Criterion Random Speculation Vol.3

[Andreas]

I just want more Italian Cinema...has there even been an Italian release this year? (Bicycle Thieves does not count)

[tavernier]

I just want more Italian Cinema...has there even been an Italian release this year? (Bicycle Thieves does not count)

Why not?

[Cinephrenic]

Criterion throw all this in a box set and call it something like "Italian Cinema" and I'm set for 2008:

Anything by Rossellini
Bitter Rice (Santis)
La Grande bouffe (Ferreri)
Lucky Luciano (Rosi)
The Mattei Affair (Rosi)
The Moment of Truth (Rosi)
Illustrious Corpses (Rosi)
Miracle in Milan (De Sica)
Sandra (Visconti)
Bellissima (Visconti)
Conversation Piece (Visconti)
Senso (Visconti)
Shoeshine (De Sica)
Casanova (Fellini)
Gold of Naples (De Sica)
La Notte (Antonioni)
Rome ore 11 (Santis)
Red Desert (Antonioni)
Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (Petri)
Dillinger Is Dead (Ferreri)
We All Loved Each Other So Much (Scola)

...just in case you guys ran out of any Italian films to release in R1.

[Nuno]

I am desesperately waiting for "La Notte"...

[lazier than a toad]

La Notte is coming from MoC early 2008 according to the London Film Festival guide, so something else would be nice from Criterion.

[Awesome Welles]

Criterion throw all this in a box set and call it something like "Italian Cinema" and I'm set for 2008:

+
The Working Class Goes To Heaven (Petri)
Todo Modo (Petri)
Slap the Monster on the First Page (Bellocchio)
For Love and Gold (Monicelli)
The Great War (Monicelli)
Zabriskie Point (Antonioni)
Antonioni early shorts and documentaries

[thethirdman]

Image's Ossessione is now out of print.

[Cronenfly]

Guess we're waiting until Tuesday for the January titles, then...sigh...

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Guess we're waiting until Tuesday for the January titles, then...sigh...

Aren't updates usually on the third Friday of each month?

[domino harvey]

Guess we're waiting until Tuesday for the January titles, then...sigh...

Aren't updates usually on the third Friday of each month?

no, they fall close to the 15th, they just usually get them up Friday afternoons.

[Cronenfly]

Guess we're waiting until Tuesday for the January titles, then...sigh...

Aren't updates usually on the third Friday of each month?

It seems to me that the days of the week for announcements jump around. Friday is the reliable date, but I'm pretty sure that they come out other days of the week too sometimes (especially Mondays/Tuesdays) as long as the 15th has come to pass.
EDIT- What domino said, more or less.

[LightBulbFilm]

I thought Killer of Sheep was an in for Criterion...

What's this?

[Cinephrenic]

This was announced a while back (at least a few months). It is also a 2-disc so no worries...

[Jeff]

I thought Killer of Sheep was an in for Criterion...

What's this?

It's been in Milestone's control for nearly three years. They handled the theatrical release and have had the DVD in the works for some time. Here is our thread on it.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

With Ice Storm on the way, is it possible to wish for more Fox?

I would love to see Viva Zapata!, King of Comedy, or any of the Preminger films without a release get a Criterion. I would also say Miller's Crossing, but the Coen's have no interest in special features, and the transfer is fine as is.

Oh, and back to Paramount, they own Red Line 7000, a film I haven't seen, but I would love for Criterion to get there hands on some Hawks. They also produced Ralph Bakshi's great Coonskin , maybe that's an other one to get their hands on.

[dadaistnun]

How about The Thin Red Line? Rosy-Fingered Dawn, since it was made in 2002, would be a better fit here than with Days of Heaven. Malick has personally worked with Criterion now, he's not above re-cutting his own work (The New World), and Criterion have premiered new "director's cuts" in the past (Picnic at Hanging Rock).

Maybe someone who know the production history of the film better than I can answer this, but was there truly ever a longer cut of this film? I don't mean a typically long workprint, but a real alternate version. I do know that somewhere along the way the focus came to settle on Jim Caviezel and that Adrian Brody's part was drastically cut down, but then this is sort of similar to what happened with Days. Frankly, I'm happy with the film as it is.

[Luke M]

How about The Thin Red Line?

... was there truly ever a longer cut of this film? I don't mean a typically long workprint, but a real alternate version. I do know that somewhere along the way the focus came to settle on Jim Caviezel and that Adrian Brody's part was drastically cut down

I'd love to see Criterion release a different cut of The Thin Red Line. I had heard originally that Adrien Brody's character was to be the focus of the movie.

[glaswegian tome]

I understood that Adrien Brody did have a much bigger part, close to the size of Elias Koteas' role, but I've never heard anywhere that he was the focus of the movie.

But yeah, with this Fox thing, my first hope was for The Thin Red Line.

[Jeff]

I understood that Adrien Brody did have a much bigger part, close to the size of Elias Koteas' role, but I've never heard anywhere that he was the focus of the movie.

But yeah, with this Fox thing, my first hope was for The Thin Red Line.

He was supposed to be the lead.

It wasn't until Terrence Malick chose him to star in his lyrical World War Two epic, The Thin Red Line, that Hollywood found Brody.

"The pressure on that film was that I had to carry the movie with a cast of stars that I truly admired," he recalls. "Nick Nolte and Sean Penn in particular. You hear horror stories about Sean Penn, that he can be a real bastard if he doesn't admire your work." Having endured boot-camp and a protracted six-month shoot in the Australian outback, wearing "a filthy costume which they wouldn't wash," Brody returned to the US to discover his role as Corporal Fife had been drastically trimmed. Understandably, he remains bitter.

"I was so focused and professional, I gave everything to it, and then to not receive everything ... in terms of witnessing my own work. It was extremely unpleasant because I'd already begun the press for a film that I wasn't really in. Terry obviously changed the entire concept of the film. I had never experienced anything like that." Brody had initially been touted as the lead, based on the size of the role in the James Jones source novel - he learnt a valuable, if painful, Hollywood lesson. "You know the expression 'Don't believe the hype'? Well, you shouldn't."

[LightBulbFilm]

About She's Gotta Have It, I heard MGM is sitting on the rights right now. Could the new deal with MGM open a door for this great film getting a release on DVD?

Nevermind... Just found this.

[glaswegian tome]

She's Gotta Have It

Awesome if that's really being released. I've been waiting a long time to see it.

[Cronenfly]

From The Digital Bits:

Let's hope for another Eclipse box down the road with the remainder of the director's older films (Sanshiro Sugata, The Most Beautiful, They Who Step on the Tiger's Tail, Sanshiro Sugata, Part II and Those Who Make Tomorrow - we also believe Criterion is working on a regular collection release of Dodes Kaden for release in 2008, which would complete the release of the Kurosawa catalog on DVD in R1).

Finally! I thought Dodes'ka-den was put off indefinitely (much to my chagrin), so it makes me very happy to even hear rumour of this.

[Gregory]

...which would complete the release of the Kurosawa catalog on DVD in R1.

I don't think that's correct, but if it is I'd be interested to know where I can get Sanshiro Sugata, The Most Beautiful, They Who Step on the Tiger's Tail, and Those Who Make Tomorrow in R1 (of course not counting any region-free imports from Hong Kong, China, etc. that may be out there).

[Cronenfly]

...which would complete the release of the Kurosawa catalog on DVD in R1.

I don't think that's correct, but if it is I'd be interested to know where I can get Sanshiro Sugata, The Most Beautiful, They Who Step on the Tiger's Tail, and Those Who Make Tomorrow in R1 (of course not counting any region-free imports from Hong Kong, China, etc. that may be out there).

Earlier in the quotation they indicate that the Kurosawa catalogue would be completed with the releases of Dodes'ka-den, Sanshiro Sugata, The Most Beautiful, They Who Step on the Tiger's Tail, Sanshiro Sugata, Part II and Those Who Make Tomorrow, the first by Criterion and the rest (presumably) by Eclipse. I only posted the quotation as confirmation of Dodes'ka-den, as it's just speculation on their part that the others will see Eclipse release. I misinterpreted that particular comment at first too.

[Cinephrenic]

Someone should email Criterion on Dodes'ka-den and Sanshiro Sugata. Since they are long-announced limbo titles, I think Criterion would give a welcomed response to their situation.