The Criterion Collection

[14728]

Here are some titles that would be cool to see:
Greed (the TCM version)
La Dolce Vita
Mother (1926)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Kind Hearts and Coronets

Titles I know won't happen, but would be awesome to see
A Hard Day's Night
A Christmas Story
Angry Video Game Nerd

[onetet]

I'd like to see Criterion tackle some of the Brazilian Cinema Novo films of the 60s/70s. Very important films with very limited availability.

I'd like to see more back-catalog Claire Denis (I Can't Sleep and Trouble Every Day, anyone?) in the collection as well.

I'd also like to see some early Frederick Wiseman, although he controls his own rights and may not be interested in licensing. Equally important as the Maysles IMO, but lesser-known, partially due to limited availability of his catalog.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Well...

I marinated on this for a couple of hours, and decided to take a leap of faith.

I just ordered this for $24.20 US dollars, including shipping, from the French Amazon website. I'll brown-bag my lunches for a week after going over my pre-planned budget after yesterday's haul.



What prompted my decision, aside from this being my all-time favorite movie?

Here's a Caps-A-Holic comparison of the existing Criterion DVD vs. the Pathe Blu-ray

Looks like there's a lot of manipulation by digital elves/filtering/whatever, but it's a clear picture by comparison that might look fine on my modest-sized television.

No English subtitles, but I can pretty much quote the subtitles from memory anyway from my Criterion DVD that I will continue to hold on to.
I ordered the Amaray pressing instead of the digibook, since this site confirms that the Amaray one is Region A playable.

I'll let y'all know my findings. Chances are likely that I'll end up swallowing my pride and admitting that this was a reckless buy, but it's my all-time favorite, so it's worth a shot.

Report back with your findings.

Also, it always feels special to have something most other people don't stateside.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by TheHighRoller

Does anyone know if the Dual Format change has anything to do with falling sales?

I think that may be why. Either that, or The Criterion Collection is trying to phase out DVDs by getting people to get the dual format editions.


Personally, I hope that the casing is the same as it is for Blu-rays. They should put them in something like the Brazil release with two caps for the Blu-rays on the one side.


The November announcement was very disappointing by the way.

My guess is that it saves Criterion the money of releasing separate editions for the Blu-ray and DVD, while also encouraging customers to make a jump to Blu-ray.

Blu-rays and Blu-ray players are inexpensive enough now that it's a good time to make a big push for the home team. My Blu-ray player cost me $70 last year, and it works like a champ.

[Brad1963]

Originally Posted by TheHighRoller

Does anyone know if the Dual Format change has anything to do with falling sales?

I think that may be why. Either that, or The Criterion Collection is trying to phase out DVDs by getting people to get the dual format editions.


Personally, I hope that the casing is the same as it is for Blu-rays. They should put them in something like the Brazil release with two caps for the Blu-rays on the one side.


The November announcement was very disappointing by the way.

IMO it probably made better business sense to combine formats and release only 1 SKU per title. Physical media is on the decline, even though Blu ray is up 15%, DVD's are dying. To produce 2 separate releases costs much more than 1 and the packaging and the storage of a single DVD release costs more than just adding the DVD to the Blu ray release.

Really? City Lights, Tokyo Story disappointing?

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by TheHighRoller

The November announcement was very disappointing by the way.

Tokyo Story and City Lights disappointing? I disagree.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Abdrewes

Also, it always feels special to have something most other people don't stateside.

Not really to feel special, but I do like having some memorabilia of my all-time favorite movie in this fashion.

This Pathe Blu-ray of Le Samourai is merely a placeholder for me until a better restoration comes along (just as my Criterion DVD is).

Here's an in-depth review from DVDclassik that I read before ordering my Blu-ray...(translated to English by my Google Chrome, hence a few off-choice words..."restaurant" for "restoration"?)...

IMAGE

The first reaction when we discover images of this blu ray is the amazement and disgust. The image appears processée and dégrainée excessively, texture (grain-free silver) is not at all natural. In its press release , Pathé ensures you restore the image in the greatest respect for the work of Jean-Pierre Melville. It is clear that this restaurant seems to have monopolized a lot of energy and talent, starting with the great cinematographer Pierre Lhomme, collaborator on Melville Army of Shadows . This has assisted in supervising the calibration of this restoration.
As we can see from the screenshots available on our forums, this new calibration is much colder than that achieved by VDM for the Criterion DVD in 2005, which is not surprising when the intentions of Melville is known about the color. And even less surprising when it is a film noir. From this point of view (and mine), this restaurant seems to be a success. Management may also surprise black, dark scenes are very dark ... but you can not argue this point regardless of the nature of the film. The Samurai is a film noir, almost depressed, and that changes in Delon an urban landscape like a shadow without identity is not incompatible with the choice to show nothing in the night scenes. From this point of view, this restaurant is a success. About the management of dark scenes for the recent restorations, there should be some focus. In the past, many video masters have been made ​​for television viewing in a bright room. For this, we changed the image contrast (gamma correction). This correction has long distorted our perception of movies. Today restaurateurs looking to find the contrasts of origin and apply gamma correction appropriate for a viewing in the dark on the big screen. The problem of this disc is essentially the authoring phase (transfer of digital master restored on DVD and Blu-ray). Just compare the images of the film with those of the trailer (offered in HD on Blu-ray) to become aware of the problem. The silver grain (present on the trailer) has disappeared in favor of a totally artificial smoothing (zoommez on image capture subway is absolutely striking). Unlike the trailer, the film has suffered a catastrophic digital processing ... In terms of inconvenience, besides dégrainage, note that the image of the Blu-ray has been zoomed in relation to the proposed by the trailer picture. On this point, Pathé 1.85 informs us that the format has been confirmed by the cameraman of the film in person. Let us accept this argument! But why processed itself the image of the film in this way? Pathé is it directly responsible for this work? We expect a response from the editor about this ...
To illustrate our technical analysis, I invite you to consult the comparative catch . This link also provides a comparison with the Criterion DVD edition offers an HD master from 2005 made ​​by the French company VDM from the same chemicals as those used by Pathé elements if we are to believe the information given by the American publisher in the booklet accompanying the DVD.

Certainly one of the highlights of this edition, clarity and a formidable precision. We would have liked the same thing for the image.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

Tokyo Story and City Lights disappointing? I disagree.

He's quite the comedian.

[Ausjdm]

Who's mad they bought Tokyo Story DVD during the CC B&N sale like I did lol argh...

[TheHighRoller]

Originally Posted by hoytereden

Tokyo Story and City Lights disappointing? I disagree.

The announcement is disappointing because I don't have interest in owning those. I think they're both on Hulu Plus, so I could watch them there. The only Criterion release in the last two months (including announcements for future dates) that I would want to own is probably The Ice Storm.

I wish they released the Agnes Varda set on Blu-ray already. That or La Ceremonie or Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. Even The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou would be nice.

Oh, and Le Samourai definitely should have been released on Blu-ray by now.

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by lordmorpheus72

Wow... that's just amazing! Like a whole new movie.

Yes, now it's Summer Sonata.

[14728]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Who's mad they bought Tokyo Story DVD during the CC B&N sale like I did lol argh...

I did.

[jrmac2000]

I almost did, but held off. It's getting harder to figure out what to buy when it comes to the DVDs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Ausjdm

Who's mad they bought Tokyo Story DVD during the CC B&N sale like I did lol argh...

Now that I've jinxed myself by ordering the Pathe Blu-ray of Le Samourai out of curiosity, I'm hoping that Criterion does end up announcing it within the next couple of months. If it is announced, y'all can thank me in person.

I posted about the Pathe Le Samourai on the international boards (France forum), and they are all telling me to cancel my order. I'm too curious, though.

[mrjohnnyb]

Originally Posted by Sherlock_Jr

For now I'll just say there's a few things potentially coming back from the Laserdisc days.

Hmmm...with that hint, I will guess at the following:

Crimes and Misdemeanors
Swing Time
The Magnificent Ambersons
The Tales of Hoffman
Othello
The Last Laugh
Fellini Satyricon
Cat People
I Am Cuba
Dead Ringers
Olympia I and II
Pink Flamingoes
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Now that I've jinxed myself by ordering the Pathe Blu-ray of Le Samourai out of curiosity, I'm hoping that Criterion does end up announcing it within the next couple of months. If it is announced, y'all can thank me in person.

I posted about the Pathe Le Samourai on the international boards (France forum), and they are all telling me to cancel my order. I'm too curious, though.

Re: memorabilia. That's how I feel about my Concorde Edition of Mulholland Drive. It's getting played, but I can't wait to retire in favor of the CC Edition.

I hope you figure out what you are gonna do about Le Samourai. For $24 you could actually buy, you know, blurays with decent transfers.

[Cinemach]

Le Samourai has been popularly decried as possibly the worst transfer in blu-ray history, at least for a film of its stature. It certainly has the worst screenshots I've ever seen.

I've been tempted to order it on Group Buys for the cheap, but it's just not worth it for me when the DVD looks perfectly fine. I waited to order Don't Look Now for cheap from the UK, which received a similarly - if not quite as egregious - disastrous transfer to blu.

[TheHighRoller]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Now that I've jinxed myself by ordering the Pathe Blu-ray of Le Samourai out of curiosity, I'm hoping that Criterion does end up announcing it within the next couple of months. If it is announced, y'all can thank me in person.

I posted about the Pathe Le Samourai on the international boards (France forum), and they are all telling me to cancel my order. I'm too curious, though.

I thought that Criterion lost the release rights (or rather, they expired) to Jean-Pierre Melville's stuff, which is why Leon Morin, Priest is no longer in print???

I would love to see a release of L'Eclisse as well since it's the only other Alain Delon film that Criterion has.

[NoirFan]

Originally Posted by Cinemach

I That's what I did with Don't Look Now, which received a similarly - if not quite as egregious - disastrous transfer to blu.

I was barely able to get through Don't Look Now, as the transfer is almost unwatchable on a larger screen. My only hope is that Criterion will someday do it right. When one talks about 'worst transfers in Blu-ray history', the ones that I've endured that would reside at the top of that list would be The Deadly Spawn and the 'restored' White Zombie, which I only watched to listen to the commentary, which turned out to be pretty rudimentary and unilluminating (why does this site think this is not a word?) anyway. My Children of Paradise BD still sits unopened on my shelf, I'll probably just sell it and reacquire the DVD I so foolishly sold.

[Abdrewes]

Originally Posted by 14728

Here are some titles that would be cool to see:
Greed (the TCM version)
La Dolce Vita
Mother (1926)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Kind Hearts and Coronets

Titles I know won't happen, but would be awesome to see
A Hard Day's Night
A Christmas Story
Angry Video Game Nerd

All good choices (haven't seen Mother). Greed, even in the truncated 4 Hour version, is still a masterpiece.

Originally Posted by onetet

I'd like to see Criterion tackle some of the Brazilian Cinema Novo films of the 60s/70s. Very important films with very limited availability.

I'd like to see more back-catalog Claire Denis (I Can't Sleep and Trouble Every Day, anyone?) in the collection as well.

I'd also like to see some early Frederick Wiseman, although he controls his own rights and may not be interested in licensing. Equally important as the Maysles IMO, but lesser-known, partially due to limited availability of his catalog.

I've seen High School. That one was pretty incredible.