Heart-Wrenching: The Cluny Brown Cover Story

News on Criterion and Janus Films.
Message
Author
User avatar
Michael Kerpan
Spelling Bee Champeen
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:20 pm
Location: New England
Contact:

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#26 Post by Michael Kerpan » Tue Jun 18, 2019 10:14 pm

The Cluny Brown cover makes me think of Clutch Cargo.

User avatar
criterionoop
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2010 7:46 am

Heart-Wrenching: the Cluny Brown Cover Story

#27 Post by criterionoop » Fri Jun 28, 2019 1:00 pm

Criterion updates the CLUNY BROWN cover...it’s a relative improvement, but that artwork is still terrible.

User avatar
soundchaser
Leave Her to Beaver
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 12:32 am

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#28 Post by soundchaser » Fri Jun 28, 2019 1:13 pm

They don’t seem to understand those dead eyes are going to look dead no matter the background.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#29 Post by domino harvey » Fri Jun 28, 2019 1:18 pm

Image

They... they made it worse?! The background contrast to the main image was the only thing going for this cover, now it’s all monochrome. Wow. I’m speechless. It’s like they’re intentionally fucking with us

BigMack3000
Joined: Sat Jun 27, 2009 5:27 pm

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#30 Post by BigMack3000 » Fri Jun 28, 2019 1:20 pm

Is the film a nightmarish parody of Looney Tunes? Because then it's spot on.

KJones77
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2017 11:35 pm

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#31 Post by KJones77 » Fri Jun 28, 2019 1:24 pm

What the hell. Yeah, the red was the only good part before.

Criterion, the problem is how Jennifer Jones is drawn, not the rest of the cover. Centering her and making it monochrome does not make it better.

The sad part is, now this great title will likely be doomed with this horrible drawing on the cover. If they changed it once, I doubt they'll change it twice.

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#32 Post by domino harvey » Fri Jun 28, 2019 1:37 pm

I wonder if the reason they won’t have the artist draw it again is because Criterion already okayed the art, thus her contracted work has already been finalized? Since they don’t want to pay her again to do it over, they’re just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic instead

User avatar
Brian C
I hate to be That Pedantic Guy but...
Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:58 am
Location: Chicago, IL

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#33 Post by Brian C » Fri Jun 28, 2019 1:44 pm

It’s better now because at least it doesn’t look like a movie about a 50-foot Rosie the Riveter robot on the rampage. Jones now still looks robotic, but not as menacingly so.

But the Looney Toons motif is a bunch of weirdness on its own. Still, at least it actually looks like a comedy now.

User avatar
DRW.mov
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2016 2:43 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#34 Post by DRW.mov » Fri Jun 28, 2019 2:16 pm

I think it’s a marked improvement. To me the contrast between the red wallpaper and monochrome Jennifer Jones was the most jarring element.

And yes, Domino is correct that Caitlin’s commission is contractually completed. Commissioning any additional work from her would be an added fee but I feel that with her long history with Criterion and their approval of this execution that this is a design that they stand behind. I don’t think it’s nearly as bad as people are making it out to be. Like I said I think it’s much more appealing to the eye in its current form, but at the end of the day I’m just over the moon in general it’s a title that’s finally being released.

User avatar
Malickite
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 5:47 pm
Location: United States

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#35 Post by Malickite » Fri Jun 28, 2019 2:26 pm

Clooney Toons

User avatar
Finch
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:09 pm
Location: Edinburgh, UK

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#36 Post by Finch » Fri Jun 28, 2019 2:28 pm

Other artists have published their alternative covers, like Fred Davis (correct name? not sure) did for FWWM and Mulholland Drive. Maybe they should make all these Cluny Brown covers public and let a majority vote decide.

User avatar
Shrew
The Untamed One
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:22 am

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#37 Post by Shrew » Fri Jun 28, 2019 4:49 pm

They updated Seth's artwork for City Lights to make Chaplin look more like Chaplin, but I don't know if that was
a) The artist being more accommodating
b) An in-house illustrator/designer being able to more easily make edits to the cartoonish art, and Seth signing off on that/not complaining
c) Criterion forking over some extra money for what was expected to be a big seller (City Lights) vs. a good film that's not likely to fly off shelves (Cluny Brown)

User avatar
FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
Location: Greenwich Village

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#38 Post by FrauBlucher » Fri Jun 28, 2019 5:08 pm

Didn’t they do the same with The Philadelphia Story? They had a weird blue and red thing going if I remember correctly and switched it to monochrome for the better.

User avatar
swo17
Bloodthirsty Butcher
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
Location: SLC, UT

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#39 Post by swo17 » Fri Jun 28, 2019 5:09 pm

Just blue but yes

Image

User avatar
CSM126
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 8:22 am
Location: The Room
Contact:

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#40 Post by CSM126 » Fri Jun 28, 2019 5:18 pm

Maybe next time they’ll let the artist see a picture of the person they’re drawing.

User avatar
HinkyDinkyTruesmith
Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2017 10:21 pm

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#41 Post by HinkyDinkyTruesmith » Fri Jun 28, 2019 6:08 pm

I think that this might be the absolute worst modern Criterion cover I've ever seen––but, this is one of my very favorite movies of all-time, so, frankly, even the absolute travesty that is that cover font can't diminish my enthusiasm.

User avatar
swo17
Bloodthirsty Butcher
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
Location: SLC, UT

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#42 Post by swo17 » Fri Jun 28, 2019 6:21 pm

It doesn't look as bad when it's tiny?

Image

User avatar
FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
Location: Greenwich Village

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#43 Post by FrauBlucher » Fri Jun 28, 2019 6:24 pm

It just looks like an ad from the 1950s. Maybe Cluny Brown was a soap used after using a wrench and other tools.

User avatar
criterionoop
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2010 7:46 am

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#44 Post by criterionoop » Fri Jun 28, 2019 7:08 pm

I just really can't get over the fact that her hand is a cup and she is dead behind the eyes.

KJones77
Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2017 11:35 pm

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#45 Post by KJones77 » Fri Jun 28, 2019 7:16 pm

I only just noticed that the circle makes it seem like she has just one arm. This cover is so bad.

User avatar
swo17
Bloodthirsty Butcher
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
Location: SLC, UT

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#46 Post by swo17 » Fri Jun 28, 2019 7:36 pm

The wrench is her other arm. Haven't you seen the movie?

User avatar
domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

Re: Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 7

#47 Post by domino harvey » Fri Jun 28, 2019 7:52 pm

Not to spoil one of Lubitsch's most prescient jokes, but Charles Boyer's aristocratic interstellar commander calls Jennifer Jones' character X-1F344-32-G44C3 "Cluny" because that's the sound her robot joints make when she's cleaning up under the sink of his rocketship

User avatar
Feego
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 7:30 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Heart-Wrenching: the Cluny Brown Cover Story

#48 Post by Feego » Fri Jun 28, 2019 8:26 pm

The flare of light on the wrench (not present on the original cover) truly is the icing on the cake, suggesting a weapon and that RoboCluny is coming for you. To be honest, I don't think this is nearly as ugly as the "upgraded" covers for Sullivan's Travels and My Man Godfrey, but those had their fans. I would argue that Veronica Lake is still the bigger victim when it comes to cartoonish representations on Criterion covers. This whole saga is just hilarious to me, though, and it makes me wish Criterion would adopt Arrow, Shout Factory and sometimes Kino's practice of providing original poster artwork on the reverse side.

black&huge
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2017 5:35 am

Re: Heart-Wrenching: the Cluny Brown Cover Story

#49 Post by black&huge » Fri Jun 28, 2019 8:56 pm

The new cover is just as bad as the first. Not anymore or less.... just mindboggling.

ballmouse
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2017 8:32 pm

Re: Heart-Wrenching: the Cluny Brown Cover Story

#50 Post by ballmouse » Fri Jun 28, 2019 9:33 pm

I was curious what the original poster from 1946 looked like. It actually has a similar alien, robotic touch.

Image

Post Reply