The Criterion Collection

[Scottie]

Labor Day sale on Criterion's website. 35% off select titles.

https://www.criterion.com/shop/colle...labor-day-sale

[koberulz]

WOWHD has a lot of Criterion titles cheap at the moment too. Left my phone for an hour and came back to 40+ notifications from NotifyPrice.

[Martin_31]

I recently watched Killer of Sheep and it put me to sleep. I'm going to rewatch it soon.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Scottie

Labor Day sale on Criterion's website. 35% off select titles.

https://www.criterion.com/shop/colle...labor-day-sale

Pfft, if Criterion wants my attention they need to flash me.

[Scholer]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

No, it wasn't. I own both. I re-colored the blu to match the DVD, which whites actually being white instead of green, and the blue ghost soldiers actually blue instead of teal.

http://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&a...=89195&i=9&l=0

CLEARLY the old DVD isn't teal at all. It skews slightly magenta, as many DVDs did, but otherwise matches what was shown in theaters. Not sure why you are posting blatant misinformation when there's proof right in front of you.

I own both releases as well, and compared scenes from both when I got my hands on the blu-ray in 2016. The dvd on my set up definitely looked a lot tealer than I see in the screenshots on Caps-a-holic. I tend to take screencaps with a grain of salt these days anyway, but even in the other blu-ray screencaps in Caps-a-holic the whites on the blu-ray caps are clearly white, whereas the whites on the dvd are a sickly blue (the dvd whites look a lot worse when played back, especially in the snowstorm sequence).

In only the particular screencap you linked to do the whites on the blu-ray look greenish, but they look unnaturally blown out in the dvd screencap too (and among every 35mm/70mm film print I saw recently, I don't remember seeing whites similar to the whites of these flowers, but I did see creamier greyer whites both yellowish/reddish and greenish on many prints including a 70MM print of The Master where I didn't see a single shot with clean whites).

I think what you are complaining as a teal look is the overall warmer look on the blu-ray, which I can't be certain is 100% accurate but looks appropriately filmic and smooth to me and not like digital revisionism. I have seen my share of films on actual film prints over the last few years (as well as stunning 4K screenings of many restored films), and I believe I can gauge well between the appropriate look of a properly timed 35mm/70mm film look and revisionist digital bullshit. The latter is clearly not the case with Criterion's Dreams transfer.

One case where Criterion actually did what you think was done to Dreams was to the seminal Tree of Wooden Clogs, which I had the immense good fortune of seeing a restored 4K screening of back in 2017. The Criterion transfer was tealed to death and looked nothing like the 4K DCP I saw! I actually recently sold it in 2018 and bought the Arrow UK release which has much better colour (though a bit more contrasty than the DCP which was so stunning that I remember the colours very well even now after almost 2 years).

[Scottie]

Packaging photos courtesy of Svet.

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by Scholer

I own both releases as well, and compared scenes from both when I got my hands on the blu-ray in 2016. The dvd on my set up definitely looked a lot tealer than I see in the screenshots on Caps-a-holic. I tend to take screencaps with a grain of salt these days anyway, but even in the other blu-ray screencaps in Caps-a-holic the whites on the blu-ray caps are clearly white, whereas the whites on the dvd are a sickly blue (the dvd whites look a lot worse when played back, especially in the snowstorm sequence).

In only the particular screencap you linked to do the whites on the blu-ray look greenish, but they look unnaturally blown out in the dvd screencap too (and among every 35mm/70mm film print I saw recently, I don't remember seeing whites similar to the whites of these flowers, but I did see creamier greyer whites both yellowish/reddish and greenish on many prints including a 70MM print of The Master where I didn't see a single shot with clean whites).

I think what you are complaining as a teal look is the overall warmer look on the blu-ray, which I can't be certain is 100% accurate but looks appropriately filmic and smooth to me and not like digital revisionism. I have seen my share of films on actual film prints over the last few years (as well as stunning 4K screenings of many restored films), and I believe I can gauge well between the appropriate look of a properly timed 35mm/70mm film look and revisionist digital bullshit. The latter is clearly not the case with Criterion's Dreams transfer.

One case where Criterion actually did what you think was done to Dreams was to the seminal Tree of Wooden Clogs, which I had the immense good fortune of seeing a restored 4K screening of back in 2017. The Criterion transfer was tealed to death and looked nothing like the 4K DCP I saw! I actually recently sold it in 2018 and bought the Arrow UK release which has much better colour (though a bit more contrasty than the DCP which was so stunning that I remember the colours very well even now after almost 2 years).

I'm aware of Tree of Wooden Clogs, but the screenshots of Dreams are accurate. And just because Dreams isn't as egregiously green/teal as Clogs doesn't mean it hasn't been fudged with at all. It's just a more restrained teal, just like RAN which also has a very similar revisionist color grade.

I've actually re-colored Dreams and timed the white balance correctly back to white, so I know exactly what they did to it. And when I did, it very closely matched the DVD. The blacks also lean blue/teal on the blu-ray. But it's very telling when a white painter's canvas in direct sun is greenish on the blu but nice and white as it should be on the DVD (and in my correctly colored version).

[Spirit07]

Originally Posted by Martin_31

I recently watched Killer of Sheep and it put me to sleep. I'm going to rewatch it soon.

Stop Counting Them!

[Scholer]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

But it's very telling when a white painter's canvas in direct sun is greenish on the blu but nice and white as it should be on the DVD (and in my correctly colored version).

As I have mentioned earlier, I have yet to see a projected film print with neutral and clean whites, the whites are always creamy and tend either towards slightly orangish/yellowish or greenish (and I've seen things ranging from an old tattered print of Thelma and Louise to brand new 70MM and 35MM prints of Phantom Thread in only the last few months).

As for Dreams, I am still convinced that the colour timing on the Criterion disc was pretty much perfect in terms of being filmic and consistent. I get extremely irked by revisionism myself, and wouldn't have enjoyed the transfer on Dreams to the degree that I did if it was in fact compromised to the extent that you think. The DVD on the other hand always looked like shit to me in terms of color, it was unnaturally drained of any warmth and looked more like a TV film.

As for Ran, I had actually seen a surprisingly clean vintage 35mm Print in 2016 (along with a very tattered up print of Madadayo the following day). This was after years of seeing all the completely bullshit transfers of the film on every medium (the Criterion dvd and the StudioCanal blu-rays both looked like horse shit). And it didn't really change my poor perception of the film, but I thoroughly enjoyed the untampered cinematography of the film, the castle burning was a key highlight. The colors looked very similar to the colors on the Criterion transfer of Kagemusha. It wasn't overly saturated, but had bold uses of color in certain key sequences/shots. The overall warm look, with an ever so slight greenish haze on the blacks and a yellowish/reddish haze on the whites were present in both the Madadayo and Ran prints. To my eyes, what I saw corresponded well to the colour scheme of Criterions Dreams transfer, which overall without a doubt was the best version of a Kurosawa color film I had seen to date.

I had later on streamed the 4K remastered Ran, and yes it was tealed to death like a lot of Cineteca di Bologna and Eclair ***k-ups. But I strongly feel that this wasn't the case with Dreams.

[theater dreamer]

"Trouble.....trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble..."

I'm fully on board with Lolita getting a Criterion release. I'm watching it now, halfway through, and it's fantastic. The performances are, as expected, sublime. James Mason is the quintessence of English class, outwardly debonair, yet beleaguered. Shelley Winters hits each note perfectly; she's unrefined, yet good-hearted. One feels a twinge of sympathy for her when her longing is on display. Sue Lyon is quite good in the titular role, and I love Peter Sellers as Quilty.

Having read Nabokov's novel long ago (back in my college days), I don't know how the hell Kubrick managed to pull off making this film. Nabokov wrote the screenplay for the film (his novel was released in 1955, the film hit the theaters in 1962); I'd love to see what the script looked like before it got chopped down by the censors.

In a 1969 interview, Kubrick lamented the constraints placed upon him as a filmmaker.

"I would fault myself in one area of the film, however; because of all the pressure over the Production Code and the Catholic Legion of Decency at the time, I believe I didn't sufficiently dramatize the erotic aspect of Humbert's relationship with Lolita, and because his sexual obsession was only barely hinted at, many people guessed too quickly that Humbert was in love with Lolita."

I have to wonder how different the film would have been had he had the artistic freedom afforded to him when he did Eyes Wide Shut.

Lolita cries out for the kind of treatment Criterion could give it. There must be a veritable treasure trove of interview footage, with Kubrick, Nabokov, and film academia, about how the movie eventually made it to the big screen. Both the novel and the film are iconic studies on the conservative sexual mores that are so prevalent in the United States, especially after World War II.

This is the exact kind of film that Criterion purports to champion. While the Warner Brothers disc is pretty good from a technical perspective, the lack of any extras is a gross oversight that Criterion must correct. A new scan of the film, and a plethora of bonus features would make Lolita a required addition to any film library.

[812crew]

Just blind bought "Dheepan" and was not expecting to like it much based on some reviews (including from this site)....but I thought it was really really good. I'm not quite sure why it's such a polarizing movie. I know when a movie tackles a political topic, people expect it to accomplish certain things...but just judging it as a movie about these specific characters and their journey, I thought it was a really well-written, well-acted, well-shot movie. And one that I think is deserving of the Palme D'or (who am I to argue with the Coen brothers?). Also, the two interviews on the Criterion are great, especially the one from the lead actor. Such a fascinating guy. If you're on the fence about this title, grab it.

[Mose Harper]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Having read Nabokov's novel long ago (back in my college days), I don't know how the hell Kubrick managed to pull off making this film. Nabokov wrote the screenplay for the film (his novel was released in 1955, the film hit the theaters in 1962); I'd love to see what the script looked like before it got chopped down by the censors.

I could have sworn I saw his script (which still varies quite a bit from the produced film) released in book form.
It was over twenty years ago when I saw/read it, but can't remember how much earlier than that it was published.

Kubrick's film is an interesting take, and to my mind a lot more faithful to the spirit of the text than Lynne's more textually specific version.

But it still misses so much from the experience of reading the actual book.

It blows my mind that English wasn't even the author's first language. It's a magical brush in his hands.

[Namuhana]

Originally Posted by Mose Harper

I could have sworn I saw his script (which still varies quite a bit from the produced film) released in book form.
It was over twenty years ago when I saw/read it, but can't remember how much earlier than that it was published.

It's still available in book form:

[Dragon Ranger]

Originally Posted by Hoke Moseley

Mr. Sandman?

Spider-Man 3 confirmed.

Spongebob Squarepants has been hitting the gym hard!

[obscurelabel]

Originally Posted by Hoke Moseley

Mr. Sandman?

Spider-Man 3 confirmed.

To Sleep with Anger, I think

[Polaroid]

Yay pics of the packaging for The Tree of Life (from the review on here)!

How exciting

[StarDestroyer52]

Since I know many, including me, have been hammering for the release of The Lady Eve. The screenshots of the French version released on the Preston Sturges boxset look very good:






Source(in French): http://www.dvdclassik.com/test/blu-r...rges-wild-side

[StarDestroyer52]

Originally Posted by Dragon Ranger

Spongebob Squarepants has been hitting the gym hard!

Later:

[Reddington]

For those interested, the Bergman's Cinema box set is now $195.39 on Amazon. I hadn't placed a preorder yet, but decided to do so at this price. Got a random "Extra Savings" discount of $2.72 at checkout, taking the pre-tax total to $192.67. The thing I like about Amazon is that one can lock in the preorder price without paying up-front. If the set is included in the B&N sale that should be happening around release date, it's easy to cancel with Amazon.

[Eddiedane]

That French Sturges set is deeply gorgeous and the transfers are solid all around (though I did notice some digital noise in the shadows). Unfortunately, I couldn't find a way to turn off the French subtitles. It would normally be a major irritation for me, especially with something so expensive, but the packaging and the included book are a recent highlight to my collection. Actually brought it in to work to show it off to the few people I know who might care.