The Criterion Collection

[jlk5844]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Yeah I know that - but so are a lot of film, so if Criterion wanted to get hands on an Animated film they can, look at Fantastic Mr Fox.

There are a lot of underrated animated films out there they could reach out to and try release.

The fact that out of 700+ films, only 1 is a real animated release (FMF)... just odd.

Unfortunately I think Fantastic Mr. Fox is an exception because it is directed by Wes Anderson, who Criterion have a contract with and are going to release all of his films.

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

You're so mean! lol

I'll be looking to get 2-3 suitcases haha!



Don get me wrong its a superb release and I'm so excited - and would be hard to top - would just love to see part of the Criterion collection and on y shelf alongside AK100 and Zatoichi :P

Enjoy paying like $100+ each way for luggage fees!

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by DaveyJoe

Not really, the majority of feature length films are live action, and the majority of animated films are aimed at children, which would be out of place in CC. I'm not saying that they shouldn't release more, just that adult animated films are a very small portion of movies. I've always thought Graveyard of the Fireflies would be a nice CC release.

That is not true? There are many animated film aimed at an older audience and definitely not for children.

[jlk5844]

Originally Posted by DaveyJoe

Not really, the majority of feature length films are live action, and the majority of animated films are aimed at children, which would be out of place in CC. I'm not saying that they shouldn't release more, just that adult animated films are a very small portion of movies. I've always thought Graveyard of the Fireflies would be a nice CC release.

And what a shame that is. I want to see more of those movies! They don't make em anymore, or they don't get enough exposure, they aren't released theatrically.

Edit: Speaking of, can't wait to pick up Ghost in the Shell from Anchor Bay this September!

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by smoss469

Enjoy paying like $100+ each way for luggage fees!

Least I'd know they won't be damaged haha

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by jlk5844

They also released major films like Halloween and Robocop and The Silence of the Lambs. Criterion's focus has shifted since then.

No, their focus hasn't changed in the least. All three of the titles you mention were ones that Criterion lost the rights to because some of the major studios, while being perfectly happy to license out films for LD, wanted to keep them in-house for DVD. Criterion released a metric crap-load of titles that they are unable to release now, many from the mainstream Hollywood studios.

On LD, they did things like 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Asphalt Jungle, The Wizard of Oz, Blade Runner, Dr. Strangelove, Lawrence of Arabia, Taxi Driver, Casablanca, Some Like It Hot, High Noon, King Kong, It's a Wonderful Life, Citizen Kane, A Night at the Opera, The Princess Bride, Singin' in the Rain, Arsenic and Old Lace, and so on.

But they also did a lot of the same things they do now: Kurosawa, Bergman, Truffaut, Fellini, Hitchcock, Tati, Lean, Clouzot, Powell & Pressburger, Godard, Ophüls, Ozu, Cocteau, and Polanski.

I've little doubt that if it wasn't for losing the rights, they'd have exactly the same line-up of titles today that they had 25 years ago.

[DaveyJoe]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

That is not true? There are many animated film aimed at an older audience and definitely not for children.

Compared to the amount of live action films in the history of cinema? 1 in 700 Criterion films are animated, I wouldn't say there is 1 adult animated film for every 700 live action movies. They are pretty rare compared to other movies.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by DaveyJoe

Not really, the majority of feature length films are live action, and the majority of animated films are aimed at children, which would be out of place in CC. I'm not saying that they shouldn't release more, just that adult animated films are a very small portion of movies. I've always thought Graveyard of the Fireflies would be a nice CC release.

Part of the problem with doing any anime films is that there are several labels that seem to have the monopoly on that. Criterion did release Akira back in the LD days, but that was just a touch before anime became the cottage industry it is today.

[jlk5844]

Originally Posted by jayembee

No, their focus hasn't changed in the least. All three of the titles you mention were ones that Criterion lost the rights to because some of the major studios, while being perfectly happy to license out films for LD, wanted to keep them in-house for DVD. Criterion released a metric crap-load of titles that they are unable to release now, many from the mainstream Hollywood studios.

On LD, they did things like 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Asphalt Jungle, The Wizard of Oz, Bladeuuzot Runner, Dr. Strangelove, Lawrence of Arabia, Taxi Driver, Casablanca, Some Like It Hot, High Noon, King Kong, It's a Wonderful Life, Citizen Kane, A Night at the Opera, The Princess Bride, Singin' in the Rain, Arsenic and Old Lac, and so on.

But they also did a lot of the same things they do now: Kurosawa, Bergman, Truffaut, Fellini, Hitchcock, Tati, Lean, Clouzot, Polanski, Powell & Pressburger, Godard, Ophüls, Ozu, Cocteau, and Polanski.

I've little doubt that if it wasn't for losing the rights, they'd have exactly the same line-up of titles today that they had 25 years ago.

Huh. I thought they just grew more artsy. But the rights thing certainly does make sense. I am aware that they put out a lot of those director's work then as they do now, though. Would be amazing to see some of those films in the collection on Blu-ray now, though many of them have been done justice with excellent transfers by the major studios.

Also, you mentioned Polanski twice

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Least I'd know they won't be damaged haha

Airlines are just as bad with baggage as the shipping companies are.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by smoss469

Airlines are just as bad with baggage as the shipping companies are.

Lots of hand luggage :P lol XD

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Yeah I know that - but so are a lot of film, so if Criterion wanted to get hands on an Animated film they can, look at Fantastic Mr Fox.

I'd rather not, it's a Wes Anderson film.
And Criterion's reasons pretty much began and ended with that....Nnnnext?

Originally Posted by jayembee

There's also Altman's Tanner '88 and Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz. Not to mention the TV mini-series versions of Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage and Fanny and Alexander.

Altman, Fassbinder and Bergman...Uh, do you REALLY think they were interested in TV, over simple anal-retentiveness?
(Also, think Berlin Alexanderplatz played theaters in the US, so for them, that didn't "count".)

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by jayembee

There's also Altman's Tanner '88 and Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz. Not to mention the TV mini-series versions of Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage and Fanny and Alexander.

Now I know that when most people think "TV show" they're thinking of multiple seasons of 13-22 episodes each. But "TV show" encompasses a wide range of things. There are some short-run shows that I think would be right up Criterion's alley if the rights were available: the three mini-series of Armistad Maupin's Tales of the City, and some of Dennis Potter's work in the UK (especially Karaoke and Cold Lazarus) would be top of the list (well maybe just behind Kieslowski's Dekalog).

And then there's a couple of anthology series that Showtime aired back in the mid-90s. The first was Fallen Angels a series of 15 episodes adapting pulp noir stories by the likes of Woolrich, Chandler, Thompson, Goodis, Ellroy, Spillane, and Hammett. Directors included Steven Soderbergh, Tom Hanks, Alfonso Cuarón, Agnieska Holland, and Peter Bogdanovich.

The other was a non-genre anthology series of 6 original stories that focused around works of art. The directors were Bogdanovich, Norman Jewison, Bob Rafaelson, Joe Dante, and John Boorman.

Agreed. I've always found it interesting that in so many cases, films that premiere on American television and are dismissed in some quarters as "TV Movies" actually receive theatrical distribution overseas, and especially in Europe.

This has been true since the 1960's when ABC was airing the Tuesday night "Movie of the Week". DAUGHTER OF THE MIND, starring Don Murray, Ray Milland and Gene Tierney is just one example. A 72 minute cut premiered on ABC-TV in December 1969, and then a few months later, a longer 90 minute version made the theatrical circuit across Europe.

I'm very grateful that Olive Films has issued Arthur Miller's award-winning PLAYING FOR TIME on DVD and (more recently) blu-ray; for years, old VHS copies routinely were selling for $100 and more on eBay, and I had my hopes pinned on Criterion rescuing it from relative obscurity and releasing it on disc.

I wish Olive Films or Criterion would bring us restored versions of other, similar prestige projects like THE DOLLMAKER, FRIENDLY FIRE, etc. If Criterion could branch out with a pared down "Eclipse" series of films, why not a line of important video titles? Just a thought ...

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by EricJ

Altman, Fassbinder and Bergman...Uh, do you REALLY think they were interested in TV, over simple anal-retentiveness?
(Also, think Berlin Alexanderplatz played theaters in the US, so for them, that didn't "count".)

Sure, one can argue that the TV aspect wasn't what they were aiming for, that they just figured they're releasing work by Altman, Fassbinder, or Bergman.

But then, how do you hand-wave away the fact that on LD, they had a "Criterion Television" label that in addition to releasing Tanner '88 in three volumes, included two releases with episodes from I Love Lucy and The Addams Family?

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by jayembee

But then, how do you hand-wave away the fact that on LD, they had a "Criterion Television" label that in addition to releasing Tanner '88 in three volumes, included two releases with episodes from I Love Lucy and The Addams Family?

It's easy to wave away a LOT of the abovementioned work from the days when Voyager basically was the LD industry, period (still waiting for a Criterion version of 007, 2001, Wizard of Oz, King Kong, Holy Grail or Singin' in the Rain?), and trying to feel the entire industry's way all by itself.
As I recall, even RCA couldn't spark "Best of Rerun" TV samplers into popularity on laserdisc.

And that's not even up yet to the '97-'99 "Other studios couldn't care less about DVD" days of Armageddon, Time Bandits and Spinal Tap.

[Chaotic]

My B&N got rid of the Media section. God dammit. Going to have to order online for now on.

[fahrenheit290]

Question: The Red Shoes OR Black Narcissus? ...I've seen Red Shoes, which I enjoyed but not as much as I thought I would; I didn't feel as emotionally drawn as I thought I would--I also watched it on TCM and haven't experienced it in BD quality. I haven't seen Black Narcissus; not sure how accessible it will be for a 40s film, if it's one I would feel I really need in my collection. I do love the Himalayas and the stunning production stills I've seen from the film. When comparing the two, which is the better blu-ray package? + Which film do you enjoy more? I'm a little worried with a blind buy, but I'd like to have more color Criterions...and besides a possible Powell and Preminger, I'm targeting Tokyo Story (hoping the visual quality for this one is good) and 8 1/2 and Au Revoir Les Enfants, all of which aren't color extravaganzas.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by fahrenheit290

Question: The Red Shoes OR Black Narcissus? ...I've seen Red Shoes, which I enjoyed but not as much as I thought I would; I didn't feel as emotionally drawn as I thought I would--I also watched it on TCM and haven't experienced it in BD quality. I haven't seen Black Narcissus; not sure how accessible it will be for a 40s film, if it's one I would feel I really need in my collection. I do love the Himalayas and the stunning production stills I've seen from the film. When comparing the two, which is the better blu-ray package? + Which film do you enjoy more? I'm a little worried with a blind buy, but I'd like to have more color Criterions...and besides a possible Powell and Preminger, I'm targeting Tokyo Story (hoping the visual quality for this one is good) and 8 1/2 and Au Revoir Les Enfants, all of which aren't color extravaganzas.

Black Narcissus. Jack Cardiff's Oscar-winning Technicolor photography is truly breathtaking; Deborah Kerr and Kathleen Byron's performances cannot be faulted, and there's also interesting work by Flora Robson and a very young Jean Simmons in an atypical role. And the film is beautifully directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

It's a film that I had to watch more than once to fully appreciate, because I kept being distracted by how beautiful it looked the first time through. You won't be disappointed.

[The Great Owl]

I ran a 50K (31-mile) race in North Georgia today. After two races in two days in a row, I'm looking forward to relaxing on my sofa to some Blu-rays tomorrow. I might fit L'Eclisse into the stack if I have time tomorrow night.

I might still buy The Golden Age of Television later in the month if I find a third-party copy for an inexpensive price.

Which brings me to the coupon discussion from a few pages back. I feel no remorse about using a 20% off coupon in conjunction with the 50% off sale at Barnes & Noble to buy my John Cassavetes set the other day. I've paid full MSRP, or close to it, for so many Day One priority Criterion releases over the years that I don't think they'll send the hounds after me.

I just got a Barnes & Noble email that they've shipped my July 8 pre-orders already (Non-Criterion...Southern Comfort, The Time Machine, Point Blank, and Caught).

[smoss469]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I just got a Barnes & Noble email that they've shipped my July 8 pre-orders already (Non-Criterion...Southern Comfort, The Time Machine, Point Blank, and Caught).

Crap, I forgot I even pre-ordered Point Blank months ago, I should get my notification from Amazon soon then!

Awesome...

Speaking of The Time Machine, at the end, what books do you think he took with him?