The Criterion Collection

[brandon_260]

After what has to be at least a month of not watching any Criterion titles, I decided to watch two films from the collection today.

First was Le beau Serge. It's been sitting on my shelf for almost two months now and I'm not sure why I only got around to it today. Claude Chabrol's debut picture feels like it was made by someone far more experienced, as highlighted in Terrence Rafferty's essay. As much as I enjoy a film like, say, Breathless, Le beau Serge is astonishingly more technically proficient. The film also has this haunting atmosphere that looms over it that isn't that present in the early Nouvelle Vague films, which was a nice change of pace.

I just finished Babette's Feast, a title I originally had very minimal interest in. Strongly influenced by Ingmar Bergman, namely the first act of Fanny & Alexander, the film is a wonderful study of late 1800's Danish village life and the characters that live in the village. The comedic aspects of the film, which I wasn't sure if they were intentional or not at first, grow more clear in the second half of the film certainly caught me by surprise, but it became the part of the film that I ended up loving the most. Really not sure why I had no interest in this at first, but I look forward to picking up the blu-ray when Criterion releases it. Also, the greatest favor Criterion is doing to this film is getting rid of this DVD artwork:

[Scottie]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

That's one of my favorite Peter Jackson films (after Heavenly Creatures).

I couldn't even get through the first 30 minutes of HC.

[octagon]

There's really only so much you can do with a giant monkey.

[Scottie]

I finally completed the Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection box set. I managed to watch the entire thing over the past week. I was initially intrigued, all the way up until The Birds. After that film was over, it started going downhill for me. Luckily Torn Curtain picked the set up a bit, but these last three films (Topaz, Frenzy, and Family Plot), while somewhat entertaining, were quite a bit boring and not really the style we once saw from Hitchcock.

I do applaud the set for showing us how Hitchcock's directing styles changed over the years. He began as more of war style suspense films before making his way into general suspense, horror suspense, and then spy / espionage films. I really prefer the older films to the newer ones. You can't beat Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, James Stewart, and Kim Novak.

I would rank the films in the set in the following order:

• Rear Window - a great suspense film starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. It had me at the edge of my seat for a good portion of the movie, something I haven't done in the longest time.
• Vertigo - the best mystery film that I've seen to date. It reminds me of the early film-noir films but a million times better. It had a nice twist at the end which I wasn't expecting at all.
• The Trouble With Harry - a dark comedy and a very underrated film by the legendary director. It follows several different individuals in a beautiful Vermont town as they try to figure out how a man died and what to do with him.
• Psycho - it was one of the most important movies in film history. While most of the early horror films consisted of monsters and ghouls, this one dealt with a serial killer with a borderline dissociative identity disorder. It was actually quite frightening, especially towards the end when Norman Bates breaks in, screaming with the butcher knife.
• North By Northwest - this was a very interesting spy film. It was probably one of the best I've seen to date. I feel that this film is a bit overrated, but it was still fantastic nonetheless.
• The Birds - this is a great horror film, especially because the entire mystery of the film is left unanswered. It gave rise to Tippi Hedren, not to mention its ending shot is top notch.
• The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) - a remake of Hitchcock's 1934 film of the same name starring Peter Lorre. I enjoyed the remake a lot better despite its location. Morocco felt like an awkward setting, in my opinion, not to mention that the whistling was very unrealistic haha. I'm glad it was kept somewhat similar to the original, though.
• Torn Curtain - a very underrated late Hitchcock film. The film is a spy movie about a man's defection from the United States to Germany and the consequences and reasoning behind his choices. While a bit long, the film passes very quickly because of how much suspense it consists of.
• Shadow Of A Doubt - this was a great, early film-noir. It's a bit haunting because the last person that somebody would accuse of being a killer is their own relative.
• Marnie - this is a decent psychological thriller about a woman with a troubled past. It is relatively unpredictable, except for some of the details towards the end, but it's a good character study.
• Saboteur - one of the last war era noirs that Hitchcock made. The film reminded me a lot of The 39 Steps, which I also enjoyed.
• Family Plot - this was a pretty unique film. It was one of the first psychic themed films that I can remember. The film feels cultish to me and it was a relatively fun film.
• Rope - I found this film to be a bit boring. I think each actor did a good job with their role, however, I've seen the subject touched upon time after time with newer films, so it's quite predictable now to me. Had I seen it earlier in the years, when I was newer to the movie scene, I would have probably enjoyed it a lot better.
• Frenzy - The plot of the film makes it sound a lot better and exciting than it is. It's not until 3/4 of the way into the film do we see the main character being arrested for these crimes that he has been accused of. The film ended rather sudden, as well. I don't think it was a really good idea to introduce the antagonist from the start, despite the film turning into a cat and mouse game.
• Topaz - I found this film to be really boring. The only decent thing that the film had good for it was seeing some of the scenery in Cuba, as well as the dress falling scene from Juanita. The film was very long (almost 2.5 hours) and nothing was really exciting about it, in my opinion. It did touch on the Cuban Missile Crisis, but in a more fictitious way. However, I just could not get into this.

I am glad it's over, though. The set did take its toll haha.

As much as I'm excited to watch the Bond 50 set, I am really not looking forward to it because of the films length and the large volume. Luckily I'll have a break as I won't be on the set for a while.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by octagon

There's really only so much you can do with a giant monkey.

...but there's much more you can do with a small one, like putting him in a space suit:

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I couldn't even get through the first 30 minutes of HC.

You need to give Heavenly Creatures another shot. My most memorable moments are in the last two-thirds of the film. You ended your viewing at the end of the exposition.

[zoodermin]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I finally completed the Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection box set. I managed to watch the entire thing over the past week. I was initially intrigued, all the way up until The Birds. After that film was over, it started going downhill for me. Luckily Torn Curtain picked the set up a bit, but these last three films (Topaz, Frenzy, and Family Plot), while somewhat entertaining, were quite a bit boring and not really the style we once saw from Hitchcock.

I do applaud the set for showing us how Hitchcock's directing styles changed over the years. He began as more of war style suspense films before making his way into general suspense, horror suspense, and then spy / espionage films. I really prefer the older films to the newer ones. You can't beat Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, James Stewart, and Kim Novak.

I would rank the films in the set in the following order:

• Rear Window - a great suspense film starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. It had me at the edge of my seat for a good portion of the movie, something I haven't done in the longest time.
• Vertigo - the best mystery film that I've seen to date. It reminds me of the early film-noir films but a million times better. It had a nice twist at the end which I wasn't expecting at all.
• The Trouble With Harry - a dark comedy and a very underrated film by the legendary director. It follows several different individuals in a beautiful Vermont town as they try to figure out how a man died and what to do with him.
• Psycho - it was one of the most important movies in film history. While most of the early horror films consisted of monsters and ghouls, this one dealt with a serial killer with a borderline dissociative identity disorder. It was actually quite frightening, especially towards the end when Norman Bates breaks in, screaming with the butcher knife.
• North By Northwest - this was a very interesting spy film. It was probably one of the best I've seen to date. I feel that this film is a bit overrated, but it was still fantastic nonetheless.
• The Birds - this is a great horror film, especially because the entire mystery of the film is left unanswered. It gave rise to Tippi Hedren, not to mention its ending shot is top notch.
• The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) - a remake of Hitchcock's 1934 film of the same name starring Peter Lorre. I enjoyed the remake a lot better despite its location. Morocco felt like an awkward setting, in my opinion, not to mention that the whistling was very unrealistic haha. I'm glad it was kept somewhat similar to the original, though.
• Torn Curtain - a very underrated late Hitchcock film. The film is a spy movie about a man's defection from the United States to Germany and the consequences and reasoning behind his choices. While a bit long, the film passes very quickly because of how much suspense it consists of.
• Shadow Of A Doubt - this was a great, early film-noir. It's a bit haunting because the last person that somebody would accuse of being a killer is their own relative.
• Marnie - this is a decent psychological thriller about a woman with a troubled past. It is relatively unpredictable, except for some of the details towards the end, but it's a good character study.
• Saboteur - one of the last war era noirs that Hitchcock made. The film reminded me a lot of The 39 Steps, which I also enjoyed.
• Family Plot - this was a pretty unique film. It was one of the first psychic themed films that I can remember. The film feels cultish to me and it was a relatively fun film.
• Rope - I found this film to be a bit boring. I think each actor did a good job with their role, however, I've seen the subject touched upon time after time with newer films, so it's quite predictable now to me. Had I seen it earlier in the years, when I was newer to the movie scene, I would have probably enjoyed it a lot better.
• Frenzy - The plot of the film makes it sound a lot better and exciting than it is. It's not until 3/4 of the way into the film do we see the main character being arrested for these crimes that he has been accused of. The film ended rather sudden, as well. I don't think it was a really good idea to introduce the antagonist from the start, despite the film turning into a cat and mouse game.
• Topaz - I found this film to be really boring. The only decent thing that the film had good for it was seeing some of the scenery in Cuba, as well as the dress falling scene from Juanita. The film was very long (almost 2.5 hours) and nothing was really exciting about it, in my opinion. It did touch on the Cuban Missile Crisis, but in a more fictitious way. However, I just could not get into this.

I am glad it's over, though. The set did take its toll haha.

As much as I'm excited to watch the Bond 50 set, I am really not looking forward to it because of the films length and the large volume. Luckily I'll have a break as I won't be on the set for a while.

While I agree that Topaz is the worst film from the set, I love both Frenzy and Family Plot and I quite dislike Torn Curtain. All in all is a great set and it has some wonderful movies in it.

[jrsl76]

Man, can't believe you didn't like Frenzy more. That is by far my favorite latter day Hitchcock.

[kolosomo]

Frenzy is awesome. It's a classic Hitchcock caper with an R rated style. Definitely my favourite latter Hitchcock as well.

[FaceInTheLeaves]

Originally Posted by Joe Dalek

I suppose it's possible (although Criterion had Two Lane Blacktop on DVD before MoC, and released their Island of Lost Souls before MoC).

I wasn't being political! I only pointed out that Criterion's Blu-ray editions of Two Lane Blacktop, Island of Lost Souls and Repo Man were released a few months after MoC's to explain why I think the pre-code film might be Cleopatra (i.e. there's a HD worthy print in existence).

[tagm]

On the topic of The Tree of Life, would you guys say the current price ($11.93) is a good one to blind-buy order at?

[Nighteyes]

Originally Posted by tagm

On the topic of The Tree of Life, would you guys say the current price ($11.93) is a good one to blind-buy order at?

Tree of Life is a tough call to blind-buy. I'd say absolutely go for it, but people either love it or hate it. Not much middle ground on this one.

[Mr. Thomsen]

Originally Posted by Sherlock_Jr

Again...
It's also entirely possibly that I'm 100% wrong. But it seems odd to shoot a film in an OAR that didn't even exist in 1966, unless the filmmakers were just trying to be trippy along with the film itself.

On that we totally agree.

I know that in regards to British films, 1.75:1 was preferred partially because it was a good compromise between 1.66:1, which was still favored in some continental European countries (and incidentally was invented by Paramount, although they had long abandoned it by 1966), and 1.85:1, which at that time was favored by the American industry. So for the brits, it was also an export related decision. They would frame for 1.75:1 and protect for both 1.66:1 and 1.85:1, so it would be possible to show it in both ratios elsewhere without seeing the occasional microphone or lamp in frame.

But of course, all this is irrelevant for Seconds.

It there's any merit to the 1.75:1 ratio at all, then it probably has to do with the movie being a negative pickup, which means Paramount bought the finished movie from a small external production company (Kirk Douglas' Douglas and Lewis Productions). But in the US at least, it would have been shown in 1.85:1, in theaters anyway, because that's the ratio they were equipped to show.

I have sent Bob Furmanek (of the 3-D Film Archive) a mail about it. He's very knowledgable about early widescreen cinema, too, so he might have some insight to share about this.

[Mansinthe]

for my next criterion purchase:

Tokyo drifter OR last Emperor?

after i did not like chunking express + fallen angels that much i think i wont buy "in the mood for love"

[ParticleDan]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

after i did not like chunking express + fallen angels that much i think i wont buy "in the mood for love"

That would be a monumental mistake

[SammyJankis]

Originally Posted by ParticleDan

That would be a monumental mistake

Yep.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by iScottie

I finally completed the Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection box set. I managed to watch the entire thing over the past week.
...

I would prefer to own individual editions of the Hitchcock films, but I might possibly grab Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection sometime before the end of the year. As much as I adore Vertigo, Psycho, The Birds, Rear Window, Rope, and the others, I do not currently own them, as I sold off my DVDs a few month ago in anticipation of upgrading.
I already own the stand-alone edition of North by Northwest, since that was the Hitchcock film that I absolutely could not stand to be without. I'm also thinking of biding my time and finding used editions of the other stand-alone Hitchcock films over time, but I know that I'll get impatient.
It'll be fun to watch the Blu-rays either way.

Originally Posted by iScottie

As much as I'm excited to watch the Bond 50 set, I am really not looking forward to it because of the films length and the large volume. Luckily I'll have a break as I won't be on the set for a while.

I went through the entire Bond set in sequential order last month and reviewed each movie in the "50 Years of Bond" thread. I grew up watching the movies, and I had a blast seeing them all in high definition for the first time. Given your tastes, I believe that you'll love the Sean Connery films.

Speaking of massive daunting box sets, I just started Disc Three of Season One of The Twilight Zone box set. I watched my all-time favorite episode, "The Hitch-hiker", last night.

[Antonmassacre1]

You can purchase the UK version right now for a great price without NxNW. Shipped to Canada in 5 days for under $90 all in.

[Mansinthe]

in the mood for love

Originally Posted by ParticleDan

That would be a monumental mistake

why ? without story spoilers please

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by iScottie

[LIST][*]Psycho - it was one of the most important movies in film history. While most of the early horror films consisted of monsters and ghouls, this one dealt with a serial killer with a borderline dissociative identity disorder. It was actually quite frightening, especially towards the end when Norman Bates breaks in, screaming with the butcher knife.

If you haven't please do check out Michael Powell's Peeping Tom which I think was released a few months before Psycho. It takes on a more difficult theme than Hitchcock's film and pulls it off with amazing incisiveness. Unfortunately during its time it was derided by many critics as a perverse film, but over the years, especially after Martin Scorsese championed its cause, PT is being regarded as one of the seminal psychological horror films. To my thinking it is superior to Psycho.