The Criterion Collection

[blujazz]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

* most likely
Elevator to the Gallows - Malle

quite possible
Bicycle Thieves - De Sica

long shots
Talk to Her - Almodóvar

If this happens, I would just… oh dear lord

[Mansinthe]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

That sucks :/ Od get a refund/replacement from company, this is unacceptable!

just got a response email...

5$ refund or return the item (pay for the shipping myself of course) ,
or getting a replacement (that i got to pay... full price).


i quess the replacement will be another returned bluray...

[The Great Owl]

I watched this last night, but needed a while to collect some coherent thoughts...



Georges Franju's 1963 crime thriller, Judex, is a remake of sorts of the 1916 Louis Feuillade French serial, but it also draws inspiration from other Feuillade works, namely Fantomas and Les Vampires, and from German Expressionist cinema by the likes of Fritz Lang or F.W. Murnau. I have never seen the original Judex serial before, so I flew into this movie blindly based on my love of Franju's 1960 horror classic, Eyes Without a Face. Like that earlier film, Judex works as a visual poem just as well as it functions as a cohesive movie narrative. Through the eyes of my 2014 perspective, Franju's Judex comes across like an otherworldly blend of Eyes Without a Face, classic-era film noir, the late 1960s Batman television series, and the most campy James Bond films, like You Only Live Twice or Octopussy.

On the eve of a celebration for his daughter's engagement and for his company anniversary, Favraux, an impressively wealthy banker with a track record for making money by stepping on other people's toes, is given an ominous message from a mysterious figure who calls himself Judex. The letter, which orders Favraux to share half of his fortune with the victims from his past, is given a cursory treatment from the banker, who continues with his celebrations on the assumption that his underlings will handle the situation. Chaos ensues in the form of a magic act, a murder, a kidnapping, and a series of wondrously-filmed chase scenes involving costumed figures, futuristic camera technology, and incredible stunts. The title character, played by an American magician named Channing Pollock, is deliberately underwritten in this Franju interpretation in favor of a more interesting assortment of supporting figures. Edith Scob, as Favraux's daughter, lends the same ethereal angelic presence to the screen that she did in Eyes Without a Face. Actress Francine Berge commands the most attention with her role as an incredibly sexy villainess, complete with a skintight black outfit.

I'm not really sure how to pigeonhole Judex in terms of genre classification, but that's probably a good thing. I do find it refreshing that Judex is an engaging film that is filled with an odd sense of glee, in contrast to the relentless menace of Eyes Without a Face.

Like Eyes Without a Face, Judex looks beautiful on Blu-ray, and it serves as another example of what the Blu-ray format has to offer for black-and-white cinema. The strange sound effects of Judex come across well on the audio front.

In addition to a handful of interviews and a documentary, this Criterion Blu-ray is blessed with one of the coolest short films that I have ever seen, Le Grand Melies, an account of the career of George Melies that was completed with the help of his surviving family. I was struck at how much the visuals in this short film were recalled by Martin Scorsese's Hugo. Another short film, Hotel des Invalides, is less engaging, but equally beautiful in a visual sense.

I'll give Judex four stars for movie content and five stars for the audio, video, and supplementary content. I'm glad that I got over my hesitation and jumped into this blind buy.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

Gallows is still with Criterion. Flambeur and Woman is a Woman are OOP with Canal.

Are you sure? I seem to remember it being among the first batch that was announced as being lost to SC.

I hope you're right though as I'd buy it on blu-ray.

[minister_x]

Gallows is definitely with Criterion - they're releasing it in HD on iTunes tomorrow

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

received a really damaged edition of Harold and Maude today (B&N) sale. they really should stop reselling returned items that are in a condition most people would throw it away....

[Show spoiler]

Damaged Case , damaged booklet , damaged Cover and the whole thing is dirty and was repackaged ...

Wow, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has purchased Criterions similar to what you experienced, especially with the inside booklet getting a bit damaged from shipping/handling.

The worst was my purchase of George Washington, as after I opened the case, I noticed the thin booklet was all wrinkled up on the back page. That was out of hand, but the little scruffs and damage from the booklet seeing from your photos is something I've come to expect from time to time.

I also bought Criterion releases with similar cellophane wrapping that appeared to look re-packaged but I suspect it was just another type of plastic wrap used as an alternative.

Nothing in your photos appears too shocking to me as I've bought damaged products like that and just come to expect it.

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by jw007

Wow, I'm glad I'm not the only one who has purchased Criterions similar to what you experienced, especially with the inside booklet getting a bit damaged from shipping/handling.

The worst was my purchase of George Washington, as after I opened the case, I noticed the thin booklet was all wrinkled up on the back page. That was out of hand, but the little scruffs and damage from the booklet seeing from your photos is something I've come to expect from time to time.

I also bought Criterion releases with similar cellophane wrapping that appeared to look re-packaged but I suspect it was just another type of plastic wrap used as an alternative.

Nothing in your photos appears too shocking to me as I've bought damaged products like that and just come to expect it.

If it is advertised as Brand New and that is what they send, that is false advertising and for me, I find it shocking a company will treat customers that way and lie to them and send them items thats in unacceptable condition.

Companies can send item sin post without any damage because they care and want good feedback, but other just don't care.

I buy blurays from a friend in Korea (he owns the company) and just one bluray is bubble wrapped about 15 times and then in a box so it comes perfect condition.

All companies should treat their customers with respect and send good in the best possible condition.

[Scottie]

I spent my afternoon watching the La Jetée / Sans Soleil set. I am not even exaggerating, but this is perhaps one of the nicest releases that The Criterion Collection has ever put out.

I first saw La Jetée sometime last year after a third or fourth viewing of Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys, a feature-length adaption of the short. La Jetée is absolutely beautiful, yet equally frightening in its depiction of time traveling. I think it is definitely superior to Gilliam's rendition, as the latter, while still good, gets lost in its own narrative as the film progresses. Still, both films will make you think. By the time that I got to the end of La Jetée today, though, my brain was trying to make sense of all that I had witnessed, a repeat performance of my last watch of it.

The other film in the set, Sans Soleil, was as wonderful, if not more so for me, than La Jetée. I can't quite tell if it was a documentary film or just a meditation on the world and its many cultures, but regardless, I was impressed. Even though it is a 1983 film, I did not find it to be dated at all, a criticism that I often have with documentaries. I think that many of the issues were presented in such a mystifying manner that it is difficult to depict whether they were fiction or non-fiction (something I always enjoy). Also, many of those talked about issues are still applicable in today's day-and-age.

[The Great Owl]

I just finished watching my Criterion Blu-ray of Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast, and it's a solid step up from my old Criterion DVD in terms of video quality and, especially, audio quality.

Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast does not get a lot of discussion in this thread, but it's a fascinating movie in so many ways. First of all, the movie has some of the best makeup effects that I've ever seen in cinema, probably second only to the work of Jack Pierce with the original Universal Monsters. The visuals of the supernatural effects in the castle of the Beast are spectacular, and I enjoyed particularly enjoyed the sights of the statues come to life. The controversial ending, a special Cocteau touch, gives the movie a bittersweet edge that I've always appreciated.

I'm too lazy to write a second long-winded User Review after doing so for Judex earlier today, but I enthusiastically recommend Beauty and the Beast for anyone on the fence.

[Scottie]

Non-Criterion related, but R.I.P. Robin Williams.

He was such a great actor and I am absolutely sick to my stomach.

http://www.tmz.com/2014/08/11/robin-...mmits-suicide/

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Non-Criterion related, but R.I.P. Robin Williams.

He was such a great actor and I am absolutely sick to my stomach.

http://www.tmz.com/2014/08/11/robin-...mmits-suicide/

I'm speechless about this news. My introduction to Robin Williams was the old television show, Mork & Mindy. I even had a Mork action figure with the plastic egg that housed him.

His work was great, of course, in Dead Poets Society, Good Morning, Vietnam, Popeye, Moscow on the Hudson, Good Will Hunting, and One Hour Photo.

Although my preferences are strong for the original Norwegian version of Insomnia, I do love Robin Williams's acting in the Nolan remake.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I'm speechless about this news. My introduction to Robin Williams was the old television show, Mork & Mindy. I even had a Mork action figure with the plastic egg that housed him.

His work was great, of course, in Dead Poet's Society, Good Morning, Vietnam, Popeye, Moscow on the Hudson, Good Will Hunting, and One Hour Photo.

Although my preferences are strong for the original Norwegian version of Insomnia, I do love Robin Williams's acting in the Nolan remake.

Good Will Hunting was my favorite film of his, without a doubt.

He was such a comic genius and made so many people laugh. This is truly devastating news.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Good Will Hunting was my favorite film of his, without a doubt.

He was such a comic genius and made so many people laugh. This is truly devastating news.

My favorite Robin Williams is The Fisher King, although Popeye and The World According to Garp were fun, too. A great talent and a great loss.

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by belcherman

My favorite Robin Williams is The Fisher King, although Popeye and The World According to Garp were fun, too. A great talent and a great loss.

Popeye is my cast-iron favourite of his, though between that, Toys, Hook and Aladdin he pretty much dominated my formative years.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

Popeye is my cast-iron favourite of his...

Me too. I really love that film and it makes me sad that it gets such a bad wrap.

Might even watch it today.

[ultlife2013]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Non-Criterion related, but R.I.P. Robin Williams.

He was such a great actor and I am absolutely sick to my stomach.

http://www.tmz.com/2014/08/11/robin-...mmits-suicide/

And this last week we were talking so much about the Insomnia film original and remake. How strange how that happens sometimes.

[smoss469]

It's tragically poetic. He spent his life making people laugh yet he couldn't keep any for himself.

I loved his work and thought his improv stuff was always entertaining.

RIP Robin. Sorry you couldn't find the peace that eluded you on earth.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

If it is advertised as Brand New and that is what they send, that is false advertising and for me, I find it shocking a company will treat customers that way and lie to them and send them items thats in unacceptable condition.

Companies can send item sin post without any damage because they care and want good feedback, but other just don't care.

I buy blurays from a friend in Korea (he owns the company) and just one bluray is bubble wrapped about 15 times and then in a box so it comes perfect condition.

All companies should treat their customers with respect and send good in the best possible condition.

Not in America, my friend. Here its about quantity over quality above anything. I buy brand new Criterions at Barnes & Noble during every sale and every now and then, I open up a case and see maybe a chipped piece of plastic and a booklet with damage inside (just minor damage though) and sometimes the cover art torn along the spine and still sealed in plastic. I take this all seriously too, but the fact is, its a reality and there's nothing you can do about it except accept that you're going to have something like this every now and then. Being a perfectionist, I always carefully inspect as much as possible the outside of the case, but inside I have no idea what is going on.

Gotta rise above it all! Gotta bite the bullet.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by ultlife2013

And this last week we were talking so much about the Insomnia film original and remake. How strange how that happens sometimes.

And it was my post, last week, regarding Insomnia where I mentioned just how good Robin Williams is in the remake of Insomnia, compared to the villain in the original Insomnia. I guess now we should all go back and watch that movie again to appreciate just how good Williams was.

My favorite films starring Robin Williams were in this order:

1. Awakenings
2. Good Will Hunting
3. Dead Poets Society
4. One Hour Photo
5. The Fisher King
6. Good Morning Vietnam
7. Insomnia

Notice something? These were all serious roles for him.

Anyway, I should be posting this in the Robin Williams thread but I did so here. Please forgive me folks.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Still in shock over the passing of Robin Williams....

I remember very well when Insomnia was being hyped as the big drama of Summer 2002 - it had a great story & amazing scenery. I was surprised that RW played the "bad guy" in the film.

Re: the original Insomnia, I will grudgingly admit that was a superior film...though I still prefer the 2002 version, since I saw it first...

Also enjoyed Williams in One Hour Photo, also from 2002...