Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

News on Criterion and Janus Films.
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Hogfather
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:20 pm

Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5051 Post by Hogfather » Tue May 17, 2022 6:00 pm

I don't know about his entire oeuvre, I haven't seen them do anything with Oedipus Rex or Medea, but they have enough to do a box set.

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

Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5052 Post by movielocke » Wed May 18, 2022 1:10 pm

Doinel 4k release? maybe the restorations are 4k, but I’d expect it Blu-ray only.

Yojimbo/Sanjuro 4k seems like the most likely box set to be given a 4K release, but I expect seven samurai 4K will come first, as the marquee November release (unless fear and loathing is the marquee November 4k)

fiendishthingy
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5053 Post by fiendishthingy » Wed May 18, 2022 1:16 pm

I would expect a 4K release of The 400 Blows, but I agree that Blu-ray seems more likely for the full set, though I may be wrong.

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swo17
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5054 Post by swo17 » Wed May 18, 2022 1:27 pm

Not sure how I feel about that given the French 4Ks are reportedly abysmal (prompting BFI to only release their latest Truffauts on Blu-ray)

Calvin
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5055 Post by Calvin » Wed May 18, 2022 2:11 pm

Our own tenia gave the Antoine Doinel 4Ks a pretty good review though - it seems like the later films don't have the problems of The 400 Blows' restoration, from what he writes

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Hogfather
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5056 Post by Hogfather » Wed May 18, 2022 3:14 pm

Important dispatches from the Welles front: in his episode of John Bleasdale's wonderful podcast, Writers on Film , Joseph McBride says that Criterion and the producers of The Other Side of the Wind want to put out a Blu-ray of the film together, as we'd all hoped they would. However, Netflix is holding up the release, he says. Whatever inner turmoil they're currently involved in and have been involved in for the past few months is probably holding up not only this release, but also the previously promised Animal Factory and Atlantics releases. I imagine that since the Venice premiere back in 2019, Netflix has lost a lot of interest in The Other Side of the Wind, which doesn't seem surprising given their recent focus on original content and especially given the quality of that content.

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ryannichols7
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5057 Post by ryannichols7 » Wed May 18, 2022 3:15 pm

movielocke wrote:
Wed May 18, 2022 1:10 pm
Doinel 4k release? maybe the restorations are 4k, but I’d expect it Blu-ray only.

Yojimbo/Sanjuro 4k seems like the most likely box set to be given a 4K release, but I expect seven samurai 4K will come first, as the marquee November release (unless fear and loathing is the marquee November 4k)
and from what 4K restoration would Seven Samurai or Yojimbo/Sanjuro come from? I get that people want the Kurosawa titles (I do too), but let's face it - none of the Toho ones seem to be coming any time soon. Toho is not one of the more cooperative rightsholders, they only allow releases from Criterion or any boutique that they themselves have released in Japan. and no Kurosawa has been released in Japan on 4K, or even restored as such. there's only a few titles Criterion haven't released on Bluray that Toho did (The Bad Sleep Well, Red Beard) but those were in 2009-2010, so they're extremely dated masters at this point, not likely to be a huge improvement over the DVDs. look no further than Woman in the Dunes, Onibaba, or the Godzilla box for other examples.

people wishing for a Kurosawa UHD I think are more likely to see Rashomon or Dreams come first. hell, I'd even say Dersu Uzala (when Mosfilm finishes the restoration) or Kagemusha (no Fox title has come on UHD yet, but CC do still have a relationship with them) are more likely at the moment than any Toho title.

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A Tempted Christ
Joined: Sat Oct 12, 2019 4:31 am

Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5058 Post by A Tempted Christ » Wed May 18, 2022 4:51 pm

ryannichols7 wrote:
Wed May 18, 2022 3:15 pm
No Kurosawa has been released in Japan on 4K, or even restored as such.
Correct me if I'm wrong but Seven Samurai was restored in 4K several years ago and received a fairly wide cover on the web. Yojimbo, Sanjuro and Kagemusha were also reported to have been restored in 4K and released in cinemas in Japan. There is also Ran that has an existing 4K master. Not sure about Ikiru because it was scanned in 4K but I think the restoration was done in 2K unless they've rescanned that too.

beamish14
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5059 Post by beamish14 » Wed May 18, 2022 5:15 pm

ryannichols7 wrote:
Wed May 18, 2022 3:15 pm
movielocke wrote:
Wed May 18, 2022 1:10 pm
Doinel 4k release? maybe the restorations are 4k, but I’d expect it Blu-ray only.

Yojimbo/Sanjuro 4k seems like the most likely box set to be given a 4K release, but I expect seven samurai 4K will come first, as the marquee November release (unless fear and loathing is the marquee November 4k)
and from what 4K restoration would Seven Samurai or Yojimbo/Sanjuro come from? I get that people want the Kurosawa titles (I do too), but let's face it - none of the Toho ones seem to be coming any time soon. Toho is not one of the more cooperative rightsholders, they only allow releases from Criterion or any boutique that they themselves have released in Japan. and no Kurosawa has been released in Japan on 4K, or even restored as such. there's only a few titles Criterion haven't released on Bluray that Toho did (The Bad Sleep Well, Red Beard) but those were in 2009-2010, so they're extremely dated masters at this point, not likely to be a huge improvement over the DVDs. look no further than Woman in the Dunes, Onibaba, or the Godzilla box for other examples.

people wishing for a Kurosawa UHD I think are more likely to see Rashomon or Dreams come first. hell, I'd even say Dersu Uzala (when Mosfilm finishes the restoration) or Kagemusha (no Fox title has come on UHD yet, but CC do still have a relationship with them) are more likely at the moment than any Toho title.

Does MGM still control Rhapsody in August in North America? It’s so frustrating how that and Madadayo are so neglected.

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Michael Kerpan
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5060 Post by Michael Kerpan » Wed May 18, 2022 8:05 pm

beamish14 -- Not as neglected as Quiet Duel -- which I like a LOT more than either Rhapsody or Madadayo.

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ryannichols7
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5061 Post by ryannichols7 » Thu May 19, 2022 4:17 am

A Tempted Christ wrote:
Wed May 18, 2022 4:51 pm
ryannichols7 wrote:
Wed May 18, 2022 3:15 pm
No Kurosawa has been released in Japan on 4K, or even restored as such.
Correct me if I'm wrong but Seven Samurai was restored in 4K several years ago and received a fairly wide cover on the web. Yojimbo, Sanjuro and Kagemusha were also reported to have been restored in 4K and released in cinemas in Japan. There is also Ran that has an existing 4K master. Not sure about Ikiru because it was scanned in 4K but I think the restoration was done in 2K unless they've rescanned that too.
this may be the case, but it's a matter of accessibility. as evidenced by the Godzilla set, Toho had no problem putting out new restorations of those in theatres and then not making them accessible to Criterion for their big marquee spine #1000. Ben from BFI has said he'd love to do Seven Samurai as a UHD (as it would be an obvious seller), but there "was no master available to us", so likely the case for Criterion too.

Ran and Kagemusha are interesting because they have different global rightsholders than they do in Japan, where Toho owns both. Lionsgate did such a weird thing with Ran in the US (limited edition Best Buy exclusive that's now OOP), I wonder if in a year or so there's an outside chance it comes back to Criterion (and I do wish it would happen, an edition SHOULD be in print in the US, and Stephen Prince's commentary does not deserve to be in OOP hell). of course Ran has been released in 4K in most countries by Studiocanal (or LGF in the US), though I'm unsure whether they did the restoration themselves or if it came from Toho. that would be interesting to know with Kagemusha too...one has to wonder if that could be the first Fox title Criterion licenses for UHD, it was a very early Bluray upgrade too, the first Kurosawa to be on the format!

Rhapsody in August I have no clue who belongs to in the US, but if the rights reverted to Shochiku that could be a best case solution, since Criterion have a great relationship with them + they do actually restore their movies. the downside is that they also control Scandal and The Idiot and those haven't come to Bluray.

but for real, the Criterion/Toho relationship has really slowed. aside from Godzilla, the only output we've seen from the relationship has been CC slapping HD masters from the DVD era on Bluray to generally meddling results (Antonio Gaudi, Woman in the Dunes, Onibaba - an insult to all three visually *stunning* films). no new fancy restorations like we see from the Shochiku, Nikkatsu, and Kadokawa films. this is likely why we haven't seen much (/any!) Naruse on Bluray, since Toho controls most of those. Kwaidan is probably the Toho title that's been the biggest knockout on Bluray - that disc looks absolutely stunning, and I know many would agree with me that Kurosawa, Naruse, Teshigahara, etc deserve to see their films look that good on the format, if not on 4K! but Toho continues to drag their feet...

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The Fanciful Norwegian
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5062 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Thu May 19, 2022 2:04 pm

ryannichols7 wrote:
Thu May 19, 2022 4:17 am
Ran and Kagemusha are interesting because they have different global rightsholders than they do in Japan, where Toho owns both. Lionsgate did such a weird thing with Ran in the US (limited edition Best Buy exclusive that's now OOP), I wonder if in a year or so there's an outside chance it comes back to Criterion (and I do wish it would happen, an edition SHOULD be in print in the US, and Stephen Prince's commentary does not deserve to be in OOP hell). of course Ran has been released in 4K in most countries by Studiocanal (or LGF in the US), though I'm unsure whether they did the restoration themselves or if it came from Toho.
Toho has no ownership of Ran. Nippon Herald co-produced it and took the Japanese distribution rights, but it was a bit out of their wheelhouse (they mainly released independent foreign films), so they partnered with Toho for the theatrical release. Kadokawa eventually acquired Herald's film business and they own the Japanese rights now. The official line is that the 4K restoration was done by Eclair under the "supervision" of Canal and Kadokawa. Toho did co-produce Kagemusha and retain the Japanese rights; a 4K restoration (done on Toho's behalf at Tokyo Laboratory) was shown in Japanese theaters in 2017, but it hasn't been released on video anywhere. I don't know if the existing Toho Blu used the same master as the Criterion, but they were released only two months apart in 2009, so my hunch is it did.

fiendishthingy
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5063 Post by fiendishthingy » Tue May 24, 2022 7:01 pm

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned elsewhere (I couldn't find anything by searching), but A Monkey in Winter on the Criterion Channel opens with Criterion and Janus logos.

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omegadirective
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5064 Post by omegadirective » Wed Jun 08, 2022 6:46 am

Is there a page that lists all the releases with some kind of special bonus for the packaging?

Such as the lenticular cover for Time Bandits, the tarot cards for Nightmare alley, and the plane for Flight of the Phoenix?


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Computer Raheem
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5066 Post by Computer Raheem » Thu Jun 09, 2022 1:36 pm

Here's to hoping that this restoration has some grain... [-o<

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yoloswegmaster
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5067 Post by yoloswegmaster » Thu Jun 09, 2022 1:48 pm

I'm once again bored at my job, so I decided to make a list of titles that are most likely to receive a upcoming 4K UHD release from Criterion. The titles listed below are ones that we already know or have been somewhat confirmed to be with Criterion. Just tell me if I'm missing some obvious titles that should be on this list. I will also be adding this section to the Forthcoming List as well.

Titles that Criterion are most likely to release on 4K UHD:

Three Colors Trilogy - Janus is going to tour the new 4K restorations + it has already received a 4K release in France
The Heroic Trio + Executioners - New 4K restorations being shown in theaters + a German UHD being likely according to a German label insider over at the blu forum
Lost Highway - Janus will be touring the 4K restoration in the summer
Antoine Doinel Series - Films have received 4K restorations + have been released on 4K UHD in France
Le Samourai - Criterion have performed a new 4K restoration
La Haine - Janus was touring the 4K restoration a few years back + 4K UHD releases exist in France and Germany
Videodrome - new 4K restoration done by Arrow will be premiering at the Ritrovato festival
The Trial - Hinted to be with Criterion + 4K UHD has been announced for the U.K.
Police Story 1 + 2 - Eureka will be releasing the Police Story trilogy on UHD in the U.K, while 88 Films will be releasing the third film on UHD by itself in the U.S
Bruce Lee Boxset - Strongly hinted by an insider that Arrow will be releasing a 4K set in the U.K + the bluray set was a big seller for Criterion, so there is an incentive for them to re-release it on 4K
Wong Kar Wai Boxset - 4K UHDs for most of the titles in this set have been released in Germany

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Drucker
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5068 Post by Drucker » Thu Jun 09, 2022 1:52 pm

yoloswegmaster wrote:
Thu Jun 09, 2022 1:48 pm
I'm once again bored at my job, so I decided to make a list of titles that are most likely to receive a upcoming 4K UHD release from Criterion. The titles listed below are ones that we already know or have been somewhat confirmed to be with Criterion. Just tell me if I'm missing some obvious titles that should be on this list. I will also be adding this section to the Forthcoming List as well.

Titles that Criterion are most likely to release on 4K UHD:
Le Samourai - Criterion have performed a new 4K restoration
Source for this claim?

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therewillbeblus
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5069 Post by therewillbeblus » Thu Jun 09, 2022 2:10 pm

Maybe WKW will make enough changes to his films between now and the hypothetical 4K announcements that they’ll all return back to their original forms. How many shuffles of a card deck to get back in order again? I have hope

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PfR73
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5070 Post by PfR73 » Thu Jun 09, 2022 3:21 pm

Drucker wrote:
Thu Jun 09, 2022 1:52 pm
yoloswegmaster wrote:
Thu Jun 09, 2022 1:48 pm
I'm once again bored at my job, so I decided to make a list of titles that are most likely to receive a upcoming 4K UHD release from Criterion. The titles listed below are ones that we already know or have been somewhat confirmed to be with Criterion. Just tell me if I'm missing some obvious titles that should be on this list. I will also be adding this section to the Forthcoming List as well.

Titles that Criterion are most likely to release on 4K UHD:
Le Samourai - Criterion have performed a new 4K restoration
Source for this claim?
It's like 2 posts above.

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Drucker
Your Future our Drucker
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5071 Post by Drucker » Thu Jun 09, 2022 3:40 pm

Ha! My miss.

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Finch
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5072 Post by Finch » Thu Jun 09, 2022 5:39 pm

therewillbeblus wrote:
Thu Jun 09, 2022 2:10 pm
Maybe WKW will make enough changes to his films between now and the hypothetical 4K announcements that they’ll all return back to their original forms. How many shuffles of a card deck to get back in order again? I have hope
Hopefully the backlash has been fierce enough that he'll consent to the original cuts be restored and included, too. Personally I think there's a snowball's chance in hell of that happening but who knows.

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therewillbeblus
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5073 Post by therewillbeblus » Thu Jun 09, 2022 5:41 pm

For sure, I was just being cheeky. It would be pretty hilarious if he made further cuts that actually gravitated even slightly back to the original releases' forms without WKW even realizing it tho, and I could see it happening. What happens when you accidentally step in the first river a second time after stepping in a second river once between river-steps? I don't remember that proverb
Last edited by therewillbeblus on Thu Jun 09, 2022 5:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.

beamish14
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5074 Post by beamish14 » Thu Jun 09, 2022 5:43 pm

It’s clear WKW is just pulling a Ted Turner and trying to get demand for the original versions up to a fever pitch

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ryannichols7
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Re: Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

#5075 Post by ryannichols7 » Thu Jun 09, 2022 6:35 pm

with Everything Everywhere already using the revisionist color scheme, I hope newer generations aren't getting used to the movies that way. my faintest glimmer of hope is the fact that the original versions are on the channel...here's hoping!!

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