The Criterion Collection

[KMR]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Holy crap! Swing Time!!!!

Wow, those good old days when they actually let the viewers see the choreography!

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

The Film Forum are having a series on trilogies from April 19 - May 16. There's so many I want to see from this list, my god.

https://filmforum.org/series/trilogies

Jealous of everyone in NYC who can enjoy the wonders of the Film Forum, seems such an incredible film culture there - including Criterion themselves of course.

[Ned Brainard]

Along with that wonderful news about The Cameraman (), I also noticed this listing for a screening of Erich von Stroheim's The Wedding March:
https://prod3.agileticketing.net/web...-af16bcbe6fc6&

So, it looks like that not only has Paramount restored the film (probably building upon the work that the Library of Congress did), but this restoration is available as a DCP. Since Criterion has long been rumored to have licensed this film, perhaps we will finally see this film given a blu-ray release some time in the near to distant future. We can hope at least.

[evilive]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

March is shaping up to be my favorite month of adding films to my collection since I started buying blu-rays four years ago. I've probably had a month or two where I spent more, but it's about the quality of films and diversity, to me. I don't know if I'll ever top this run. In addition to my Criterion Flash sale and Hammer Horror 8-film Collection haul, I'm importing four blu-rays from Amazon UK.

Nosferatu (Eureka)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Eureka)
Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler (Eureka)
The Elephant Man (Studio Canal)

You're welcome, everyone. My order all but assures that David Lynch's masterpiece will be announced by Criterion a little under a month from now.

[Show spoiler]Attachment 218189
"There, there. Don't cry, John. I'm sure somebody in America will release your film on blu-ray.

Been thinking about importing The Elephant Man too. Think I'll hold off for about a month more haha.

[nitin]

I saw it off the now OOP Criterion DVD, but hopefully either Criterion gets it back or Kino releases it via Studiocanal. Powell & Pressburger’s terrific and underrated The Small Back Room is a film I had seen before and liked but, rewatching it last night, it struck me how beautifully done the relationship stuff is and how little I had appreciated that aspect last time. Kathleen Byron is as superb here as she is in Black Narcissus. It’s also an interesting British take on the same ground that Wilder explored in The Lost Weekend but with added WWII subtext.

[DavidRoylance]

I am super happy about Swing Time and would welcome anything on blu featuring that gorgeous RKO radio tower. I imaging its the level of time needed to devote to restoration that has prevented a box set at this stage.

[latehong]

Originally Posted by nitin

I saw it off the now OOP Criterion DVD, but hopefully either Criterion gets it back or Kino releases it via Studiocanal. Powell & Pressburger’s terrific and underrated The Small Back Room is a film I had seen before and liked but, rewatching it last night, it struck me how beautifully done the relationship stuff is and how little I had appreciated that aspect last time. Kathleen Byron is as superb here as she is in Black Narcissus. It’s also an interesting British take on the same ground that Wilder explored in The Lost Weekend but with added WWII subtext.

Glad to hear some love for that underseen gem, which I also think a much better bomb disposal thriller than The Hurt Locker. Let us pray Martin Scorsese (age 76) and Thelma Schoonmaker (age 79) live for a long, long time and restore every Michael Powell movie. (I Know Where I'm Going! has been restored recently, according to The Observer interview with Ms. Schoonmaker.)

[Arawn]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

[Show spoiler]

I guess calling it "Clint Eastwood Trilogy" works better than "Dollars Trilogy" or alternatively "Urine Colored Trilogy"

[bsend]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

According to a poster on Criterionforum, went to a Q&A for Walker at The Egyptian last night with Alex Cox. He says Criterion told Cox they weren’t interested in upgrading it to Blu-Ray. So let’s start an email complaining chain! Get Walker on Blu-Ray!!!!!!

I have been holding out on buying a DVD in hopes of an upgrade.

[nitin]

Originally Posted by latehong

Glad to hear some love for that underseen gem, which I also think a much better bomb disposal thriller than The Hurt Locker. Let us pray Martin Scorsese (age 76) and Thelma Schoonmaker (age 79) live for a long, long time and restore every Michael Powell movie. (I Know Where I'm Going! has been restored recently, according to The Observer interview with Ms. Schoonmaker.)

I Know Where I Am Going should be upgraded straight away if a restoration is now available.

[AaronJ]

Hmm, not really familiar with the Dumont films, though that certainly doesn't mean I won't get them. I need to read a bit more about them. L'Humanite particularly sounds like it's probably in my wheelhouse.

I'll probably pick up War and Peace, though it will be a blind buy.

I am pretty sure that's it for me for June.

[Egbert Souse]

I read somewhere that A Canterbury Tale was also restored by BFI not long ago, as well.

There's still a few 40s P&Ps I need to see - Contraband, 49th Parallel, One of Our Aircraft is Missing, and The Spy in Black - but everything from Colonel Blimp to The Small Back Room is perfect.

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by latehong

Glad to hear some love for that underseen gem, which I also think a much better bomb disposal thriller than The Hurt Locker. Let us pray Martin Scorsese (age 76) and Thelma Schoonmaker (age 79) live for a long, long time and restore every Michael Powell movie. (I Know Where I'm Going! has been restored recently, according to The Observer interview with Ms. Schoonmaker.)

For the record, I would happily donate any internal organ I have two of to keep Mr. Scorsese alive and in good health. Not only is he a tremendous filmmaker, a man whose vision has provided all of us with countless hours of entertainment over the years, but, imho, more importantly, the work he's done championing the preservation of film history makes him absolutely irreplaceable. The art form we all love could not possibly have a better steward. His tireless work ensures that our children, and countless generations after we are all long gone will be able to enjoy, and appreciate so much of the great art that has been produced in the last century plus. And I cannot help but smile knowing that.

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by Arawn

I guess calling it "Clint Eastwood Trilogy" works better than "Dollars Trilogy" or alternatively "Urine Colored Trilogy"

Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Western Trilogy.

[theater dreamer]

Here, in a nut shell, is why I am a physical media enthusiast.

I've been watching a good number of films from the late 1930s, of late, especially from 1939. I'm seeing Gone With the Wind tomorrow night in the theater. I saw The Wizard of Oz in the theater January. I'm watching The Hunchback of Notre Dame, saved to my DVR, in the morning. I could go on.

There's a documentary called 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year, hosted by Kenneth Branagh, and I've wanted to see it for some time after learning about it in a discussion about one of the movies released that year (I forget which). I've not been able to find it anywhere. It's not part of Amazon Prime's streaming service. Not on Hulu or Netflix. I can't stream it, or rent it on Youtube.

I was looking at the Gone With the Wind boxed set tonight, and happened to see the documentary was part of that three disc set. Well, I have GWTW on blu-ray (the Scarlett Edition), and lo and behold, the documentary is included in the set, as well.

If I didn't have that disc, there's no way I could see it.

Yes, buying all these discs is expensive. Yes, many of them I won't watch for a while. And they take up a good amount of space. But, time and time again, when I want to watch something that's not a new release, or a big name like The Godfather, Casablanca or Gone With the Wind, I can't find it. Anywhere. But if I own it, it takes all of thirty seconds to pull it off my shelf, pop it into my player, and dim the lights.

Not being subjected to the whims of streaming content providers is a truly wonderful thing!

[AaronJ]

Yeah, I prefer physical too. Not that I don't stream a lot of stuff or, like right now, watch a movie on TV (Nerve on FXM in this case). But I'd much rather own the disc with all the extras and be able to play it whenever I want to.

BTW, have you ever seen Gone With the Wind in the theater? I've seen it a few times, and it's quite the experience.

[theater dreamer]

So, being the fan I am of Alfred Hitchcock and Carole Lombard, both, I decided to give Hitch’s lone foray into comedy a try, and I’ve laughed several times while doing so. Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the penultimate film of the great Carole Lombard’s career, deserves a blu-Ray release, and I’d love for Criterion to do it. It’s marks an historical curiosity in the Master of Suspense’s career, and it’s a melancholy experience, knowing Lombard would be gone less than a year after its release. However, I feel it’s deserving on its own merits. Lombard and Robert Montgomery are quite good together as the lovey-dovey-turned-pugilistic couple.

What do you guys think? About the film, itself, and the likelihood of Criterion releasing it? Hitch only made it as a favor to his friend Carole, but I think it’s a largely successful screwball-esque comedy that deserves to be seen. The opportunity for film historians to comment on this oddity within Hitchcock’s career would make for some compelling extras, methinks. Plus, it would be a wonderful homage to the career of a lady who died in the service of her country.

[theater dreamer]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Yeah, I prefer physical too. Not that I don't stream a lot of stuff or, like right now, watch a movie on TV (Nerve on FXM in this case). But I'd much rather own the disc with all the extras and be able to play it whenever I want to.

BTW, have you ever seen Gone With the Wind in the theater? I've seen it a few times, and it's quite the experience.

No, I haven’t. This far, Casablanca and The Wizard of Oz are the only classics I’ve seen on the big screen. It promises to make for quite an evening. Can’t wait to see this epic in all its glory.

I do a lot of streaming, too, but I view my streaming services as merely a luxury. They’re great portable devices, and I often find things I have not yet seen. But if I like something, I buy it, so I’ll never have to worry about missing it.

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

Here, in a nut shell, is why I am a physical media enthusiast.
...

There's a documentary called 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year, hosted by Kenneth Branagh, and I've wanted to see it for some time after learning about it in a discussion about one of the movies released that year (I forget which). I've not been able to find it anywhere. It's not part of Amazon Prime's streaming service. Not on Hulu or Netflix. I can't stream it, or rent it on Youtube.
...

Not being subjected to the whims of streaming content providers is a truly wonderful thing!

I understand with your sentiment and of course for anything I want to re-watch I will prefer a physical disc with no bandwidth limitations on quality, but it's not like every classic one may be interesting in giving a watch, let alone own for eternity, is available on the current popular physical media format. So many VHS / LD / DVD films one loved are not available on blu-ray. It's all a matter of demand and supply. A company like Disney keeps several of its classic films out of circulation or unavailable on HD or exclusive to a Disney Movie Club circle. So it's not like physical media owners are free to sample whatever interests them.

Also, I'm sure at the dawn of every new physical format, the focus was on the latest and greatest and what was deemed having the most immediate demand. As the format settled, you had more obscure and specialized content making their respective niches. The streaming phenomenon is still in an early growing stage, still finding its market. Assuming it becomes a predominant means of consumption, you will likely see the rise of more specialist channels and perhaps a sort of stream on demand where subscribers can send in requests. Perhaps the major studios will themselves get into streaming and each of their individual libraries will open up in a large way. You are comparing a far more established format against a newer protocol for accessing content. Your opinion may hold good for now, but who knows what the future brings?

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by theater dreamer

No, I haven’t. This far, Casablanca and The Wizard of Oz are the only classics I’ve seen on the big screen. It promises to make for quite an evening. Can’t wait to see this epic in all its glory.

I do a lot of streaming, too, but I view my streaming services as merely a luxury. They’re great portable devices, and I often find things I have not yet seen. But if I like something, I buy it, so I’ll never have to worry about missing it.

I think you'll really enjoy it! It's obviously so beautifully shot, and seeing all of that on a big screen is really something else.

As for streaming, I've sort of come to be addicted to some Netflix original content. I mean, lord only knows how long I would have had to wait to see Roma for example. And To the Bone, while no Cuaròn masterpiece obviously was quite the engaging and fairly disturbing film with some excellent performances. And Netflix and Amazon Prime give me the opportunity to watch stuff in which I have little to no interest in owning. So it's a definite win-win.