The Criterion Collection

[ParaOK]

Originally Posted by jw007

Yes, an out of print DVD.... doesn't count. I want in-print and I want Criterion blu-ray Jordan. ASAP.

And Sayles, I heard he is difficult to work with for video distribution.

Who is the most difficult director to work with for getting movies out on blu-ray?

My picks:

1. James Cameron
2. Woody Allen
3. John Sayles
4. David Lynch (who finally is embracing Criterion after years of neglect)

Given the most current blu of Mona Lisa is OOP, you may get your wish . . .

Personally, I can't believe no one has released The Crying Game.

[Will G]

I would love to see a release by Peter Greenaway. The Cook, The Thief..., Drowning By Numbers, A Zed & Two Noughts, The Draughtsman's contract would all be great candidates. Also would be thrilled with an Alejandro Jodorowsky release, most notably Santa Sangre or Fando & Lis.

[Will G]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Haneke.

The Seventh Continent.

Yes. Haneke is certainly needed. The Piano Teacher would be my top pick.

[soarinsteven]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Haneke.

The Seventh Continent.

I want Haneke's Caché.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by ParaOK

Given the most current blu of Mona Lisa is OOP, you may get your wish . . .

Personally, I can't believe no one has released The Crying Game.

I agree. Forest Whitaker gives a searing performance of a kidnapped British soldier. IRA rebel Stephen Rea was amazing too. A very understated performance. That was the very first R-rated film I ever saw in a movie theater also (I was only 14 years old when it was released in November 1992).

[The Great Owl]

I spent my first night in my new home last night, and, just as I promised all of you a couple of weeks back, I selected my Criterion Blu-ray of House (Hausu) as the first movie viewing at the new place.

It's been a few years since I watched my old DVD of House, and I had forgotten how utterly whack this movie is in every sense. There's an odd joy to be found in watching the special effects that are in pretty much every frame, and it's fun to watch the abrupt switches in story style that look as though they were created for a child's attention span.

One of these days, I'm going to buy that House T-shirt from the Criterion site.

As far as my own new place goes, I do not own any evil cats, and there's no dead aunt to be found.

One big improvement is that my air conditioning unit is basically silent at this new place, whereas the one at my old apartment was located in a closet by my living room and made so much noise during the summer months that it necessitated my using subtitles even for a lot of clear English movies.

[Fabs]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I spent my first night in my new home last night, and, just as I promised all of you a couple of weeks back, I selected my Criterion Blu-ray of House (Hausu) as the first movie viewing at the new place.

It's been a few years since I watched my old DVD of House, and I had forgotten how utterly whack this movie is in every sense. There's an odd joy to be found in watching the special effects that are in pretty much every frame, and it's fun to watch the abrupt switches in story style that look as though they were created for a child's attention span.

One of these days, I'm going to buy that House T-shirt from the Criterion site.

As far as my own new place goes, I do not own any evil cats, and there's no dead aunt to be found.

One big improvement is that my air conditioning unit is basically silent at this new place, whereas the one at my old apartment was located in a closet by my living room and made so much noise during the summer months that it necessitated my using subtitles even for a lot of clear English movies.

The music and look of House is incredible.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by Fabs

Speaking of directors who have no films in the collection, Zhang Yimou is a huge omission. I would love Criterion to put out any of his early films.

Yes, instead of releasing all the films of certain directors, I think it would be great if they released other films too of other directors that aren't represented at all.
I'd love Zhang Yimou too and specifically Raise the Red Lantern.
Also Chen Kaige and Farewell my Concubine.
And a film by Theodoros Angelopoulos. (maybe Eternity and a Day , although I haven't seen it, or Ulysses' Gaze. I don't know)

[ParaOK]

Originally Posted by jw007

I agree. Forest Whitaker gives a searing performance of a kidnapped British soldier. IRA rebel Stephen Rea was amazing too. A very understated performance. That was the very first R-rated film I ever saw in a movie theater also (I was only 14 years old when it was released in November 1992).

I was about 13 when I saw it. My parent's rented it and we watched it as a family. They freaked out when the twist was revealed.

[prior]

George Stevens: A Place In The Sun
Fred Zinnemann: The Seventh Cross, Act Of Violence, The Search
George Cukor: Adam's Rib
Mike Nichols: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Catch-22
Woody Allen: Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters

[Will G]

In dire need to see more Polish cinema represented in the collection...

The Hourglass Sanatorium (Wojciech Has)
The Saragossa Manuscript (Wojciech Has)
Night Train (Jerzy Kawalerowicz)
Mother Of Joan Of Angels (Jerzy Kawalerowicz)
Ashes & Diamonds (Andrzej Wajda)
The Promised Land (Andrzej Wajda)
Interrogation (Ryszard Bugajski)


...would all be excellent choices.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by ParaOK

I was about 13 when I saw it. My parent's rented it and we watched it as a family. They freaked out when the twist was revealed.

I was still too young to understand that

[Show spoiler]the woman was a transgendered man

.

[Fabs]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

Yes, instead of releasing all the films of certain directors, I think it would be great if they released other films too of other directors that aren't represented at all.
I'd love Zhang Yimou too and specifically Raise the Red Lantern.
Also Chen Kaige and Farewell my Concubine.
And a film by Theodoros Angelopoulos. (maybe Eternity and a Day , although I haven't seen it, or Ulysses' Gaze. I don't know)

Exactly. Would love to see more Hong Kong and Chinese film in general, but Yimou in particular. Raise the Red Lantern would be a perfect choice. Can you imagine the colors in Blu Ray? Also To Live, but I would be blown away if they ever released Ju Dou.

[jordan-r]

I'm surprised that neither Raúl Ruiz nor Hans-Jürgen Syberberg has made it to Criterion yet.

[nondiatonic]

Originally Posted by Banned User

[...] I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but if anyone here hasn't seen Harakiri they are missing out. [...]

Harakiri has been high on my list to see for a while. I think you'll be proud to know that this comment pushed me to finally watch it.

Damn. What a great film. Completely engrossing, unique and yet subtle cinematography (although the fish eye lens was strange in a few of the tracking shots), and perfectly edited

[Show spoiler] (the timing of Tsugumo's story revaluations as juxtaposed to the main plot progression could not have been better)

.

However, the best praise I can give this film is how pertinent the themes are today. Truly a timeless film and one that I believe can be enjoyed by all (not just cinephiles).

Thanks to all who suggested it (especially Banned User for giving me the final push).

[zafisher94]

I just blind bought Haxan on DVD and I was wondering what version you guys recommend I watch: the original 1922 version, or the 1968 version?

[buffetfroid]

Originally Posted by Sifox211

It's a matter of great disappointment to me that the B&N near where I stay when I visit San Diego only carries one tiny shelf of videos (never seen anything other than high profile mainstream releases, all full price). I would love to visit one with a big video section and see all the half price Criterions

Sorry - got a bit carried away there...

I live in San Diego, actually. The one I went to was in Santee, just east of the city but really not that far. They had a pretty big media section.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by jayembee

All these are worthwhile additions, to be sure. With the exception of Zhang Yimou, whose name was the first to pop into my mind in my first response, the ones I listed were all ones represented in their LD releases:

George Cukor: Adam's Rib
Fred Zinnemann: High Noon
Robert Wise: West Side Story
Michael Curtiz: Casablanca
John Sturges: Bad Day at Black Rock and The Great Escape
Woody Allen: Annie Hall and Crimes and Misdemeanors
Alan Parker: Evita
Lina Wertmuller: Swept Away

Although, I suppose I should've included George Stevens because of Swing Time.

Sorry, I was actually replying to the original poster, just added my 2 cents to your post out of laziness. I was listing directors who, as far as I know, aren't currently represented on Criterion. I also avoided titles that are already out on blu ray somewhere (I had to change my Walsh title because I remembered that Thief of Baghdad was out via Cohen Media) and I deliberately avoided anything controlled by Warner Brothers (it's ok to dream, but let's not go crazy), otherwise I would have definitely listed High Sierra or They Drive by Night.

I like your list, too. Bad Day at Black Rock is one of my top ten wanted blu ray releases. Too bad Criterion no longer has access to the Warner Bros library.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by jayembee

Yes, it's a dead technology, but it was the one that Criterion began with, and with which they established both their reputation and their mission statement.

I suppose it all depends on what you're getting at when you start posting a list of great directors that haven't had any Criterion releases. I mean the idea that the Collection doesn't encompass every worthwhile filmmaker is, well, rather obvious.

On the other hand, if the list is to somehow suggest that Criterion is overlooking them, I think pointing out that they had laserdisc releases by some of them tells us that at least those directors haven't been overlooked. And it's not at all unlikely that Criterion would've released on Blu-ray (or DVD) films like The Graduate, Boogie Nights, Bad Day at Black Rock, Swept Away, High Noon, et alia if they hadn't lost the rights to them when the studios decided for the most part to keep DVD releases in house.

I think my primary purpose in making the list was to highlight great directors who deserve at least one film to be released on Criterion in one of the two major physical media formats currently in existence.

...obviously I did not specify that.

The reasons why the aforementioned directors haven't had a Criterion release are somewhat irrelevant to me. I just know that Criterion makes everything better and I believe that every major director should have at least one Criterion release. The studios blocking that can bite me.

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I spent my first night in my new home last night, and, just as I promised all of you a couple of weeks back, I selected my Criterion Blu-ray of House (Hausu) as the first movie viewing at the new place.

It's been a few years since I watched my old DVD of House, and I had forgotten how utterly whack this movie is in every sense. There's an odd joy to be found in watching the special effects that are in pretty much every frame, and it's fun to watch the abrupt switches in story style that look as though they were created for a child's attention span.

One of these days, I'm going to buy that House T-shirt from the Criterion site.

As far as my own new place goes, I do not own any evil cats, and there's no dead aunt to be found.

One big improvement is that my air conditioning unit is basically silent at this new place, whereas the one at my old apartment was located in a closet by my living room and made so much noise during the summer months that it necessitated my using subtitles even for a lot of clear English movies.

Congratulations on the new house! Dorothy Gale got it right: "There's no place like home!", and I hope you spend many, many happy years in yours.

Oddly enough, I thought about you last night. I watched Raoul Walsh's Pursued (1947) for the first time, courtesy of the Olive Films blu-ray, and thought it was incredible in every respect, from the direction to the performances to the cinematography to the restoration. When I saw the intro by Martin Scorsese who called it an effective blend of the Western genre and film noir, I wondered what I was letting myself in for, but it proved to be an outstanding film, one I suspect you would enjoy.

Best of luck getting settled in!