The Criterion Collection

[Banned User]

Originally Posted by zoodermin

I finally got some time and watched the first two films of The Apu Trilogy (I'm watching Apur Sansar tomorrow) and I'm impressed. The films capture the life of Apu and his family beautifully and the performances (particularly of Apu's mother) are amazing. Now I want more of Ray's filmography and I'm buying one of his films in the upcoming B&N November sale. Between The Big City and Charulata, which one would you buy first? Thanks for your help!

The Music Room

I personally like Charulata more then the Big City. However The Music Room is my favorite. Probably because of the somber mood & atmosphere and the exotic music.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by zoodermin

I finally got some time and watched the first two films of The Apu Trilogy (I'm watching Apur Sansar tomorrow) and I'm impressed. The films capture the life of Apu and his family beautifully and the performances (particularly of Apu's mother) are amazing. Now I want more of Ray's filmography and I'm buying one of his films in the upcoming B&N November sale. Between The Big City and Charulata, which one would you buy first? Thanks for your help!

The Big City, then The Music Room, then Charulata

although, TMR might be the best film technically, artfully, and whatnot

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by zoodermin

I finally got some time and watched the first two films of The Apu Trilogy (I'm watching Apur Sansar tomorrow) and I'm impressed. The films capture the life of Apu and his family beautifully and the performances (particularly of Apu's mother) are amazing. Now I want more of Ray's filmography and I'm buying one of his films in the upcoming B&N November sale. Between The Big City and Charulata, which one would you buy first? Thanks for your help!

The best answer: buy them all.

[bwdowiak]

is Ray Jackson out there? if so, can you please ask us about some possible blind buys that you are interested in?

these days, it seems we're getting such a low dose of Polaroid. haven't seen adamhopelies or criterionblus around for a while... this place has been a ghost town.

I see a lot of different names liking comments around here. I encourage them to jump into the conversation. ask questions. share your favorites. pick our brains.

need some fodder around here.

[pro-bassoonist]

OFFICIAL NOTE FOR THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS



New street date is February 14, 2017.

TITLE: THE TREE OF WOODEN CLOGS
FORMAT: BLURAY
CAT: CC2691BD
UPC: 715515187510
OLD STREET DATE: 10/25/16
NEW STREET DATE: 2/14/17
NEW PREBOOK DATE: 1/17/17

Pro-B

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

is Ray Jackson out there? if so, can you please ask us about some possible blind buys that you are interested in?

these days, it seems we're getting such a low dose of Polaroid. haven't seen adamhopelies or criterionblus around for a while... this place has been a ghost town.

I see a lot of different names liking comments around here. I encourage them to jump into the conversation. ask questions. share your favorites. pick our brains.

need some fodder around here.

I used to do those things in this forum but more often than not it ended up not sparking a response. I just figured I wasn't pushing the right buttons interest wise so now I'm content to and read what others have to say.

[ThisKid]

I'll blind buy something then! I'm planning on getting the Trilogìa de Guillermo Del Toro box-set in the November B&N sales. How good are the films in this set? I'm also planning on getting the Zatôichi box-set, thoughts on that too?

[Pequod]

Originally Posted by ThisKid

I'll blind buy something then! I'm planning on getting the Trilogìa de Guillermo Del Toro box-set in the November B&N sales. How good are the films in this set? I'm also planning on getting the Zatôichi box-set, thoughts on that too?

Recent reddit thread on Zatoichi: link

I'm a big fan of Pan's Labyrinth, but I've heard mixed reviews of the other two films in the Del Toro box set. I'll most likely just pick up Pan's Labyrinth and perhaps The Devil's Backbone separately later on – heard a fair bit of negativity surrounding Cronos.

[dwk]

Originally Posted by ThisKid

I'll blind buy something then! I'm planning on getting the Trilogìa de Guillermo Del Toro box-set in the November B&N sales. How good are the films in this set? I'm also planning on getting the Zatôichi box-set, thoughts on that too?

They are, by far, the three best films that Del Toro has made. (Order of preference: 1. Devil's Backbone, 2. Pan's Labyrinth, 3. Cronos)

I love the Zatôichi movies. They are a little repetitive, so don't plow right through them, and you'll likely never find a consensus of what the best ones are, but on a lazy Saturday or Sunday, nothing beats watching 'ichi.

[Abdrewes]

This one's strictly for the audiophiles:

What are some of your favorite audio tracks on a Criterion bluray release?

[Blu-Velvet]

Originally Posted by Pequod

Recent reddit thread on Zatoichi: link

I'm a big fan of Pan's Labyrinth, but I've heard mixed reviews of the other two films in the Del Toro box set. I'll most likely just pick up Pan's Labyrinth and perhaps The Devil's Backbone separately later on – heard a fair bit of negativity surrounding Cronos.

The Zatoichi films are great fun, some a bit more than others. Watch them in order, if possible.

The three Del Toro films are all good, but my favorite by far is CRONOS, for its look, its mood, and its strongly philosophical take on the vampire myth. It's much deeper and more timeless than the other two, which good as they are tend more towards obvious political overtones in specific time periods.

[ckt]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

This one's strictly for the audiophiles:

What are some of your favorite audio tracks on a Criterion bluray release?

Great question! I'd like to know too.

Howard's End is pretty solid, although not too dynamic. Thief is a great presentation of a fantastic soundtrack. The Thin Red Line is robust and expansive. The soundtrack of classics on the The Big Chill is rendered nicely.

[tatterdemalion]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

I used to do those things in this forum but more often than not it ended up not sparking a response. I just figured I wasn't pushing the right buttons interest wise so now I'm content to and read what others have to say.

That's a lot of talking heads there. Can I join the party?

I'll start a conversation with you.

Since the new releases included John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle I'm hoping for some Robert Ryan films like The Set-Up by Robert Wise, or is an RKO movie out of the picture for a Criterion release?

Fritz Lang's Clash by Night would also be great as is Nicholas Ray's On Dangerous Ground.

Can't go wrong with the Fellini or Bunuel.

[spargs]

Originally Posted by tatterdemalion

That's a lot of talking heads there. Can I join the party?

I'll start a conversation with you.

Since the new releases included John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle I'm hoping for some Robert Ryan films like The Set-Up by Robert Wise, or is an RKO movie out of the picture for a Criterion release?

Fritz Lang's Clash by Night would be also be great as is Nicholas Ray's On Dangerous Ground.

Can't go wrong with the Fellini or Bunuel.

On Dangerous Ground was just announced by Warner Archive.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by tatterdemalion

That's a lot of talking heads there. Can I join the party?

I'll start a conversation with you.

Since the new releases included John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle I'm hoping for some Robert Ryan films like The Set-Up by Robert Wise, or is an RKO movie out of the picture for a Criterion release?

Fritz Lang's Clash by Night would also be great as is Nicholas Ray's On Dangerous Ground.

Can't go wrong with the Fellini or Bunuel.

My guess is that his RKO pictures would be either Criterion or Warners Archive. Odds Against Tomorrow just got a UK release so maybe Kino for that one. Bad Day at Black Rock is the one I really hope CC does.

[Blu-Velvet]

Last night I finally caught up with some of the bonus films included on some Criterion releases from the past year. I wish I had watched them sooner! The last of the three I had believed to be another short, but it turned out to be a full-length feature (albeit only a five-reeler). Here are a few brief observations...

LA VOCE UMANA (THE HUMAN VOICE) (2014) -- 4/5 -- A 26-minute short film by Edoardo Ponti starring his mother Sophia Loren in a poignant story of an aging woman speaking by telephone to the lover who has just broken up with her but is nevertheless expected for dinner. Based on a play by Jean Cocteau, this is an excellent bonus movie on Criterion's release of A SPECIAL DAY. Beautiful CinemaScope cinematography, and of course Loren is wonderful in what is nearly a half-hour monologue with very few other characters.


LE COUP DU BERGER (1956) -- 3.5/5 -- Amusing 29-minute short sophisticated comedy-drama by Jacques Rivette about a wife who gets a mink coat from her lover and must come up with an elaborate scheme of how to keep it and explain it to her husband. Rivette compares the husband-wife dynamic to a chess game. Of course there is a clever unexpected twist towards the end. This bonus film on Criterion's release of Rivette's PARIS BELONGS TO US is actually much more entertaining than the main feature, although picture quality is slightly softer.


ON PURGE BEBE (1931) -- 4/5 -- Lots of toilet humor and rude gags about a husband with an unfaithful wife... is this one of Hollywood's latest teen comedies? No, it's actually the first sound film by Jean Renoir, of all people, made 85 years ago! Once you accept its premise it's a delightful screwball comedy, French style, with plenty of healthy crudities (though tame by today's standards). The opening sequence is a clever satire on the mysteries of French spelling vs. pronunciation, so it helps to have at least a rudimentary understanding of French. The plot mainly deals with a ceramics manufacturer trying to impress a lunch guest so he can win a government contract for army chamber pots while his wife is trying unsuccessfully to give their 7-year-old son a laxative. Based on a relatively long one-act play by Georges Feydeau (the film runs 52 minutes), it has very much the flavor of the kinds of wacky things W. C. Fields was doing in Hollywood about the same time with a lot of the same sorts of pre-code risqué innuendos also popular in Hollywood at the time. It stars Louvigny and Marguerite Pierry, and noted actors Michel Simon and Fernandel are co-stars. The recently restored film is a bonus on Criterion's release of Renoir's LA CHIENNE. Apparently it was a big hit and allowed Renoir the opportunity to make LA CHIENNE (a far more masterful and cinematic film, besides being darkly dramatic with an underlying wit that's distinctly more light-hearted than Fritz Lang's noir remake SCARLET STREET, and certainly more subtle than the comedy in ON PURGE BEBE). For those who haven't gotten around to watching it, it's well-worth checking out. Picture quality, like LA CHIENNE, is outstanding.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by ckt

Great question! I'd like to know too.

Howard's End is pretty solid, although not too dynamic. Thief is a great presentation of a fantastic soundtrack. The Thin Red Line is robust and expansive. The soundtrack of classics on the The Big Chill is rendered nicely.

Thanks for chiming in! It's something I haven't really thought of til my recent theater upgrade.

I've only heard Howard's End and Thin Red Line on a good set up. The other two are fantastic films with great soundtracks but I've yet to hear them on high quality sound. I'll have to remedy that ASAP (especially Thief. It's a shame the last time I saw it was on TCM).

The one that immediately came to mind as I was asking that question was The Game. The newer mix blew me away on an average sound system, so I can't wait to hear how it sounds on a good one.

I'm extremely curious about revisiting Nashville in HD as well (the first and only time I saw it was via a library DVD on my laptop). Altman's mixes are fasinqting to say the least.

[tisdivine]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

is Ray Jackson out there? if so, can you please ask us about some possible blind buys that you are interested in?

these days, it seems we're getting such a low dose of Polaroid. haven't seen adamhopelies or criterionblus around for a while... this place has been a ghost town.

I see a lot of different names liking comments around here. I encourage them to jump into the conversation. ask questions. share your favorites. pick our brains.

need some fodder around here.

I've heard a lot of rumblings and rumors about a possible Criterion release of Klute. Just wondered on a scale of 1-10 10 being its 100% offically happening lol what are the chances?

It's one of my all time favorites so Im trying to not get too excited until there is a bit more offical info. Who am I kidding just the thought of it makes me crazy happy.

[Bruce Morrison]

Originally Posted by tisdivine

I've heard a lot of rumblings and rumors about a possible Criterion release of Klute. Just wondered on a scale of 1-10 10 being its 100% offically happening lol what are the chances?

It's one of my all time favorites so Im trying to not get too excited until there is a bit more offical info. Who am I kidding just the thought of it makes me crazy happy.

I really hope this happens! 'Klute' is definitely one of my absolute favourite films, and Jane Fonda deservedly won her first Academy Award for her superb performance. I've been wondering whether the Criterion deal with Warner might include it, although I hadn't heard any rumours myself. Has anyone else heard anything?

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by tatterdemalion

That's a lot of talking heads there. Can I join the party?

I'll start a conversation with you.

Since the new releases included John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle I'm hoping for some Robert Ryan films like The Set-Up by Robert Wise, or is an RKO movie out of the picture for a Criterion release?

Fritz Lang's Clash by Night would also be great as is Nicholas Ray's On Dangerous Ground.

Since Criterion is releasing Cat People in a few days, I would say that an RKO film is not "out of the picture for a Criterion release".

In the Warner Archive thread, I listed a handful of other Warner-controlled (i.e. WB, MGM, and RKO) titles that Criterion had had in the Collection back in the laserdisc days, not including any that Warner has released on blu-ray themselves. They include:

Adam's Rib (MGM)
Arsenic and Old Lace (WB)
Bad Day at Black Rock (MGM)
The Magnificent Ambersons (RKO)
A Night at the Opera (MGM)
Scaramouche (MGM)
Show Boat (Universal)
Swing Time (RKO)

The version of Show Boat that Criterion released was the 1936 version by James Whale. Ownership of that version came into MGM's hands when it bought the rights to do their 1951 remake, which is why it's under Warner's control now. MGM made a habit of this sort of thing. They also acquired ownership of the 1933 RKO version of Little Women when they remade it in 1949, as well as the 1932 Paramount version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when they remade it in 1941. Just to name two other examples.