The Criterion Collection

[mja345]

Checked out my BD of "Le Beau Serge" several nights ago and thought it was really fantastic. It tells the simple story of Francois (Jean-Claude Brialy) returning home to the village he grew up in to find his childhood best friend Serge (Gerard Blain) has turned into a hopeless alcoholic whose wife has a child on the way. Francois begins an affair with a manipulative young temptress (Bernadette Lafont) who ultimately drives a wedge between him and and Serge.

Claude Chabrol's debut film is often cited as the beginning of the French New Wave, although its largely absent of the stylistic flourishes that would define French cinema in the 1960s. But similar to films like "The 400 Blows" and "Breathless", it tells a simple story exceedingly well. Part of the film's effectiveness can be attributed to the small village setting, where the characters seem completely trapped. Francois often flees to the wide open expanses of nature, seemingly like a prisoner being let out of his cell. Serge's crippling alcoholism, as well as his wife's depression, anchor both in this small village without much promise of ever getting out.

It's a great film that really touches on how easy it is to become completely involved in one's own small, solitary world while losing perspective on what exists outside of it. It's one that I don't hear talked about much, but I'd definitely recommend picking it up during the next sale if you don't own it already.

[dkelly26666]

Has anyone gotten a shipping notice yet for "Death in Venice" from Amazon? I have never even gotten a delivery estimate, and now Amazon says it is 'Currently unavailable' to order. I pre-ordered it when the pre-order first went up months ago.

Is it delayed?

[prkchopexpress]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Different Chocolat.

I'm just trying to comprehend that there are at least three movies called chocolat.

[theater dreamer]

A77F300A-1035-4464-9D1E-98885CFFF951.jpg
Wrong movie, but the line, “never mind that sh#*, here comes Mongo!!” seems appropriate at this moment!

I’m watching It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World for the first time. It’s definitely going on my list of films to buy during the Flash sale. Jonathan Winters has me laughing uncontrollably. He’s like a bull in a china shop. 😆 The man definitely marched to the beat of a different drummer...one only he could hear.

It’s a real treat seeing all these comedy legends together. This movie is a lot of fun!!

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by Bates_Motel

Different Chocolat.

Read the post I was quoting. It's a joke, man.

[Xtempo]

With Filmstruck and on the Hulu channel as with the new venture I have a question about the films: Are those all available or will be available on physical media or did Criterion show movies that they were not release in any form that is not digital?

[bluesparrow]

Cross-posting from the Detour thread:

If you live in the Washington D.C./Northen Virginia area, the Library of Congress A.V. Archive in Culpeper is showing Detour on Saturday, March 9 at 7:30PM. Screenings there are free, first-come first-serve.

Here's the blurb from their calendar:

Saturday, March 9 (7:30 p.m.)
DETOUR (PRC, 1945)

Film critic Roger Ebert called “Detour” “haunting and creepy, an embodiment of the guilty soul of film noir. No one who has seen it has easily forgotten it.” Hitchhiker Al Roberts (Tom Neal) gets mixed up with a femme fatale (Ann Savage) who "looked like she'd just been thrown off the crummiest freight train in the world." The story is told in narration addressed directly to the audience who hears not what happened, but what Al wants us to believe happened. This ultra-low budget melodrama shot in six days by Edgar G. Ulmer has developed cult status as one of the most stylish B pictures ever produced. “Detour” was added to the National Film Registry in 1992. It will be introduced by film preservationist and new Library of Congress Film Laboratory Supervisor Heather Linville who supervised the recent restoration of the film. 35mm film print, restored by the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation in collaboration with Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique, the Museum of Modern Art and the Cinémathèque Française. Restoration funding provided by the George Lucas Family Foundation.

Black & white, 68 min.

[thebalconyfool]

Is anyone having a problem accessing their wish list on the Criterion site? I keep getting an error. I messaged them about it the other day but I haven't heard back.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Xtempo

With Filmstruck and on the Hulu channel as with the new venture I have a question about the films: Are those all available or will be available on physical media or did Criterion show movies that they were not release in any form that is not digital?

There are hundreds of films that Criterion has put out digitally that have never had physical releases, and many never will. For instance, Criterion had (or has) the Hanzo the Razor film series digitally, but no physical release of it, and who know if there ever will be.

[BenOswald]

Puzzling that so much of Luis Buñuel's stuff is OOP or DVD only.

Anyone have any insight why?

Maybe a secret box set in the works? (Please)

[The Sovereign]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

I’m watching It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World for the first time. It’s definitely going on my list of films to buy during the Flash sale. Jonathan Winters has me laughing uncontrollably. He’s like a bull in a china shop. 😆 The man definitely marched to the beat of a different drummer...one only he could hear.

It’s a real treat seeing all these comedy legends together. This movie is a lot of fun!!

Winters was one of the greatest comedy geniuses who ever lived. His performance is my favorite among a long list of hilarious performances from that film. I envy you seeing it for the first time.

[jordan-r]

Originally Posted by BenOswald

Puzzling that so much of Luis Buñuel's stuff is OOP or DVD only.

Anyone have any insight why?

Maybe a secret box set in the works? (Please)

StudioCanal has the rights to a bunch of them, and don't play well rights-wise with Criterion.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by jordan-r

StudioCanal has the rights to a bunch of them, and don't play well rights-wise with Criterion.

Criterion might of have struck a new SC deal given that the Kino Lorber Insider had stated awhile back that another label had snapped up a bunch of foreign language films from their catalog.

[marquisuninjured]

Nice topic.

[hariseldon]

Originally Posted by thebalconyfool

Is anyone having a problem accessing their wish list on the Criterion site? I keep getting an error. I messaged them about it the other day but I haven't heard back.

I was able to add a few titles this weekend and check the list in general like normal. I'm getting an error message right now though.

I wonder if that means something for tomorrow though 3rd Tuesday would be an unusual date? The cart is still saying Ships in 24 hours so that tell isn't giving anything away yet.

Bergman Set now moved back to March 12 backorder

[Lordy]

Wondering what the odds of a flash sale are for this week.......

[thebalconyfool]

Originally Posted by hariseldon

I was able to add a few titles this weekend and check the list in general like normal. I'm getting an error message right now though.

I wonder if that means something for tomorrow though 3rd Tuesday would be an unusual date? The cart is still saying Ships in 24 hours so that tell isn't giving anything away yet.

Bergman Set now moved back to March 12 backorder

Thanks! And I wondered too, it wouldn't be unusual, I don't think. I ended up adding things to my cart to be ready for tomorrow just in case. Usually I move them over from my wish list, but I can't do that now.

[Reddington]

Originally Posted by thebalconyfool

Is anyone having a problem accessing their wish list on the Criterion site? I keep getting an error. I messaged them about it the other day but I haven't heard back.

Working fine for me right now.

[gpm]

Lucky you, it's not showing my orders or wish list.

[FaceInTheLeaves]

Originally Posted by Network23

Love the Lynch artwork for BV as it is, but would love for them to do reversible artwork like Shout Factory and a few others have done over they years with their cases. Trouble is dont know if Criterion will use the Plastic case with insert-able art or the cardboard digipacks they have done of late.

Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive and Fire Walk With Me are all in digipaks. If they change the packaging now it'll decimate my nervous system...


I hope a Criterion release of Lost Highway is also in the works.