The Criterion Collection

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by jw007

What I'm REALLY intrigued about is the possibility of Criterion releasing 4K UHD box sets. I know people have been dreaming about a Kurosawa box set, but imagine if it was all UHD? Does anyone think that their box sets will get upgraded? (Such as the old release: America Lost and Found: The BBS Story)

Yes. Can you imagine getting Head in 4K?

[Smegma]

There's a few Criterion DVDs that I still need to upgrade to Blu, but wondering if I should wait to see if they get the 4k treatment and just jump to that.

This would be:
Brazil
M
Videodrome

I believe these DVDs were some of the first Blu upgrades in the past? Probably at the front of the line for 4k?

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Yes. Can you imagine getting Head in 4K?

I'd love to see the 110-minute cut restored (it's been confirmed that a print/element of it still exists but I believe the soundtrack/audio stems aren't in the best condition).

Originally Posted by Smegma

There's a few Criterion DVDs that I still need to upgrade to Blu, but wondering if I should wait to see if they get the 4k treatment and just jump to that.

This would be:
Brazil
M
Videodrome

I believe these DVDs were some of the first Blu upgrades in the past? Probably at the front of the line for 4k?

I could see "Brazil" and "Videodrome" getting potential 4K upgrades. I'm not really sure about "M".

[nathan_h]

M seems like the easiest one to get the rights to, and the film stock probably has more detail than Brazil and Videodrome being full 35mm and not widescreen.

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Other boutique labels that have made the jump to 4K (Arrow, Shout, Kino, etc..) still release 4K-restored/scanned films on Blu-ray. Most people don't expect every single film to get a 4K release. You also have to keep in mind that the 4K market is still relatively small compared to Blu-ray, so the big news that Criterion will finally release UHD doesn't really make a difference to that vast majority of people that are buying their releases. So, I don't really see their sales suffering because of this. I think with some titles that could be the case, but if Criterion releases some obscure film from Hungary that came from a 4K restoration, people aren't going to expect a UHD of it.

Originally Posted by Smegma

There's a few Criterion DVDs that I still need to upgrade to Blu, but wondering if I should wait to see if they get the 4k treatment and just jump to that.

This would be:
Brazil
M
Videodrome

I believe these DVDs were some of the first Blu upgrades in the past? Probably at the front of the line for 4k?

MifuneFan, you were saying . . .

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by regeyer

MifuneFan, you were saying . . .

Nothing in his post invalidates anything I wrote. Perhaps you missed the part where I said that would be the case with some, but not the vast majority of people. It's perfectly understandable for someone that has made the transition to UHD to be hesitant to buy certain major Criterion titles; Brazil, M, and Videodrome being pretty good examples of just that.

Also, that's actually a pretty poor example to support your argument. Think about it, this particular member hasn't yet upgraded those titles to Blu-ray yet, despite most of them being available for over 10 years. Criterion isn't losing sales because he might not buy the Blu-ray now. In fact, those sales are just potentially deferred. Just like Criterion didn't suffer losses from from waiting as long as 11 years for him to upgrade those titles to BD, they aren't going to be suffering by him possibly waiting a couple more to see if they get a UHD release. At the end of the day, Criterion still gets the sales.

[Egbert Souse]

Originally Posted by jw007

What I'm REALLY intrigued about is the possibility of Criterion releasing 4K UHD box sets. I know people have been dreaming about a Kurosawa box set, but imagine if it was all UHD? Does anyone think that their box sets will get upgraded? (Such as the old release: America Lost and Found: The BBS Story)

Most realistically, there would be a complete box set on Blu-ray plus individual 4K releases of his biggest films. I don’t think original negatives survive for anything made prior to The Bad Sleep Well and so far the only pre-60s films with 4K restorations seem to be Rashomon, Ikiru, and Seven Samurai. First two were used for Blu-ray.

I don’t know how many box sets would justify a full 4K upgrade, but I’d be happy to own individual UHD releases of Tati’s Playtime, Fellini’s 8 1/2, Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, and Demy’s Umbrellas of Cherbourg or Young Girls of Rochefort (latter getting a UHD would be a nice opportunity to fix the awful digital-recreated opening credits with the originals)

[regeyer]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Nothing in his post invalidates anything I wrote. Perhaps you missed the part where I said that would be the case with some, but not the vast majority of people. It's perfectly understandable for someone that has made the transition to UHD to be hesitant to buy certain major Criterion titles; Brazil, M, and Videodrome being pretty good examples of just that.

Also, that's actually a pretty poor example to support your argument. Think about it, this particular member hasn't yet upgraded those titles to Blu-ray yet, despite most of them being available for over 10 years. Criterion isn't losing sales because he might not buy the Blu-ray now. In fact, those sales are just potentially deferred. Just like Criterion didn't suffer losses from from waiting as long as 11 years for him to upgrade those titles to BD, they aren't going to be suffering by him possibly waiting a couple more to see if they get a UHD release. At the end of the day, Criterion still gets the sales.

Yes, maybe this seller is a poor example. But we know there will be people who put off buying Blu-Rays to wait for the UHD. It will happen, and I'm sure Criterion has considered that as part of their plan.

The biggest problem I see, and it's not clear what exactly will happen, is whether they will drop DVD (unlikely given the large school/library customer base) or whether Blu-Rays and UHDs will come as a combo, forcing those who don't want UHD to pay extra to get a Blu-Ray. Obviously, this is going to anger some customers.

I think, in the end, the only winner from all of this will be the Criterion Channel. And, by the way, I love the Criterion Channel.

[mmarczi]

Originally Posted by regeyer

Yes, maybe this seller is a poor example. But we know there will be people who put off buying Blu-Rays to wait for the UHD. It will happen, and I'm sure Criterion has considered that as part of their plan.

Yes, it will happen, and it will be a relatively very small percentage of people, many of which will simply buy a different Criterion release instead. It will make zero impact on their overall landscape because it will be an incredibly small sample size. 4K is and likely always will be niche. If you actually go back and look at Criterion's Tweet announcing their 4Ks, there was a very large number of replies that expressed complete indifference, and defiance against upgrading to 4K. So this notion that blu-ray releases are going to tank because everybody wants to wait and see if it will get a 4K release is absurd. The type of people who do that are the ones who would post on a forum like this, and we're the minority of the viewing public.

Originally Posted by regeyer

I think, in the end, the only winner from all of this will be the Criterion Channel. And, by the way, I love the Criterion Channel.

I'd love to hear your rationale for this conclusion. I'm pretty sure the winners are anybody who wanted Criterion 4Ks.

[kvnbhovis]

Originally Posted by biglou114

If you are looking for an outside example of thousands of people buying a single movie for too much, look here:

https://shop.a24films.com/products/m...32160093077553

God, I hated that film. 3 hour movie that felt like 365 days.

[Purplenoon]

Originally Posted by NeoNical

Tiger on Beat or The Big Heat (1988 Johnnie To one) for me

Or anything by Johnnie To!

[Jobla]

Originally Posted by Smegma

There's a few Criterion DVDs that I still need to upgrade to Blu, but wondering if I should wait to see if they get the 4k treatment and just jump to that.

This would be:
Brazil
M
Videodrome

I believe these DVDs were some of the first Blu upgrades in the past? Probably at the front of the line for 4k?

I'd love to see M upgraded, especially if the excellent 1951 Joseph Losey remake was included as a supplement. I have heard through the grapevine that Criterion has the rights to the 1951 version of M.

[Brad1963]

Originally Posted by AreaUnderTheCurve

I'm sure this has been posted already, but $60 is horseshit. There's no movie good enough to warrant that price. Also, why would you include a 1080p BD in the set? People who buy the UHD release aren't gonna use it.

I guess you were not around when Criterion had Laserdisc titles that retailed at about $100.

[tatterdemalion]

Originally Posted by AreaUnderTheCurve

I'm sure this has been posted already, but $60 is horseshit. There's no movie good enough to warrant that price. Also, why would you include a 1080p BD in the set? People who buy the UHD release aren't gonna use it.

The 1080p BD is included with the UHD 4K because no special features will be included on the UHD 4K BDs, only the film. We BD buyers won't have to purchase the UHD copy because they'll still get a separate release.

Originally Posted by Brad1963

I guess you were not around when Criterion had Laserdisc titles that retailed at about $100.

$125 for the CAV copies, to be exact.

[HillSprinter]

Why’s nobody talking about the most important issue of Criterion releasing 4K Blu-ray’s……what colour is the 4K cover sticker gonna be?!

[Vigojean]

Originally Posted by kvnbhovis

God, I hated that film. 3 hour movie that felt like 365 days.

Just another Millennial director masturbating to Lynch. At least Robert Eggers does it with style. And not nearly as annoying as Millennial directors (Gerwig, Wilde, Burnham) masturbating to Wes Anderson.

[BunyipPouch]

Originally Posted by Vigojean

Just another Millennial director masturbating to Lynch. At least Robert Eggers does it with style. And not nearly as annoying as Millennial directors (Gerwig, Wilde, Burnham) masturbating to Wes Anderson.

I wish there was a Thumbs Down button.

[ravenus]

Sorry if this is already known, but several Criterion titles are at or very near the 50%off price point at Amazon US right now.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=criterion...6_midas-iss-sm

I filled a few wishlist items:

[A Tortured Duckling]

Originally Posted by ravenus

Sorry if this is already known, but several Criterion titles are at or very near the 50%off price point at Amazon US right now.

Yeah, I saw that. I just picked up Blue Velvet for $21.

[Elvis_Tangerium]

Originally Posted by Smegma

There's a few Criterion DVDs that I still need to upgrade to Blu, but wondering if I should wait to see if they get the 4k treatment and just jump to that.

This would be:
Brazil
M
Videodrome

The Last Emperor (in the correct aspect ratio).