Medium Cool (1969)

[Akijama]

Medium Cool Blu-ray

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION:

New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Haskell Wexler, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
Two audio commentaries, one featuring Wexler, actor Marianna Hill, and editor Paul Golding, the other featuring historian Paul Cronin
New interview with Wexler
Look Out Haskell, It’s Real!, a fifty-five-minute documentary about the making of Medium Cool, produced by Cronin and featuring interviews with Wexler, Golding, actors Verna Bloom, Peter Bonerz, and Robert Forster, Chicago historian Studs Terkel, and others
Excerpts from Sooner or Later, a documentary by Cronin about Harold Blankenship, who plays the adolescent Harold in the film
Original theatrical trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic and programmer Thomas Beard

Synopsis

It’s 1968, and the whole world is watching. With the U.S. in social upheaval, famed cinematographer Haskell Wexler decided to make a film about what the hell was going on. His debut feature, Medium Cool, plunges us into that moment. With its mix of scripted fiction and seat-of-the-pants documentary technique, this story of the working world and romantic life of a television cameraman (Robert Forster) is a visceral, lasting cinematic snapshot of the era, climaxing with an extended sequence shot right in the middle of the riots surrounding the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. An inventive commentary on the pleasures and dangers of wielding a camera, Medium Cool is as prescient a political film as Hollywood has ever produced.

[klauswhereareyou]

Originally Posted by Akijama

http://www.criterion.com/films/28426-medium-cool

One film I always meant to get on DVD, but didn't bother after it went OOP. For me the most exciting Criterion release this year.

[Scottie]

Day 1

[asabreed]

Sold my OOP DVD a year or two ago for around $40, which turns out to be a very wise decision right now. Can't wait.

[Bluyoda]

What a wonderfully powerful and thought-provoking film!
I am so glad I blind-bought it during the recent Criterion sale at B&N.

The PQ is great, but the sound quality was a 3/5 at best.
I hate it that so many Criterion film automatically seem to be getting 5s, even though it's dynamic-lacking mono or something. What a hype.
Anyways, the movie and the extras are just terrific.
One of the most meaningful American movies I have seen in a long time.

My highest recommendation to everyone with an open mind.

[Dailyan]

Had the pleasure of seeing this in 35mm last night. It was a part of a Verna Bloom tribute at the Maine International Film Festival with Jay Cocks and their son Sam giving an introduction. The print was in solid condition and it looked quite similar to the Criterion/Eureka disc with the only real thing sticking out was that the opening scene looked almost mid-day rather than early morning. It was weird hearing "Merry-Go-Round" during the roller-derby sequence instead of "Sweet Georgia Brown"; probably one of the few times where I can say the replacement song is better than the original.

It's a shame that not a lot of folks seem to talk about "Medium Cool". It's still one of my favorite blind buys.

[Jobla]

I saw the film in 1969 when I had just turned 18. It was also just about the very first commercial VHS tape that I bought, when Paramount released it circa 1981. The VHS version had the original "Merry Go Round" song as heard during the Roller Games sequence (Roller Games was actually a Los Angeles spinoff from The San Francisco Roller Derby league).

I believe it was that VHS release that prompted Wild Man Fischer to sue Paramount over the unauthorized use of his song. Fischer won the suit, and "Merry Go Round" has been missing from subsequent laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-ray transfers of the film.

In an odd coincidence, another Roller Derby spinoff film (UNHOLY ROLLERS, 1972) also had soundtrack songs removed from VHS and DVD release versions.

[trevanian]

It's amazing how little buzz this great film gets. Outside of a few film history/reference books (one of which appropriated Wexler's title), it doesn't seem to get much love. Shoot, even my wife, who in my biased opinion usually has excellent taste, didn't 'get' it till a second viewing, though now she loves it. I was only 8 when this film came out, and didn't see it till I was 25, but have probably watched it 20 times since, and the blu- is a yearly rewatch now.

[FragnitoM]

Originally Posted by trevanian

It's amazing how little buzz this great film gets. Outside of a few film history/reference books (one of which appropriated Wexler's title), it doesn't seem to get much love. Shoot, even my wife, who in my biased opinion usually has excellent taste, didn't 'get' it till a second viewing, though now she loves it. I was only 8 when this film came out, and didn't see it till I was 25, but have probably watched it 20 times since, and the blu- is a yearly rewatch now.

We watched this in a film studies course I took at university. I think film professors definitely see the value of it in teaching film/media

[Dailyan]

This seems like this is another Paramount-Criterion that's about to go OOP.

[dylrichard02]

I think I'm going to snatch the DVD of this, just to have the film and the Criterion extras. DVD is still better than not having it.

EDIT: Ordered the DVD from Amazon. $23 approx after tax with prime shipping.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJB2GSS

[BluProofie]

I hope Paramount at least reissues ALL of the OOP titles. Not getting this on blu would suck.

[dylrichard02]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

I hope Paramount at least reissues ALL of the OOP titles. Not getting this on blu would suck.

If they do, or if I can come across the Criterion blu-ray, I'll grab it for sure. Just want the film. I really don't enjoy watching DVDs that much anymore, but I'll take it over poor streaming quality any day.

[hariseldon]

Originally Posted by dylrichard02

If they do, or if I can come across the Criterion blu-ray, I'll grab it for sure. Just want the film. I really don't enjoy watching DVDs that much anymore, but I'll take it over poor streaming quality any day.

Available on BN.com and at least a dozen B&N stores in NC -- not sure which part of the state you're in. If you aren't close to a store and don't mind paying $40 of course, you could call a store with shelf stock and see if they'll ship it to you. I've had pretty good luck with that -- just call at a slower time of the day b/c it can take a few minutes extra. Not every store will do it, but most will

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by dylrichard02

If they do, or if I can come across the Criterion blu-ray, I'll grab it for sure. Just want the film. I really don't enjoy watching DVDs that much anymore, but I'll take it over poor streaming quality any day.

That's funny, since streaming in most places is far better than a DVD. You only had 8 years to "grab it," so what's 8 more?

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

I hope Paramount at least reissues ALL of the OOP titles. Not getting this on blu would suck.

That's probably what their goal is. I already own the Criterion and Masters of Cinema discs but I'll most likely pick up a theoretical Paramount Blu since it's one of my favorite films.

[ShellBeacher]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

I hope Paramount at least reissues ALL of the OOP titles. Not getting this on blu would suck.

I wouldn't say that's likely, especially for this title...but I would be happy to be surprised. Certain things like this just might pop up over on Paramount+.

Saw this at grad film school myself...otherwise I probably also would have never really been introduced to it. Glad I was, and I picked this up years ago because of that connection.

[ShellBeacher]

Someone on the Criterion forum has heard from Mulvaney, who's said that 'Medium Cool' should remain in print and should be restocked around April.

[dwk]

Originally Posted by ShellBeacher

Someone on the Criterion forum has heard from Mulvaney, who's said that 'Medium Cool' should remain in print and should be restocked around April.

That'd be me.

[BluProofie]

Glad I picked this disc up since it got restocked. Great movie.