The Criterion Collection

[Hawkguy]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Milk of Sorrow is a real gem. I can see how you in particular would like it due to all the symbolism. But it never felt tacked on, everything feels germainr and integral to the narrative. The two "clipping" scenes come to mind as accomplishing exactly this. The "papa" is an obvious symbol, yes, but it provides a unique gateway into this particular girl's reality.

Absolutely--- it's one of those examples we were talking about a while ago---where you've got a rare film that doesn't need to resort to symbolism to fill in gaps where it needs something more substantial to feed a narrative...it all works well together.

...and Hitchcock is such a great introduction. I don't really like Hitchcock but when I was getting really interested in film early on, his films were some of the first that helped smooth the transition to becoming open to other films.

[andsoitgoes]

So, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - probably one of my top blind buys yet.

It took until the duel to really hook me, but from that point onwards I was transfixed.

Man Deborah Kerr was stupidly pretty. And I am so excited that I get to see Anton Walbrook in The Red Shoes he REALLY made this film, VERY MUCH!

[Cinemach]

Originally Posted by mrjohnnyb

Safety Last!
When you take a look at what you get in the supplements and consider the price, this release is the bargain of the year!

Absolutely. Not to single out just silents because there are other examples, but Criterion has really done well by its last few silent releases: The Gold Rush, Lonesome, and Safety Last are each studious exemplars of the Criterion treatment in terms of packages.

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

Here's a question for those that are region-free: which version of Gate of Hell?[...]Both are light on supplements, but the MoC has a 24-page booklet with a couple of essays, whereas the Criterion has "Liner Notes with an Essay".
I think I'm leaning towards the MoC...

The booklet gives a package favor to MoC, but during sale time the Criterion can be had for significantly cheaper due to the lower SRP.

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

Richard III BLU anyone else dying for an early review! Pro-B please say it looks great in HD. first time I watched the film on DVD it looked like an animated film with the color. Now with an HD transfer for BLU it should look wonderful.

I did notice this film is on film foundations list of films they are taking donations for restoration. Interesting since we have a BLU release. I suppose actual film restoration is different than doing a nice HD digital release.

I wish Criterion still owned Tales of Hoffmann and a restoration was taking place much like the one for The Red Shoes and the Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.

Six words: A Matter of Life and Death. I believe Sony has the (US) rights so that could open the door for Criterion? I just don't feel like that's a title Twilight Time would be interested in. I'm not going to even think about Mill Creek or the others.

(I haven't watched Tales of Hoffman but I'm sure it'd look scrumptious, given what I have seen of it. Which means yes I'd take that one too.)

Originally Posted by andsoitgoes

So, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - probably one of my top blind buys yet.

It took until the duel to really hook me, but from that point onwards I was transfixed.

Man Deborah Kerr was stupidly pretty. And I am so excited that I get to see Anton Walbrook in The Red Shoes he REALLY made this film, VERY MUCH!

I'm in the minority, but *this* is the 3/19 Criterion release I was most looking forward to, not that other one. Just went through the supplements and spot-checked the transfer when it came in yesterday, and it is indeed fantastic.

Glad you stuck with it and enjoyed it as it's a very rewarding film that has tremendous replay value - a staple with Archers films because there is much layering under the surface. This is probably my favorite film of theirs, too.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

[Show spoiler]You are very brave to give your ranking of Malick films. I find each of his films very different and unique. I can not say to prefer one over another; I find them all equal in subjective value.

Cinematographers Nestor Almendros and Haskell Wexler; Ennio Morricone's haunting score makes Days of Heaven one of the greatest movie experiences. I can say the same thing for each of his movies.



Those sunsets are amazing.

It was definitely hard to rank them, but I was thinking more from a "what I took the most out of them perspective". Each film is beautiful, so like you say, it's no easy task

[jrsl76]

I'd say the 3/19 releases were a double shot of awesomeness - 2 truly great films.

[rkish]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

This isn't true, rkish

As usual, his only pretext for calling something better is looking at whether something is on BD50 or BD25. Which is absolutely irrelevant in this case. As is looking at bit rates and claiming that something is technically better because there is a minor discrepancy (for example, 26-29).

Higher bit rates do not equate better quality.

Single-layer discs do not equate inferior quality either.

If the above wasn't true, then every single distributor would be placing content on BD50s and maxing out bit rates, and we will have perfect releases across the board

BD25 is perfectly fine for Gate of Hell, and compression on the Criterion release is indeed very good.

Pro-B

I don't doubt that you're right, Pro-B. As I haven't seen the Criterion version blu-ray and I don't have a HUGE screen to project it on (I still love my 50" Pioneer Elite Pro-111 FD), I wouldn't be a good judge of any minimal differences anyway.

Thanks for keeping me honest!

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

This isn't true, rkish

As usual, his only pretext for calling something better is looking at whether something is on BD50 or BD25. Which is absolutely irrelevant in this case. As is looking at bit rates and claiming that something is technically better because there is a minor discrepancy (for example, 26-29).

Higher bit rates do not equate better quality.

Single-layer discs do not equate inferior quality either.

If the above wasn't true, then every single distributor would be placing content on BD50s and maxing out bit rates, and we will have perfect releases across the board

BD25 is perfectly fine for Gate of Hell, and compression on the Criterion release is indeed very good.

Pro-B

I have a question: is Gate of Hell the first Criterion blu-ray to be on a single-layer disc?
(Not that it concerns me; over 28mbps is more than adequate.)

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

For any and all fans of The Sweet Smell of Success please do yourself a favor and check out Olive's Force of Evil.

I love Force of Evil. John Garfield is great and this film contains my favourite dialogue exchange ever, between Garfield's character and his brother. Fantastic screenplay and direction by Abraham Polonsky. I have the old DVD and haven't got around to upgrading this because I watched it not long ago.
I actually watched the Olive blu-ray Body and Soul the other night, which I'd never seen before. Another great performance by John Garfield as a boxer prepared to sell out for a crack at the title. Screenplay by Polonsky and directed by Robert Rossen.
Both are highly recommended.

[ShellOilJunior]

I still think Days of Heaven is Malick's best film. The first viewing it feels rather detached but on subsequent viewings it really works on all levels.

Those who don't like Linda Manz's narration won't like the film. I don't know why anyone wouldn't like it as it's some of the best stuff Malick has written to date. The sequence on the boat is beautiful.

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

I still think Days of Heaven is Malick's best film. The first viewing it feels rather detached but on subsequent viewings it really works on all levels.

Those who don't like Linda Manz's narration won't like the film. I don't know why anyone wouldn't like it as it's some of the best stuff Malick has written to date. The sequence on the boat is beautiful.

I think the fire sequence and the ending was great, but I'd probably say Linda Manz's narration was the best part of the film. It was so personal and deep and it really helped keep the story flowing.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

[Show spoiler]

Those sunsets are amazing.

You should probably put spoiler tags around those Days of Heaven sunsets

[Yami]

Originally Posted by Cinemach

Six words: A Matter of Life and Death. I believe Sony has the (US) rights so that could open the door for Criterion? I just don't feel like that's a title Twilight Time would be interested in. I'm not going to even think about Mill Creek or the others.

I recall Twilight Time declaring their love for and desire to release A Matter of Life and Death but I would say there's a pretty good chance of Criterion releasing it.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by Cinemach

Absolutely. Not to single out just silents because there are other examples, but Criterion has really done well by its last few silent releases: The Gold Rush, Lonesome, and Safety Last are each studious exemplars of the Criterion treatment in terms of packages.



The booklet gives a package favor to MoC, but during sale time the Criterion can be had for significantly cheaper due to the lower SRP.



Six words: A Matter of Life and Death. I believe Sony has the (US) rights so that could open the door for Criterion? I just don't feel like that's a title Twilight Time would be interested in. I'm not going to even think about Mill Creek or the others.

(I haven't watched Tales of Hoffman but I'm sure it'd look scrumptious, given what I have seen of it. Which means yes I'd take that one too.)



I'm in the minority, but *this* is the 3/19 Criterion release I was most looking forward to, not that other one. Just went through the supplements and spot-checked the transfer when it came in yesterday, and it is indeed fantastic.

Glad you stuck with it and enjoyed it as it's a very rewarding film that has tremendous replay value - a staple with Archers films because there is much layering under the surface. This is probably my favorite film of theirs, too.

I wanted Blimp more too. It figures it's the one that has shipping delays though.

At least I get my gollum plushie today.

[ccg1978]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

You are very brave to give your ranking of Malick films. I find each of his films very different and unique. I can not say to prefer one over another; I find them all equal in subjective value.

Cinematographers Nestor Almendros and Haskell Wexler; Ennio Morricone's haunting score makes Days of Heaven one of the greatest movie experiences. I can say the same thing for each of his movies.



Those sunsets are amazing.

I agree on the visual and audio portions of the movie being great. The story not so much. My only holdback from buying...

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

The Once and Future King is one of my favourite books. I first read it when I was about 12 years old.
It was years later that I found out about the fifth book and was able to read it.
Current editions of the book have all five parts included.
Apparently, Disney's The Sword in the Stone is based on one of the parts, but I don't think I've ever seen it.

The first book, before White edited it for the omnibus edition, is what the Disney film is based on. He (White) actually took parts of Merlyn and added them to Sword in the Stone and cut out Mad Madam Mim. wwii kinda made him bitter, which is why the book was made more somber and less childish for the omnibus edition. The Queen of Air and Darkness was originally the Witch in the Woods, and much longer. Camelot, the musical is Also an adaptation of White's work, particularly of The ill-made Knight and Candle in the Wind, the middle two books. BTW, finished Merlyn yesterday, haven't moved onto Grass just yet, but I did grab it and load it on my reader. I ended up getting distracted by Project Gutenberg and all the free and legal books.

I've read the books, as I have them on my Kobo, I just want a nice hardcover copy as well.

[TJS_Blu]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

I don't know, I think user jole complained about exactly this and I think Pro-B responded.

Edit: Oops never mind. I just looked up joie's post and it seemed like Pro-B didn't answer

Originally Posted by metaridley

So I just bought Au Revoir Les Enfants and I'm wondering why Blu-ray.com counts the Criterion package as containing 2 movies (The Immigrant being included) when other Blu-rays like The Double Life of Veronique also have short films (which The Immigrant could be classified as).

Anyone that contributes to the database can answer this question. The Db is a user content zone it receives some level of validation, but it's mainly up to the blu-ray.com member who contributes the data whether a disc counts as more than 1 movie. It's entirely possible that the person that contributed the entry that did not count the short films on the disc, was entering based on incomplete information. Even though it's mainly up to the blu-ray.com member who contributes the data whether a disc counts as more than 1 movie, that doesn't stop another user (hint) from updating the entry with accurate information.

[blkhrt]

Originally Posted by iScottie

Oh wow! I didn't even put two and two together.

He was so young then! Thanks guys!

Not as young as he is here:

[blkhrt]

For those who hadn't seen this yet, it looks like Universal is currently restoring Touch of Evil, Double Indemnity, and High Plains Drifter.

http://entertainment.time.com/2013/0...ichael-daruty/

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Edward J Grug III

A lot of people argue there's a statute of limitations on spoilers, but in my opinion, if you have a choice between potentially lessening someone's enjoyment or not by making the slightest of effort, why would you?

I always try my best to review films without giving key information away. That said, some of the complaints about spoilers on this site are absurd. A few weeks back, somebody in another thread chastised me for not using spoiler tags when I made a joking reference to Luke Skywalker's father.
Seriously?

[MacEachaidh]

Originally Posted by blkhrt

For those who hadn't seen this yet, it looks like Universal is currently restoring Touch of Evil, Double Indemnity, and High Plains Drifter.

http://entertainment.time.com/2013/0...ichael-daruty/

Haven't at least the first two already been restored? Or is Universal planning to do better? (Not saying they can't, mind.)