The Criterion Collection

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by jayembee

The Killing

On edit: If you want to include laserdiscs, then The Asphalt Jungle.

Originally Posted by iScottie

The Killers
Odd Man Out
Sweet Smell of Success
The Third Man

/thread

What about Night And the City?

Good?

Great?

Overrated?

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

What about Night And the City?

Good?

Great?

Overrated?

For me along with Sweet Smell of Success and Ride the Pink Horse, one of the best on the collection.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

For me along with Sweet Smell of Success and Ride the Pink Horse, one of the best on the collection.

What do you like about it?

Better than The Killers?

I didn't really care for The Killers.

It's a good movie, but nothing about it really stood out to me.

[diskspinner]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

What do you like about it?

Better than The Killers?

I didn't really care for The Killers.

It's a good movie, but nothing about it really stood out to me.

Which "The Killers" have you seen? 1946 or 1964?

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by diskspinner

which "the killers" have you seen? 1946 or 1964?

1946

[PowellPressburger]

best film noir.. or should I say my most watched from Criterion is KISS ME DEADLY.

[Martin_31]

Orson Welles made his named in radio, as well. I found out about this website. https://www.otrcat.com/p/orson-welles I don't know if I should buy an MP3 or audio CD. I want to listen to the War of the Worlds. They're $5. I read online that an MP3 compresses audio. What do the forum users think?

[starman15317]

I just recently watched My Beautiful Laundrette in film class as part of my final assignment. I thought it was a pretty interesting picture and I would like to revisit it soon since I feel like I didn't get a full appreciation of it seeing it once.

Any thoughts on the film here?

[pedromvu]

Today I ended the Apu Trilogy (except for all the supplements) and overall I am pretty happy with the set.

I must say that Aparajito and Apur Sansar weren't able to top Pather Panchali for me, the first one was just better in many levels, it seems to me it is where Ray took more artistic liberties, even though I am not used to much of that on his other films outside this trilogy.

I think of the three, Pather Panchali has the best characters, his sister in particular has to be my favorite, his mother and elder Auntie, there are all sorts of conflicts, oh and that raining sequence was so beautiful, I liked how it had all those shots that seem to capture life so well, I don't know what it is but I don't think I saw the same on the other 2.

Aparajito while still good, felt more of a transition and left me wanting more, seems there doesn't happen that much outside of the main conflict here, I also thought it was filmed much more traditionally, this and Apur Sansar reminded more of Ozu.

Apur Sansar was a step above Aparajito for me, I liked his friendship with Pulu and his relationship with Aparna was so good that

[Show spoiler]I kind of felt cheated when you know what happens, I mean at this point it seems Apu is cursed or something

, so while I hated to see what happened next, but it was understandable for the character.

As for PQ, I would give them in order: 4, 4 and 4.5

I am still not sure if I got a new favorite, The Big City and Pather Panchali are too close to decide for now.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by Martin_31

Orson Welles made his named in radio, as well. I found out about this website. https://www.otrcat.com/p/orson-welles I want don't know if I should buy an MP3 or audio CD. I want to listen to the War of the Worlds. They're $5. I read online that an MP3 compresses audio. What do the forum users think?

You can download the MP3 for free from several sites, archive.org for one. I've never heard it where it didn't sound scratchy and I'm not sure that buying it on CD would guarantee better audio quality.

[Martin_31]

Originally Posted by orbital

I recommend this one: http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.9197/.f – top-notch release.

Is it new? Or used?

[pedromvu]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I just finished Pather Panchali.

I have to say, that movie kind of kicked me in the gut.

One of the few "classic" films that really lived up to the hype.

If the other two are as good or, dare I say, even better than this one, then I'll be absolutely floored by this experience.

...the sister

[Show spoiler]dying

almost made my eyes rain.

Lol, just caught this message as I didn't want to read any spoilers, but I have to say that

[Show spoiler]last line spoiler tag hardly covers anything , what else could happen that make your eyes rain

Anyway I have to say this happened to me too, I just couldn't stop it, and neither of the sequels hit me as hard.

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

What do you like about it?

Better than The Killers?

I didn't really care for The Killers.

It's a good movie, but nothing about it really stood out to me.

I am sure I wrote something at the time, I watched the two Killers and wasn't a fan of either if that helps, all I can say is The Night and the City is a damn great movie from start to finish and I don't think you need to be a film noir fan to see that.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

What about Night And the City?

Good?

Great?

Overrated?

I've seen it twice. I know a lot of people on here are fans, but I didn't particularly care for it.

Originally Posted by starman15317

I just recently watched My Beautiful Laundrette in film class as part of my final assignment. I thought it was a pretty interesting picture and I would like to revisit it soon since I feel like I didn't get a full appreciation of it seeing it once.

Any thoughts on the film here?

I hated it and thought it was such a difficult chore to sit through.

[Ray Jackson]

Watching Ikiru, I was really disappointed by the transfer.

The same flaws that plagued the dvd version are still very much present in the blu-ray. There's still white lines down the middle of the frame in certain scenes and the night scenes look terrible imo. There's this constant wavy light thing going on that's incredibly distracting. I don't know what the technical term for it is.

I'm sure the Criterion people did the best they could with the source material they were working with.

...the negatives must have been in horrendous condition.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I've seen it twice. I know a lot of people on here are fans, but I didn't particularly care for it.



I hated it and thought it was such a difficult chore to sit through.

"I've seen it twice. I know a lot of people on here are fans, but I didn't particularly care for it."

What didn't you like about it?

[oildude]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

...what do y'all think is the best film noir in the Criterion collection?

The Third Man, but since it is now out of the collection, my vote is either Night of the Hunter or Ride the Pink Horse. But all of the Criterion noirs are good to great.

I have not yet seen Night and the City or The Killers, but these are generally well received by film noir fans. Both are on my shelf from the July sale and I will be watching them soon.

Here is the user review I wrote for Ride the Pink Horse earlier this year. For me, Ride the Pink Horse has been one of the best discoveries I have made:

[Show spoiler]

OK, I love film noir, but I have to confess that prior to Criterion's announcement of Ride the Pink Horse I had never heard of it. Shame on me. As of last night, that mistake has been remedied. There is a line of dialogue early on where the moll of a New Mexican gangster, referring to the anti-hero lead character played by Robert Montgomery, says "I'm afraid that Mr. Gagin cannot be seduced". I can attest that the same assessment does not apply to this film. Ride the Pink Horse seduces, wraps itself around you, pulls you in, and does not let you go. Welcome to film noir done Southwestern style, and I am here to tell you, amigos, this dark little tale of money, murder, and mayhem, as well as a haunted man accidentally rediscovering his humanity, is muy muy bueno.

We know we are in for a different noir experience right from the opening credits, when we see a bus approaching the camera along a panoramic New Mexican highway to the uplifting strains of Latin-infused orchestral music. Robert Montgomery does double duty here as star and director, and he handles both roles superbly. Prior to this film, I only knew Montgomery as the father of Elizabeth Montgomery, future star of classic 1960’s sitcom Bewitched. Here, Montgomery plays a disillusioned tough-as-nails WWII vet named Gagin on a mission to find a New Mexico gang lord named Frank Hugo. What that mission is doesn’t become clear until later in the film. The bus deposits Gagin in a city named San Pablo (a fictional name representing Santa Fe). The air surrounding him is electric, filled with music and laughter as hordes of tourists flock the streets to celebrate the annual Fiesta, all of which appears lost on Gagin.

Gagin comes out of nowhere and remains a mystery, what we see is what we get…..a lot of anger and rude behavior with little indication of his background, where he came from or where he is going. All we know is that he had a war buddy best friend who is now dead, and that somehow Hugo is involved. As the film proceeds, he comes into contact with the local New Mexican culture and his softer side begins to appear. He is befriended by Pancho, the poor operator of an antique carousel, played outstandingly by Thomas Gomez whose performance in this role earned him the first ever Oscar nomination for a Hispanic American. Another local who crosses paths with Gagin and proves integral to the story is a girl named Pila (an 18-year old Wanda Hendrix, future wife of Audie Murphy), a Native American from a pueblo many miles away who has recently moved to San Pablo and is experiencing the big city for the first time. As it turns out, this dichotomy of Gagin’s character - one foot in the world of the Anglos where gangsters, dreams of money as the ticket to the good life, and the increasing threat of violence are ever present, and the easy-going culture of New Mexican Hispanics and Native Americans where, as movingly explained by Pancho, friendship is more important than money and that as long as a man has his pride and strong back there is no shame in being poor – becomes one of the central themes of the film.

Ride the Pink Horse delivers the goods. It is as multi-layered and as dark and deadly as any classic noir. Yet there is something hopeful in its fabric like the effigy of the god of bad luck burned at the climax of the Fiesta. The bus in the opening scene could be taking Gagin on a road to rebirth and redemption that isn’t clearly marked, either a ticket to hell or a way out that may be just beyond reach. What makes the film so watchable is how it doesn’t play to expectations. Just when we think we understand what is about to happen, it goes in unexpected directions. There is a lot of symbolism in the story, represented most obviously by the fairy tale world of Pancho’s old carousel going round and round with its assortment of multi-colored horses (or so we are told; it is a black and white film after all), one of which is pink. There is a key scene when, after a night of drinking in a local saloon, Gagin convinces Pancho to open his carousel after-hours so that Pila can experience a childhood thrill for the first time in her life. The meaning of this small kindness represents something deeper that only becomes clear later. Gagin is experiencing new things too. We learn that he suffers from post-traumatic stress from years spent fighting in the steaming jungles of the South Pacific, that he still carries the war in him and is doing battle with himself as much as with the outside world, and that cervezas and tequilas with friendly locals can lead an angry man down paths he never thought for himself to travel.

As usual, Criterion has done a masterful job with the transfer of a black and white film that, for many years, was apparently not easy to find. The cinematography by Russell Metty is outstandingly stylish and evocative, with Gagin often shot over-the-shoulder and some scenes done in one long continuous take that accentuates the menace of the moment. In one chilling scene, a brutal beating is witnessed from the point of view of children riding the carousel; the viewer is therefore a trapped witness, circling repeatedly past the violence and unable to get off. If the name Russell Metty doesn’t ring any bells, then a partial sampling of his many other films will give you some idea of what to expect here, films like Touch of Evil, Magnificent Obsession, Written in the Wind, Arch of Triumph, Spartacus, and The Misfits.

And what great noir would be complete without some chewy dialogue so important to driving the narrative. Ride the Pink Horse has lots of that. Gagin delivers a particularly juicy monologue on the evils of women wearing diamonds, who are man-traps and have “a dead fish where her heart ought to be”. I could watch this film over and over just to relish the well written screenplay and roll around in all that dialogue like a man on a bed full of money. Wearing a fedora, of course. As it should be.

[jedidarrick]

Predictions for next month (based on speculation, leftovers from the New Year's drawing, and my personal wish list):
The Manchurian Candidate
This is Spinal Tap (blu)
After Hours (have we figured out what the clock in the New Year's drawing was supposed to be?)
Clouds of Sils Maria
Napoleon (Have we figured out what the soldiers in the New year's drawing were supposed to be?)
Bicycle Thieves (blu)

[WonderWeasel]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I'm thinking about getting Night and the City during the upcoming 40% off sale.

I would like to have at least one Criterion film noir in my collection.

Plus the cover art for this one is pretty sick.

I saw The Killers on TV a few months ago and was underwhelmed by it.

It's a good little film, bu not something I would feel the need to watch more than once.

Night and the City looks good to me, but only has a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

...what do y'all think is the best film noir in the Criterion collection?

Originally Posted by jayembee

The Killing

On edit: If you want to include laserdiscs, then The Asphalt Jungle.

I second jayembee on The Killing. It's got a great script and Kubrick/Lucien Ballard do some nice camera work.

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by jedidarrick

Predictions for next month (based on speculation, leftovers from the New Year's drawing, and my personal wish list):
The Manchurian Candidate

Yes, please. Absolutely love this film.

[theater dreamer]

By now, I assume that everybody has seen Best Buy has put a large part of their Criterion Blus on sale 50% off.

If not, have fun.