The Criterion Collection

[llj]

Originally Posted by pedromvu

Just wondering how many times have you watched each of the films in question?

I believe the most I have seen a movie is like 5 times, not sure which though, might be 4.

I'm pretty sure I've watched Home Alone and Speed about 20+ times each. Of course, this was mostly all in the 90s when my family's movie collection was incredibly slim...

There was a time when I had 90% of Home Alone's script memorized...

As for BD movies that I bought with my own money as an adult, I'd say L'Avventura is probably the BD I've watched most, along with Last Days of Disco. Probably around 10 times each.

[moviebuffed]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

How often do you rewatch your favorite Criterions?

I was watching this amateur review of An Autumn Afternoon on Youtube and he talks about his philosophy on not re-watching films very often and how the magic of a film tends to dissipate over time as it gets viewed too often.

Not that what he said was anything I haven't heard or thought before, but for some odd reason his words hit me like a ton of bricks and I thought to myself, "Have I been wasting my life all these years, letting the same 100 films or so dominate my movie-watching existence?

Should I do something drastic and sell off half my collection and use the money to seek out new cinematic experiences?

Is there any intrinsic value in re-watching the same films over and over again, or is it a form of escapism that robs a great movie of its artistic worth?

All of a sudden I find myself in a disturbing existential quandary.

...anyone have any thoughts on this?

(relevant comments begin at 1:12)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zcr9S9PxGQ

Interesting post and even more interesting replies to it. I'd like to add that your question has crossed my mind many times and it was a fear of mine years back when I began this obsessive collecting of films.
I feared watching my beloved favorites many times would lessen my love for that film but what I learned was that as time moves on and as I get older, as I grow in ways unbeknownst to me that what I bring to the table with my viewing habits changes also.
Sure, some films hit me the same way they did years back but also I've had unexpected results from so-so films I liked in the past and all the sudden its themes etc. affected me and were more fulfilling. It's a gamble I'm willing to take and this definitely helps me forging forward with blind buys and revisiting my old favorites too.

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by Hoke Moseley

This. But at the same time, you will most definitely regret selling most of what you get rid of.

If one decides to just watch a movie once and call it a day, there's no point in buying anything. Might as well just sell everything, and watch movies in the theater, via streaming, or on cable channels.

[monorail91]

Wanted to share a new Facebook group, the Criterion Book Club: a monthly digital book club, focused on books tied to the Collection. Kicks off in Jan. 2016 with Fellini's book "Making a Film."

All are welcome to join, hope we got some readers as well as watchers in this community!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1843898892498206/

[MassiveMovieBuff]

For anyone who has seen Belle de Jour, is it worth a blind buy for repeat viewings?

[Freeza]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Is there any intrinsic value in re-watching the same films over and over again, or is it a form of escapism that robs a great movie of its artistic worth?

All of a sudden I find myself in a disturbing existential quandary.

...anyone have any thoughts on this?

Re-watching for escapism can have value. Think of this aspect as film's version of comfort food.

On the idea that it may rob a film of its worth, sure some films it will, but as you grow in life, or just go through different experiences, certain aspects of a film may hit you in a way you never expected them to, and that can do just the opposite of what you suggest and elevate a film.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

For anyone who has seen Belle de Jour, is it worth a blind buy for repeat viewings?

Given how much I love the work of Catherine Deneuve, my opinion may not be of much use. But I would say yes. It's a fascinating film that -- at least to some -- is open to multiple interpretations. And the surrealism that Buñuel engages in makes it well worth multiple viewing. IMO, anyways.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Given how much I love the work of Catherine Deneuve, my opinion may not be of much use. But I would say yes. It's a fascinating film that -- at least to some -- is open to multiple interpretations. And the surrealism that Buñuel engages in makes it well worth multiple viewing. IMO, anyways.

Great thanks. It sounds like something I would like.

[belcherman]

Rewatching a movie can be like visiting with an old friend. There's a certain comfort in that familiarity, knowing beforehand what you'll be seeing. I doubt if I'll discover anything new in my next viewing of The Quiet Man or It's a Wonderful Life that I missed the previous 20 times I saw those films, but I'll still enjoy them.

Sure, if you only watch movies you haven't seen before, then you're always discovering something new, for better or worse. I can understand the logic in that, but I never want to say good-bye forever to my old friends. I'd rather say au revoir.

[nitin]

I tend to rewatch less than most people, the most I haven seen my favourite films is probably only 3 times or so. Partly because I have a decent memory and entire movies stay with me (if they are good) for quite a while, and partly because I am sitting on an unwatched stack that will last me till my death.

[ElliesDad]

Originally Posted by belcherman

Rewatching a movie can be like visiting with an old friend. There's a certain comfort in that familiarity, knowing beforehand what you'll be seeing. I doubt if I'll discover anything new in my next viewing of The Quiet Man or It's a Wonderful Life that I missed the previous 20 times I saw those films, but I'll still enjoy them.

Sure, if you only watch movies you haven't seen before, then you're always discovering something new, for better or worse. I can understand the logic in that, but I never want to say good-bye forever to my old friends. I'd rather say au revoir.

Nailed it! It's revisiting characters and situations and emotions that have impacted you in the past and continue to do so. It's the magic that happens when a great actor that you love to start with becomes the embodiment of a great character that you come to love as well. And the transformation is supported by smart scripting and compelling dramatic context. Atticus Finch is somebody I can re-visit and be swept away by time after time. Or the wonderful thing that happens when the chemistry just works between a number of cast-members as in the Brody, Hooper, and Quint Indianapolis scene. Or a string of powerful emotional experiences initiated through compelling performances. I think of the Charlton Heston scene in Ben Hur when the unseen Christ offers him a ladle of cool water.

These are the films I re-watch, for the sheer pleasure of re-living the experience. And I think the 10% figure (of films that fit that standard) is high. I'd make it considerably less than 5%.

[tangledupinblu]

The central question in your existential dilemma Ray is the amount of time that passes in between watches of your favorites, right? Getting rid of them makes no sense, just space it out more, whatever the amount of time you personally need to see something with fresh eyes, 18 mos 3 years whatever. some people's might be 3 months. and in that larger span of time, watch all the things you have never seen before.

The human brain/ memory is very unreliable, witness testimony in crime cases is right next door to worthless. I'm pretty sure every time I watch something I have seen before, I am having a completely new experience, especially if it's an upgrade technologically.

I came here to this thread to ask a question though. I have yet to purchase Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for my collection. I like it, but obviously I have so far found at least circa 920 other movies a higher priority, just to give an idea of where I'm coming from, not a rabid fan clearly, but I think it's funny. Does anyone think they can convince me that the Criterion is worth the extra $ over the regular version? I have done zero research into either edition, not even PQ reviews so basically a blank slate other than not being rich and money definitely being an object.

[Martin_31]

My rewatch-ability is probably in between 1-2 years. I think I've seen 2001: A Space Odyssey about 3 or 4 times within the last four years. I've been wanting to rewatch Lawrence of Arabia and Gone With the Wind, but my unwatch pile is enormous. I don't think I would be able to sell off one of my movies because it takes a lot for me to even buy some, and I'll have the nagging feeling that I would want to watch it in the future.

[jw007]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

How often do you rewatch your favorite Criterions?

I was watching this amateur review of An Autumn Afternoon on Youtube and he talks about his philosophy on not re-watching films very often and how the magic of a film tends to dissipate over time as it gets viewed too often.

Not that what he said was anything I haven't heard or thought before, but for some odd reason his words hit me like a ton of bricks and I thought to myself, "Have I been wasting my life all these years, letting the same 100 films or so dominate my movie-watching existence?

Should I do something drastic and sell off half my collection and use the money to seek out new cinematic experiences?

Is there any intrinsic value in re-watching the same films over and over again, or is it a form of escapism that robs a great movie of its artistic worth?

All of a sudden I find myself in a disturbing existential quandary.

...anyone have any thoughts on this?

I ponder this moral dilemma myself often. Should I revisit films that are akin to "comfort food" (as Freeza mentioned too) knowing what I'm getting into and indulging in or should I challenge myself to watch new and possibly less entertaining films that I am not familiar with?

In recent years I haven't been rewatching or revisiting favorite films of mine and actually have been on a TV series binge, as I discover a bunch of new and old TV shows that I never got around to watching. To me, TV mini-series or series are more rewarding than films now to me. There is so much more happening in today's TV shows that I find appealing that I no longer find as appealing in most new films. For instance, I can spend a whole month watching the entire show LOST and every night familiarize myself with the characters and get to know them and spend a few hours watching 2 or 3 episodes until I get through each season (and there were 6 seasons in all). But can I go back and rewatch that entire TV series again? Now that's hard! I recently discovered Twin Peaks finally and watched the entire original 2 seasons back in the year 2014. I then purchased the blu-ray box set last year intending to revisit the show and watch every episode again. I've yet to do that. It's more or less a chore for me to go back and watch a TV series again, unlike a film.

I used to watch every Stanley Kubrick film every 3 or 4 years but I did that 2 or 3 times and that was it. I enjoyed starting with Killer's Kiss and The Killing and then finishing up with Eyes Wide Shut. I know Kubrick made Fear and Desire before The Killing but I still haven't watched that one yet. I always gravitated towards mid-period Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon) but admired his even later films even more even though I knew he wasn't as prolific in output. Sure, I could go back and watch all the Kubrick films all over again in chronological order and prob. not miss a beat, but now I am too busy discovering other directors and films.

For me, I killed pretty much any remaining awe and discovery rewatching all of the Star Trek films. Maybe I can enjoy them again if I see them 10 years from now again. Maybe I'll have forgotten some of them in 20 or 30 years but that's doubtful.

I often find myself questioning my own sanity when it comes to rewatching movies over again. I remind myself that insanity is defined as doing the same thing expecting different results. Couldn't that be applied to watching films? I don't want to go insane watching the same film and then hoping it ends a different way. I did that enough with the Back to the Future films, always wondering "what if this" and "what if that", and that didn't help when you're dealing with stories involving time travel and parallel universes.

One thing I've noticed though. I found myself rewatching The Ice Storm (as one example) around the time of Thanksgiving every year because holiday-themed movies kind of work well with that time of the year when we have the holidays. The same goes for It's a Wonderful Life around Christmas or The Ten Commandments around Easter or Halloween around, well, Halloween, that you see on a TV network channel every year around the holiday season. Why do network tv stations air the same films around the holiday time? Maybe its that "comfort food" analogy and being able to sit back and enjoy a holiday movie that fits with the holiday.

Everyone is different and I don't think its damaging to watch certain films over and over again and possibly lose that sense of artistic value and spontaneity. Follow your heart and you'll never go wrong.

[Roninblues]

Originally Posted by tangledupinblu

I came here to this thread to ask a question though. I have yet to purchase Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for my collection. I like it, but obviously I have so far found at least circa 920 other movies a higher priority, just to give an idea of where I'm coming from, not a rabid fan clearly, but I think it's funny. Does anyone think they can convince me that the Criterion is worth the extra $ over the regular version? I have done zero research into either edition, not even PQ reviews so basically a blank slate other than not being rich and money definitely being an object.

No, I would buy the HST book as I found its presentation more entertaining than the film.

[ShellOilJunior]

Ebert's commentary on Casablanca is quite good. He makes the case that repeat viewings of the film reward the viewer as the Bogart-Bergman scenes carry even more weight because the viewer is already familiar with their characters' backstory.

[Reddington]

Great news for fans of Carol Reed. After the recent announcement of the upcoming Region B release of The Man Between, oildude posted today in the Twilight Time thread that Our Man in Havana will be available March 2017. Always hoped CC would pick this fantastic film up, but no doubt TT will do a fine job. Really excited as this is one of my most wanted BD releases.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Ebert's commentary on Casablanca is quite good. He makes the case that repeat viewings of the film reward the viewer as the Bogart-Bergman scenes carry even more weight because the viewer is already familiar with their characters' backstory.

I love all the commentary tracks he's done, which unfortunately isn't that many.

Casablanca
Floating Weeds
Crumb
Dark City
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Citizen Kane

Also: Criterion really needs to release Floating Weeds

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by jayembee

If one decides to just watch a movie once and call it a day, there's no point in buying anything. Might as well just sell everything, and watch movies in the theater, via streaming, or on cable channels.

If I can envision myself watching my physical copy two times, then I figure that justifies my purchase of the title. Even at $20 or close to it, I think there are other benefits to buying and retaining. I'm not one to spend to make myself feel better, but movies are one thing on which I do spend disposable income; the excitement and satisfaction of knowing that a title that I'm looking forward to seeing is on its way is sort of an intangible benefit and is worth at least a couple bucks itself.

From a different angle, I look forward to re-watching some of my collection with my son when he is old enough. At 3, it'll be a while before he could digest (much less embrace) someone like Bresson or Godard, but Truffaut, Ozu, and Hitchcock... maybe he isn't too far away.

[CriterionBlues]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I love all the commentary tracks he's done, which unfortunately isn't that many.

Casablanca
Floating Weeds
Crumb
Dark City
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

Also: Criterion really needs to release Floating Weeds

Citizen Kane too.