Criterion Random Speculation Vol.4

[thethirdman]

Is Michael Caine in the collection already, or would that be his first?

Mona Lisa

[kaujot]

TOTALLY forgot he was in that. Thanks.

[Jeff]

It's a Fox film and the recent update certainly didn't drum up much competition so I don't think it's as crazy an idea as some suggestions

It's not actually owned by Fox, they were just the original theatrical distributor. It's owned by Palomar Pictures Corporation and the estate of producer Edgar Scherick. Palomar co-produced some films (Take the Money and Run, They Shoot Horses Don't They?) with ABC Films. Those are now owned by Disney and distributed by MGM. Palomar retained the rights to other films (Sleuth, The Heartbreak Kid, The Stepford Wives) that they produced on their own. They must have had a fire sale on remake rights, as those three most prominent titles in their library have all been remade in the past five years. They had licensed their library to Anchor Bay at one time, but those rights have since expired. Paramount picked up the rights to the original version of The Stepford Wives to tie in with their remake, but I don't know if they picked up the other films as well. I wonder if Palomar might have even sold the rights to the original films to the companies they sold the remake rights to. If that were the case, Sony would own Sleuth and Dreamworks (Paramount) would own The Heartbreak Kid. I suppose that it's possible that Palomar still has the rights to Sleuth and The Heartbreak Kid, and could license them to Criterion. I've got my fingers crossed.

[kaujot]

How on Earth did you know all that?

[domino harvey]

How on Earth did you know all that?

This is basically what I love about this forum: someone always has the information you're looking for

[colinr0380]

Palomar retained the rights to other films (Sleuth, The Heartbreak Kid, The Stepford Wives) that they produced on their own. They must have had a fire sale on remake rights, as those three most prominent titles in their library have all been remade in the past five years.

In that company the Sleuth remake actually seems quite a successful one!

[luridedith]

Maybe since Alain Robbe-Grillet has passed away Criterion will get around to releasing his films as a tribute (one can only hope).

[portnoy]

I'm sure the Criterion staff is gathered around a large oak table right now planning out the memorial box set as we speak.

[domino harvey]

I'm sure the Criterion staff is gathered around a large oak table right now planning out the memorial box set as we speak.

No there's still some Ozu films they haven't released yet

[Gregory]

Yes, the majority of his oeuvre. There's no reason why they can't keep releasing Ozu films at the rate they have been and do scads of other projects, too.

Sorry, I realize you were joking, but the refrain that we've had too much Ozu sticks in my craw after waiting four years to see The Only Son (and many others) again.

[Luke M]

Are they planning on to announce simultaneous Blu-ray releases? Where are the movies?

[jbeall]

Yes, the majority of his oeuvre. There's no reason why they can't keep releasing Ozu films at the rate they have been and do scads of other projects, too.

Sorry, I realize you were joking, but the refrain that we've had too much Ozu sticks in my craw after waiting four years to see The Only Son (and many others) again.

Fair point, but it sticks in my craw (and those of more than a few members here, this thread is to be believed) that they keep releasing more Ozu, Bergman, Kurosawa, etc. when we've been waiting for more African, South American, etc. films.

Anyway, while I'm not holding my breath on any Robbe-Grillet, it'd be nice if they could get Marienbad out.

[Gregory]

I'm completely with you on thinking they need to branch out more, especially going down Mexico (and South America) way, but I guess we all have our own list of what we think are the most disposable of all they release.

[HerrSchreck]

Greg you usedta be the nicest gentlest voice of reason on the board. Now you're almost as cranky as me.

[Michael Kerpan]

Here's the deal with Ozu.. Criterion owns the DVD rights to all the films (for North America). If Criterion doesn't release the films on DVD, they won't appear at all here.

Other films (from Latin America) that people are dreaming of could conceivably be released by other companies. Perhaps this is a market niche that some enterprising millionaires could take advantage of. (Criterion simply has no expertise in this area).

[HerrSchreck]

I'm thinking out loud here, but I'm also thinking CC is a little "trapped" by their production values on the CC line, and by the box-set/release-size issue on the E line. Not to mention the completist angle for Janus brand names like Kurosawa Bergman Ozu Godard et al, which sees second tier "Janus auteur" titles spilling into the E line as a clearing house for rights acquisitions that must be executed.

The combination of these factors do not neccessarily lock them out of releasing those titles that will find their commerce primarily in libraries and a thousand or so global film maniacs (and industry, directors-- the Scorseses of the world--, et al)... but they come pretty close. They just cannot spend a fortune on restoration, original HD telecine (and source hunting) and supplements production on the CC line for supermarginal titles.. normally. This is what makes the occasional silent and genuinely avant & hardcore "art for art's sake" release like By Brakhage or Symbiotaxiplasm such a delight.

Conversely on the E side, the multi-disc format may be a little prohibitive for them to test waters with really obscure titles/directors (i e my dream Carl Mayer Kammerspiel box, or Lamprecht, or Piel Jutzi furchrissakes). Although free of supplements, they are box sets and they do carry a bit of a risk. So lets appreciate those oddball surprises like the Klein (delirious or no) when they come. When and if Gremillon comes (and if it meets a couple of my own-- granted personal-- requirements, they'll have shut my bleating ass up for a long time to come, silents be damned.) The Ozu wasn't a big mindblower for me because I knew they were coming sooner or later, someway.

I doubt we'll ever see the likes of the huge long run granted to Suzuki ever again. Or if it were today, many of those discs would have gone straight to Eclipse.

But one thing about CC is just when they're turning into a predictable house, they unload a couple of excellent surprises on you. One of the more interesting aspects of the tightlipped ship they run.

[Awesome Welles]

Here's the deal with Ozu.. Criterion owns the DVD rights to all the films (for North America). If Criterion doesn't release the films on DVD, they won't appear at all here.

And who owns Mizoguchi? I know we're having a hell of a ride with MoC but I would be greatly interested to see Mizo's silents and work from the 1930s, I saw a clip from Osaka Elegy the other day and it looked sublime.

Other films (from Latin America) that people are dreaming of could conceivably be released by other companies. Perhaps this is a market niche that some enterprising millionaires could take advantage of. (Criterion simply has no expertise in this area).

I am one of the Latin dreamers, personally if films from Latin America are released with good transfers and minimal, but interesting, supplements I'll be a happy man, but if Criterion, a company which can offset it's risks against-

the completist angle for Janus brand names like Kurosawa Bergman Ozu Godard et al

Then who else is going to shoulder such risks when they may have not have the money to pay for-

restoration, original HD telecine (and source hunting) and supplements production

?

Conversely on the E side, the multi-disc format may be a little prohibitive for them to test waters with really obscure titles/directors

That is true and I think that is why complaints have been laid against it as a dumping ground, as you say they have restricted themselves. CC can't suddenly decide to take a risk by releasing one film, if they do that they have to do it in the main CC line which will be much more costly. Then again I imagine that CC are using E for titles where rights and source material is easy to deal with or done which will further inhibit the opportunity for greater risks which most of us here are most yearning for.

Sometimes I wonder whether something of a subscription based DVD label could work, you send off your $50 every month and in return you get all the releases and have a big say in the production of that line. Yes that would never work.

[HerrSchreck]

I see no ironclad reason that the boxset angle on E has to be so, well... darned ironclad. Eclipse is a wonderful opportunity to get real down and dirty hardcore... drip out a few silents a year in single releases, maybe a two disc Brakhage, some testing the South American & African (and eastern European) waters, then bust out some obscure Franju & Gremillon boxets here and there while intermittently keeping up the neccessary dumping ground (a state of affairs I really wish didn't exist-- I know most could have done without No Regrets and One Wonderful Sunday in the recent AK box-- I know tastes vary from soul to soul but these are not masterpieces, and I wouldn't go near thd bulk of those Early Bergmans... this stuff is not "adventurous cinema", it's cinema for completist fanatics, and there's pretty much a reason folks don't bring these films up when discussing "important" films in these canons-- they just cannot hang with the major works).

[Michael Kerpan]

I know most could have done without No Regrets and One Wonderful Sunday in the recent AK box--

Sorry -- the presence of a decent quality No Regrets was the main reason I bought the set. (Otherwise, I would have bought the UK Record of a Living Being -- and gone without One Wonderful Sunday).

[HerrSchreck]

While celebrating the in-effect axiom "god bless variety which is the heartbeat of a breathing world worth living in,".... I'd also say--

You MK are far from the average consumer of eastern cinema. Far from the not-so-average. Far from not-average-at-all, even. You are a man on a mission!

Joking aside, you would be the well-serviced "completist" crowd (at least for Japanese "Janus brands") that would be the exception to the "clearing house issue", just as there are those for the other "Janus brand" directors.

(Incidentally: HAve you seen Fires On The Plain yet? If not borrow it from your friend and lend him Burmese Harp. You won't believe what a masterpiece it is... at least that's my hunch anyhow.)

[domino harvey]

Criterion better have some huge surprises up its sleeve for May after going to lunch without posting the titles yet

[starmanof51]

Sorry -- the presence of a decent quality No Regrets was the main reason I bought the set. (Otherwise, I would have bought the UK Record of a Living Being -- and gone without One Wonderful Sunday).

Me too.

[Andrian Film Revival]

Whatever May brings, I think it is clear now that 2008 is not shaping up to be anything like 2007 in terms of either quantity or quality of release for Criterion. I wonder if something is going on behind the scenes...

Perhaps it is ignorance on my part, but I just can't get excited by any of this year's titles.

[cgray]

Criterion better have some huge surprises up its sleeve for May after going to lunch without posting the titles yet

Yeah, I don't want to saturate the forum with questions about "When are we going to see new titles?!" but I have been surprised. I still have it in my head that the 15th is announcement day. I guess they haven't done that for the last month or two, but before that it seemed pretty consistent.

Also, what's with the number of releases? The criterion blog statement re: Red Balloon, etc., seems to distance Criterion from the sans-extras releases that will be coming out, which seems to make their 2-title-April month (esp. considering that both titles are at the lower-tier/less comprehensive price levels) all the more discouraging. And even the March titles--didn't we used to get four titles a month?

Anyway, I'm with DoHa in hoping for some primo news in the coming days.

[starmanof51]

I still have it in my head that the 15th is announcement day.

Over the years their pattern of new title announcements has changed several times - a little longer for awhile, a little shorter for awhile. For quite some time it was around the last friday of the month. I may be not be recollecting very well, but I think several years ago there was even a period of getting them up on the website in a two-month prerelease window rather than three month, during which time you'd usually find out about the releases from other places than criterion themselves.

The labored point being - they have been announcing around the middle or so of the month for quite awhile now, but that could change at any time and historically has.