Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

News on Criterion and Janus Films.
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Cinephrenic
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:58 pm
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2401 Post by Cinephrenic » Tue Oct 30, 2012 7:06 pm

Strange priority. Maybe they will release two.

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matrixschmatrix
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 11:26 pm

Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2402 Post by matrixschmatrix » Tue Oct 30, 2012 7:26 pm

If they're looking specifcally for sound era Chaplin, it's about as well known as anything but The Great Dictator, seeing as how it's basically that, Limelight, and A King in New York.

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movielocke
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:44 am

Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2403 Post by movielocke » Tue Oct 30, 2012 7:34 pm

well that's tremendously disappointing. how many more years must we wait for City Lights? :(

criterion10

Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2404 Post by criterion10 » Tue Oct 30, 2012 7:39 pm

Not to nitpick, but is it just me or does it seem as if Criterion is really taking there time with the Chaplins? Considering the first one we got was Modern Times back in November 2010, I would've thought Big C would've made it through almost all of them by now. Is this just me, or am I underestimating the amount of restoration these films needed?

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Mr Sausage
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:02 pm
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2405 Post by Mr Sausage » Tue Oct 30, 2012 9:42 pm

Like Jeff, this is my second favourite Chaplin, so I'm pretty excited. I haven't bought any of the other Chaplins, but I'll definitely go out of my way to double-dip this one.

JonasEB
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2012 3:02 am

Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2406 Post by JonasEB » Wed Oct 31, 2012 1:44 am

criterion10 wrote:Not to nitpick, but is it just me or does it seem as if Criterion is really taking there time with the Chaplins? Considering the first one we got was Modern Times back in November 2010, I would've thought Big C would've made it through almost all of them by now. Is this just me, or am I underestimating the amount of restoration these films needed?
Most of them are already available in Europe and many of them are fairly mediocre looking, not necessarily due to the condition of the films but the qualities of the decade old masters. Criterion released the two that were obviously stellar (Modern Times, Great Dictator) and have started rolling out the more problematic titles, like The Gold Rush - the Criterion is the only edition with the original 1925 film in HD (which looks better than the 1942.) Similarly, The Kid is only available in its re-edited form overseas; the Criterion will almost certainly have the reconstructed original version. The First National shorts that make up the outdated Chaplin Revue may get new restorations/transfers, they need them.

It's going to take a bit longer to get these out but, as The Gold Rush shows, it should be worth it.

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matrixschmatrix
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 11:26 pm

Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2407 Post by matrixschmatrix » Wed Oct 31, 2012 1:59 am

Yeah, I'm impatient too, but I'll happily take a three year wait if that's what it takes to get releases as good as The Gold Rush. Plus, hopefully they'll stick to the incredibly stacked sets of extras, too.

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Jeff
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:49 pm
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2408 Post by Jeff » Wed Oct 31, 2012 2:23 am

JonasEB wrote:The Kid is only available in its re-edited form overseas; the Criterion will almost certainly have the reconstructed original version.
Yeah, it was one of the restorations they were working on with Cineteca di Bologna and the Chaplin estate, as seen in this infamous photo of Fumiko Takagi fondling the negative.

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zedz
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm

Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2409 Post by zedz » Thu Nov 08, 2012 3:03 pm

criterion10 wrote:Not to nitpick, but is it just me or does it seem as if Criterion is really taking there time with the Chaplins? Considering the first one we got was Modern Times back in November 2010, I would've thought Big C would've made it through almost all of them by now. Is this just me, or am I underestimating the amount of restoration these films needed?
Why on earth would Criterion shoot their load, create competition for themselves and minimise sales when dripfeeding the Chaplins will give them a steady revenue stream for years? Most of these films are a license to print money, and will be subsidising riskier titles. That's not a resource you squander.

peerpee
not perpee
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2410 Post by peerpee » Fri Nov 09, 2012 8:14 pm

They also pretty much all needed doing again from scratch. Park Circus and other European labels just issued what MK2 gave them (which, in most cases, wasn't really good enough for Blu-ray). MoC really dodged multiple bullets on these.

Criterion are handling the Chaplins exactly as the Universal Hitchcocks needed dealing with = one by one, properly.

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eerik
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2411 Post by eerik » Tue Nov 27, 2012 5:39 pm

Image

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Cold Bishop
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2412 Post by Cold Bishop » Tue Nov 27, 2012 5:41 pm

Medium Cool!

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med
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:58 pm

Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2413 Post by med » Tue Nov 27, 2012 5:43 pm

That Haskell Wexler/Henry Winkler pun is something else.

rwaits
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2414 Post by rwaits » Tue Nov 27, 2012 5:44 pm

Excellent news!!

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dx23
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2415 Post by dx23 » Tue Nov 27, 2012 5:45 pm

The Complete Henry Winkler Collection!

kneelzod
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2416 Post by kneelzod » Tue Nov 27, 2012 5:45 pm

I wonder if all of the original music will be restored.

bamwc2
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2417 Post by bamwc2 » Tue Nov 27, 2012 5:49 pm

Cold Bishop wrote:Medium Cool!
I hope that's right. What a fantastic movie! I have to admit to not getting it since I was thrown off by the "Wacky-Ayyyy" name.

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ptatler
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2418 Post by ptatler » Tue Nov 27, 2012 5:52 pm

Also exciting is the possibility of a CC edition of the restored TESS. It's another interesting mess along the lines of HEAVEN'S GATE but, in my view, much better.

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carax09
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2419 Post by carax09 » Tue Nov 27, 2012 5:52 pm

For a second there, I convinced myself it was Les Bas-fonds, or "Fonz", as the case may be.

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ryannichols7
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2420 Post by ryannichols7 » Tue Nov 27, 2012 6:01 pm

very awesome to see two cinema vérité style movies in 2013 so far on the slate. Medium Cool is fantastic. hope they got Wexler (who's 90!) for some features.

also, more Paramount...maybe we really will get Nashville and Don't Look Now!

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Grand Wazoo
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2421 Post by Grand Wazoo » Tue Nov 27, 2012 8:07 pm

Yes! One of the few newsletter clues I've guessed on my own. I've been hoping for this one for a long time having missed out on the dvd before it evaporated. Here's hoping for some kind of Frank Zappa related extra.

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HistoryProf
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2422 Post by HistoryProf » Tue Nov 27, 2012 8:11 pm

Wow...I figured this was only a pipedream. I can quit regretting selling off my old Paramount disc for only $50. I imagine those will drop back to $7 a pop within weeks of this coming out. better list them now!

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oldsheperd
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2423 Post by oldsheperd » Tue Nov 27, 2012 8:40 pm

I totally regret selling my copy of Medium Cool when it was still in print.
I believe it had a commentary by Wexler so they might just transfer it.

kneelzod
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2424 Post by kneelzod » Tue Nov 27, 2012 9:28 pm

oldsheperd wrote:I totally regret selling my copy of Medium Cool when it was still in print.
I believe it had a commentary by Wexler so they might just transfer it.
I may wait to hear what is, or isn't, being ported over from the Paramount DVD before selling it.

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swo17
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Re: Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

#2425 Post by swo17 » Tue Nov 27, 2012 9:30 pm

kneelzod wrote:I may wait to hear what is, or isn't, being ported over from the Paramount DVD before selling it.
Yeah, I'm waiting to see if one of Criterion's extras will be a crisp $100 bill.

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