The Criterion Collection

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by K1NG J0RDAN

Considering buying The Essential Jacques Demy set when it releases, but know absolutely nothing about the films. Are they a good blind buy?

I've always found his films to be real crowd pleasers for the right audience. I teach a module on the New Wave and in my final class of each semester I tend to briefly introduce the fringe filmmakers from the movement, folk like Demy, Resnais, etc, and UMBRELLAS always goes down a storm.

Personally, I can't wait for this set. In spite of the problematic LOLA restoration it has "release of the year" written all over it.

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

just know that in the set's most popular (best?) film, every line of dialogue is sung. there was a time in my life when that turned me off tremendously. I watched about 10 minutes and told myself, "there's no way I'm going to sit through this."

I've seen it convert a number of sceptics, including myself. I'm not a great fan of musicals in general, but adore Demy's work in the form (a number of the films in the set are musicals - Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, Donkey Skin and Une chambre en ville).

[Scottie]

I hope The Apu Trilogy is definitely coming. Ray is a great director.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by Thebunk

Very much agree regarding Wages. I get how it is influential but the ending is just so, so horribly cheesy, for me it destroys the whole film. I just cannot look past it.

I agree. I didn't like the film at all. I thought the opening 45 minutes was an attempt to humanize the characters to make the film more tense, but failed miserably at doing so. While not a thriller, I think the opening period is somewhat analogous to the opening period in the Deer Hunter, which does an excellent job of making you care about and know the characters before the tragic events that follow.

Wages did have some nicely directed tense scenes, but ultimately if you don't care about the characters, the scenes don't have much of an effect.

It was one of my bigger disappointments in the collection.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

I've seen it convert a number of sceptics, including myself. I'm not a great fan of musicals in general, but adore Demy's work in the form (a number of the films in the set are musicals - Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, Donkey Skin and Une chambre en ville).

over the years, my taste for foreign cinema has really evolved. I had somewhat of a friendly rivalry with a pal who liked a lot of European cinema while I was touting the greatness of all the Mexican films that popped up at the turn of the century. with that being said, I was probably not as open minded to this film as I should have been. I watched the trailer and it looks "colorful" (a simple way of putting it) which is something I can get in to.

I want to see Bay of Angels, too. (you can probably guess why,) but I'm not really tempted to buy the set.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

I agree. I didn't like the film at all. I thought the opening 45 minutes was an attempt to humanize the characters to make the film more tense, but failed miserably at doing so. While not a thriller, I think the opening period is somewhat analogous to the opening period in the Deer Hunter, which does an excellent job of making you care about and know the characters before the tragic events that follow.

Wages did have some nicely directed tense scenes, but ultimately if you don't care about the characters, the scenes don't have much of an effect.

It was one of my bigger disappointments in the collection.

fantastic comparison!

the opening scenes in The Deer Hunter are absolutely perfect, IMO.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I hope The Apu Trilogy is definitely coming. Ray is a great director.

I need to see more Ray. I'm sure many are postponing watching Pather Panchali until it gets a blu-ray release. It's a great film that I'm sure will be received tremendously by all CC fans.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

fantastic comparison!

the opening scenes in The Deer Hunter are absolutely perfect, IMO.

Thanks! Know what's funny? The first time I saw it I thought to myself "wow this wedding scene is way too long and nothing is happening." By the end if the film, I regretted thinking that because that hour was essential to the power of the film and the innocence of the characters before going to war. And the scene with the soldier at the bar is probably the most important scene in the movie thematically IMO.

[jhiggy23]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I need to see more Ray. I'm sure many are postponing watching Pather Panchali until it gets a blu-ray release. It's a great film that I'm sure will be received tremendously by all CC fans.

His films are a big whole in my viewing, I definitely need to see them.

[Polaroid]

His films have never appealed to me - its great seeing these sort of film being made for accessible, but they just don't appeal to me :/

Although I do want to buy The Music Room just for Marian Bantjes cover design :P! Im a huge fan of her work :P

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Thanks! Know what's funny? The first time I saw it I thought to myself "wow this wedding scene is way too long and nothing is happening." By the end if the film, I regretted thinking that because that hour was essential to the power of the film and the innocence of the characters before going to war. And the scene with the soldier at the bar is probably the most important scene in the movie thematically IMO.

years ago when I saw The Deer Hunter for the first time, I was taken with the roulette scenes and had been "pre-warned" about the first act. when I revisited the film recently, the wedding and all of those early scenes had my jaw on the floor, so it actually took some maturity and a second look to "get it."

[Prof. Lumpcicle]

So I watch The Pawnbroker last night. One of Sidney Lumet's forgotten masterpieces staring one of the more underrated actors of all time in Rod Stieger(Academy nom for his performance) . Amazing movie and completely worthy of being a Criterion.

Do it!

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by Prof. Lumpcicle

So I watch The Pawnbroker last night. One of Sidney Lumet's forgotten masterpieces staring one of the more underrated actors of all time in Rod Stieger(Academy nom for his performance) . Amazing movie and completely worthy of being a Criterion.

Do it!

It just got a blu-ray release not too long ago.

I saw some of it on TCM recently. I saw enough to make me want to pull the trigger on a blind-buy, but unfortunately, there are no subtitles on that disc, so that's not going to work for me.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm thankful that this chapter was not included in the book that comes with the Criterion disc. The chapter is an interesting read, but I think that the book is better off without it. (I'm not revealing any spoilers here.)

Although, given that Weir's movie hints at what might very well have happened, in repressed Victorian Australian times, the author's loony pasted-on last-minute attempt at Australian colonial metaphor would be roughly equivalent to finding out that Meryl Streep's baby in "A Cry in the Dark" wasn't abused or attacked by dingos, but that the dingos turned out to be the incarnations of ancient Aboriginal gods...

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

I need to see more Ray. I'm sure many are postponing watching Pather Panchali until it gets a blu-ray release. It's a great film that I'm sure will be received tremendously by all CC fans.

The Big City left me speechless.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Prof. Lumpcicle

So I watch The Pawnbroker last night. One of Sidney Lumet's forgotten masterpieces staring one of the more underrated actors of all time in Rod Stieger(Academy nom for his performance) . Amazing movie and completely worthy of being a Criterion.

Do it!

Ohhhh, this movie kicked my butt.

Actually, I could have mentioned The Pawnbroker yesterday when we were all talking about the saddest movies ever made. This one certainly earns a top spot.

I love the Olive Films presentation of The Pawnbroker, because the picture and the sound are wonderful. I just wish that subtitles were included as an option.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by iScottie

The Big City left me speechless.

I think I'll give that one a try next!

[brandon_260]

I've seen four Ray films, three of them within the last week, and they are all masterpieces. The Apu Trilogy feels less like three separate works than it does as three acts of one large film. After each film finished, I got the same feeling as watching one of the miniseries in the collection, like Fanny and Alexander. Apu is such a tragic character and watching the way he progressively deals with death differently over those six hours is pretty incredible. I was lucky enough that my viewing of the third and final installment was via a newly restored 35mm print, which looked jaw dropping compared to the lowrent DVD rips of the other two films.

The Music Room is the other I've seen, which I think I've talked about in here before. The use of music in that film is hypnotic.

[NoirFan]

Fans of The Honeymoon Killers who have been pining for an upgrade to the Criterion DVD (which still has one of my favorite covers from them) will be pleased to know that Arrow will be releasing the film at an as-yet unannounced date.

[Polaroid]

I seriously need to buy a second Bluray player for bedroom...

So many films I want to watch in bed but not all are dual format... It's awkward to move my bluray player out lounge as its under stuff and got that massive brick to convert the voltage lol >.<