Criterion Random Speculation Vol.3

[justeleblanc]

With Melville's last film Un Flic being out of print in R1, does anyone know if a Criterion-release could be in the future?

Studio Canal holds the rights. A Criterion release seems well within the realm of possibility.

Lionsgate more likely, this is Studio Canal.

[TheGodfather]

I remember some speculations a while ago about a release of Rome,Open City. Any chance of it happening this year?

[oldsheperd]

I hear L'Argent is OOP from New Yorker. Does anyone know about a Criterion perhaps?

[What A Disgrace]

I hear L'Argent is OOP from New Yorker. Does anyone know about a Criterion perhaps?

No, but I wish L'Atalante would go OOP from New Yorker.

Actually, as I look, it seems like New Yorker's DVDs of Mohsen Makmahlbaf's The Silence and Moment of Innocence are no longer available at Amazon. I would love to see these films from Criterion. Are they OOP?

[oldsheperd]

I can actually get a copy of the New Yorker L'Argent on ebay for pretty cheap however every site lists it as OOP. I wish Criterion could get Man Escaped and Lancelot Du Loc.

[justeleblanc]

Via a friend:

Mr. Mulvaney,

I've been told that Criterion owns the North American rights to these Godard films:

Le Petit Soldat
Les Carabiniers
Made In U.S.A.
La Chinoise

I've been told that your ownership of these films is the reason that Lionsgate will not be releasing them in its upcoming Jean-Luc Godard box set.

Do you in fact own these titles, or is my friend mistaken?

And the response:

We have no plans to release these films on DVD at this time, however I do believe they are in our library and we intend to get to them at some point. I hope this helps, and thanks for your email!

Sincerely,

Tamara

Though for what it's worth, Koch Lorber is releasing LA CHINOISE theatrically in October at Film Forum, which does make me question Tamara's response.

[Luke M]

Criterion needs to expand and work on bringing more titles out. Perhaps they ought to set up an IPO.

[daniel p]

A re-tread of what we know, of sorts, but anyway:

Hi Daniel,

We would like to rerelease High & Low at some point, but there's nothing on the schedule at this time. Thanks for your email!

Sincerely,

Tamara

[kekid]

Confirmation of a Criterion "Vampyr". Based on the following response, I think "Vampyr" should be included as a certainty.

[quote]Hi Keki,

We do plan to release “Vampyrâ€

[domino harvey]

interesting, I think we all sort of assumed that one was dead in the water!

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Hi Mark,

We do plan to get to some more Mamet at some point—please keep checking back!

Sincerely,

Tamara

Any guesses? I'm going to say Homicide, never had a release on DVD, and I'm not too sure who owns the rights.

I couldn't help it though. I'm a sucker for Mamet.

[justeleblanc]

We do plan to get to some more Mamet at some point—please keep checking back!

Oh poo!

[Via_Chicago]

We do plan to get to some more Mamet at some point—please keep checking back!

Oh poo!

They'd be crazy to release more unless House of Games sells well. If it does, I have no problem with Criterion releasing more Mamet since it means more money to spend on restorations and transfers of films I actually want to buy.

[kaujot]

We do plan to get to some more Mamet at some point—please keep checking back!

Any guesses? I'm going to say Homicide

I hope it's Homicide. I've been dying to see it for years.

E-mail I got concerning Nic Roeg:

We here at Criterion love Nic Roeg. However while we do hope to get to more of his films eventually, to the best of my knowledge we don't have any plans at this time. I hope this helps, and thanks for your email!

Sincerely,

Tamara

Not sure what that means about Insignificance, though I guess the obvious choice would be that they're taking their time with those acquisitions.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

They'd be crazy to release more unless House of Games sells well. If it does, I have no problem with Criterion releasing more Mamet since it means more money to spend on restorations and transfers of films I actually want to buy.

And for me it's double win. I get more Mamet, and they get the cash to restore more films I like!

[Highway 61]

They'd be crazy to release more unless House of Games sells well.

Is there really any doubt that a Mamet Criterion will sell well? Mamet's popularity stretches across virtually every level of filmgoer, from AICN brat to Trafic-subscriber. Plus his reputation as a writer and dramatist attracts an audience usually uninterested in movies. I'd wager House of Games ends up one of Criterion's top three bestsellers of the year.

[domino harvey]

Homicide is available in R2, albeit in cropped fullscreen. Unless they've worked something out for the Spanish Prisoner, it is surely whatever Criterion is planning next.

[justeleblanc]

Homicide is available in R2, albeit in cropped fullscreen. Unless they've worked something out for the Spanish Prisoner, it is surely whatever Criterion is planning next.

Things Change?

[domino harvey]

I guess I was just thinking of titles currently unavailable in R1, though if anything the House of Games release tears that assumption a new one

[jaredsap]

I hope it's Homicide.

Ditto. Awesome (potential) news.

[bjeggert82]

I sincerely hope it's "Homicide"... what a great movie that is. So underappreciated in the realm of Mamet's filmography. It takes all the turns of Mamet fare, but in ways I never expected.

I think it's the only Mamet movie not on R1 DVD yet, so it would make sense. Although "Things Change" and "The Winslow Boy" are both out of print I think, so either of those would be nice too.

[jaredsap]

I think it's the only Mamet movie not on R1 DVD yet, so it would make sense. Although "Things Change" and "The Winslow Boy" are both out of print I think, so either of those would be nice too.

I'm pretty sure THINGS CHANGE is owned outright by Columbia. THE SPANISH PRISONER (which is also out of print) and THE WINSLOW BOY were distributed by Sony (both theatrically and on disc), but perhaps their rights expired.

[domino harvey]

I am pretty sure Winslow Boy is still in print?

[malcolm1980]

I would like Criterion to delve into Filipino cinema for one of their future DVD projects. Here's a list of 100 suggestions courtesy of Noel Vera.

In case you were wondering, I've only seen about a dozen of these films.

[Gigi M.]

Now that Mishima has been confirmed, how about a double discer of Blue Collar? I believe Universal holds the rights.