Forthcoming Criterion & Eclipse List Discussion

[Thomas J.]

I don't think they should come out via Eclipse though, as their prior availability means that they certainly aren't overlooked. I thought the whole idea of Eclipse was to release movies that wouldn't otherwise see the light of day.

Hmmm, you've got me thinking. I assumed the point of Eclipse was to release movies that've been overlooked, period. Of course, in no way shape or form could Kurosawa movies have been overlooked. He's the most famous Eastern director in the West after all. That's been my problem with Eclipse -- that while I appreciate the releases as such, they don't support my interpretation of the mission statement.

But if I'm wrong, and Eclipse's purpose is more simply to release movies that hadn't been released previously on home video, then I have to reassess my opinion of the Eclipse releases thus far.

Which one is it?

[kieslowski]

Peter Becker's blog post, "Mission Accomplished", helps to explain it.

While Criterion is working on new special editions of individual pictures by all of these filmmakers, at a rate of maybe one or two a year, we'll never be able to represent the breadth of their bodies of work. Eclipse will help to fill that gap.

[geoffcowgill]

The MGMS are different titles. These are the Fox Lorbers.

MGMs were:

Small Change
Bride Wore Black
Mississippi Mermaid
Adele H
Wild Child
Man Who Loved Women

EDIT: At least in R1.

Anyone know who has the rights to Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me?

[Jeff]

I guess we now know what the those two other Ozu silents will be.

I'm curious why these are the only ones we're getting (or will the set include more and Sosin is only playing on three of them?). What about all the others?

[justeleblanc]

Anyone know who has the rights to Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me?

Sony Pictures Classics in R1; MGM in R2

[zedz]

News of the year to date, thanks to sidehacker, who has heard from Donald Sosin about the forthcoming Ozu silents box:

I am currently scoring I WAS BORN BUT… , TOKYO CHORUS and PASSING FANCY for a Criterion set that will come out later this year. Your comments are interesting, I am trying to avoid hitting the film over the head with the music. Ozu liked cheerful, general, wallpaper-type music, evidently. I have a hard time writing that sort of feeling for scenes in which, for example, the father is spanking his son, or fighting with the boss, so I have gone in a slightly ironic direction, maintaining a 20’s popular style that shifts from stride piano to blues and ballads. Who did the music for the version you saw?

Link

No rude comments about Sosin for - I don't know - 24 hours at least, please?

This seems like a somewhat random threesome, so I'm optimistic that this will involve more films, presumably with non-Sosin scores. There was a rumour way back when of Criterion recording live performances of scores for Ozu silents, I seem to recall.

[Tommaso]

No rude comments about Sosin for - I don't know - 24 hours at least, please?

That's tough, but I'll try to behave. And yes, fantastic news!

[Michael Kerpan]

No rude comments about Sosin for - I don't know - 24 hours at least, please? .

It sounds like he has done a lot more research on Japanese film music of the era. Let's hope this will yield good results.

One report I saw a while back said that Criterion specifically requested him to do the Story of Floating Weeds score in the way he did. I never blamed Sosin himself for the SoFW score, I always felt that Criterion bore the ultimate responsibility.

[Steven H]

If anyone's interested I ripped some audio from one of Ozu's contemporary's (Shimizi Hiroshi) films from 1934, right around when these films were made and at the same company, Shochiku. It's a recording of a film score made to accompany Eclipse by the Shochiku Matsutake Orchestra (in lieu of Benshi? I'm not sure) that was included as a soundtrack on a VHS tape of the film released in Japan a while back. It's upbeat and jazzy, in a way that reminds me of the continental jazz stylings of Reinhardt and Grappelli, but you might take something different from it as it's very "Japanese". Here's a link to download (it's only a ten minute excerpt out of about an hour and a half of music.)

Abslutely outstanding news about the Ozu although we've had information like this poke it's head out before to no avail. I'm going to cross all of my fingers.

edit: I accidentally left about a minute worth of silence around the middle of this, which I should have edited out but didn't. Apologies.

[Michael Kerpan]

If anyone's interested I ripped some audio from one of Ozu's contemporary's (Shimizi Hiroshi) films from 1934, right around when these films were made and at the same company, Shochiku. It's a recording of a film score made to accompany Eclipse by the Shochiku Matsutake Orchestra (in lieu of Benshi? I'm not sure) that was included as a soundtrack on a VHS tape of the film released in Japan a while back. It's upbeat and jazzy, in a way that reminds me of the continental jazz stylings of Reinhardt and Grappelli, but you might take something different from it as it's very "Japanese".

It would be interesting to know if this scoring arrangement managed to actually oust benshis -- or merely to put them on a short leash. As I recall, Shimizu's "Boss's Son Goes to College" has not only music, but also some verbal content (play by play announcing of the game at the end) Very like Kozintsev andf Trauberg's "alone" (which obviously did NOT have a narrator).

[Steven H]

It would be interesting to know if this scoring arrangement managed to actually oust benshis -- or merely to put them on a short leash. As I recall, Shimizu's "Boss's Son Goes to College" has not only music, but also some verbal content (play by play announcing of the game at the end) Very like Kozintsev andf Trauberg's "alone" (which obviously did NOT have a narrator).

Maybe you could ask the KineJapan list? Both of those scores are interesting (and the JMDB lists the Shochiku Orchestra as the soundtrack.)

[GringoTex]

Per an email from staff member at Criterion: they are looking into releasing Monte Hellman's Ride the Whirlwind, The Shooting, and Cockfighter.

[jaredsap]

Per an email from staff member at Criterion: they are looking into releasing Monte Hellman's Ride the Whirlwind, The Shooting, and Cockfighter.

Fantastic news. I'm not the biggest COCKFIGHTER fan (though Oates is marvelous), but RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND is excellent and I daresay THE SHOOTING is my all-time favorite Western. Even with vocal champions like Tarantino and PTA, they really deserve more of a rep.

[fiddlesticks]

Per an email from staff member at Criterion: they are looking into releasing Monte Hellman's Ride the Whirlwind, The Shooting, and Cockfighter.

I guess Two-Lane Blacktop is selling pretty well, eh?

[sidehacker]

Per an email from staff member at Criterion: they are looking into releasing Monte Hellman's Ride the Whirlwind, The Shooting, and Cockfighter.

Anchor Bay's release of Cockfighter is already quite good. Going after The Shooting would be smart, though. The R1 DVD is really bad.

Good news in any case!

[GringoTex]

Anchor Bay's release of Cockfighter is already quite good.

It's excellent but it's OOP and going for $80 right now.

[patrick]

Is there a good release of China 9, Liberty 37 available anywhere in the world?

[Zazou dans le Metro]

I mentioned it on the newsletter thread but if I may I'll ask here too. What is the Sautet for 2008 that's referred to?? I have looked in the listings for rumoured releases but can't see anything there.

[backstreetsbackalright]

I mentioned it on the newsletter thread but if I may I'll ask here too. What is the Sautet for 2008 that's referred to?? I have looked in the listings for rumoured releases but can't see anything there.

CLASSE TOUS RISQUES (Claude Sautet, 1960): Just go to the Forthcoming Criterion List and use your browser's Find option to search for the word "Sautet."

[justeleblanc]

Diva is being released by Lionsgate, not Criterion

June 2008, DVD art

[Buttery Jeb]

Looks like Lionsgate is branding arthouse titles, a la the Weinsteins' "Miriam Collection" releases. The cover of their re-release of "The Red Violin" also has the Meridian logo on top.

Wonder if this will also affect "It Always Rains on Sunday"

-BJ

[justeleblanc]

Looks like Lionsgate is branding arthouse titles, a la the Weinsteins' "Miriam Collection" releases. The cover of their re-release of "The Red Violin" also has the Meridian logo on top.

Wonder if this will also affect "It Always Rains on Sunday"

My guess is that this is just a Studio Canal thing. If SUNDAY was also Studio Canal then it might.

[domino harvey]

What are the odds we see new titles today? LOL I KNOW RITE but srsly

[souvenir]

What are the odds we see new titles today? LOL I KNOW RITE but srsly

They just went down.

[movielocke]

edit, wrong stickied thread. I hope an eclipse for June is just straggling in being announced. Two dark months would suck, I was hoping they were on a more regular schedule in year two.