Our three least favorite initials: OOP. Since we launched the Criterion Collection more than twenty-five years ago, we’ve endeavored to keep everything we’ve published in print. But despite our efforts to renew rights, we are losing a large group of titles from StudioCanal at the end of March, and we wanted to give you advance notice that our editions will be going out of print. Until we’re out of stock, we will be offering these titles at an additional $5 off on our website. The titles are going to Lionsgate, and we don’t know when they may be rereleased. As ever, we will continue to try to relicense the films so that they can rejoin the collection sometime in the future.
Here are the titles that will soon be out of print:
Alphaville
Carlos Saura’s Flamenco Trilogy (Eclipse Series 6)
Le corbeau
Coup de torchon
Diary of a Country Priest
The Fallen Idol
Forbidden Games (Criterion and Essential Art House editions)
Gervaise (Essential Art House edition)
Grand Illusion (Criterion and Essential Art House editions)
Le jour se lève (Essential Art House edition)
Last Holiday (Essential Art House edition)
Mayerling (Essential Art House edition)
The Orphic Trilogy
Peeping Tom
Pierrot le fou (DVD and Blu-ray editions)
Port of Shadows
Quai des Orfèvres
The Small Back Room
The Tales of Hoffmann (Criterion and Essential Art House editions)
Trafic
Le trou
Variety Lights (Essential Art House edition)
The White Sheik
Take note: this may be your last chance to pick up spine number 1 from the collection.
Happy viewing!
The Criterion Collection
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...wow. Fuck you, StudioCanal and Lionsgate. So much for a Criterion blu of Peeping Tom
The thing that really bothers me is... what's the timetable that Lionsgate has for getting these released? Are they going to just sit on some? This is the worst blow to the Criterion Collection, well... ever.
mfunk9786 wrote:...wow. Fuck you, StudioCanal and Lionsgate. So much for a Criterion blu of Peeping Tom
The thing that really bothers me is... what's the timetable that Lionsgate has for getting these released? Are they going to just sit on some? This is the worst blow to the Criterion Collection, well... ever.
Not only that, but in addition Lionsgate has been notorious for releasing sub-par versions of these films. Why is Lionsgate going through all this trouble of out bidding Criterion for the rights when at the end of the day they don't treat the films with the respect they deserve and movie fans are not going to purchase them?
mfunk9786 wrote:...wow. Fuck you, StudioCanal and Lionsgate. So much for a Criterion blu of Peeping Tom
The thing that really bothers me is... what's the timetable that Lionsgate has for getting these released? Are they going to just sit on some? This is the worst blow to the Criterion Collection, well... ever.
Not only that, but in addition Lionsgate has been notorious for releasing sub-par versions of these films. Why is Lionsgate going through all this trouble of out bidding Criterion for the rights when at the end of the day they don't treat the films with the respect they deserve and movie fans are not going to purchase them?
After several years of sub-par editions, during which Lionsgate will not recoup its investment, they'll be up for grabs again. In the interim, Lionsgate will just squander any opportunity to do these releases any justice.
There are some iconic Criterion releases here, what a shame.
Thankfully none of the titles on are on my "Want List", although I do need to pick up a copy of Variety Lights at some point but the Criterion releases are no better than the ones from the Far East.
Criterion may have known something was in the works, so it may explain the rush to releasing Gervaise, Le jour se lève, Mayerling and Last Holiday as Essential Art House editions.
Like the Third Man, to know they put all of the time, work and restoration in the Blu Ray to not be able to reap the benefits for a a prolonged period of time is a huge blow.
Especially as for some of these there are no real alternatives around the world. Even if you can buy other editions of "Tales of Hoffmann" for instance, future buyers will lose "The sorcerer's apprentice"-short. Same for the Cocteau set (still the best-looking version of "Orphée" of all).
So if you have any interest in these films at all, better hurry up. I hope the next B&N-sale will indeed come in March, as rumoured.
Like the Third Man, to know they put all of the time, work and restoration in the Blu Ray to not be able to reap the benefits for a a prolonged period of time is a huge blow.
That's where we come in. Anyone who has put these releases off or not upgraded to BD should do so ASAP. Help Criterion recover some costs. It's a damn shame as that Pierrot le fou BD is an absolute knockout.
That's it, now I'm getting "Pierrot le fou" on Blu ASAP.
Can anyone recommend me, of the other titles going OOP, which should I track down and get immediately while I can still find them? I'm talking worth of movie and/or rarity (i.e. hard to track down), not resale value. I just want good movies in hand rather than 'floating' around waiting for an (unlikely) re-release by Lionsgate. I already have "Flamenco Trilogy" and "Forbidden Games," haven't seen any of the rest (including Pierrot le fou).
Last edited by dad1153 on Tue Feb 02, 2010 4:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It's really a shame StudioCanal values a vanity label - which the mainstream couldn't give two shits about, compared to the brand recognition of Criterion - over someone giving their library the respect it deserves. From what I've seen of the "collection", along with the terrible release of The Dead, I have no faith in anything Lionsgate does. Hope those extra pennies are worth it to StudioCanal.
Hope the scalpers don't gobble everything up before Friday. Where to start...
In every cloud a silver lining perhaps. Brand allegiance aside. There are already plans for a blu Grande Illusion and there are some titles that might get a quick blu turn round vis Studio Canal such as the Clouzots, Carnés and Alphaville that Criterion might have left on the back burner for years or maybe never revisited. Now more than ever a region free blu player could more than compensate.
dad1153 wrote:Can anyone recommend me, of the other titles going OOP, which should I track down and get immediately while I can still find them?
I would go for
Orphic Trilogy
Tales of Hoffmann
Small back room
Grand illusion
Mayerling
Variety Lights
at the very least. These are without any real alternative elsewhere, all things considered (transfer quality, extras, or simply availability with English subs). If you don't mind a somewhat substandard image mostly due to print issues, also throw in the Clouzots and "Port of Shadows".
I bit the bullet and ordered every title I didn't own, which totaled about $170. The bitch of this is that I know Lionsgate will be putting some of these out on Blu and that I'll probably break down and buy those too.
I'm thinking that Pierrot on Blu will run out fast, much like Third Man did, but that most of the other titles are low profile enough (which is not to say they are not great or important films) that they should at least stick around until the next good Criterion sale.
Yuck, Canal of all companies! Got Pierrot and Le Trou off of Amazon just now. Most of these titles are low profile so with the exception of the blu and the P&Ps I see most of these lasting for awhile. damn Canal and their crappy Lionsgate releases.
