The Criterion Collection

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Thanks!

I can't wait until the 15th. I was going to watch "Melancholia" tonight, but I think I'll just have a Lars-fest when this arrives: "Breaking the Waves" and "Antichrist" and "Melancholia" ...

... Then I'll go kill myself.

Reading the review now. Heh.

ETA: Excellent review.

[Show spoiler]BTW, you say that the film is admittedly not an easy film to like. Are ANY of Lars' films easy to like?

ETA2: OH, and I forgot to add "The Kingdom" in there. I actually saw the entire thing once in a theater. What an awesome piece of work. But I only have it on DVD, as it was a gift (don't even know if it is on BD).

Hello Aaron,

The focus of attention in von Trier's latter films is primarily on the human condition and they could be quite polarizing. He early films have a different tone - or at least I think so. The Europe Trilogy is a good example.



Pro-B

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Hello Aaron,

The focus of attention in von Trier's latter films is primarily on the human condition and they could be quite polarizing. He early films have a different tone - or at least I think so. The Europa Trilogy is a good example.



Pro-B

I have that box set, its pretty decent

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdrev...ier-boxset.htm

[kuro_sawa]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Yes, I'd say The Kingdom would be a good introduction to LVT's work. It's weird and wonderful, and quite accessible. The second series isn't quite as good as the first, though.

Someone in the US doesn't have to go with the UK set, though, region free or no. The two series come separately in the US, but they're still in print, at a cost roughly the same as the UK set.

What I don't recommend, however, is the Canadian DVD (from Seville) of the first series. The quality of the encoding leaves a lot to be desired (though I've seen worse; I originally had a Hong Kong release of the first series that was simply ghastly).

I have kept the Seville release around, though, because it uses the 5-episode "International Version" of the series. No extra material in the episodes proper -- it's just re-edited to present the same material in five shorter episodes instead of four longer ones -- but there's an extra set of end-credits with LVT.

I recommend the UK Second Sight release for the bonus features and packaging. Do the US releases have any of the extras?

[Scottie]

Am I the only one who isn't head over heels in love with Dancer in the Dark?

I really, really, really like the concept of the film, especially because the world is, in fact, nothing like the movies. However, I found the pacing to be incredibly awkward and forced at times, especially when the musical numbers came into play.

When I watched it for the first time last Fall, I couldn't tell if the musical numbers were supposed to be serious or not (part of me still can't tell). I even found myself laughing at times because of how they kept popping up at what seemed like every five minutes.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

The 400 Blows on the Criterion Collection release is amazing; I was very impressed - superb, clean print; and, far improved over previous releases.

This was definitely one of the most moving, poignant films I've seen. Brilliant portrait of a kid growing up, with all of the difficulties going along with this. Also really enjoyed the time & place; late 1950's Paris was as much of a character in the film as Antoine and Rene. I've always enjoyed urban settings, and this was one of the best portraits of a city from that time period.

Though the film was a drama, there were some amusing moments:

- The scene when the Antoine & Rene were trying to "sell" the stolen typewriter to that guy on the street, and then he tried to steal it back from them

- The sequence when the small children were put into a fenced area on the grounds of the juvenile facility, presumably to "protect" them from the wild delinquents - LOL.

[Show spoiler]And, the end was fantastic; I've always liked uncertain endings in film, which I think makes them more interesting & leaves them open to interpretation. In this case, it brings up some questions: Did Antoine eventually get captured & go back to the juvenile facility, or did he sucessfully escape and end up on the streets of Paris or another city? Obviously, he didn't go back to live with his parents. In any case, as far as I'm concerned this was a perfect ending to the film, and, though I was left wondering what happened, IMHO it didn't need any sequels or explanations. It's a powerful movie that should be left to stand on it's own.

That being said, I have seen all of the other Antoine Doniel films in the series a while back (re: the 200X Criterion Collection set), i.e. Stolen Kisses, Bed and Board, etc. I found all of them dull, and they pale in comparison to the brilliance of The 400 Blows. The only lasting image I have of any of them is a scene when Antoine's "job" was to change the color of flowers, which he did using some kind of strange device I guess I felt that Antoine as a kid was more interesting than Antoine as an adult...

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Am I the only one who isn't head over heels in love with Dancer in the Dark?

I really, really, really like the concept of the film, especially because the world is, in fact, nothing like the movies. However, I found the pacing to be incredibly awkward and forced at times, especially when the musical numbers came into play.

When I watched it for the first time last Fall, I couldn't tell if the musical numbers were supposed to be serious or not (part of me still can't tell). I even found myself laughing at times because of how they kept popping up at what seemed like every five minutes.

The music sequences were when she was imagining them, when she was in a dark place and wanted to be picked up - those scenes had a lot of colour and were cheesy and over the top, because its what she was imagining, she wanted something happy and cheesy to forget about the bad experiences she had.

I found them a tad awkward, but if they weren't in the film, it would be so depressing and dark, they give us and her a break and just gives us time to breath and take in the horrible parts of the film.

Also there wasn't that many musical tracks for the film and don't they start like 40 minutes into the film? Maybe thats why it felt like they were popping up every 5 minuets because they were mostly in the last half of the film. But its not a typical musical, Lars loves to break the rules and change them, he gets bored with them and especially in cinema when every things the same, this is his take on a musical and he's trying to make it different to a normal musical.

Hoep that makes sense.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by kuro_sawa

I recommend the UK Second Sight release for the bonus features and packaging. Do the US releases have any of the extras?

Hard to say for sure. Going by the Amazon UK listing, the Second Sight set has the following:

Tranceformer: A Portrait of Lars von Trier
In Lars von Trier's Kingdom
Behind The Scenes
TV Commercials directed by Lars von Trier
Selected scene commentaries

The US releases do not have "Tranceformer". They have the other four, assuming that they are the same material. Plus, the Kingdom II release has a music video of the main title theme (which has to be seen to be believed), with an associated blooper reel.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

The music sequences were when she was imagining them, when she was in a dark place and wanted to be picked up - those scenes had a lot of colour and were cheesy and over the top, because its what she was imagining, she wanted something happy and cheesy to forget about the bad experiences she had.

I found them a tad awkward, but if they weren't in the film, it would be so depressing and dark, they give us and her a break and just gives us time to breath and take in the horrible parts of the film.

Also there wasn't that many musical tracks for the film and don't they start like 40 minutes into the film? Maybe thats why it felt like they were popping up every 5 minuets because they were mostly in the last half of the film. But its not a typical musical, Lars loves to break the rules and change them, he gets bored with them and especially in cinema when every things the same, this is his take on a musical and he's trying to make it different to a normal musical.

Hoep that makes sense.

Thank you

[starman15317]

Recently, I've tried getting into Lars Von Trier's work with Dancer in the Dark and Dogville. I couldn't finish either.

I liked Nymphomaniac Vol. I though and can't wait to see the second half.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by starman15317

Recently, I've tried getting into Lars Von Trier's work with Dancer in the Dark and Dogville. I couldn't finish either.

I liked Nymphomaniac Vol. I though and can't wait to see the second half.

I really disliked the first half, but I thought the second half was a lot better.

[*DrStrangelove*]

The Persona bluray is now my favorite Criterion release. I saw the film about 2 years ago but never like this. The pq is outstanding. The film itself has only gotten better with my second viewing. Love the package and booklet with interviews. Wish it wasn't so thick but not that much of a big deal. Still need to delve into the supplements ( can't wait to watch Liv and Ingmar).

[Visco.]

I really enjoyed Breathless. Like really enjoyed it for Belmondo's performance. I don't think it's a film I'm in any mood to rush to rewatch though.

For some reason it really reminds me of something Woody Allen would make.

Also, are there any Doctor Zhivago fans here?

[fdm]

Originally Posted by UncleBuckWild

Honestly i love these indie stores, feels good to know they're still around... For me Amoeba in LA was and still is an interesting place to discover new/classic stuff.

Does anyone remember Virgin Megastore? that too was a uber cool place... too bad it ended it's busineses in the U.S.

Back in the day, for me it was Tower Records (all over the L.A. area), and some place I can't remember the name of in Pasadena (musta been Poobah), occasional stop at Virgin Megastore (some movie theater over there was usually the actual destination), and road trips to Amoeba in Berkeley (and Tower in Palo Alto). Along with scattered other places too long ago to remember. This was back when LDs were as good as it got, and (mostly jazz) CDs (and some LPs) were my habit of choice. Good times.

[fdm]

Originally Posted by Visco.

Also, are there any Doctor Zhivago fans here?

, though probably more of a Julie Christie fan. I pretty much a fan of all the David Lean epics. (Wish the Zhivago blu had been done more better.)

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

The Persona bluray is now my favorite Criterion release. I saw the film about 2 years ago but never like this. The pq is outstanding. The film itself has only gotten better with my second viewing. Love the package and booklet with interviews. Wish it wasn't so thick but not that much of a big deal. Still need to delve into the supplements ( can't wait to watch Liv and Ingmar).

I've apparently been holding out for a blu-ray version of this, still haven't seen it, but right now it's at the top of my want list. (Just waiting for some kind of sale or coupon for B&N store.)

[rock, stone]

Originally Posted by fdm

Back in the day, for me it was Tower Records (all over the L.A. area), and some place I can't remember the name of in Pasadena (musta been Poobah), occasional stop at Virgin Megastore (some movie theater over there was usually the actual destination), and road trips to Amoeba in Berkeley (and Tower in Palo Alto). Along with scattered other places too long ago to remember. This was back when LDs were as good as it got, and (mostly jazz) CDs (and some LPs) were my habit of choice. Good times.

Aww man, Poobah's was around so long I took for granted that it would always be there, even though I was hardly a regular. For what I was into back in the day, Canterbury Records was the best in LA. Of course, this was all for music. I skipped Laserdiscs entirely, and only had a couple VHS.

[mrjohnnyb]

Herzog: The Collection is coming to blu-ray, courtesy of Shout Factory. Currently a pre-order and limited to 5,000 copies, the collection is slated to come out in July.

BOX SET CONTENT:

Even Dwarfs Started Small

Land of Silence and Darkness

Fata Morgana

Aguirre, the Wrath of God

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser

Heart of Glass

Stroszek

Woyzeck

Nosferatu the Vampyre

Fitzcarraldo

Ballad of the Little Soldier

Where the Green Ants Dream

Cobra Verde

Lessons of Darkness

Little Dieter Needs to Fly

My Best Fiend

Special Features:
English Audio Commentaries: Even Dwarfs Started Small, Fata Morgana, Aguirre, the Wrath of God, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, Heart of Glass, Strozek and Cobra Verde.
German Audio commentaries: Nosferatu the Vampyre, Fitzcarraldo, Where the Green Ants Dream.
In Conversation - Werner Herzog and Laurens Straub (in German with English Subtitles)
The Making of Nosferatu The Vampyre
Portrait: Werner Herzog documentary
Herzog In Africa documentary
Theatrical Trailers

Here is the link to the news item:

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=13674

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by *DrStrangelove*

The Persona bluray is now my favorite Criterion release. I saw the film about 2 years ago but never like this. The pq is outstanding. The film itself has only gotten better with my second viewing. Love the package and booklet with interviews. Wish it wasn't so thick but not that much of a big deal. Still need to delve into the supplements ( can't wait to watch Liv and Ingmar).

I'm really looking forward to experiencing this one for the first time. Will pick it up at a time when I can be sure the package won't be crushed - might mean that I'll have to walk into the B & N by my work. Not 'til their sale, though.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by Visco.

I really enjoyed Breathless. Like really enjoyed it for Belmondo's performance. I don't think it's a film I'm in any mood to rush to rewatch though.

For some reason it really reminds me of something Woody Allen would make.

Godard has become one of my favorite directors. I sampled a few minutes of Weekend on blu-ray the other day and not only did the transfer look phenomenal, I was instantly taken by some random scene 20 min or so into the film. Was really funny, actually. So, I'm really looking forward to it!

Rififi arrived safely last night. My wife asks me, "Is that Belmondo?" I told her, "No, but it's French."

Loving the French cinema in the CC... Melville, Malle, Godard, Truffaut, Bresson... I will try to get something by Chabrol from the libary today.

[Polaroid]

Casually leaving The Breaking The Waves title menu playing, so amazing, the music, the images... Criterion make some stunning title menu's lol

[Scottie]

I just e-mailed Jon Mulvaney and asked if Criterion is going to be offering a replacement case for "The Night of the Hunter" in similar fashion to "The 400 Blows", "Bottle Rocket", and the like.

I don't really find it fair to spend $35 for a replacement case due to Criterion's poor DigiPaking abilities when TNOTH first came out.