The Criterion Collection

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I can respect that.

It's just not a genre that I've ever been drawn to.

I watched The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari on TCM a couple weeks ago and there were some cool things about it in terms of the production design and some of the music was effective.

The only silent film I've ever seen that really moved me is The Passion of Joan of Arc. And that's in large part due to the music, which is absolutely incredible.

The first 15 minutes or so of Metropolis are very cool, but then it starts to get boring for me.

No right, no wrong...just everyone has different tastes.

Have you tried Chaplin, Lloyd and Keaton? That's what got me into silent film.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

Have you tried Chaplin, Lloyd and Keaton? That's what got me into silent film.

I used to watch The Gold Rush when I was a kid.

...I like that one.

[Edward J Grug III]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I used to watch The Gold Rush when I was a kid.

...I like that one.

So there you go, you have an 'in!'

[Ray Jackson]

The weird thing is that I actually have a framed poster of Metropolis on one of my bedroom walls.

...I just think it's a really cool poster.

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I can respect that.

It's just not a genre that I've ever been drawn to.

I watched The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari on TCM a couple weeks ago and there were some cool things about it in terms of the production design and some of the music was effective.

The only silent film I've ever seen that really moved me is The Passion of Joan of Arc. And that's in large part due to the music, which is absolutely incredible.

The first 15 minutes or so of Metropolis are very cool, but then it starts to get boring for me.

No right, no wrong...just everyone has different tastes.

Oh I forgot that one, I watched the MoC version and was really moved by it even if it doesn't feature the Voices of Light soundtrack, can't wait for Criterion to upgrade it.

I love Metropolis and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari too, but I get your point, even I have trouble when not in the mood to watch one, if I am a bit tired it is easier to fall asleep with them.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by octagon

That was a great adaptation. I was absolutely spellbound.

You're also reminding me of what a great resource PBS really was back in those days. In this day and age it seems quaint to think of BBC shows as 'obscure foreign imports' but back then my local PBS station (WTTW) really was a 'window to the world'.

Monty Python, Doctor Who, Fawlty Towers, The Prisoner, Masterpiece, Masterpiece Mystery...it all seems ridiculously mainstream now but it was pretty exotic fare back then.

For me, it was "the golden age" of the BBC-Masterpiece Theater especially, with series like Upstairs, Downstairs, I, Claudius, The Duchess of Duke Street, Poldark, Love for Lydia, Lillie, Jewell in the Crown, etc. Just one after another. Plus, like you mention, the great comedies. My PBS station WETA was also one that carried a daily film from the Janus Film Collection which enabled me to first become acquainted with many of the films that Criterion released for home video. Ah, good times.

[Bob Kramer]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I think silent films in general have some inherent stylistic limitations that more modern films do not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7Ay...ature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKZP...ature=youtu.be

[jmclick]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

For me, it was "the golden age" of the BBC-Masterpiece Theater especially, with series like Upstairs, Downstairs, I, Claudius, The Duchess of Duke Street, Poldark, Love for Lydia, Lillie, Jewell in the Crown, etc. Just one after another. Plus, like you mention, the great comedies. My PBS station WETA was also one that carried a daily film from the Janus Film Collection which enabled me to first become acquainted with many of the films that Criterion released for home video. Ah, good times.

The BBC program that I would most love to revisit is the mini-series, The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. The US theatrical adaptation starring Meryl Streep and Roseanne Barr is but a weak cousin of the original which starred Patricia Hodges and the incredible Julie T. Wallace. I had it on VHS at one point, but the tape eventually went bad and became unplayable.

[oildude]

Originally Posted by WonderWeasel

Over the past week or so, I came across a nice little cache of used Criterions, and ended up grabbing Thief, Diabolique, and Shock Corridor. I also found a copy of The Naked Kiss, but I know absolutely nothing about it, so I passed. After reading a bit about the film, it comes off as something that might be interesting, but it seems to have equal potential to be something I absolutely loathe. Do you guys think it's worth a blind buy? It's priced at $15, so I wouldn't be out too much, but if it's just not that entertaining of a film, I'd rather spend the money on something else.

It's written and directed by Sam Fuller. That's all you need to know. The Naked Kiss just might have the most memorable opening four minutes in the history of film:

Naked Kiss - Opening Scene - YouTube

Now that I have your attention (haha):

In case you are not familiar with the late great Samuel Fuller, please allow me to start you on a path of righteous discovery. His works and his association with younger filmmakers later in his life were an inspiration to some of his contemporaries in the French New Wave, and later directors such as Scorsese and Tarantino. This is what I once wrote about him in another thread:



In my years of seeking out Fuller's movies, here is what I have learned: I suggest sitting down in front of your display with a fat stogie between your teeth, a glass of whiskey in your hand, and letting the world of Sam Fuller engulf you. Scratch the surface of his awesome two-fisted dialogue, gripping action, tough guys and even tougher dames, dramatic stories often revolving around combat, crime, or human failings, and you will uncover remarkable social commentary. He was ahead of his time and his filmic voice spoke from a place of authority based on his own life's experiences.

Few filmmakers could match Fuller for the stylistic and narrative poetry that elevated his stories of the evil that men do. He takes us on a journey into the heart of darkness, into the absurdity and hubris accompanying the crash and burn of modern society, shows us the bitter depths of conflict and alienation, casts his camera's eye onto the lives of the lost and the damned wandering amid the wreckage, and makes us love it all. Fuller's frequent in-your-face attitude and carefully crafted subtlety in dealing with central themes like the brutality of war, the corrosiveness of bigotry, the consequences of the abuse of power, and the tragedy of innocence lost are like a fist slamming down on a table. He just might topple your whiskey bottle while making his point.


EDIT: Incidentally, Sam Fuller is not only represented as a writer and director in the Criterion Collection, he also makes a couple of notable film cameos and small roles in Godard's Pierrot le Fou, Kaurismaki's La Vie de Boheme, and his own effort White Dog. He also played roles in several Wenders films, including The American Friend, so we are likely to be seeing even more Fuller on our screens in the future. Life is good.

[Martin_31]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I can respect that.

It's just not a genre that I've ever been drawn to.

I watched The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari on TCM a couple weeks ago and there were some cool things about it in terms of the production design and some of the music was effective.

The only silent film I've ever seen that really moved me is The Passion of Joan of Arc. And that's in large part due to the music, which is absolutely incredible.

The first 15 minutes or so of Metropolis are very cool, but then it starts to get boring for me.

No right, no wrong...just everyone has different tastes.

I saw Faust during my summer vacation. It was on Netflix. It wasn't too long and the music and story were amazing. I enjoyed it more than Nosferatu.

[hoytereden]

My first home video purchases were silent films...they were 8mm Castle Films condensations of Universal horror films like Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman.

[darkness2918]

Ive tried to watch silent films like Nosferatu & Haxan I just cant get into them no matter how hard I try.

[filmmusic]

Just received Watership Down!

How exciting and refreshing is to see animation with grain (as it was supposed to) and the different strokes of paint brushes for a change, in comparison to those Disney """"restorations"""".


(the emoticon goes for the "Disney part")

i hope they do another animation release soon.

[I KEEL YOU]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

i hope they do another animation release soon.

There aren't many "serious" and mature animated films that would fit well with Criterion. Watership Down is as Criterionesque animation as it gets. Unless you get really niche and find some artsy animated films, but that might be even too niche for Criterion. When the Wind Blows could've been a Criterion animated title, but Twilight Time released it not too long ago.

I kinda secretly hope that the reason Beavis and Butt-Head do America hasn't been released on blu ray yet is because Criterion might have something up their sleeve for us with Paramount. It's one of the few bigger animated movies that hasn't been released yet anywhere on blu ray and it was quite well critically acclaimed.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

There aren't many "serious" and mature animated films that would fit well with Criterion. Watership Down is as Criterionesque animation as it gets. Unless you get really niche and find some artsy animated films, but that might be even too niche for Criterion. When the Wind Blows could've been a Criterion animated title, but Twilight Time released it not too long ago.

I think there are plenty to chose from.
There are many serious anime films (if Criterion ever released anime - eg. Angel's Egg would fit quite well in the collection), and other European ones like Rene Laloux films, the Sylvain Chomet films etc.

[Superted]

Not just animation but I really hope criterion release some more child/family movies in 2016. My kids are at a stage where they are getting curious in "Daddy's number movies" so it would be nice to be able to sit down and watch something outside of the usual few that are currently available.

Yes I was secretly holding out for the princess bride in Decembers announcement

[SkyAntoine]

Originally Posted by Superted

Not just animation but I really hope criterion release some more child/family movies in 2016. My kids are at a stage where they are getting curious in "Daddy's number movies" so it would be nice to be able to sit down and watch something outside of the usual few that are currently available.



Yes I was secretly holding out for the princess bride in Decembers announcement

Watership Down may only warp smaller kids a little.

I have kids ages 13, 11, 5 and 2. My older girls have liked A Night to Remember, The Blob, and I Married a Witch. They'll also occasionally watch an older subtitled film until they get tired of reading.

[WonderWeasel]

Originally Posted by octagon

Have you watched Shock Corridor yet? I've only watched each once but I liked The Naked Kiss quite a bit more than Shock Corridor. I would be hesitant to recommend either as a blind buy but The Naked Kiss seemed pretty accessible to me and it had a nourish, late, late show quality that I always have a bit of a soft spot for.

I saw Shock Corridor a while back and really enjoyed the pulpy writing style and exploitative feel to it. Some of it is so ridiculously silly it's entertaining, like

[Show spoiler]when Johnny stumbles into the nympho ward, or the defector who thought he was J.E.B. Stuart.

If The Naked Kiss is along the same lines, then I'll probably enjoy it.

Oildude, you have convinced me to pick it up and thoroughly investigate his filmography. I should have read more about Fuller instead of the individual film. Thanks for the input!

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by WonderWeasel

Oildude, you have convinced me to pick it up and thoroughly investigate his filmography. I should have read more about Fuller instead of the individual film. Thanks for the input!

This just reminded me, but Sam Fuller's daughter last week confirmed that A Fuller Life, her documentary about her father, is coming from Criterion. I'm not sure whether it will get its own spine or will be included as a supplement on something like Pickup On South Street, but it's definitely coming.

[filmmusic]

Could anyone recommend any Criterion autumn-y films except Autumn Sonanta, Fantastic Mr. Fox and An Autumn Aftertoon?