Criterion Collection

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JustaFied
Haven't yet seen Images. I'll probably go ahead and buy the DVD also, it's still going to be tough to find at the video store.

Buy it at deepdiscountdvd for $13.67, which includes shipping, and please post after you've seen it.

I'm also the current high bidder on a copy of the Criterion edition of 3 Women over on Ebay, don't go and outbid me!

Good luck JustaFied. I won't ruin your party. dvdplanet quickly run out of stock at $25.97.

I've been leary of buying import DVDs so far. Doesn't sound like I have anything to worry about. Thanks for the advise.

I started a thread called "Import DVDS" in the General Forum section. Will post there periodically if I gauge enough interest.

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Originally posted by oscar jubis
Buy it at deepdiscountdvd for $13.67, which includes shipping, and please post after you've seen it.

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Bought it today, I'll post my thoughts after viewing.

I'll check out the Import DVD thread too.

Stanley Kubrick's favorite Fellini film, I, Vitelloni is being released this year. I'll be buying that baby as soon as i see it on the shelf.

And we mustn't forget the Canadian filmmaking god, Cronenberg, whose Videodrome is also getting the treatment, with a TON of extras...

Again i must say, Criterion are doing GOD'S WORK.

Forgot to mention Slacker. Criterion is also doing an edition of Richard Linklater's ode to apathetic youth.

The Battle of Algiers, which was discussed on this site a little while ago is being released as a 3-disc special edition.

It has a plethora of special features, including commentary with Nair, Soderbergh, Spike Lee and Oliver Stone!

Man, Criterion must be able to read film buffs minds...

Originally posted by Johann
Man, Criterion must be able to read film buffs minds...

They are doing a great service to cinema but I can think of a ton of films more worthy than Videodrome.

Or Slacker. Or Armageddon. Or The Lady Vanishes.


(just buggin' ya oscar...). Incidentally, what titles do you think deserve "the treatment". I think I know a few you might wanna see:Cria/Spirit of the Beehive/Vertigo...

You have me figured out, Johann. Three of my favorite movies of all time. I'm happy with the Vertigo dvd, and the Spirit of the Beehive dvd I imported from the UK. Let's talk about...

Cria
Cria (aka Raise Ravens) won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes in 1976. But there has never been a properly subtitled release of Carlos Saura's masterpiece. Not even the theatrical release, much less the poorly transferred laserdisc and vhs releases. The first scene pans over a set of photos with written captions underneath, which identify the characters and how they are related to each other. The viewer is supposed to have this knowledge as the second scene commences. These hand written captions are not subtitled though.
Throughout the movie, the 8 year-old protagonist Ana (Ana Torrent) plays a record on her portable turntable over and over, as she sings along. If you don't understand Spanish, it's impossible to figure out it's not simply a hummable tune but a song about abandonment, Ana's sole outlet for her grief.
Moreover, Saura doesn't go out of his way to make the political context explicit. Some knowledge on the part of the viewer of the historical moment in which the film takes place deepens and amplifies the experience. Criterion could provide an essay or commentary to that effect.

Wong Kar Wai's Ashes of Time and Hou's The Puppetmaster
Two of the best films of the 1990s are available on dvd of the poorest possible quality. Avoid at all cost until proper releases become available.

Bela Tarr's SatanTango and Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz
Marathon films present a challenge to viewers and programmers. SatanTango is 7 1/2 hours long and Berlin is longer. The former screened at Toronto '95, which I attended, but the screening was sold out. I haven't seen Fassbinder's either. I've only read the uniformly, deliriously enthusiastic reviews.

In Rosenbaum's book Movie Wars he mentions Satantango and the screening at the Toronto fest.

I still haven't seen any Tarr films and I wait with great anticipation. I've already spent way too much money on rare films:

-Agnes Varda's Lion's Love
-Coppola's 5-hour workprint of Apocalypse Now
-Jim Morrison's HWY
-Kubrick's Day of the Fight, The Seafarers, Flying Padre and the uncut Eyes Wide Shut
-Greenaway's The Falls & Vertical Features Remake
-various documentaries and Orson Welles' It's All True

As for Criterions I would like to see I agree with your picks and would add Strohiem films, The Fall of Otrar, Man Follows Birds and Valerie and her Week of Wonders- all films I saw last year and ones I still think about often.
Not to mention Eisenstein's October which I just saw and blew my mind. A Criterion edition would be a godsend...

Ah, what deserves the treatment. Well I am actually excited about Videodrone coming out, being a Cronenberg fan and all, and I wish they would re-release Dead Ringers, but oh well I might have missed my opportunity.
Seeing as how Criterion is an offshoot of Home Vision and Janus, I would like to see some of their films previously available on VHS make the grade, none more important than the films of Kenji Mizoguchi. I can't say I regard him as highly as Kurosawa and Ozu, but I must say it is nothing short of bullshit that none of his films have been released when a dozen Kurosawa films have already gotten "the treatment". Just to let you know what they released on video from him:
1. Osaka Elegy
2. Story of the Last Chyrsanthemum
3. Life of Oharu (The one I most want)
4. Ugetsu
5. Sansho the Bailiff
Some of the New Yorker films of his I would also like to see released particularly Princess Yang Kwei Fei and A Geisha.
Not to mention some other important films like Shin Heike Monogatari, and my second favorite The Crucified Lovers.
As for Kurosawa there are only two more films I would like to see make the cut which are The Idiot and Kagemusha. Kagemusha is owned by Fox which is currently competing with Disney for rights to the title "The Great Satan". But what can you do against multi-national corporations that want to surpress art? I should excuse Fox because they owned the rights to 3 Women (Blah) and The Leopard (overrated) which were recently released by Criterion. As disappointed as I was in those films, I am very glad that they are available on DVD.
The Battle of Algiers and I Vitelloni are big news in my eyes, and once La Dolce Vita comes out in September I think I can say safely that Fellini is perfectly represented on DVD, true Cassanova and the Clowns would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath.
More than Criterion getting the ball rolling, I would rather see New Yorker Films get off their ass. They are sitting on a massive library of great films that have slipped out of print. Criterion already beat them to the punch with Tokyo Story and The Marriage of Maria Braun, but maybe they should consider the same fate for the following films:
1. Late Spring
2. Weekend
3. Landscape in the Mist (and any other Angelopoulus film while we're at it)
4. The Lovers/Elevator to the Gallows/Zazie Dans le Metro/The Fire Within
5. Point of Order
6. The Boys of St. Vincent (Which was going to be released but was postponed for god knows why)
7. Pixote (why the hell was this pulled as well?)
8. Celine and Julie Go Boating
9. Red Soughum
10. And all other Bresson films
Now, more important are films that have never been released on VHS in the US. Among those I would most like to see are
1. Hour of the Furnaces
2. The Silent World
3. The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On
4. Boy/Death by Hanging/The Ceremony
5. Killer of Sheep
6. The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
7. City of Sadness
8. A Brighter Summer Day
9. To Die in Madrid
10. The 17th Parallel: Vietnam at War
11. From Montgomery to Memphis
12. Late Autumn/Early Autumn
13. And please lets see some Ousmane Sembene films, anything would be nice. I can't understand why we in America are denied an entire continents cinematic output, particularly his films. Black Girl, Xala, Ceddo, Camp de Thiaroye in particular.
Sorry that I went on, but I sit awake many nights wondering why I can't see these films.

Good point about New Yorker Films, wpqx. They do have a massive library.

Criterion's reputation has indeed granted them access to great films like The Leopard. I think (but I'm not sure) they sign contracts with some companies to release films for a limited time, hence the discontinuation of some titles, of which Dead Ringers is one.

I enjoyed Videodrome for Debbie Harry and a synchro with Pink Floyd's album "Wish You Were Here", but it seems dated and it's not a film I would watch over and over. The Fly would be a better choice.

Mizoguchi is in the same league as Ozu and The Emperor. Oscar Jubis has rightly lamented (as you) that his films need proper DVD releases. Hello Criterion? Ugetsu M. please....
Nobody seems to know who Mizoguchi is besides film buffs.
A Crime!

I agree with almost all of the titles you mention:
Weekend, Landscape, Celine & Julie, Red Sorghum, Pixote, and the Bresson films.

Welcome to the site, wpqx. Great to have another serious film buff here.

Apropos of these Criterion titles, it would be nice for me to get some Criterion laser discs, because I have a great laser disk/cd/dvd player, a Pioneer Elite VSX 5700-S. When I got it it made my CD's sound better than they ever had before. I don't have a lot of laser discs of movies but I have some, and more of music, some jazz and more classical music, and notably the 13-disc set "The Glenn Gould Collection, " which is mostly culled from Canadian television and includes some very rare and wonderful clips of him playing in a bathrobe at the Gould summer house before he'd even made his first recording of the Goldberg Variations. A flash of the original genius, in PJ's.

But back to laser discs, you can get them at Amoeba Records for $15 in many cases, but there wasn't that great a selection. When I'd gone through the whole bin at Berkeley Amoeba I only came away with five or six that I wanted to buy, and when I got home with them one of those turned out to be in German with Japanese subtitles and another ("Around Midnight") had a big crack in side three. I did enjoy "Five Easy Pieces" a lot.

Does anybody know how I can find more laser discs of better quality online, especially Criterion Collection items ?

Sorry Chris- I don't know of any on-line sources for Criterion laserdiscs.

But some new Criterion DVD's are on the way.
Justafied should be happy that 3 Robert Altman films are getting the treatment:

Tanner '88 (all 11 episodes of the mock-doc), Secret Honor and Short Cuts-which has a conversation between Altman and Tim Robbins, a 90 min. making-of, and a 50 min. audio interview with Raymond Carver- good stuff!

also announced:

Catherine Breillat's Fat Girl
George Franju's Eyes Without a Face

You could do a search on "criterion laserdisc" at ebay. Just tried it and got 85+ results. Not bad, although perhaps not as fun as stumbling upon one in a record bin.

I don't know anything about Tanner 88. I'd love to see it though; a mock-doc by Altman? Sounds great... what's the plot line?

P

Tanner is a fictional candidate for president that Altman and Gary Trudeau (Doonesbury) came up with.

The show had Tanner interacting with real politicians at the time.
Criterion's release is quite timely, what with politics getting a lot of attention lately.

I don't know that fumbling through laserdiscs in a bin is all that much fun after a while.

Thank you, Oscar is helping me with this quite expertly, as it turns out. He knows how to do it.

The earlier laserdisc set of Short Cuts is excellent, and has at least some of the same material, including the texts of all the Carver short stories used in the movie, the "making of" documenary, and an interview with Pauline Kael about Altman.

Short Cuts is one Altman film I appreciate.

His career isn't as awe-inspiring as Kubrick, but I readily acknowledge his serious dedication to the medium.

He's a champion, & that's good enough for me.

Short Cuts is definitely one of Altman's most interesting recent works.

to: wpqx regarding your "what needs treatment" post...

I'm with you on the Mizoguchi.. it's ridiculous. I'm planning on buying the french box set and just translating the subtitles for myself (if the picture quality is high, that is... otherwise I'll just wait). Criterion putting out a Pre war Mizoguchi box set would have to be No. 1 on my wishlist (Sisters of the Gion, Osaka Elegy, and Story of the Last Chrysanthemum at least). Were you aware that they've already announced they're working on Ugetsu? Earlier this year that came up during an interview with a Criterion producer.

As to a couple other titles you've mentioned, I think New Yorker has definite plans for a Celine and Julie Go Boating release (early next year presumably) and I think I've heard them mention something about Weekend. This isn't necessarilly the best news though, as their DVDs are usually not the best (save Underground and L'atalante which are great). Also, regarding Bresson, I think the rumor is that Criterion has plans to release Au Hasard Balthazar and Mouchette (due to their relationship with Rialo Pictures) and Pickpocket has been mentioned as well. Also, MK2, a french DVD company, has gone public about a Bresson box set due sometime next year, which the company has stated will have english subtitles on the film and the extras (though they've said this before and nothing came of it). I'm sorry if I'm repeating information on this post, I did not take the time to read the entire thing.

Steven

Thanks for the update. I heard similar information on the two Bresson films once Balthazar was re-released in theaters. I wasn't taking any chances so I went and saw it in the theater, and it is now my favorite film of his. Pre-war Mizoguchi would be a dream, although I was not very pleased with Story of the Late Chrysanthemums. Osaka Elegy I have not yet seen, so I remain optimistic. I just think as a director, he has gotten shafted. Home Vision released some pretty high quality VHS copies of his films several years ago. The only film I have on DVD is Life of Oharu, which is a bootleg import from god only knows where. It has English subtitles though, and that's all I care about. I know that nearly every Bresson film is out in Italy, but of course no English subs. A similar situation was with Celine and Julie Go Boating. As for Weekend, I can only hope, it is my favorite French film, and I don't even own it, although I found no problem seeing it three times. Anyways I feel I am repeating myself. I'm not too excited about Short Cuts or Fanny and Alexander either. I know they are going above and beyond for Fanny and Alexander, but that should have come out in the MGM boxed set, considering they released it on VHS. I am still waiting for Face to Face and Virgin Spring. As for Short Cuts, a great Altman film, but I really could care less about it coming out on DVD from Criterion, especially since I read there was no commentary, but I could be mistaken.

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Originally posted by wpqx
I'm not too excited about Short Cuts or Fanny and Alexander either. I know they are going above and beyond for Fanny and Alexander, but that should have come out in the MGM boxed set, considering they released it on VHS. I am still waiting for Face to Face and Virgin Spring.

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I'm curious if MGM lost the rights to Fanny and Alexander or if they licensed it to Criterion... either way, I'm more than happy with both Criterion releasing it and the MGM box set. Face to Face would be wonderful. I lucked up and found a bootleg sometime ago (along with Karin's Face), but it's the shortened theatrical version. There's an excellent R2 DVD of Virgin Spring from Tartan (who have a long line of great Bergman DVDs and plan on releasing quite a bit of Ozu in the near future as well).

Also those interested in Bela Tarr should take a look at www.mastersofcinema.org. They have some info, and a link to that info, about a series of international releases of his films that are in the works.

As far as what I personally would like to get from Criterion... mostly things that I've just never been able to see. Lots of obscure Rivette and Naruse titles, plus some early Ozu. I'm partial to Robert Enrico's Les Avventuriers as well (french new wave fluff adventure film).

Steven

I think you are mistaken about Shortcuts, at least there was a laserdisc which I rented, not bought, that had a wealth of interesting material. Whether or not it's your "favorite Altman film" or something like that, it's one that lends itself to study, because of the way the Raymond Carver stories are interwoven. The doc on making the film showed a lot about how Altman gets his actors to improvise, and there was at least one interview discussing Altman's work and there were the texts of all the Carver stories involved. It was like taking a well designed little college course on the movie. If they can't duplicate that on a Criterion version, then Criterion isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I have never been able to watch Fanny and Alexander all the way through. It bores me senseless.

I'm sorry if Criterion hasn't issued Ozu. I thought they had.

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Originally posted by Chris Knipp
I think you are mistaken about Shortcuts, at least there was a laserdisc which I rented, not bought, that had a wealth of interesting material. Whether or not it's your "favorite Altman film" or something like that, it's one that lends itself to study, because of the way the Raymond Carver stories are interwoven. The doc on making the film showed a lot about how Altman gets his actors to improvise, and there was at least one interview discussing Altman's work and there were the texts of all the Carver stories involved. It was like taking a well designed little college course on the movie. If they can't duplicate that on a Criterion version, then Criterion isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I'm sorry if Criterion hasn't issued Ozu. I thought they had.

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The Criterion release of Short Cuts is supposed to include the 160 page booklet of short stories in the case itself... and I think the only feature they're leaving off so far is the Kael commentary.

Criterion has released Ozu... I'm wanting more early Ozu (like their Stories of Floating Weeds DVD).

Steven

That's good to hear. The Kael "commentary" I believe is an interview with Michael Sragow in which she mostly but not entirely talks about Altman. I guess they found it too self-serving, because she is encouraged to talk about her then situaton as well as about Altman, but being a Kael fan myself I found it quite interesting. Nonetheless the Criterion edition sounds fine from what you say. I would find this kind of material -- related texts, documentary, interviews-- more worthwhile than some of the commentaries by actors or directors running along with films, which aren't always all that enlighening and which you really can only listen to once, and then you get it. But tell me I'm wrong; I'm only going by the ones I've seen.

I agree on the commentaries. The best ones are usually done by outsiders. One of the most informative that I have seen was for Jules and Jim, done by a film critic whose name slips my mind. Most filmmakers don't do any research and leave long pauses when they say nothing. The only time they really work is when they have a whole army of commentators, like the recent Goodfellas DVD. The commentary on Vertigo could have been great, but they insisted upon questioning the Assicate Producer, who sat silent and related boring stories about Hitch that everyone already knew. You should try Fanny and Alexander again, at least the theatrical before you go balls out for the miniseries.

Kurosawa's Palm D'or winning Kagemusha

2 by Suzuki: Fighting Elegy & Youth of the Beast
2 by Becker: Hands off the Loot! & Casque D'or

Cecil B. DeMille's King of Kings
Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander

Just heard the news, My Own Private Idaho is getting the royal Criterion treatment. No release date has been announced, but the word is early 2005. I say this is good news, I've been looking forward to this film being released on DVD for quite awhile now. So let's all jump up and down in celebration.

Also recently watched Criterion's Secret Honor and Tanner '88. I admired the updated Tanner '04 segments, although they probably shouldn't have incorporated it into the film, that's a little too much like something George Lucas would do.

Secret Honor on the other hand is a superb DVD. The film is tough and hard to get into, but there is a two man commentary, a great interview with Phillip Baker Hall and about 80 minutes of Richard Nixon footage. Hall's performance alone makes Secret Honor worth your time, so by all mean's hunt that out.

That's great about My Own Private Idaho -- is it usual for a well known film of the early Nineties not to be reissued on dvd till now? I'd like to see how the Criterion edition gathers information about the local background and follows up on the cast. Where are those boys now? Some of them have died (apart from River, also Rodney Harvey, who sadly went the same way). Harvey was used in a brief and shocking anti-drug spot on TV that showed successive mug shots--horrible decline. Many assorted interesting characters were involved in the film. Van Sant would be likely to know where they are now.

Altman's Nixon film Silent Honor sounds both obscure and interesting, therefore worth bringing out again, with notes.

Bernardo Bertolucci's La commare secca is coming soon (probably February).

Special Features
-Exclusive interview with director Bernardo Bertolucci
-Essay by film critic David Thompson
-New and improved English subtitle translation

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Godard and Gorin's Tout va Bien isn't far away.

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Well My Own Private Idaho is confirmed for February, as is Jules Dassin's Night and the City as well as Thieves Highway.

Grim Reaper and Tout va Bien are also slated to be released in Feb, so busy month and I for one am excited, particularly about My Own Private Idaho.

Of these films I have only seen Night and the City which has been too long out of print. I would recommend it to anyone, and they are certainly going for the royal treatment on this one.

As I figured, Kagemusha, the Kurosawa film I am most looking forward to getting released, is being postponed. So far the date is pushed back until March. The rest of the January releases though still seem to be on schedule.

Also on tap for March

The River (1951)
The Sword of Doom (1966)
Young Torless (1966)
L'Eclisse (1962)
Andrzej Wajda: Thre War Films
a. A Generation (1954)
b. Kanal (1957)
c. Ashes and Diamonds (1958)
Jules and Jim (1962)

now this line up may be impressive, but Facets has already released Ashes and Diamonds and Kanal on DVD. Plus Fox Lorber's Jules and Jim is the only good release they have probably ever put out.

Most excited about Jean Renoir's English-language The River (which I saw on the big screen almost 20 years ago) and Antonioni's L'Eclisse (I've only seen the excerpts included in Scorsese's My Voyage to Italy dvd).

I own the excellent region #3 disc of Kagemusha with a 4.0 Surround sound track. What makes me curious is that Criterion is releasing the 3-hour version. It's 20 minutes longer than the version currently available, which is not necessarily a good thing (for instance, many prefer Apocalypse Now to the longer "Redux" version).

Hope someday Criterion puts out a few Mizoguchi titles and Bresson's Au Hasard Balthazar, just out in the U.K.

I thought .Jules et Jim was already out as mentioned by wpqx


As I recall L'eclisse wasn't available in a such a good copy on videotape. Certainly the no. 1 reason for getting a Criterion dvd is to get a good copy of the film. You can't always rely on the commentaries being good. As I said earlier some laser disc versions of movies have had great and rich supplementary materials; I gave the example of Altman's Short Cuts.

Originally posted by Chris Knipp
As I recall L'eclisse wasn't available in a such a good copy on videotape. Certainly the no. 1 reason for getting a Criterion dvd is to get a good copy of the film.

Yes and yes.

You can't always rely on the commentaries being good.

True of director commentaries in particular (Egoyan and Scorsese among the exceptions). Criterion commentaries are unformly excellent (I love Peter Cowie).

I wouldn't know, but I look forward to finding out as I watch all of the ones you nabbed.

On tap for April are Pietro Germi's satire Divorce Italian Style and Orsen Welles's stunning but very personal doc. F for Fake.


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Better sell my vhs copy of the wonderful F for Fake pronto. Any info on extras?

It looks like Criterion has gone all out for this one. They're presenting it as a "Special Edition Double-Disc Set."

Extras include:

*Video interview by director Peter Bogdonavich
*Audio commentary featuring director of photography Gary Graver
*Orson Welles: One-Man Band (1988), an hour-long investigation of Welles’s unfinished projects
*Almost True, a 1992 Norwegian Film Institute documentary on art forger Elmyr de Hory
*10-minute trailer
*New essay by film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum

I'm not overly excited for these releases, although I will most certainly be picking both of them up. There are just about 400 films I would rather see come out. I'm not even going to bother listing them, but I'll just say one thing, Mizoguchi.

Bogdanovich is always interesting. He's on the first set of Sopranos dvds, and I suppose many other commentaries by him exist?