The Criterion Collection

[rkish]

Stopped by my nearest Barnes and Noble tonight (about 10-15 mins. from home) and verified the sale date of Tuesday, July 13.

This store (I assume that the others would do it as well) will hold any BD for (3) days. I had them set aside:

The Leopard
Revanche
Walkabout
Bigger Than Life
Bottle Rocket
Days of Heaven

They had to order Everlasting Moments and Red Desert (normally takes 3-4 business days to get to the store). I want to buy at least 6 of them...but might buckle and buy all 8

[kndy]

Originally Posted by Yankees0222

I just bought "Scenes From A Marriage" recently and I've been wanting to watch it but I'm not sure which version is best to watch first? Can anyone tell me if it would be best watch the tv version first or the us theatrical cut?

I always watch the TV versions first but it all comes down to your time, the same thing if you were going to watch Berman's "Fanny and Alexander". I prefer to watch the long version first because the films are edited and shortened versions of the multi-hour TV series.

And if you enjoyed "Scenes from a Marriage", you will also want to pick up the conclusion "Saraband" (which was released by Sony Pictures Classics), which was Bergman's final directorial work.

Originally Posted by Louisville Slugger

True, does anyone know when the sale usually starts online? Is it usually midnight EST time?

B&N tends to have weird timing. I remember when the sale ended and I decided to make one last purchase at around 8-9 p.m. on the day before it ended but the sale was over. Maybe they go by CST or something.

If I recall, didn't the last one start early in the morning?

[Roy Batty]

Ok, so we know for sure the B&N 50% off sale will begin next Tuesday, July 13th, but... do we know when it ends?

(both THE RED SHOES and BLACK NARCISSUS are being released a week later, on July the 20th. Will the sale last until then?)

Oh! And is it good only at their brick & mortar stores, or online too?

[rkish]

Originally Posted by Roy Batty

Ok, so we know for sure the B&N 50% off sale will begin next Tuesday, July 13th, but... do we know when it ends?

(both THE RED SHOES and BLACK NARCISSUS are being released a week later, on July the 20th. Will the sale last until then?)

Oh! And is it good only at their brick & mortar stores, or online too?

I had heard here, that it would end on August 1. That would make it a day short of three weeks...but then it would start on a Tuesday and end on a Sunday...if that makes any sense at all??!!

I only shop at their B & M stores...but I was led to believe that this applied to online as well.

[horseflesh]

Originally Posted by rkish

I had heard here, that it would end on August 1. That would make it a day short of three weeks...but then it would start on a Tuesday and end on a Sunday...if that makes any sense at all??!!

I only shop at their B & M stores...but I was led to believe that this applied to online as well.

I was wondering when it will end too, basically to know whether it would cover The Secret of the Grain which releases on July 27th.
Does anyone know/remember how long last July's sale lasted?

[Blu Titan]

the red shoes.jpg

The Red Shoes Blu-ray Review

[capnnarcolepsy]

For those curious as to what studio canal might bring to the third man, here's some packaging for ya: http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/artho...ime-get-it.php

[Paurelio]

Hello everyone,

Quick Background: I was too young and broke to collect Criterions on DVD, but as I am a little older now and realize jut how great this collection is, I have decided to collect all of the Blu Rays. This has meant Blind Buying almost 90% of them so far, and I have yet to be disappointed in the movies or the quality of the collection.

But I do have some questions and thoughts. I am hoping you guys can help shed some light on this for me. My questions to me seem trivial and slightly odd to me but they are nagging me.

1- I as understand it there will be some titles that do not make the jump from DVD to Blu, for licensing or whatever reason, so why did they number them the same as the DVDs? This means that I will never be able to have a collection without "holes" in the numbering. I wish in this instance they simply started the number process over for Blu's as this is a "separate" collection.

2- So far there have been two "box sets" where they combined two movies in one packaging (Monterey Pop and Sanjiro / Yojimbo). The weird thing is that Monterey Pop has three Numbers and Sanjiro / Yojimbo only has two. I find this odd because as you place them on the shelf, there is no possible way to display the Monterey Pop Set correctly, all three numbers cant be shown at once.

3- The initial packaging for some of the films was all over the place. This actually bugged me to no end, BUT they addressed it wonderfully. I purchased the replacement cases and artwork for all of the films. This was to me one of the best things I have seen a company do to satisfy their customers. It made me love them a little more to understand the people would want a good looking collection if they were investing so much money. BUT I still can not wrap my head around why the Benjamin Buttons packaging is still blue. Why didn't they provide a clear case and new art for purchase for this film as well? I actually just paid extra and ordered a clear case and transferred the ill fitting insert from the original, so now it at least looks okay on the shelf although closer inspection reveals it is ill fitting.

Now just to reiterate here, I am not complaining or trying to flame Criterion. I love what they are doing and they have provided me an opportunity to experience great film and to put together a top notch collection. I am very pleased and will continue to blind buy everything the put out on blu ray.

I was just curious and wanted to see what you all felt as well...

[Beta Man]

1) The view the entire collection (LD DVD and BD) as a whole..... they released the best possible versions (in their opinion) at the time, so DVDs may not get a Blu-ray counterpart, and the numbering reflects that fact also, so if you want all the spine numbers, you gotta buy films on multiple formats..... no big deal when you collect the films, and not the format

2) not entirely sure, but it doesn't make a difference to me

3) Paramount did a joint release with Criterion since this was a mainstream film, and Paramount dictated the packaging. If Criterion would have released this film on its own, then it would certainly use their proprietary packaging..... I'm guessing Paramount wanted it to look like their other Blu-rays..... since it was a mainstream release that was highly anticipated by many, they didn't want Criterion's packaging to confuse people thinking it was a DVD etc.

[QuasidodoJr]

Originally Posted by rkish

I had heard here, that it would end on August 1. That would make it a day short of three weeks...but then it would start on a Tuesday and end on a Sunday...if that makes any sense at all??!!

B & N's sales usually start on Tuesdays and end on Mondays. So, it will probably run from July 13th - August 2nd.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by capnnarcolepsy

For those curious as to what studio canal might bring to the third man, here's some packaging for ya: http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/artho...ime-get-it.php

My guess is a inferior quality release as usual. The cover art looks butt ugly too on that one.

[P@t_Mtl]

I have a question if anyone can help, as I have been searching now for about 2 hours and can't seem to find anything about this.

The channel TFO which is a French TV channel located on the island of Saint Pierre et Miquelon that I get from my cable provider is showing later this week a movie made by Godard but there is no title and the description is interesting. I will do my best here to translate the description from French :

After Les Histoires Du Cinema, Jean Luc Godard did a mosaic history which put's in value the greatnest of cinema, talking about Becker, Rossellini, Lang & Truffaut.

I know he as made a lot of shorts and commentaries, anyone know what the title of this one might be? It's playing late Wednesday night so I will have it on DVR and probably won't get a chance to see it until next weekend. TFO is a wonderful channel, they show a lot of great French & European movies almost every night and to make it even better it's in HD

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by P@t_Mtl

I have a question if anyone can help, as I have been searching now for about 2 hours and can't seem to find anything about this.

The channel TFO which is a French TV channel located on the island of Saint Pierre et Miquelon that I get from my cable provider is showing later this week a movie made by Godard but there is no title and the description is interesting. I will do my best here to translate the description from French :

After Les Histoires Du Cinema, Jean Luc Godard did a mosaic history which put's in value the greatnest of cinema, talking about Becker, Rossellini, Lang & Truffaut.

I know he as made a lot of shorts and commentaries, anyone know what the title of this one might be? It's playing late Wednesday night so I will have it on DVR and probably won't get a chance to see it until next weekend. TFO is a wonderful channel, they show a lot of great French & European movies almost every night and to make it even better it's in HD

How long is it?

If it's a short I might say Origins of the 21st Century.

If it is not a short it sounds like just one of the parts of Histoire(s) du cinéma, since they were made different years:

Chapter 1(a) : 51 min.
Toutes les histoires (1988) - All the (Hi)stories
Chapter 1(b) : 42 min.
Une Histoire seule (1989) - A Single (Hi)story
Chapter 2(a) : 26 min.
Seul le cinéma (1997) - Only Cinema
Chapter 2(b) : 28 min.
Fatale beauté (1997) - Deadly Beauty
Chapter 3(a) : 27 min.
La Monnaie de l’absolu (1998) - The Coin of the Absolute
Chapter 3(b) : 27 min.
Une Vague Nouvelle (1998) - A New Wave
Chapter 4(a) : 27 min.
Le Contrôle de l’univers (1998) - The Control of the Universe
Chapter 4(b) : 38 min.
Les Signes parmi nous (1998) - The Signs Among Us

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by CassavetesGodard

How long is it?

If it's a short I might say Origins of the 21st Century.

If it is not a short it sounds like just one of the parts of Histoire(s) du cinéma, since they were made different years:

Chapter 1(a) : 51 min.
Toutes les histoires (1988) - All the (Hi)stories
Chapter 1(b) : 42 min.
Une Histoire seule (1989) - A Single (Hi)story
Chapter 2(a) : 26 min.
Seul le cinéma (1997) - Only Cinema
Chapter 2(b) : 28 min.
Fatale beauté (1997) - Deadly Beauty
Chapter 3(a) : 27 min.
La Monnaie de l’absolu (1998) - The Coin of the Absolute
Chapter 3(b) : 27 min.
Une Vague Nouvelle (1998) - A New Wave
Chapter 4(a) : 27 min.
Le Contrôle de l’univers (1998) - The Control of the Universe
Chapter 4(b) : 38 min.
Les Signes parmi nous (1998) - The Signs Among Us

It seem to be 90 mins long. There is no title for it which is a bit strange and only the description which I did my best to translate before. I suppose I will have to be patient and wait until I see it and figure out what it is. The description seem very interesting indeed. I have seen very little of his shorts and I know he as made a lot of them.

[ccfixx]

CG,
Is it just me, or are all the directors that made "cool" films during the '60s (i.e. Godard, Antonioni, Ferreri, Pialat, etc.) complete a$$holes like me and you? Or, were they only that way toward the critics during interviews... always discrediting what the interviewers were saying and trying to imply what their films were about?

I just finally read the booklet that accompanies "Dillinger Is Dead" and Ferreri has quite a few great moments during the two interviews that are published. Some of the best that I've read, though, have to be the Pialat interviews found in the Masters of Cinema booklets. Those make me laugh quite a bit.

CC

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by ccfixx

CG,
Is it just me, or are all the directors that made "cool" films during the '60s (i.e. Godard, Antonioni, Ferreri, Pialat, etc.) complete a$$holes like me and you? Or, were they only that way toward the critics during interviews... always discrediting what the interviewers were saying and trying to imply what their films were about?

CC

I think they were interesting characters But very often having talents also can mean having drive and be very opinionated about certain things and specialy about the thing you care so much about. There is also the matter of being different for the sake of being different and not be part of the crowd. I always compare this to the highschool kids who try real hard to find the most obscure music possible in other to be so different then the rest of the crowd but the only reason they are doing is because they want to look cool by being different and as such kill what they were trying to achieve.

I think in life what is more important is being yourself. You enjoy Transformer 2, good for you. You prefer Francois Truffaut, good for you as well. Cinema is an art and I never feel like there is a right or wrong in it.

[SpiderBaby]

Originally Posted by ccfixx

CG,
Is it just me, or are all the directors that made "cool" films during the '60s (i.e. Godard, Antonioni, Ferreri, Pialat, etc.) complete a$$holes like me and you? Or, were they only that way toward the critics during interviews... always discrediting what the interviewers were saying and trying to imply what their films were about?

I just finally read the booklet that accompanies "Dillinger Is Dead" and Ferreri has quite a few great moments during the two interviews that are published. Some of the best that I've read, though, have to be the Pialat interviews found in the Masters of Cinema booklets. Those make me laugh quite a bit.

CC

I guess that's why we like them so much. It's awesome Godard is still kicking and spreading the "a$$hole" image around still. Too much sucky sucky by directors these days with each other's work. We need someone to take Godard's place, so until then, he will be around, somewhere.

Ferreri seem to hated critics and everyone who liked his films. So it seemed a surprise I guess to him that they liked Dillinger is Dead so much.

I like a-hole directors. They have something.

Oh and P@t_Mtl, Truffaut was a nice person. So he don't count.

[P@t_Mtl]

Originally Posted by CassavetesGodard

I guess that's why we like them so much. It's awesome Godard is still kicking and spreading the "a$$hole" image around still. Too much sucky sucky by directors these days with each other's work. We need someone to take Godard's place, so until then, he will be around, somewhere.

Ferreri seem to hated critics and everyone who liked his films. So it seemed a surprise I guess to him that they liked Dillinger is Dead so much.

I like a-hole directors. They have something.

Godard is reminding me a lot of another French artist people would sometimes love to hate , Gainsbourg...not that I am saying Godard is a "dirty old man" as Gainsbourg was but still not scared of saying things and doing things as he wan't them to be. It could well be a French way of that generation.

[SpiderBaby]

For anyone interested,

Silents on TCM tonight:


Speedy (1928)
Harold Lloyd

Coney Island (1917)
Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton

Orphans of the Storm (1921)
Directed by D. W. Griffith

[Sukuri]

Originally Posted by Paurelio

2- So far there have been two "box sets" where they combined two movies in one packaging (Monterey Pop and Sanjiro / Yojimbo).

Wouldn't By Brakhage count as a box set as well?

Originally Posted by Paurelio

The weird thing is that Monterey Pop has three Numbers and Sanjiro / Yojimbo only has two.

My guess is that when they first released Yojimbo and Sanjuro, they didn't think about making it into a box set, and it wasn't untill they released several other criterion titles that they thought a box set would be a smart idea. Since they couldn't go back and give it a number of 53 or 56 (or whatever number would have chronologically made sense), they left it blank.

Originally Posted by Paurelio

I find this odd because as you place them on the shelf, there is no possible way to display the Monterey Pop Set correctly, all three numbers cant be shown at once.

But you can. (excuse the horrible, horrible quality)