The Criterion Collection

[Gary_M44]

Criterion’s recent releases have been so discouraging. It wasn’t so long ago that titles were announced such as War of the Worlds, High Sierra, Nightmare Alley, Holiday, Bringing Up Baby, the Lady Eve, Detour, Klute, etc. etc. etc. and these would get people really excited.

It appears like Criterion has given up on classic Hollywood and are now slanting their releases more towards inclusionary titles which deal more with current events. Ultimately, Criterion is a private business and they should be free to do what they wish. I simply don’t understand how Criterion expects to make a profit with this material, and what their strategy is in releasing it and curating it into “the Collection”.

BTW, Hotel du Nord is a terrific film that I would normally buy if I didn’t already own if from another company.

[Matt89]

Come August, my wallet will thank me. That's pretty much all I have to say about this month's announcements.

To be fair though, last month's announcements included no less than FOUR UHDs and a long-requested upgrade of David Lean's Summertime, which tbh makes it a pretty heavy month. So yeah, I'm okay with August being light (relatively speaking). There's a lot of Criterion titles in my wishlist that I need to catch up on anyway.

~Matt

[NeoNical]

The moment I saw the announcement for the new titles, I knew people were going to hate on it because these are movies that a lot of people haven't seen. Not mad about it since now I know about these movies, it'll give me more titles on my watchlist.

[BunyipPouch]

I would have expected Frownland to be an extra on the Daddy Longlegs release honestly, really surprising it's standalone. I can't imagine it'll move a lot of copies.

July was a blockbuster month, so a down month is fine (this is about as much of a down month that I've ever seen from Criterion, really weak filler announcements).

Definitely will be getting Daddy Longlegs though, nothing else this month.

[klewdside]

Criterion has had its share of "who cares?" months, but this one SERIOUSLY takes the prize.

Why can't the do something good like "Chinatown" or "Mean Streets"?

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

https://www.criterion.com/films/27721-h-tel-du-nord

Seriously surprised and disappointed not just at the disinterest but in some cases the outright hostility to this release. It's one of the crown jewels of pre-war French cinema and from a major director, yet you'd think from the reaction Criterion had started releasing Bruce Willis' recent work:




"Atmosphere! Atmosphere!"

Sandwiched between Quai des Brumes and Le Jour Se Leve and with a plot beginning and ending with acts of suicide, Hotel Du Nord is in many ways the lightest of Marcel Carne's classic poetic realist movies - at least some characters get a happy ending here. Although a quite lavish production, this is no Grand Hotel exercise in glamour, following instead the thwarted lives and loves of the occupants of a small hotel by the side of Paris' Canal Saint-Martin (in reality built on the studio backlot). At times it almost feels like a Jean Renoir film, never judging its characters but allowing them the occasional moments of hope that make their lives worth living.

The film does at times feel a little unbalanced by the shift of emphasis from the would-be doomed lovers to Arletty's streetwalker and even more by Louis Jouvert's pimp who disastrously briefly discovers his true self (a performance compelling and powerful enough to make you regret the fact that Jouvert chose to make so few films), while co-writer Henri Jeansen's dislike of Jean Pierre Aumont does mean he's too busy describing himself as a piece of merde to display his usual screen charisma, yet the film is such a marvellous match of style and content that you willingly go along with the film's ebb and flow. With Louis Née and Armand Thirard's gliding camerawork complimenting Alexandre Trauner's truly amazing set while Maurice Jaubert effectively reuses part of his score that had been dropped from the reissue prints of L'Atalante on the soundtrack, it's practically a masterclass in pre-war French cinema. And the ending - with one character announcing the end of the Hotel Du Nord and the coming Jour se Leve - is a neat touch that feels just right rather than just showing off.

[gbm82]

Originally Posted by klewdside

Criterion has had its share of "who cares?" months, but this one SERIOUSLY takes the prize.

Why can't the do something good like "Chinatown" or "Mean Streets"?

meanwhile... I think this is the most exciting month in a long time... Never heard of most before but they all sound interesting to me

[A Tortured Duckling]

Originally Posted by klewdside

Criterion has had its share of "who cares?" months, but this one SERIOUSLY takes the prize.

Why can't the do something good like "Chinatown" or "Mean Streets"?

[Scottie]

Janus update

Career Girls (1997, Mike Leigh)
https://www.janusfilms.com/films/2073

Bleak Moments (1971, Mike Leigh)
https://www.janusfilms.com/films/2074

High Hopes (1988, Mike Leigh)
https://www.janusfilms.com/films/2075

[dr727]

[acroyear2]

These are the kind of monthly announcements I love! Not a familiar title among them, but all sound immensely interesting. I'm sold on Hotel Du Nord by the cover art alone!

Let Criterion be Criterion!

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by klewdside

Criterion has had its share of "who cares?" months, but this one SERIOUSLY takes the prize.

Why can't the do something good like "Chinatown" or "Mean Streets"?

Someone needs a lesson in how licensing film works.

[Benoit Blanc]

Originally Posted by Matt89

Come August, my wallet will thank me. That's pretty much all I have to say about this month's announcements.

To be fair though, last month's announcements included no less than FOUR UHDs and a long-requested upgrade of David Lean's Summertime, which tbh makes it a pretty heavy month. So yeah, I'm okay with August being light (relatively speaking). There's a lot of Criterion titles in my wishlist that I need to catch up on anyway.

~Matt

Has it been a whole month since that endless, multi-page conversation about Summertime? Where the **** is my life going?

[gbm82]

Originally Posted by Benoit Blanc

Has it been a whole month since that endless, multi-page conversation about Summertime? Where the **** is my life going?

plot twist: you're dead

[Brad1963]

Originally Posted by klewdside

Criterion has had its share of "who cares?" months, but this one SERIOUSLY takes the prize.

Why can't the do something good like "Chinatown" or "Mean Streets"?

Paramount just took away many iconic films from Criterion. I doubt Criterion will ever release Chinatown.

[Brad1963]

Another solid month, count me in for Hotel Du Nord and Buck and the Preacher.

[Brad1963]

Originally Posted by Scottie

Janus update

Career Girls (1997, Mike Leigh)
https://www.janusfilms.com/films/2073

Bleak Moments (1971, Mike Leigh)
https://www.janusfilms.com/films/2074

High Hopes (1988, Mike Leigh)
https://www.janusfilms.com/films/2075

I love Mike Leigh. Bring them on!

[BunyipPouch]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

Paramount just took away many iconic films from Criterion. I doubt Criterion will ever release Chinatown.

Forget it, Jake. It's Paramount.

[I_Passed_Gas_LOL]

Originally Posted by Brad1963

Paramount just took away many iconic films from Criterion. I doubt Criterion will ever release Chinatown.

That's really a shame since "Chinatown" would probably be Criterion's top 5.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by jshaide

I hope that this leaking thing doesn’t become the regular for CC.

Me too. I was very happy when those damn phantom pages disappeared. I still like to be surprised by Criterion every month.