Criterion Random Speculation Vol.4

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jbeall · #651 Post by **jbeall** » Tue May 13, 2008 9:39 pm

psufootball07 wrote:Thanks, I didn't there was a specific time they released, just that they hadn't for a while now. Hopefully they are all new releases and not re-releases.

Unless it's the re-release of Salo, that is.

colinr0380 · #652 Post by **colinr0380** » Wed May 14, 2008 12:38 am

I guess People On Sunday has to turn up some time soon?

Tommaso · #653 Post by **Tommaso** » Wed May 14, 2008 9:58 am

And "The Human Condition". They'll probably Eclipse it ...

Harmonov · #654 Post by **Harmonov** » Wed May 14, 2008 3:12 pm

Anyone know how it is that Netflix has Mishima being released last week? Unfortunately, I was unable to get one of their copies to see which edition it is. It now has a "very long wait" - something that often occurs with Criterion discs after they've been released.

The cover shown on the site is the old Warner Bros. cover, but it has been out of print for a while.

It may just be an error. Sometimes they get things way in advance as was the case with Wong Kar Wai's 2046. I got that before it ever came close to hitting theaters here in the US and it appeared to be a legit release as well.

jbeall · #655 Post by **jbeall** » Wed May 14, 2008 3:54 pm

Harmonov wrote:Anyone know how it is that Netflix has Mishima being released last week? Unfortunately, I was unable to get one of their copies to see which edition it is. It now has a "very long wait" - something that often occurs with Criterion discs after they've been released.

The cover shown on the site is the old Warner Bros. cover, but it has been out of print for a while.

It may just be an error. Sometimes they get things way in advance as was the case with Wong Kar Wai's 2046. I got that before it ever came close to hitting theaters here in the US and it appeared to be a legit release as well.

I'd wager it's just an error on their part. Expect it to either drop down to your "saved movies" list or for "very long wait" to become "releases on June x". That's happened a couple of times in my experience.

Jameson281 · #656 Post by **Jameson281** » Fri May 16, 2008 3:19 am

SALO is the second film (after HOUSE OF GAMES) licensed from MGM as part of the 5-picture deal the made in exchange for letting MGM have the RAGING BULL commentary. My hunch is the remaining three will come out as a box set from either Criterion or Eclipse.

miless · #657 Post by **miless** » Fri May 16, 2008 3:23 am

is this true?
what could the other three be?
Of course, my wet dream would be Killer's Kiss, The Killing and Paths of Glory... but those seem far too 'important' for MGM just to let go.

souvenir · #658 Post by **souvenir** » Fri May 16, 2008 3:47 am

Jameson281 wrote:This is the second film (after HOUSE OF GAMES) licensed from MGM as part of the 5-picture deal the made in exchange for letting MGM have the RAGING BULL commentary. My hunch is the remaining three will come out as a box set from either Criterion or Eclipse.

That probably negates Kiss Me Deadly, Sweet Smell of Success, Night of the Hunter and any other hopefuls that can't be paired with others by the same director. Interesting (though slightly disappointing).

#659 Post by **domino harvey** » Fri May 16, 2008 3:49 am

Could still be Kiss Me Deadly/Night of the Hunter and the poster was thinking of a Noir box-- though we know that wouldn't happen, I'm just grasping at hope. What the fuck MGM property could possibly be more important than those two titles? Nothing.

#660 Post by **Jeff** » Fri May 16, 2008 3:55 am

miless wrote:is this true?
what could the other three be?
Of course, my wet dream would be Killer's Kiss, The Killing and Paths of Glory... but those seem far too 'important' for MGM just to let go.

Jameson, you tease! He first posted this news one year ago. Somebody (Narshty?) speculated that Salo might be one of the titles since it carries a UA copyright notice. That seemed weird to me (and still does), since Criterion released their original disc long before they worked anything out with MGM.

Jameson, you MUST give us a tiny hint about these other three titles. You've already confirmed that they are not Kubricks or Wilders. And I can assume that Salo is the one title that Criterion had previously released. MGM has a passel of Truffauts and Rohmers without any supplements. How about an Eclipse box called "Guess what? More Dassin!" with Topkapi, 10:30 P.M Summer, and Never on Sunday?

ianungstad · #661 Post by **ianungstad** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:44 am

If we stick with Pasolini, the box for the other three could be his trilogy of life. MGM obviously had no plans to do anything with Salo...and that seems to apply to Canterbury Tales, Arabian Nights as well.

Maybe the reason they took so long with the rerelease of Salo is because they were working on all 4 Pasolini films at once....

Just an idea.

Jameson281 · #662 Post by **Jameson281** » Fri May 16, 2008 6:27 am

I'm not at liberty to reveal the titles, just: it's three films connected in some fashion, so it would make sense to release them as a set.

Tom Hagen · #663 Post by **Tom Hagen** » Fri May 16, 2008 7:25 am

Jeff wrote: MGM has a passel of Truffauts and Rohmers without any supplements.

They also have similarly bare-boned editions of Fellini Satyricon and Roma. The MGM Bergmans are already in a pretty decent set, and I doubt Criterion has much to add in terms of supplements at this point anyway, other than another Cowie commentary track. (Which reminds me, that, for the love of God, Criterion needs to release The Magician already.)

I am actually looking through a list of MGM World Films that came with my Bergman set and I am not seeing a lot of titles that pop up as likely box sets containing three films. There are only two Rohmers (Pauline at the Beach and A Tale of Springtime), and they are from different series. The Truffauts also seem puzzling if only because I seem to remember hearing that Janus has the rights to three or so of his other films that have yet to be released by Criterion.

miless · #664 Post by **miless** » Fri May 16, 2008 7:35 am

who owns the rights to Fellini's Casanova? or is that one an enigma?

Narshty · #665 Post by **Narshty** » Fri May 16, 2008 11:54 am

Jeff wrote:Jameson, you tease! He first posted this news one year ago. Somebody (Narshty?) speculated that Salo might be one of the titles since it carries a UA copyright notice. That seemed weird to me (and still does), since Criterion released their original disc long before they worked anything out with MGM.

Also, the BFI disc has a prominent MGM logo on the back of the case. I presume MGM licensed it out to Water Bearer (the licensors for the original Criterion disc) under a set licence, out of sheer embarrassment of association with the film if nothing else.

By the way, there go my hopes for Blow Out, Heaven's Gate and Hope and Glory.

Cronenfly · #666 Post by **Cronenfly** » Fri May 16, 2008 3:59 pm

ianungstad wrote:If we stick with Pasolini, the box for the other three could be his trilogy of life. MGM obviously had no plans to do anything with Salo...and that seems to apply to Canterbury Tales, Arabian Nights as well.

Maybe the reason they took so long with the rerelease of Salo is because they were working on all 4 Pasolini films at once....

Just an idea.

The Trilogy of Life makes the most sense to me (CC's interest in Paso, MGM's not caring about them, a natural 3-title box set)...but a surprise would be most welcome.

Can you tell us at least, Jameson, whether you think the three titles could have enough features put together for a main line release? And maybe decade(s, if not years) of release of the three titles? Something? Anything?

Jameson281 · #667 Post by **Jameson281** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:20 pm

Cronenfly wrote:Can you tell us at least, Jameson, whether you think the three titles could have enough features put together for a main line release? And maybe decade(s, if not years) of release of the three titles? Something? Anything?

I don't anything about any extras Criterion may or may not be planning; I know the titles that were licensed and that's it.

They are all color films . . .

jaredsap · #668 Post by **jaredsap** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:41 pm

The color MGM title I would most like Criterion to release is LOVE STREAMS. But I can't think of two titles you'd team that with, especially two color titles (MGM also owns the b&w A CHILD IS WAITING).

Perkins Cobb · #669 Post by **Perkins Cobb** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:52 pm

They have to be foreign titles and I think the Pasolinis sound like good guesses. Are there in fact enough Rohmers and Truffauts not already in print from MGM to make a three-movie set?

Unfortunately this rules out my favorite candidates from the earlier guesses, Night of the Hunter (six hours of outtakes lying unseen in the vaults), and Queimada! (only the shortened English-language version on the MGM disc), so my enthusiasm for the whole thing is kinda muted now.

Tom Hagen · #670 Post by **Tom Hagen** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:55 pm

miless wrote:who owns the rights to Fellini's Casanova? or is that one an enigma?

According to this, Universal was the U.S. domestic theatrical distributor, and Fox was the international distributor. No idea about home video rights.

Entirely off topic, but does anyone know anything about the status of the Decalogue? Is Facets' liscence going to expire any time soon?

miless · #671 Post by **miless** » Fri May 16, 2008 5:19 pm

MGM should be the current rights holder for Wajda's Man of Iron (and possibly others)... maybe it's a middle-period Wajda set?

Harmonov · #672 Post by **Harmonov** » Fri May 16, 2008 5:34 pm

jaredsap wrote:The color MGM title I would most like Criterion to release is LOVE STREAMS.

I have been begging them weekly to do this for the last two years (along with releasing Husbands). I'd give anything for those two releases to happen.

Perkins Cobb · #673 Post by **Perkins Cobb** » Fri May 16, 2008 7:29 pm

Husbands was confirmed as in the works from Sony by one of their insiders (probably Mike Schlesinger) on Glenn Kenny's blog a few weeks ago, along with A Matter of Life and Death and Age of Consent, all within the 2008-09 window. I'll believe it when I have 'em in my hands, but we can quit speculating about them as Criterion licenses.

#674 Post by **Jeff** » Fri May 16, 2008 7:42 pm

Narshty wrote:the BFI disc has a prominent MGM logo on the back of the case.

You were right, Narshty. I've seen the Criterion sell-sheets for August now, and can confirm that Salo will indeed have an MGM logo on the case.

Narshty wrote:By the way, there go my hopes for Blow Out, Heaven's Gate and Hope and Glory.

I suppose Blow-Out could still show up in box with Dressed to Kill and Carrie, but those two already have good special editions. Criterion's laserdisc of Carrie had a commentary from DePalma and the mattes removed at his request though.

Harmonov · #675 Post by **Harmonov** » Fri May 16, 2008 8:57 pm

Perkins Cobb wrote:Husbands was confirmed as in the works from Sony by one of their insiders (probably Mike Schlesinger) on Glenn Kenny's blog a few weeks ago, along with A Matter of Life and Death and Age of Consent, all within the 2008-09 window. I'll believe it when I have 'em in my hands, but we can quit speculating about them as Criterion licenses.

This is fabulous news. Thanks for passing along.

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