The Criterion Collection

[Jwilly019]

Originally Posted by CassavetesGodard

Army Of Shadows is what I would start with. Heck any Melville to me is a easy transition into the collection. And I am not saying that because I like him, or I would be telling you a Godard film. Melville is a good director to start with.

Thanks, I just checked the online catalog and it appears they don't have Army of Shadows, but the do have Bob le Flambeur, Le Cercle Rouge, Le Deuxieme Souffle, Le Doulos, and Les Enfants Terribles.

Of these, which would you recommend as a good starting place?

Justin

[kndy]

Originally Posted by CassavetesGodard

Le Petit Soldat and Les Carabiniers are 2 of my fav Godards' and they don't get no attention at all. Criterion has been rumored for a while about having these, but if you don't mind buying FOX LORBER dvds, I recommend them.

And for those not familiar with "Le Petit Soldat", Godard created this film after being somewhat sickened over how many rave reviews "Breathless" had received. He created the controversial "Le Petit Soldat" and it was banned as it showed how torture was used during the Algerian War (speaking of Algerian War, I highly recommend Criterion fans looking for great films to check out the awesome "Battle of Algiers").

Interesting enough, the same can be said about Marco Ferreri's "Dillinger is Dead". Ferreri was not too thrilled about how people enjoyed this film and decided to go back to films that he was known for and sure enough, several years later he created the shocking film that he would definitely be known forever..."La grande bouffe".

But I wish that Criterion had released "Le Petit Soldat" and "Les Carabiniers". But not sure if Fox Lorber wanted a lot for those two titles or what...

Originally Posted by Jwilly019

I rented Salo from my school's library yesterday and watched it this afternoon and while I knew going in that it was a disturbing film, I had no idea exactly what I was in for. Easily the most disturbing film I've ever seen. Will not be watching it again.

That being said, I was wondering what some of you guys would recommend as far as quality titles from Criterion for someone just getting into the Collection. Blu-ray or DVD and I'll see what I can get from the library here. Thanks.

Justin

I highly recommend looking at the Criterion "Explore top 10" lists which other notable filmmakers recommend from the Criterion Collection:

http://www.criterion.com/explore/top10

and you can look for my Criterion list (MS Excel) or PDF format which I tend to update that features Maltin and Ebert's picks as well.

Originally Posted by Jwilly019

I rented Salo from my school's library yesterday and watched it this afternoon and while I knew going in that it was a disturbing film, I had no idea exactly what I was in for. Easily the most disturbing film I've ever seen. Will not be watching it again.

Hehe... What I would love to see people's faces when they watch "Salo"...I think it would be as intriguing as watching the youtube reactions of people who watched "2 girls and 1 cup".

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by Jwilly019

Thanks, I just checked the online catalog and it appears they don't have Army of Shadows, but the do have Bob le Flambeur, Le Cercle Rouge, Le Deuxieme Souffle, Le Doulos, and Les Enfants Terribles.

Of these, which would you recommend as a good starting place?

Justin

hmmm, Le Cercle Rouge prob.

[ccfixx]

Originally Posted by Jwilly019

I rented Salo from my school's library yesterday and watched it this afternoon and while I knew going in that it was a disturbing film, I had no idea exactly what I was in for. Easily the most disturbing film I've ever seen. Will not be watching it again.

Justin

Then, you need to watch more films, Justin.

CC

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by kndy

And for those not familiar with "Le Petit Soldat", Godard created this film after being somewhat sickened over how many rave reviews "Breathless" had received. He created the controversial "Le Petit Soldat" and it was banned as it showed how torture was used during the Algerian War (speaking of Algerian War, I highly recommend Criterion fans looking for great films to check out the awesome "Battle of Algiers").

But I wish that Criterion had released "Le Petit Soldat" and "Les Carabiniers". But not sure if Fox Lorber wanted a lot for those two titles or what...

As much as I like Breathless, I tend to like Le Petit Soldat a little more.

On Criterionforum it shows that Criterion may have had the rights to Le Petit Soldat and Les Carabiniers for some time now, so hopefully we see them soon, as in 2011 (I am not stupid in thinking sooner with Vivre sa vie this year and the rumored 2010 release of Weekend that I still don't know if they have the rights to anymore.).

[ccfixx]

Originally Posted by kndy

Hehe... What I would love to see people's faces when they watch "Salo"...I think it would be as intriguing as watching the youtube reactions of people who watched "2 girls and 1 cup".

Seriously. As far as the idea of "disgusting" goes, I think "Salo" pales in comparison to what you can so easily find on the internet these days. Then again, I don't suppose everyone seeks out the same things on the internet that I do.

CC

[JediFonger]

ccfix,

2girls1cup?

[ccfixx]

Originally Posted by JediFonger

2girls1cup?

I say fill it to the top.

But, just because we're relatively close in the New England region don't get any crazy ideas.

CC

[kndy]

Originally Posted by CassavetesGodard

On Criterionforum it shows that Criterion may have had the rights to Le Petit Soldat and Les Carabiniers for some time now, so hopefully we see them soon, as in 2011 (I am not stupid in thinking sooner with Vivre sa vie this year and the rumored 2010 release of Weekend that I still don't know if they have the rights to anymore.).

Interesting that you bring this up because one of my industry contacts was telling me about Eclipse Series titles and how he knew people working on them and how Criterions owns many titles that they have rights to but have not released and how many have now ended up on the Eclipse Series box sets.

I would have thought "Le Petit Soldat" would have been released by now...heck even several years ago when there was so much focus on military torture. But I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Godard Eclipse Series for his later films.

These next two years will be interesting because as studios begin to phase out DVD's, the box sets and start to focus on Blu-ray, streaming and DVD-R on demand, it makes you wonder how Criterion and other smaller companies will choose to go.

I am still not ready to bite the bullet on Warner Archive or Universal Vault for older films just yet... just uncomfortable purchasing barebone DVD-R's especially at $19.99. And it looks like more and more companies are going to go this route and also digital streaming.

I don't expect this to happen to Criterion but I notice more and more people on Criterion forums posting about how they are taking advantage of Criterion titles on Netflix via streaming.

[stobbart]

Originally Posted by Jwilly019

I rented Salo from my school's library yesterday and watched it this afternoon and while I knew going in that it was a disturbing film, I had no idea exactly what I was in for. Easily the most disturbing film I've ever seen. Will not be watching it again.

That being said, I was wondering what some of you guys would recommend as far as quality titles from Criterion for someone just getting into the Collection. Blu-ray or DVD and I'll see what I can get from the library here. Thanks.

Justin

Amaracord is quality. Has one of the most funny lines in all of cinema

[Show spoiler] "I want a woman"

haha that scene cracks me up so much

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by kndy

Interesting that you bring this up because one of my industry contacts was telling me about Eclipse Series titles and how he knew people working on them and how Criterions owns many titles that they have rights to but have not released and how many have now ended up on the Eclipse Series box sets.

I would have thought "Le Petit Soldat" would have been released by now...heck even several years ago when there was so much focus on military torture. But I wouldn't be surprised if there was a Godard Eclipse Series for his later films.

These next two years will be interesting because as studios begin to phase out DVD's, the box sets and start to focus on Blu-ray, streaming and DVD-R on demand, it makes you wonder how Criterion and other smaller companies will choose to go.

I am still not ready to bite the bullet on Warner Archive or Universal Vault for older films just yet... just uncomfortable purchasing barebone DVD-R's especially at $19.99. And it looks like more and more companies are going to go this route and also digital streaming.

I don't expect this to happen to Criterion but I notice more and more people on Criterion forums posting about how they are taking advantage of Criterion titles on Netflix via streaming.

I wouldn't be mad at all if Godard films ended up in eclipse with no features, I rather have better transfers than anything.

About the transition away from dvds, I still buy dvds alot even though I keep telling myself why. But I look at it this way, if down the line a movie finally gets to blu-ray, I will decide if it's worth to upgrade. If so, I do. If not, atleast I have a copy on dvd. I wouldn't mind about double-dipping on any Godard film at all.

[kndy]

Originally Posted by CassavetesGodard

About the transition away from dvds, I still buy dvds alot even though I keep telling myself why. But I look at it this way, if down the line a movie finally gets to blu-ray, I will decide if it's worth to upgrade. If so, I do. If not, atleast I have a copy on dvd. I wouldn't mind about double-dipping on any Godard film at all.

No need to ask yourself why? Your a fan of cinema and you enjoy the films that come from that director. Nothing wrong with that. It's a given that a lot of these films are not going to be available on Blu-ray ever or for quite some time. I want to see more Godard, so many of his later films are hard to get access too. I hope Criterion intends to release more Godard films even his later 80's-90's films.

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by kndy

No need to ask yourself why? Your a fan of cinema and you enjoy the films that come from that director. Nothing wrong with that. It's a given that a lot of these films are not going to be available on Blu-ray ever or for quite some time. I want to see more Godard, so many of his later films are hard to get access too. I hope Criterion intends to release more Godard films even his later 80's-90's films.

I do too. I'm not sure how video will look on blu, so I'll will be 100% fine with dvd releases of his later work.

[KubrickFan]

Originally Posted by Eny-

They stopped shipping the replacement cases outside the US

Wait, what? When did this happen? And why?
I have to say, I think Criterion dropped the ball on this one. Charging people abroad a lot more for these, not replacing the cases in stores, and now this. They have great customer service most of the time, but this isn't their best example.

[Old Geezer]

Originally Posted by CassavetesGodard

About the transition away from dvds, I still buy dvds alot even though I keep telling myself why. But I look at it this way, if down the line a movie finally gets to blu-ray, I will decide if it's worth to upgrade. If so, I do. If not, atleast I have a copy on dvd. I wouldn't mind about double-dipping on any Godard film at all.

I couldn't agree more. In the last few months I've purchased "Mutiney on the Bounty" with Charles Laughton and Clarke Gable, "To Kill a Mockingbird", and "Belle de Jour" (all on DVD). I've also purchased "Fires on the Plain" and "Brazil" both on Criterion DVD. I can't imagine not owning these movies just because they're "not on blu."

[JediFonger]

really wished they had a shifty smiley now :shifty:

Originally Posted by ccfixx

I say fill it to the top.

But, just because we're relatively close in the New England region don't get any crazy ideas.

CC

meanwhile... are we into July announcements now for mid-april? like next Friday 4/16 there'll be new announcements for July releases?

i noticed Criterion bumped the # of Blu-Rays to 5 or 6 releases a month for June =)

[ccfixx]

Originally Posted by JediFonger

meanwhile... are we into July announcements now for mid-april? like next Friday 4/16 there'll be new announcements for July releases?

i noticed Criterion bumped the # of Blu-Rays to 5 or 6 releases a month for June =)

Yeah, the announcement should be sometime toward the end of next week, I'd think. And the five releases for June are a nice welcome, but I don't think we'll get five releases every month. Four releases per month is ideal for me. I just wish Criterion could spread them out over the entire month. I'd like a new Criterion release to be delivered to my house every week.

CC

[br0k3nglass]

Originally Posted by Eny-

They stopped shipping the replacement cases outside the US

Can anyone confirm this?

[ccfixx]

Originally Posted by br0k3nglass

Can anyone confirm this?

I can't confirm or deny since I live in the U.S., but if you have a hard time taking the word of a few members in the forum that live outside of the United States, I suppose you could always send an e-mail to Criterion and ask them if they still do or not.

CC

[neo_reloaded]

Well I just got the new Criterion newsletter, and it seems like Antichrist is definitely coming (don't know how else the clue could be interpreted, though maybe there's some more obscure film that somehow fits the clue even more perfectly haha...).

The thing is, it says "coming this fall" - that's a long time after the initial buzz about Antichrist, and its release in all other territories. I guess us importers aren't any kind of factor in a company like Criterion's release strategy, but I personally would prefer new releases that don't require restorations of any kind to come out closer to the film's actual release. I don't think there's much for Criterion to really add to these brand new films, so I'd honestly prefer IFC to license through Lionsgate or some other medium-sized studio and just get this stuff out fast - instead of needlessly filling Criterion's release schedule and making the US audience wait so long for it.