Criterion Random Speculation Vol.4

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Awesome Welles · #526 Post by **Awesome Welles** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 3:41 pm

Tamara wrote:We will be getting to some Rossellini in the not-too-distant future... we hope to get to more DeSica at some point

Yippee! Have there been new restorations? The War Trilogy would be pretty cool Roma citta aperta/ Paisa / Germania Anno Zero with La Nave Bianca as a supplement?! Seriously, I'm holding out for Stromboli, which I have yet to see. As for De Sica I'm not as familiar but a great admirer of Miracle in Milan, wasn't this rumoured once?

TheGodfather · #527 Post by **TheGodfather** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 3:45 pm

Cinephrenic wrote:
We will be getting to some Rossellini in the not-too-distant future,

Finally Rome, Open City??

miless · #528 Post by **miless** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 4:16 pm

wasn't there something on the Criterion site about a year ago about how surprised they and Isabella were at the quality of the film elements from Rome, Open City? (something like how astonished they were that the film had such amazing grain for being cobbled together from so many different film-stocks, some of which were meant for still-photography)

Scharphedin2 · #529 Post by **Scharphedin2** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 4:42 pm

FSimeoni wrote:Do you not like Kobayashi's other work? I think The Human Condition Trilogy could at worst be described as melodramatic, but I found each part to be sublime and regard it as the best trilogy I have ever seen.

I am completely with you, and this is my most anticipated Criterion release at the moment (in fact I purchased my first DVD player simply in order to finally be able to see this film(s) back almost ten years ago, when Image Entertainment released them).

That said, I can understand PimpPanda's experience. This film reminded me of some of the great Russian novels of the 19th century, where the project of reading can feel long and at times even tedious and the style overwrought, but where there are enough passages that take your breath away that you continue to the end, and by the last page, the greatness of the whole becomes clear.

Another Kobayashi film that I only saw recently, and which would make a wonderful Criterion is We Throw Away Our Lives for Nothing/Inn of Evil. I had heard very little about the film beforehand, but it bore many similarities to Harakiri, and felt almost like a companion piece.

What a great filmmaker!

sidehacker · #530 Post by **sidehacker** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 5:05 pm

Another example of the French being ahead of us when it comes to Japanese cinema: Kobayashi's Black River. A silly movie, for sure, but not without some bright spots, the brightest being Ineko Arima. Not really a fan of Kobayashi, though. I don't get the big deal behind Harakiri.

PimpPanda · #531 Post by **PimpPanda** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 7:56 pm

FSimeoni wrote:
Tamara wrote:We will be getting to some Rossellini in the not-too-distant future... we hope to get to more DeSica at some point
Yippee! Have there been new restorations? The War Trilogy would be pretty cool Roma citta aperta/ Paisa / Germania Anno Zero with La Nave Bianca as a supplement?! Seriously, I'm holding out for Stromboli, which I have yet to see. As for De Sica I'm not as familiar but a great admirer of Miracle in Milan, wasn't this rumoured once?

There were restorations in 06, I believe. I saw the new print of Rome: Open City in Nov.06. It was my first time watching the film, and I was extremely impressed.

Scharphedin2 wrote:That said, I can understand PimpPanda's experience. This film reminded me of some of the great Russian novels of the 19th century, where the project of reading can feel long and at times even tedious and the style overwrought, but where there are enough passages that take your breath away that you continue to the end, and by the last page, the greatness of the whole becomes clear.

Even stranger, because I love Dostoyevsky (haven't read muc h of the others)! I also really really love long films and that sort of "final page" effect where all the cumulative power just comes right at you. It's just this really annoyed me - I felt like it had simplistic views of moralizing and of characters. Maybe I'll watch it again in a few years?

Tommaso · #532 Post by **Tommaso** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 4:54 am

FSimeoni wrote:Yippee! Have there been new restorations? The War Trilogy would be pretty cool Roma citta aperta/ Paisa / Germania Anno Zero with La Nave Bianca as a supplement?! Seriously, I'm holding out for Stromboli, which I have yet to see. As for De Sica I'm not as familiar but a great admirer of Miracle in Milan, wasn't this rumoured once?

Not wishing to let anybody down, as I'd also jump very much for a watchable disc of "Paisà" or "Stromboli", but I fear they will rather put out "Generale della Rovere", as this exists in an absolutely superb resto and is only out on an almost as superb disc in Italy at the moment. This would also fit into the De Sica announcement, as Vittorio plays the main character there. But I hope I'm wrong, and yes, "Miracle in Milan" would be great. Or perhaps some of his very early films as an Eclipse set?

ellipsis7 · #533 Post by **ellipsis7** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:30 am

STROMBOLI is a Be-Ro (Bergman-Rossellini) Production for RKO Pictures, so I wonder how that pans out re. the CC potentially releasing, as it still has the RKO ident on the director's version that I recorded off the BBC some years back, so presumably the rights still rest in the RKO back catalogue... There were of course 2 versions, and 2 negatives which Rossellini had shot simultaneously, Howard Hughes ordering a recut, chopping 35 minutes to turn it into a more conventional Hollywood movie for the US release version... There was all sorts of coming and going, and a legal suit, driven not least by Hughes spite at losing Bergman...

Cinephrenic · #534 Post by **Cinephrenic** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 1:01 pm

Miracle in Milan and Gold of Naples is obvious to come from Criterion, but who owns the rights to Shoeshine? It has been oop for a couple of millenia.

#535 Post by **Jeff** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 1:19 pm

Cinephrenic wrote:Miracle in Milan and Gold of Naples is obvious to come from Criterion, but who owns the rights to Shoeshine? It has been oop for a couple of millenia.

The rights to Shoeshine (except in Italy) are controlled by Alfredo Leone's International Media Films. His company licensed it to Image, but obviously that license has expired.

criterionaficionado · #536 Post by **criterionaficionado** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:21 pm

the reg 2 shoeshine dvd by moc is absolutley awesome. that should hold you off until the rights issues to shoeshine are granted to criterion possibly?

rossellini is a master filmmaker whom is very under represented in this country. CC needs to release more of his films asap. i have the italian version of il generale della rovere on dvd (with eng subs) and it is an excellent copy.

stromboli is a terrific movie that needs to be released by CC, but viaggio in italia is just as deserving, if not more so.
an eclipse box of rossellini would be great too,maybe with such movies from his late career such as, il messia, cartesius, socrate, anno uno, the rise of louis xvi, era notte a roma, etc, and many other possiblilities of course.

de sica is also deserving of more representation on dvd. CC versions of miracle in milan and gold of naples would be welcome additions. i would like to add other films just as deserving; i girasoli, matrimonio all'italiana,il viaggio, la ciociara (dvd version available now is a disgrace), etc.

Rupert Pupkin · #537 Post by **Rupert Pupkin** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 3:09 am

still no news of Crash (Cronenberg) on Criterion ? (I still have the laserdisc with the great audio commentary)... Not that the Alliance DVD z1 has not a great picture quality (despite that it was released in 1998). But I'd love to see a Criterion treatment with lot of extras a-la Videodrome...

Narshty · #538 Post by **Narshty** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 3:46 am

I think any chance of further New Line titles from Criterion will be zip, given how they're now a subsidiary of Warner (also expect the five current ones - Short Cuts, My Own Private Idaho, Hoop Dreams, Naked and An Angel at my Table - to go OOP once the current licences expire).

#539 Post by **zedz** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:11 pm

Narshty wrote:I think any chance of further New Line titles from Criterion will be zip, given how they're now a subsidiary of Warner (also expect the five current ones - Short Cuts, My Own Private Idaho, Hoop Dreams, Naked and An Angel at my Table - to go OOP once the current licences expire).

I'm sure you're right, but this could pose an interesting conundrum for Criterion if they're still going ahead with funding the Hoop Dreams sequel / follow-up, as announced some time back (in the NY Times?)

Jobla · #540 Post by **Jobla** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:26 pm

At Mobius Forum, Tim Lucas suggests a Roger Vadim collection for Eclipse, comprised of:

BLOOD AND ROSES (from Paramount)
LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES
CHARLOTTE (aka LA JEUNE FILLE ASSASSINEE)

I second the nomination! I'd also be happy to buy a stand-alone release of BLOOD AND ROSES, of course.

#541 Post by **Jeff** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:48 pm

Turns out we actually had a "Stalker on DVD" thread. All relevant discussion has been moved over there.

fdm · #542 Post by **fdm** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:07 am

kaujot wrote:How about Pinter's Betrayal? Anyone have any info on the status of that one?

Nothing beside I suggested that one a long while back (probably around the same time I suggested W.R. and Bad Timing and Veronique (so yeah, those others are partly my fault

)... Hopefully someday Betrayal will come out (somewhere) too...

I also recall suggesting Moonlighting, but that ended up on a small label in the U.S., and I've been afraid to open it and watch it...

arsonfilms · #543 Post by **arsonfilms** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:41 pm

Did anyone else see the announcement on DVDBeaver about July Criterions?

July Criterions Announced:
Mon oncle Antoine (Claude Jutra, 1971), Trafic (Jacques Tati, 1971), Vampyr (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1932) and High and Low (Kurosawa, 1963)

mogwai · #544 Post by **mogwai** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:44 pm

Vampyr?! I hope to hell that's true. I didn't expect it nearly this early, though.

#545 Post by **domino harvey** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:47 pm

I forgot all about it being the middle of the month-- those titles all sound very plausible.

kaujot · #546 Post by **kaujot** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:50 pm

I could have sworn they said rather recently that a reissue of High and Low wasn't on the schedule any time soon.

tavernier · #547 Post by **tavernier** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:21 pm

All 2-disc sets in July....from Criterion press release:

Mon oncle Antoine
Claude Jutra’s evocative portrait of a boy’s coming of age in wintry 1940s rural Quebec has been consistently cited by critics and scholars as the greatest Canadian film of all time. Delicate, naturalistic, and tinged with a striking mix of nostalgia and menace, Mon oncle Antoine follows the everyday lives of both young Benoit, as he first encounters the twin terrors of sex and death, and his fellow villagers, living under the thumb of the local asbestos-mine owner. Set during one ominous Christmas, Mon oncle Antoine is a holiday film unlike any other, and an authentically detailed illustration of childhood’s twilight.

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES:
-- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director of photography Michel Brault
-- On-Screen: “Mon oncle Antoine,” a 2007 documentary tracing the making and history of the film
-- Claude Jutra, an Unfinished Story, a 2002 documentary that attempts to unravel “the Jutra mystery,” featuring interviews with Brault, Bernardo Bertolucci, actors Geneviève Bujold and Saul Rubinek. and actor-director Paule Baillargeon
-- A Chairy Tale, a 1957 experimental short codirected by Jutra and Norman McLaren
-- Theatrical trailer
-- Optional English-dubbed soundtrack
-- New and improved English subtitle translation
-- PLUS: A new essay by film scholar André Loiselle

SRP: $39.95
Prebook: 6/3/08
Street date: 7/8/08

Trafic
In Jacques Tati’s Trafic, the bumbling Monsieur Hulot, outfitted as always with tan raincoat, beaten brown hat, and umbrella, takes to Paris’s highways and byways. For this, his final outing, Hulot is employed as an auto company’s director of design, and accompanies his new vehicle (a camper tricked out in all sorts of absurd gadgetry) to an auto show in Amsterdam. Naturally, the road is paved with modern-age mishaps. This late-career delight is a masterful demonstration of the comic genius’s expert timing and sidesplitting visual gags, and a bemused last look at technology run amok.

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES:
-- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
-- In the Footsteps of Monsieur Hulot (1969), a two-hour documentary tracing the evolution of Jacques Tati’s beloved alter ego
-- Interview from 1971 with the cast of Trafic, from the French television program Le journal de cinema
-- “The Comedy of Jacques Tati,” a 1973 episode from the French television program Morceaux de bravoure
-- Theatrical trailer
-- New and improved English subtitle translation
-- PLUS: A new essay by film critic Jonathan Romney

SRP: $39.95
Prebook: 6/10/08
Street date: 7/15/08

Vampyr
With Vampyr, Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer’s brilliance at achieving mesmerizing atmosphere and austere, profoundly unsettling imagery (as in The Passion of Joan of Arc and Day of Wrath) was for once applied to the horror genre. Yet the result—concerning an occult student assailed by various supernatural haunts and local evildoers at an inn outside Paris—is nearly unclassifiable, a host of stunning camera and editing tricks and densely layered sounds creating a mood of dreamlike terror. With its roiling fogs, ominous scythes, and foreboding echoes, Vampyr is one of cinema’s great nightmares.

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES:
-- New, restored high-definition digital transfer of the 1998 film restoration by Martin Koerber and the Cineteca di Bologna
-- Optional all-new English-text version of the film
-- Audio commentary featuring film scholar Tony Rayns
-- Carl Th. Dreyer (1966), a documentary by Jörgen Roos chronicling Dreyer’s career
-- Visual essay by scholar Casper Tybjerg on Dreyer’s influences in creating Vampyr
-- A 1958 radio broadcast of Dreyer reading an essay about filmmaking
-- New and improved English subtitle translation
-- PLUS: A booklet featuring new essays by Mark Le Fanu and Kim Newman, Martin Koerber on the restoration, and an archival interview with producer and star Nicolas de Gunzburg, as well as a book featuring Dreyer and Christen Jul’s original screenplay and Sheridan Le Fanu 1871 story “Carmilla,” a source for the filmTitle: Vampyr

SRP: $39.95
Prebook: 6/17/08
Street date: 7/22/08

High and Low
Toshiro Mifune is unforgettable as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a cold-blooded kidnapper in Akira Kurosawa’s highly influential domestic drama and police procedural High and Low. Adapting Ed McBain’s detective novel King’s Ransom, Kurosawa moves effortlessly from compelling race-against-time thriller to exacting social commentary, creating a diabolical treatise on class and contemporary Japanese society. Criterion is proud to present High and Low (Tengoko to jigoku) in this new high-definition digital transfer.

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES:
-- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with newly restored original
four-track surround sound
-- New audio commentary by Akira Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince
-- A 37-minute documentary on the making of High and Low, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
-- Rare archival interview with Toshiro Mifune
-- New video interview with actor Tsutomu Yamazaki, who plays the kidnapper
-- Theatrical trailers from Japan and the U.S.
-- New and improved English subtitle translation
-- PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien and a reprinted essay by Japanese film scholar Donald Richie
-- More!

SRP: $39.95
Prebook: 6/17/08
Street date: 7/22/08

#548 Post by **domino harvey** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:29 pm

Whoops there he is

tavernier · #549 Post by **tavernier** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:30 pm

At least he gets a "visual essay."

#550 Post by **domino harvey** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:31 pm

tavernier wrote:At least he gets a "visual essay."

Yeah I didn't make it down all the way to see that-- thank God! =D>
On a related note: MOC must be pissed

Criterion Random Speculation Vol.4

Roger Vadim box set for Eclipse?