Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[Ribs]

It actually just says that for Bleak Moments, it goes out of its way to specify the Naked release is only in the UK.

[The Narrator Returns]

Maybe my reading comprehension has gone completely to hell, but "as is a new restoration of Naked" coming after the Bleak Moments Criterion confirmation really seems to be tying it to Criterion as well, the mention of the UK release is just an addendum.

[domino harvey]

I can't really imagine Naked getting another release from Criterion, but who knows

[yoloswegmaster]

I could see them releasing it on 4K UHD or re-releasing it on blu.

[ryannichols7]

is Naked 4K disc levels popular? I seem to have no clue of the popularity of this movie in the US. it was upgraded pretty early on in the bluray cycle

[DeprongMori]

It actually just says that for Bleak Moments, it goes out of its way to specify the Naked release is only in the UK.

Leigh:

I knew I wanted to make movies. I just had been to the London Film School, and I’d been in a couple of films. And I’d made some shorts. But throughout the ’60s, it was all theatrical experience until such time as we could make a movie. And that was Bleak Moments, which we made exactly 50 years ago. There’s a new restoration that’s been done by the British Film Institute, and it’s going to be in the Criterion Collection, as is a new restoration of Naked, which is going on theatrical release in the U.K.

That seems pretty clear that the new restoration of Naked will be coming out from Criterion, and I would suspect in a 4K UHD release rather than an updated Blu-ray.

[Ribs]

I don’t think it requires great mangling to construe what he is saying to simply refer to the fact a new restoration was done by the BFI in addition rather than being released by Criterion in addition. I don’t read that and think he actually means a new release. Maybe I’m the odd one out but I don’t see it!

[Matt]

You would have to assume he's speaking ungrammatically NOT to understand it as coming from Criterion. Their current edition did come out more than 10 years ago, so it doesn't seem farfetched to think they would put out a new edition (including a 4K UHD). I think it's popular with a lot of film bros.

[criterionsnob]

The current Blu-ray of Naked currently shows as "on back-order" on the Criterion site, so a release of the new restoration would seem to make sense.

[justeleblanc]

Criterion Channel is premiering a new Bordwell essay on Contempt and CinemaScope in December. Seems that they wouldn't commission a new essay on Contempt if they weren't planning on re-releasing it, no?

[Walter Kurtz]

Le Mepris 4K. The first Godard in ultra-hi def! BTW this is the one Godard film that everyone should see on the big screen in a theater.

My wife says I'm a sucker for films with a great score. She's right. What a great marriage of SOUND and VISION. Bet Bowie loved it. I once even hired a taxi to take me near Casa Malaparte in Capri to get a great view of that iconic house. With Delerue playing in my ear. Sound and vision.

[EddieLarkin]

Breathless was released last year

[yoloswegmaster]

Speaking of Studiocanal titles, is it just me or is anyone else not being able to find the Lionsgate blus for 'The Man Who Fell to Earth', 'The Third Man', or 'La Grande Illusion'? I've tried searching on Amazon and Bullmoose but I'm not getting anything. Does this mean that the they are OOP?

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

I have no problem finding The Third Man and La grande illusion. There are rumors that La grande illusion will go to Criterion, but if the Lionsgate edition is OOP there's not much sign of that from online retailers (it's actually easier to find than The Third Man, though more expensive). Lionsgate only released The Man Who Fell to Earth as a three-disc limited edition and never did a standard reissue, but it's an open question whether that's because they lost the rights or because they don't actually give a shit and were just cashing in on Bowie's death.

[Roscoe]

FWIW, TCM ran Lubitsch's TROUBLE IN PARADISE last week, in a gorgeous restoration without a Criterion logo.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

I wouldn't read much into that, Design for Living didn't have a Criterion logo either. To Be or Not to Be did, but that one isn't with Universal.

[yoloswegmaster]

I have no problem finding The Third Man and La grande illusion. There are rumors that La grande illusion will go to Criterion, but if the Lionsgate edition is OOP there's not much sign of that from online retailers (it's actually easier to find than The Third Man, though more expensive). Lionsgate only released The Man Who Fell to Earth as a three-disc limited edition and never did a standard reissue, but it's an open question whether that's because they lost the rights or because they don't actually give a shit and were just cashing in on Bowie's death.

I've clicked on both links and they just lead me to Amazon CA, where it's only the third parties who are selling them and not Amazon themselves. I've went and clicked on the Amazon US links for each title on BR.com and I'm getting a message for each titles stating "Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock."

[FrauBlucher]

That's odd. They opened for me showing they are still available.

[Matt]

What if Criterion relaunched the Eclipse (or Essential Art House) line in HD? As multiple films on one or two Blu-ray discs, no extras, only brief contextualizing essays?

Would the current physical media market support this? Has Criterion abandoned physical media except for the deluxe edition? Has the Criterion Channel permanently usurped the place of barebones physical releases? Does anyone else miss the thrill of blind-buying something totally unfamiliar to them (like the Shimizu, Nikkatsu Noir, and Grémillon sets were to me) and just immersing themselves in them film after film but not being obligated to watch hours worth of extras to feel like you've extracted every cent of value out of the money you paid for it?

The bounty of streaming often means that I can't decide on something to watch (even worse when two people are trying to decide) so I just turn on TCM and half-watch things I've seen a million times before (which is its own pleasure, but not really expanding my horizons much). I've been a Criterion Channel subscriber since it started, but it's exceedingly rare that I watch anything that's not expiring at the end of the month. The pressure of a kevyip is so much stronger with physical formats than with online "watchlists."

[ryannichols7]

I would support it. the issue is naturally the classic argument of what constitutes a deluxe versus what can survive in an eclipse. even if they just slapped on a Bordwell feature from the channel to say, a bluray of 3 Silent Ozu's I feel like there's a lot of value to be gained there. putting stuff like The Ascent and Daisies (neither of which I was a fan of, but even I recognize they deserve greater editions) in eclipse sets was a wrongheaded thing the first time. it's trying to find the right balance I guess. and then of course they could always go the "deluxe" route and mail in an edition (all Mizoguchi titles that aren't Ugetsu and Sansho) leaving us all questioning why we're paying the higher price point

I bring up Ozu bit I think that's the best game plan for some of these - they've done this with Kiarostami and Hitchcock among others, attaching a "lesser" work to a major work, adds value big time. but I agree that they need some way to do these blind buy simpler grab bag of titles for stuff like Shimizu that probably couldn't justify a more lavish edition

I bet this debate comes up in their offices a lot. I for one would purchase upgrades of quite a few of the eclipse line releases...but I also think some could use a little more love (Kurosawas for example having ready to go documentaries about them...should all be on disc)

[swo17]

The Godzilla and Olympics boxes were kind of like giant Eclipse sets. But what you're describing reminds me most of some of Arrow's more adventurous sets. I'll often get these through the library and just plow through the films to see whether I'm interested enough to own them and/or to dive into the extras. I'd happily support any collection of worthwhile films no matter how many extras are included. The only thing I didn't love about Eclipse was the rigidity of the "no extras" credo. Like, I believe there have been instances where we know of some good extras that Criterion had available but left out of an Eclipse set purely for the sake of uniformity. The Pierre Étaix set is a good middle ground, where the total runtime is about 90% films/10% extras. The Les Blank set probably has a similar ratio. Honestly, the Marlon Riggs set would have been impressive with just the films and maybe one contextual documentary included, but I certainly welcome Criterion going the extra mile with that one.

[dustybooks]

What if Criterion relaunched the Eclipse (or Essential Art House) line in HD? As multiple films on one or two Blu-ray discs, no extras, only brief contextualizing essays?

I would love this if it meant getting certain films out onto discs faster, or films that wouldn't otherwise have disc releases at all. Plus, as much of a collector-fetishist as it makes me sound like, I just like having copies of movies I can hold in my hand. I always really liked the Eclipse line for this reason, plus just stylistically I found the sets quite attractive. As much as I appreciate the convenience of streaming, it remains after all these years kind of an annoyance at times, especially if I'm trying to set up our projector for something more immersive, and I'd almost always prefer a disc. The Janus library being perpetually at my fingertips has been a blessing, but once again, the demise of Filmstruck -- however temporary it basically was -- exemplifies how it still makes everything just a little too ephemeral for my tastes.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

The only thing I didn't love about Eclipse was the rigidity of the "no extras" credo. Like, I believe there have been instances where we know of some good extras that Criterion had available but left out of an Eclipse set purely for the sake of uniformity.

The really glaring example was the Downey set, which dropped the commentary and interview for Putney Swope that had previously been included on the Home Vision release.

[black&huge]

When I saw Mink Stole a few years ago, she had said that we would anticipate the early films out, including Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and Desperate Living. I don’t know how much Mink is involved compared to John but to have the trash trilogy on blu ray (dare I say UHD) I would be ecstatic.

Desperate Living I want more than anything else. If it's in 4k I'll just explode. It will be the release of the millenium.

[Matt]

The idea of Desperate Living in 4K when the only way to see it for years was your friend’s cousin’s third-generation dupe VHS.