Criterion Random Speculation Vol.4

[Perkins Cobb]

Oh, no! I'm going to miss cyberstalking Tamara.

[colinr0380]

Oh, no! I'm going to miss cyberstalking Tamara.

I hope that is not a euphemism!

[myrnaloyisdope]

The news about Shanghai Express is wonderful.

Then that leaves Dishonored as the only Dietrich/von Sternberg not on Region 1, and I can definitely live without ever seeing Dishonored again.

[psufootball07]

Vivre sa vie coming soon? It wouldve been great if they released just that instead of the 4 other titles they chose for Septembre.

[justeleblanc]

Im actually looking forward to owning the rich people trading cards, thank you very much.

Er, my guess is My life to live wont be released until after it makes its rounds in a few of the major art house theaters around the country. I think it took pierrot le fou 8 months to make it to dvd. be patient, i expect the disc to be immaculate.

also, id love to see them release 2 or 3 things in the meantime.

[jbeall]

Vivre sa vie just played NYC, so it's gotta make the rounds for a few months before Criterion announces it, but it's pretty much a done deal; just be patient.

Good thing, too, b/c the Fox/Lorber disc sucked. It'll be one of the must-own Godards for me, so I'm a little impatient about the release myself. Still, I wouldn't expect it before Feb '09 at the earliest.

[psufootball07]

Yeah, I was pretty sure its coming, but 8 months....damn. I am taking a French film class starting next week and My Life to Live is one of the "required" viewings. However some of the films chosen for this beg me to question what the teacher is thinking, although it is officially titled, French Culture through Film.

Heres the films:

A Very Long Engagement, Rules of the Game, Au Revoir les enfants, Vivre sa vie, Battle of Algiers, The Dreamers, La Femme Nikita, Games of Love and Chance, and The Gleaners and I. The Dreamers I guess shows the culture, but it wasnt as good as Last Tango in Paris, and the film referenced tons of french and classic films.

[domino harvey]

Gross. Drop the course.

[Tom Hagen]

The Dreamers does have one exceptionally brilliant scene.

And, no, it doesn't involve Eva Green.

(Navel gazing, here we come . . . )

[psufootball07]

Yeah, I think maybe 4 out of those 9 I would consider spending time watching and even writing about, the rest, I could care less about watching. The final project we have to associate 3 films not on the list into a paper.

Here are the suggestion of topics and related films to go along with:

World War I

Grand Illusion
Life and Nothing But

The 1930's & the Popular Front

L'Atalante
Daybreak
Zero for Conduct

World War II

Army of Shadows
Days of Glory (Indigènes)
Hiroshima mon amour
Is Paris Burning?

Liberation and Recovery

2 or 3 Things I Know About Her

The New Wave

The 400 Blows
Last Year at Marienbad
Cléo from 5 to 7

(Post) Colonialism

Chocolat (1988)
The Little Soldier
Pépé le Moko

The 1980's

La Boum
Diva
Vagabond

Second-Generation Immigrants

Games of Love and Chance (L'Esquive)
Caché

I guess I could edit that to films that may fit better into the categories, but the films here I prefer for the most part over the required viewings.

[psufootball07]

The Dreamers does have one exceptionally brilliant scene.
And, no, it doesn't involve Eva Green.

Is that Jean-Pierre Leaud in the scene? Cool. I did like the reference to Breathless, when she says I was born on the Champs-Elysees. The running through the Louvre was enjoyable just when they showed a quick flash of Bande a part.

[jbeall]

Yeah, I was pretty sure its coming, but 8 months....damn. I am taking a French film class starting next week and My Life to Live is one of the "required" viewings. However some of the films chosen for this beg me to question what the teacher is thinking, although it is officially titled, French Culture through Film.
Heres the films:

A Very Long Engagement, Rules of the Game, Au Revoir les enfants, Vivre sa vie, Battle of Algiers, The Dreamers, La Femme Nikita, Games of Love and Chance, and The Gleaners and I. The Dreamers I guess shows the culture, but it wasnt as good as Last Tango in Paris, and the film referenced tons of french and classic films.

Oh, your teacher's alright with that syllabus; keep in mind that it's French culture through film. Generally speaking, I think those are all good choices for that reason, although I'd be curious to hear your prof's take on them. In other words, your prof isn't trying to show the height of French cinema, but has chosen films that allow you to discuss certain aspects of French culture. Maybe you're taking the wrong course?

The only one that doesn't belong (IMO) is A Very Long Engagement. The Dreamers pretty much nails '68 France and the cinephile culture, so it's a good choice.

[klee13]

Yeah, I think maybe 4 out of those 9 I would consider spending time watching and even writing about, the rest, I could care less about watching. The final project we have to associate 3 films not on the list into a paper.

Here are the suggestion of topics and related films to go along with:

The New Wave

The 400 Blows
Last Year at Marienbad
Cléo from 5 to 7

What's the French New Wave without Breathless?

[justeleblanc]

Here are the suggestion of topics and related films to go along with:

The New Wave

The 400 Blows
Last Year at Marienbad
Cléo from 5 to 7

What's the French New Wave without Breathless?

It looks like they've included Godard with post-colonialism.

I agree Breathless is important to the new wave, but it might be a film about American culture as opposed to French culture... maybe. Marienbad of course being about bourgeois hologram culture.

[psufootball07]

Jules and Jim would be a better fit than Breathless in relating to French culture. Since its just as it relates to French culture starting at the 20th century, it rules out some Bunuel and Bresson films, The Passion of Joan of Arc, films more closely tied with American culture like Bob le Flambeur, Rififi and Shoot the Piano Player.

[klee13]

Well, this is probably a discussion for a different time, but I'm not sure if I agree completely. Breathless may have a lot of connections to earlier American movies but I think the style in which it was made illuminates the New Wave period in French cinematic culture history much more then, say Jules and Jim, which takes place at the beginning of the 20th century if you are going to look at it so literally. Though, actually looking at your list again, not all of the films in each category depict the period they were released in, so maybe I'm not exactly understanding the final project right.
I don't think the course sounds terrible even with some of the dubious selections. Maybe the teacher just wanted to be 'cutting edge'. I just finished a French cinema course myself, but I had to design it personally because my school doesn't offer any film studies classes. It turned out being pretty fun actually.

[fortunato]

what about e. elias herhige?

i'd like to see begotten and shadow of the vampire on criterion.

another title that really deserves the criterion treatment is tod browning's freaks. an important film if there ever was one. i'm sure distribution rights would be a problem there, though.

[Murdoch]

I don't think there's anything wrong with the current R1 release of Freaks, the picture quality's great and there's a good deal of extras.

And I don't think Merhige has done anything worthwhile enough to give him a release, from what I've seen his films have been interesting but nothing special.

[tojoed]

Good thing, too, b/c the Fox/Lorber disc sucked.

What exactly is wrong with the Fox-Lorber, apart from there being no extras? The transfer is perfectly fine to my eyes.

[Thomas J.]

what about e. elias herhige?

i'd like to see begotten and shadow of the vampire on criterion.

another title that really deserves the criterion treatment is tod browning's freaks. an important film if there ever was one. i'm sure distribution rights would be a problem there, though.

Warner doesn't let Criterion distribute any of their films.

[Adam]

It's Merhige, not Herhige. And I think Begotten is pretty remarkable.

[Antoine Doinel]

So, could the restored This Happy Breed, be another one of the MGM titles Criterion is acquiring? The current MGM disc is OOP.

[miless]

I think it's safe to say that the three titles will all be Lean titles... so very possible.

[Antoine Doinel]

Well, the BFI is restoring the first 10 Lean films --- maybe an Early Lean Eclipse set?

[Cinephrenic]

That probably would depend, big studios usually calculates to big expenses as licensing goes, but I've been wrong many times. I would be happy either way.