The Criterion Collection

[pedromvu]

Watched The Passion of Joan of Arc with the Voices of Light soundtrack for the first time.

The soundtrack is amazing and fits perfectly, but now I can't find why I was already familiar with some of the tracks like The Jailers, Pater Noster and Torture, feel like I recently heard some in another film or somewhere but based on imdb credits can't find anything.

[ravenus]

I know this is not directly Criterion related but since many of the people here are Coen Bros fans, just wanted to say that I saw their latest film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs at the ongoing international film fest in my city and thought I'd post my impressions here:
"Please God let this not be some bleak country music fare" I was hoping as I sat down to the film (co-produced by Netflix so expect to see it at home soon). Well, there is singing, especially in the first vignette of this anthology western, but boring it certainly ain't. In a series of unrelated episodes set in the West as represented by old-school Hollywood, the Coens seem to pay tribute to masters like John Ford, Sam Peckinpah, and hell, even animator Tex Avery. Over the various courses of this banquet, the tone goes from hilarious to stirring to romantic and a dash of the macabre. I won't spoil it any more save to say that I enjoyed myself thoroughly and look forward to revisiting it (hopefully on blu-ray).

[s-hell]

Originally Posted by regeyer

I have enjoyed FilmStruck because, even though my local library carries almost everything, it is still easier to watch things on FilmStruck, especially at a moment's notice.

Originally Posted by jakdstew

I think Criterion is just fine. We were only speculating that the streaming service may have marginally cost them some money in sales.

Criterion seems to have been quite happy about the FilmStruck solution, I guess their licensing conditions for streaming will be good enough for them. And, as regeyer said, they have to cater for different customer preferences anyway, serving both "film-owners" and "film-renters". Revenues for the streaming service must have been the critical factor.

[RojD]

Anyone else slightly disappointed in the von Sternberg/Dietrich box set? No question that half the movies -- Morocco, Shanghai Express and The Devil is a Woman -- are absolutely top-tier classics. Wonderful, delightful,and deeply satisifying.

The others go from bad to worse. Dishonored is a silent misfire with sound, Blonde Venus is a choppy mess, and I thought The Scarlett Empress was just godawful. Casting Dietrich in a historical costume drama was a bad call, and even she couldn't rise above it. And but for a very few monents, von Sternberg seemed to be phoning in his visuals in these, too. (Don't believe the notes in the set)

Anyway, when I finished this uneven box, I wondered why it hadn't been an Eclipse set. Too good source material? Too much historical importance? Too much profit potential?

Anyone else think Dishonored, Blonde Venus and Scarlett Empress were seriously sub-par?

[KJones77]

Originally Posted by RojD

Anyone else slightly disappointed in the von Sternberg/Dietrich box set? No question that half the movies -- Morocco, Shanghai Express and The Devil is a Woman -- are absolutely top-tier classics. Wonderful, delightful,and deeply satisifying.

The others go from bad to worse. Dishonored is a silent misfire with sound, Blonde Venus is a choppy mess, and I thought The Scarlett Empress was just godawful. Casting Dietrich in a historical costume drama was a bad call, and even she couldn't rise above it. And but for a very few monents, von Sternberg seemed to be phoning in his visuals in these, too. (Don't believe the notes in the set)

Anyway, when I finished this uneven box, I wondered why it hadn't been an Eclipse set. Too good source material? Too much historical importance? Too much profit potential?

Anyone else think Dishonored, Blonde Venus and Scarlett Empress were seriously sub-par?

I didn't buy the set but I managed to watch all the films in it before it came out. I would definitely agree it was uneven. I did happen to like Dishonored though and found The Scarlet Empress to be ok. I also did not care much for Shanghai Express.

Blonde Venus is terrible though. I would say the set is a bit uneven and lacking a truly great film. The Devil Is A Woman comes the closest - though Bunuel's That Obscure Object of Desire, based on the same novel, is better - but it doesn't help it from paling in comparison to a set like the Demy one. As a package though, they are quite nice and I do hope to revisit them at some point.

Are the extras any good?

[RojD]

Originally Posted by KJones77

I didn't buy the set but I managed to watch all the films in it before it came out. I would definitely agree it was uneven. I did happen to like Dishonored though and found The Scarlet Empress to be ok. I also did not care much for Shanghai Express.

Blonde Venus is terrible though. I would say the set is a bit uneven and lacking a truly great film. The Devil Is A Woman comes the closest - though Bunuel's That Obscure Object of Desire, based on the same novel, is better - but it doesn't help it from paling in comparison to a set like the Demy one. As a package though, they are quite nice and I do hope to revisit them at some point.

Are the extras any good?

Shoulda thought of the extras! They are far more consistent than the films themselves, consistently good. I thought they gave a lot of context for the movies, and some gave interesting (re)interpretations of Dietrich.

You don't get any extras on Eclipse sets, and they make the set worthwhile. Good point.

[jakdstew]

Originally Posted by RojD

Anyone else slightly disappointed in the von Sternberg/Dietrich box set? No question that half the movies -- Morocco, Shanghai Express and The Devil is a Woman -- are absolutely top-tier classics. Wonderful, delightful,and deeply satisifying.

The others go from bad to worse. Dishonored is a silent misfire with sound, Blonde Venus is a choppy mess, and I thought The Scarlett Empress was just godawful. Casting Dietrich in a historical costume drama was a bad call, and even she couldn't rise above it. And but for a very few monents, von Sternberg seemed to be phoning in his visuals in these, too. (Don't believe the notes in the set)

Anyway, when I finished this uneven box, I wondered why it hadn't been an Eclipse set. Too good source material? Too much historical importance? Too much profit potential?

Anyone else think Dishonored, Blonde Venus and Scarlett Empress were seriously sub-par?

Dishonored was by far my least favorite of the set, though it isn’t a bad film by any means. I liked Blonde Venus but would rank it as the second weakest. I thought The Scarlet Empress was great. It’s one of Dietrich’s best roles, and the visuals are wonderfully grotesque. Morocco, Shanghai Express, and The Devil is a Woman were all great as well. I will definitely be revisiting these films.

[bwdowiak]

Originally Posted by Doctor Jack

Watched Cold Water today, my second criterion of the day, and I loved it. I really feel Assayas is one of the most underrated filmmakers alive. Everyone of his films hits me hard. Hope Criterion keeps releasing more of his.

On a related not, in the included essay about Cold Water, the author talks about other films of a similar style and A Brighter Summer Day is mentioned. See that it is in the collection and curious to know if it is recommended by any of you fellow Criterion lovers.

I had never seen A Brighter Summer Day prior to picking up the Criterion release as a blind buy. It is sublime, in my opinion. I've watched it twice now - the very definition of an epic film. I love it so much that I now consider it in my personal top 20 of all time.

Can't say enough about it and I'm surprised that others haven't reported back about having been floored by this film.

Guess I need to see Cold Water now.

[senseabove]

ABSD is indeed superb, and I'm also a little surprised there haven't been more folks coming out of the woodwork with praise. I'll admit to being slightly less bowled over on my second viewing—though that may also have been home vs theater viewing—and I think YiYi might have surpassed it as my favorite Yang so far, but I still heartily recommend ABSD.

I'm more than a little fascinated by the influence of James Dean (and Rebel... in general) on 50s and 60s culture, both for its reach outside of the US and as a watershed moment in the rise of empathetic depictions of teenagers in general, and ABSD is in some ways a darker, more expansive Rebel Without a Cause. And it's an influence I can certainly see getting channeled into Cold Water, which I also love. (Tsai Ming-Liang's Rebels of the Neon God is another one to add to that group, that one featuring, uh, a slightly less subtle homage.)

[jshaide]

Did they take the FilmStruck App off the FIRESTICK, or did it never exist?

Got a free trial and didn't connect it to my television. Was trying to d/l the app to watch something tonight and nothing comes up.

[812crew]

Originally Posted by Polaroid

Does anyone know the music used in the trailer for Cameraperson?

Cameraperson Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Documentary - YouTube

Kinda Philip Glass style, but don't recognise it from his music - anyone know what it is? Thanks!!

Not sure if you ever got an answer to this.
There are music credits on their website, and I'm pretty sure this is the same music used in the movie. The credits page is:
http://www.camerapersonfilm.com/credits/
Also, if you haven't seen the movie, definitely give it a try. I watch a lot of Criterions, and I think it's one of the most underrated movies of the decade. It says more about filmmaking and storytelling than anything I've seen in a long long time. To me, it's as intelligent and audacious as something done in the 60s by Godard, but we live in a world with too many options now and some things fall through the cracks.
(also: great features on the Criterion edition)
Hope you find the music!

[koberulz]

Originally Posted by jshaide

Did they take the FilmStruck App off the FIRESTICK, or did it never exist?

Got a free trial and didn't connect it to my television. Was trying to d/l the app to watch something tonight and nothing comes up.

Filmstruck is dead.

[Nailwraps]

Just a random thought; would it be cool if Citizen Kane was Criterion Blu-ray/DVD title #1000? Even better, release it on 4K also?

[Doctor Jack]

Originally Posted by Nailwraps

Just a random thought; would it be cool if Citizen Kane was Criterion Blu-ray/DVD title #1000? Even better, release it on 4K also?

The WB edition of Kane is great. No need to have Criterion do it.

[Ray Jackson]

It’s getting harder and harder to find Criterion titles that I want to buy, especially with the coupon era just a distant memory from a better time.

...I can’t even think of five titles to consider for the upcoming sale.

[koberulz]

I have a wishlist of well over 40...

[Polaroid]

Originally Posted by 812crew

Not sure if you ever got an answer to this.
There are music credits on their website, and I'm pretty sure this is the same music used in the movie. The credits page is:
http://www.camerapersonfilm.com/credits/
Also, if you haven't seen the movie, definitely give it a try. I watch a lot of Criterions, and I think it's one of the most underrated movies of the decade. It says more about filmmaking and storytelling than anything I've seen in a long long time. To me, it's as intelligent and audacious as something done in the 60s by Godard, but we live in a world with too many options now and some things fall through the cracks.
(also: great features on the Criterion edition)
Hope you find the music!

Thanks will check it out, have wanted to see for a while, not had a chance yet though!

[Nailwraps]

Originally Posted by Doctor Jack

The WB edition of Kane is great. No need to have Criterion do it.

I must confess, I originally put King Kong but I thought that was Criterion's first release. :P

Whatever they plan for #1000 it has to be something.

[mande2013]

Originally Posted by senseabove

ABSD is indeed superb, and I'm also a little surprised there haven't been more folks coming out of the woodwork with praise. I'll admit to being slightly less bowled over on my second viewing—though that may also have been home vs theater viewing—and I think YiYi might have surpassed it as my favorite Yang so far, but I still heartily recommend ABSD.

I'm more than a little fascinated by the influence of James Dean (and Rebel... in general) on 50s and 60s culture, both for its reach outside of the US and as a watershed moment in the rise of empathetic depictions of teenagers in general, and ABSD is in some ways a darker, more expansive Rebel Without a Cause. And it's an influence I can certainly see getting channeled into Cold Water, which I also love. (Tsai Ming-Liang's Rebels of the Neon God is another one to add to that group, that one featuring, uh, a slightly less subtle homage.)

I personally love Taipei Story, even if it wears its Antonioni influence on its sleeve. Tsai's Vive L'Amour is also great. Haven't yet seen Rebels of the Neon God.

[Richardrli]

Is there a quick go to list for all of Criterion's Japanese film releases? (BD and DVD)