The Criterion Collection

[bigbadwoppet]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

Jules and Jim is my #3 all-time favorite, but it is an acquired taste. If you love great film scores, though, you could fall in love with it like I did.

Shoot the Piano Player has some of that "romance from the male POV" that I mentioned in my post above. It's a pretty brisk 80 minutes that one could describe as a comedy / French film noir.

There are a lot of great ones, but I know you like Hitchcock and The Woman Next Door has some of those vibes. It was one of the last films he did and stars Gerard Depardieu.

I'd try one of those if you are new to Truffaut.

Speaking of Shoot the Piano Player, I'd like to see Criterion upgrade that one soon.

Other titles I'd like are Nicolas Roeg's Bad Timing and Costa-Gavras' Missing.

[adamhopelies]

Originally Posted by javy

What about The Soft Skin? The only Truffaut I've seen is The 400 Blows.

The Soft Skin is excellent. I'm a big fan of Truffaut's, and would rank his features as follows. The shorts Les Mistons and Antoine And Colette are essential too.

1. 400 Blows and Stolen Kisses
2. The Soft Skin
3. Day For Night
4. Jules et Jim
5. Such A Gorgeous Girl Like Me
6. The Green Room
7. Adele H.
8. Shoot The Pianist
9. Confidentially Yours
10. Bed & Board/Love On The Run
11. Small Change
12. Two English Girls
13. The Wild Child
14. The Last Metro
15. The Bride Wore Black
16. Mississippi Mermaid
17. The Man Who Loved Women
18. Woman Next Door

[Scottie]

Watched The Piano Teacher this afternoon. What a pleasant film.

[Show spoiler]

[StarDestroyer52]

I've only seen 3 of Truffaut's film so far. Need to change that, many just aren't on TV much these days. My favorite is probably Shoot The Piano Player and I really liked Day for Night and of course The 400 Blows.

[javy]

Originally Posted by adamhopelies

The Soft Skin is excellent. I'm a big fan of Truffaut's, and would rank his features as follows. The shorts Les Mistons and Antoine And Colette are essential

Thanks. The Soft Skin will be the next one I check out. Looks and sounds great.

[Lastyear]

Originally Posted by bwdowiak

Jules and Jim is my #3 all-time favorite, but it is an acquired taste. If you love great film scores, though, you could fall in love with it like I did.

Shoot the Piano Player has some of that "romance from the male POV" that I mentioned in my post above. It's a pretty brisk 80 minutes that one could describe as a comedy / French film noir.

There are a lot of great ones, but I know you like Hitchcock and The Woman Next Door has some of those vibes. It was one of the last films he did and stars Gerard Depardieu.

I'd try one of those if you are new to Truffaut.

My favorite Truffaut is 400 Blows. Also love Day For Night and Shoot the Piano Player. Have never warmed to Jules and Jim.

[mande2013]

Jules and Jim seems to be one of those canon staples that's nonetheless quasi-consensually *accepted* as overrated sort of like Wild Strawberries, which I don't really understand, or maybe I do, seeing as it grew on me and wasn't an instant favourite.

[octagon]

Wild Strawberries is considered overrated?

Figures, it's probably the only Bergman I absolutely loved at first sight

[mande2013]

Originally Posted by octagon

Wild Strawberries is considered overrated?

Figures, it's probably the only Bergman I absolutely loved at first sight

Well Jonathan Rosenbaum isn't a huge fan of either of the aforementioned films, and I know the likes of Hoberman, Kehr and so on like to pooh pooh a lot of the standard "arthouse" classics.

[mande2013]

In any case, I feel, with the possible exception of Godard among the household names, the "Euro arthouse" phase of film history has in general become a sitting duck of sorts for postmodern critics. Dreyer and Bresson are somewhat 'household' as well, but they seem to exist outside the 'arthouse' legacy. While I would agree that Ordet and Rules of the Game are both superior to any single film created by either Bergman or Fellini, I don't think one can deny the place of the latter two in film history assuming one approaches things honestly without a neo-Marxist agenda.

[The Great Owl]

With regard to Bergman, I keep meaning to buy the Criterion Blu-ray of Smiles of a Summer Night, but I'm always diverted into buying something else. I should fix this oversight soon.

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by mande2013

Well Jonathan Rosenbaum isn't a huge fan of either of the aforementioned films, and I know the likes of Hoberman, Kehr and so on like to pooh pooh a lot of the standard "arthouse" classics.

After Rosenbaum's op-ed hit piece on Bergman in 2007 I can't take anything seriously he says about the director.

[lilboyblu]

From the Exorcist II main thread.

Originally Posted by BluPat

A few days ago I asked (kinda begged) Criterion on their Facebook page if they could ask Warner Bros. for Exorcist II: The Heretic. I think it's a strong possibility for Warner to let Criterion lease it if they ask since Warner have leased out Badlands, Mildred Pierce, etc.. There are multiple cuts of this film John Boorman did after it's initial release. And the transfer Warner used isn't all that to begin with. I just think maybe this movie could gain more fans if given the chance.

No offense meant toward the OP, but thought others in the Criterion forum may get a kick out of it. I literally laughed out loud!

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by javy

What about The Soft Skin? The only Truffaut I've seen is The 400 Blows.

I had momentarily forgot about The Soft Skin. Its a really good film. Accessible and entertaining. It is one of a few Truffaut films that I suspect will grow in stature with me after a second watch. not that it needs two watches for appreciation or understanding because like I said - it is very accessible. its just that it will take 2 watches for me to grasp just how good it really is.

Two English Girls is another one for which the same can be said.

I can't really say that I have disliked any of his films. I've seen all but 4 of them, so Adam's complete list (because that appears to be all of them) minus 4.

...and the short films Adam mentioned are a fantastic way to spend 30 minutes or so. they both hit all the right notes.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by lilboyblu

From the Exorcist II main thread.



No offense meant toward the OP, but thought others in the Criterion forum may get a kick out of it. I literally laughed out loud!

"Exorcist II" is truly awful, but is pretty entertaining in a bad way. Burton was on his three bottles of vodka a day diet at that point, in really rough shape. But imagining Criterion releasing that hunk of shit is pretty hilarious. It's not any worse than "A Safe Place" though, to be honest.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by lilboyblu

From the Exorcist II main thread.



No offense meant toward the OP, but thought others in the Criterion forum may get a kick out of it. I literally laughed out loud!

Why would you laugh out loud at another member's misguided optimism?

[Scottie]

Reading through the Exorcist II thread, he seems pretty adamant about it having a place in the Criterion library.

[Cremildo]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

After Rosenbaum's op-ed hit piece on Bergman in 2007 I can't take anything seriously he says about the director.

I'll never forget that. Tone-deaf (posted when Bergman's corpse wasn't even cold) and self-aggrandizing contrarianism disguised as educated critical thinking.

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Reading through the Exorcist II thread, he seems pretty adamant about it having a place in the Criterion library.

Well from the standpoint of having bonus features attempting to figure out what went wrong with that trainwreck of a film, it would be interesting. I think it would be a far more appropriate release for Shout Factory if they could come to an agreement with Warner as they did a similar examination of the third Exorcist film and as their recent release of Psycho '98 proved, they have no problem releasing controversially bad franchise films.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Reading through the Exorcist II thread, he seems pretty adamant about it having a place in the Criterion library.

If there's going to be a Linda Blair film in the Collection, then I'd rather it be a 4K restoration of Savage Streets.

Of course, Exorcist II: The Heretic is directed by John Boorman, and I'm fond of many of his other works on Blu-ray.