The Criterion Collection

[Belloche]

Originally Posted by jw007

Has everyone posted their top 5 most re-watchable Criterions? I have collected 35 posts that people posted on this forum in the last few days and have put together a final tally of the most re-watched films.

I will post the final results later today or tomorrow, but if anyone has yet to submit their top 5 most re-watchable Criterions, please do so now, so you can be included in the final results! Thanks!

1. The Last Picture Show
2. The 400 Blows
3. Nashville
4. Days of Heaven
5. Le Cercle Rouge

[LegacyCosts]

Originally Posted by jw007

I actually saw Under the Skin last week in a movie theater near Union Square in NYC. I hate to say this, but I didn't really "get" the film. It's the kind of movie you need to surrender yourself to. It can be quite meditative, hypnotic and entrancing. There is hardly much dialogue spoken in the movie. At first I felt it was going to be a snoozefest and that was after I thought it was already slightly pretentious (I know, this is a word I shouldn't use since its abused, but still). In the end, its a film that needs to be seen multiple times to be understood. I started to make sense of what little story there was after I left the theater, but it definitely is a creepy and unnerving film, leaning on horror. Scarlett is stunning and quite naked throughout the film which I appreciated. Nevertheless, I'm not sure I can recommend this film when its released on Blu-ray as I think it should be rented/viewed before purchasing. That's just my opinion though.

I feel the film isn't really seeking to be understood completely, it's more of an experience with loose storytelling and one pivotal moment for the plot. I too would love to see a criterion for ghost world, such an enchanting fun film.

[brandon_260]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

off topic but for you Cronenberg fans:

http://www.firstshowing.net/2014/wat...-to-the-stars/

Not sure what to think of it, great actors in it (cheesey music! lol), seems quite clean looking for Cronenberg though lol

Looks great. And it made me want to go and immediately rewatch Cosmopolis.

[Tony208]

The meaningless conversations with non actors was the worst part of Under the Skin for me.

[RojD]

Top 5 Rewatchables (in no particular order):

M
Third Man
Thin Red Line
Wages of Fear
400 Blows
High and Low


What?! There are six? OK, you pick the one to drop.

[Judex]

Looks like Criterion have added two short films to Franju's Judex release.

Two short films by Franju: Hôtel des Invalides (1951), about the Paris military complex, and Le grand Méliès (1952), about director Georges Méliès.



Also for Mizoguchi fans state side.

Museum of Moving Image to Hold First U.S. Kenji Mizoguchi Retrospective in Twenty Years

Along with Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi was one of the greatest Japanese filmmakers of his era, but as respected and beloved as he is, he's sometimes overshadowed by the other two masters. The Museum of the Moving Image now presents an opportunity for Mizoguchi devotees and newcomers alike to correct this with the director's first retrospective in the U.S. in twenty years.

"Mizoguchi" will present all 30 of the master filmmaker's surviving films (out of the 85 he made in total), from the established classics to rarely-seen early works. As an added bonus, all films will be shown on celluloid, with most on 35mm but some in rare 16mm prints. In partnership with the Japan Foundation and the National Film Center in Tokyo, many of these archival prints have been imported from Japan.

Mizoguchi was a master of mise-en-scene and extended takes great enough to rival Max Ophuls or Jean Renoir, a humanist who was concerned with the suffering of women more than nearly any other filmmaker of his generation. After a breakthrough at the Venice Film Festival for 1952's "The Life of Oharu" (for which he won the International Director's Prize), Mizoguchi found further acclaim in Europe with "Ugetsu" and "Sansho the Bailiff" in the following two years. These extraordinary films were late-period works, however, and Mizoguchi found acclaim in Japan in the 1930s for classics such as "Osaka Elegy" and "The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums."

The retrospective will open on May 2 with "Ugetsu," a story of two brothers in war-torn 16th century Japan who leave their wives and village to pursue their respective dreams of wealth and martial glory. It will be followed on May 3 with a screening of "Sansho the Bailiff," in which the merciless titular character kidnaps the children of a nobleman and sell them into slavery while their mother yearns to see them again. The latter will be introduced by film scholar David Bordwell in a special presentation titled "Mizoguchi: Secrets of the Exquisite Image."

While most of Mizoguchi's early films have been destroyed, the retrospective will include early surviving films, such as his earliest surviving film, 1925's "Song of Home," his first sound film, "Furusato" (or "Hometown"), and "Oyuki the Virgin," a film based on the same Guy de Maupassant short story that inspired John Ford's "Stagecoach." "Song of Home" will be presented with live musical accompaniment by pianist Makia Matsumura.

After the Museum’s presentation, the retrospective will travel to the Harvard Film Archive (Boston, Mass.) and the Pacific Film Archive (Berkeley, California). All three cities have a terrific chance to catch up with one of the most compassionate and thoughtful directors in the history of the medium.

The retrospective will run from May 2 to June 8. Tickets for screenings are included with paid Museum admission and free for Museum members, who may also reserve tickets in advance. Otherwise tickets are distributed first-come, first-serve on the day of the screening. The full list of films, with showtimes and descriptions, can be found on the next page.

[RipleyLV426]

My 5:
1. City Lights
2. Charade
3. Beauty and the Beast
4. Diabolique
5. Eyes Without a Face

[Scottie]

I just finished watching Sullivan's Travels via a DVR recording and I really, really enjoyed it.

I honestly didn't think I was going to like it as much as I did due to not really liking The Lady Eve, the only other Sturges film I have seen, but I was very impressed.

I would be very happy to see it upgraded.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I just finished watching Sullivan's Travels via a DVR recording and I really, really enjoyed it.

I honestly didn't think I was going to like it as much as I did due to not really liking The Lady Eve, the only other Sturges film I have seen, but I was very impressed.

I would be very happy to see it upgraded.

That's my favourite Sturges and has been my number one request since I started buying Criterions! I do like Lady Eve though. Might be worth a revisit for you?

[Edward J Grug III]

I know some people have been complaining we've been getting too many English language Criterion releases lately, but all the same, I'd love to see films from:

Preston Sturges
Ernst Lubitsch
Powell & Pressburger
Carol Reed

For foreign language films, I would love to see:
Ingmar Bergman
Robert Bresson
Max Ophuls

[manunited1]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Decent anime, but not a Criterion release

Haha my bad, I literally picked it up yesterday and it threw me off.

[RipleyLV426]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I just finished watching Sullivan's Travels via a DVR recording and I really, really enjoyed it.

I honestly didn't think I was going to like it as much as I did due to not really liking The Lady Eve, the only other Sturges film I have seen, but I was very impressed.

I would be very happy to see it upgraded.

Well, if Criterion doesn't announce it there's always import from the UK next month...which is my plan.

List of special features are sweet!

[Show spoiler]• New high definition digital transfer of the film by Universal Pictures;
• Uncompressed Mono 2.0 PCM Audio;
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing;
• Audio commentary by filmmaker and Python Terry Jones;
• Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer – Kenneth Bowser’s acclaimed feature-length documentary portrait from the American Masters series;
• Kevin Jackson on Sullivan’s Travels: an appreciation by the writer and broadcaster;
• The Preston Sturges Stock Company: a celebration of Sturges’ regular character actors and bit-part players;
• Safeguarding Military Information: a Sturges-scripted propaganda short released the same month as Sullivan’s Travels;
• Theatrical Trailer;
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw;
• Booklet featuring new writing on the film by screwball comedy expert Peter Swaab, plus archive pieces by Geoff Brown and Preston Sturges, illustrated with original stills and poster.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

That's my favourite Sturges and has been my number one request since I started buying Criterions! I do like Lady Eve though. Might be worth a revisit for you?

I watched it a week or two ago after watching the first 20 minutes or so twice before turning it off.

I don't know what it was, but I did like a few spots of it. There were quite a few times I laughed out loud, but overall the story did nothing for me.

Originally Posted by RipleyLV426

Well, if Criterion doesn't announce it there's always import from the UK next month...which is my plan.

List of special features are sweet!

[Show spoiler]• New high definition digital transfer of the film by Universal Pictures;
• Uncompressed Mono 2.0 PCM Audio;
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing;
• Audio commentary by filmmaker and Python Terry Jones;
• Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer – Kenneth Bowser’s acclaimed feature-length documentary portrait from the American Masters series;
• Kevin Jackson on Sullivan’s Travels: an appreciation by the writer and broadcaster;
• The Preston Sturges Stock Company: a celebration of Sturges’ regular character actors and bit-part players;
• Safeguarding Military Information: a Sturges-scripted propaganda short released the same month as Sullivan’s Travels;
• Theatrical Trailer;
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw;
• Booklet featuring new writing on the film by screwball comedy expert Peter Swaab, plus archive pieces by Geoff Brown and Preston Sturges, illustrated with original stills and poster.

Thanks for the information!

[RipleyLV426]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Thanks for the information!

You're welcome! It's kinda pricey now, but price tracker is my friend.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by RipleyLV426

Well, if Criterion doesn't announce it there's always import from the UK next month...which is my plan.

List of special features are sweet!

[Show spoiler]• New high definition digital transfer of the film by Universal Pictures;
• Uncompressed Mono 2.0 PCM Audio;
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing;
• Audio commentary by filmmaker and Python Terry Jones;
• Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer – Kenneth Bowser’s acclaimed feature-length documentary portrait from the American Masters series;
• Kevin Jackson on Sullivan’s Travels: an appreciation by the writer and broadcaster;
• The Preston Sturges Stock Company: a celebration of Sturges’ regular character actors and bit-part players;
• Safeguarding Military Information: a Sturges-scripted propaganda short released the same month as Sullivan’s Travels;
• Theatrical Trailer;
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw;
• Booklet featuring new writing on the film by screwball comedy expert Peter Swaab, plus archive pieces by Geoff Brown and Preston Sturges, illustrated with original stills and poster.

Yeah, I was thinking if Criterion hadn't announced it before the next time I put in an order from Amazon.co.uk, I would order it...

[stevo1978]

Interested in collecting Criterion blu ray discs now I have purchased a multi-region player..

Those collectors out there would you mind answering the best and worst films of your collection?

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I watched it a week or two ago after watching the first 20 minutes or so twice before turning it off.

I don't know what it was, but I did like a few spots of it. There were quite a few times I laughed out loud, but overall the story did nothing for me.

"Don't you ever get tired of being wrong all the time?" - YouTube

[nagysaudio]

Best:

City Lights
The Gold Rush
Modern Times
Solaris
Videodrome

Worst:

Antichrist

[smoss469]

Top 5: (In no particular order)

• Ministry of Fear
• The 39 Steps
• The Lady Vanishes
• Yojimbo
• Green For Danger

Honorable Mention

Hopscotch (I haven't had this one for too long but it's already working it's way towards the top 5)

[the sordid sentinel]

Tough to choose 5, but off the top of my head:

1. The Night of the Hunter
2. Seven Samurai
3. Letter Never Sent
4. Le Cercle Rouge
5. The Thin Red Line

Giving the Three Colors trilogy (which I love) another look this week. Just got through with Blue..always powerful. Makes me wince a bit when Binoche rakes her knuckles against the stone wall.