the supernatural is odd in this sequence, and I had to rewind the scene a few times during my first viewing, because I was quite befuddled.

My take on the supernatural events in the film, aside from filing them under Bergman's logic, is to think of the film as a not-necessarily-reliable account of the story from a witness after the fact. Since the film is entitled Fanny and Alexander, although Fanny herself does not say much during the whole story, I could imagine this narrative being told by an older version of Fanny many years later as per her perception of what went on while she was there and by what she learned from family members later on with respect to the sequences when she is absent. Several elements of the film have that "Tim Burton's Big Fish" feel to them where someone is telling a story from a combination of actual memories and embellished hindsight.

Not sure of any of this makes sense, but it's fun to kick around in my head.

That totally makes sense given what we see at Jacobi's residence afterwards.

Excellent ideas regarding Fanny especially since she is witness to many of the more important elements of the film.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by klauswhereareyou

Does anyone know when the Barnes and Noble sale is over?

December 2, from what I've heard.

I'm hitting City Lights and Tokyo Story, but then using the rest of my disposable budget to buy Kino's Nosferatu, some film noirs from Olive Films, and such.

I'm thrilled with my November Criterion haul so far, though.
La Notte (a front runner for my favorite Criterion release of 2013, although I really like Seconds as well.)
3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman
Blow Out

[klauswhereareyou]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

December 2, from what I've heard.

I'm hitting City Lights and Tokyo Story, but then using the rest of my disposable budget to buy Kino's Nosferatu, some film noirs from Olive Films, and such.

I'm thrilled with my November Criterion haul so far, though.
La Notte (a front runner for my favorite Criterion release of 2013, although I really like Seconds as well.)
3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman
Blow Out

Thanks. After watching my Down By Law disc yesterday, I'm thinking of picking up Mystery Train.

[dsman71]

So does anyone know if Criterion is doing the announcements tomorrow ?
Ive noticed they have done some upgrades to some of their earlier catalog releases ..Im hoping for the Killers, Great Expectations or Kwaidan for an upgrade one of these months

[Kevin Holly]

Originally Posted by klauswhereareyou

Does anyone know when the Barnes and Noble sale is over?

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

December 2, from what I've heard.

I'm hitting City Lights and Tokyo Story, but then using the rest of my disposable budget to buy Kino's Nosferatu, some film noirs from Olive Films, and such.

I'm thrilled with my November Criterion haul so far, though.
La Notte (a front runner for my favorite Criterion release of 2013, although I really like Seconds as well.)
3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman
Blow Out

Thanks Owl, I was about to ask the same thing. It's odd just how hard the information regarding the dates are for these sales.

Anyways, nice haul!

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by dsman71

So does anyone know if Criterion is doing the announcements tomorrow ?
Ive noticed they have done some upgrades to some of their earlier catalog releases ..Im hoping for the Killers, Great Expectations or Kwaidan for an upgrade one of these months

I would like to see an upgrade of the whole Great Adaptations set, but the one I am hoping for most is Oliver Twist.

[PowellPressburger]

I would love a blu upgrade for Mishima

the DVD case is so nice I'd still have to hold onto that copy.

[jetthead]

I'm always hoping for a Blu upgrade of Pandora's Box.