Criterion on Social Media

[Napier]

i don't quite understand the calls for Cobra Woman...saw it on TCM once upon a time and thought it was hilariously cheesy.

I saw it in the Brattle with a packed house. And we had a "cheesy" great time. Criterion me. I actually think my viewing in Cambridge was one of the best experiences I've ever had in the cinema. It's up there with seeing Baby Snakes with a theater full of Zappa freaks.

[ianungstad]

It would be nice if Universal would let Criterion have the rights to The Bank Dick again.

[HistoryProf]

Criterion used to have a sense of humor and release campy/cheesy films like this with some regularity. Or does everyone take their po-faced justifications for Flesh for Frankenstein/Blood for Dracula, The Blob, Fiend Without a Face, The Honeymoon Killers, Sisters, the Monsters and Madmen films, and Equinox as important independent films at face value?

i think the last bit is kind of what I was saying...all those you list are more than just low budget cheese - Cobra is big budget camp - and hardly path breaking in any sense, or otherwise "important". Now i'm not one to take the mission statement as gospel, and welcome thinking outside the box, I was just curious about this particular title as one people seem to be fond of. It just wasn't one that would ever strike me as something Criterion would do, and I certainly don't see anything in the collection now that would fit as a precursor. That list is all genre stuff and one uber independent flick (Honeymoon Killers) - not post-war B schlock.

ETA, for something comparable, maybe Fanfan La Tulip? but isn't that pretty reviled here?

[domino harvey]

Siodmak is a Criterion-approved director and this is one of his more popular films. I don't see any mystery?

[HistoryProf]

no mystery....just curiosity stemming from so many mentions on the FB page and here. no big whoop.

[starmanof51]

all those you list are more than just low budget cheese - Cobra is big budget camp - and hardly path breaking in any sense, or otherwise "important". Now i'm not one to take the mission statement as gospel, and welcome thinking outside the box, I was just curious about this particular title as one people seem to be fond of. It just wasn't one that would ever strike me as something Criterion would do, and I certainly don't see anything in the collection now that would fit as a precursor. That list is all genre stuff and one uber independent flick (Honeymoon Killers) - not post-war B schlock.

Let me take a stab at it. You say that the titles that Matt lists are more than just low budget cheese. I find that debateable, most strongly in the case of the Monsters and Madmen box. But let's go with that. You also seem to want to somehow differentiate between "genre stuff" and "post-war B schlock", if not qualitatively (do you?) then at least as precedent for that holy wacky C. I'd say it's also "genre stuff", just a few years earlier than those others. If you're going to insist on words like schlock and cheese, why make such a distinction between "post-war B schlock" and post-Korean war B schlock? If you see something a little grander in Matt's list, consider that there's also something a little grander here as well. I think you're of the feeling that Cobra Woman is routine and unremarkable, and that's the puzzling bit for you. I'd counter that it's damn near unique, I don't think there's anything within a decade either direction of it quite like it.

It starts by trading on established genre stuff, trying to make a buck on people that were fond of Thief of Bagdad, most specifically. That's not unique, but there's no getting around the first and foremost virtues - Siodmak knows what he's about, and I find the quality of the technicolor photography to frequently be a match for ToB, with some spectacular greens and blues. It's way up there just on the basis of a list of "Great 40s Eye Candy." But that's not what makes it special. What sends it to the stratosphere (at least for me, and I think some of the others voting for it) is the sense of hysteria and decadence emanating from Cobra Island in general, the kinky-dancehall Cobra Throne Room more specifically, and the Cobra Queen as hysteria (and decadence?...ooh, hopefully decadence!) personifed. That Throne Room sees some brazen shit - the casual violence, especially at the end, and those wiggy dances with the Cobra Maidens - this feels emotionally like precode stuff, stuff that just wasn't done in 1944, and stuff you don't start seeing much of again for another decade. It's an island unto itself. If you start looking for similar stuff, you'd naturally look at the other Universal/Montez Technicolor exercises in exotica. Universal has made a couple readily available - Arabian Nights, Ali Baba. These have their virtues, and are pretty enough, but they don't have that wild-eyed hysteria. I keep using that word, don't I? Not to go all auteury on you, but I think Siodmak must get a lot of credit for the uniqueness here. I think of Phantom Lady, from the very same year, and that great jazz drum scene with Elisha Cook and Ella Raines - again, hysteria - something really dangerous and unique (musical rape!) jumping up out of some dime a dozen "post-war B schlock".

And of course Criterion has already included a trailer for it in the Killers set.

Apologies if I sound more combative than I mean to, Prof, - this is definitely a case of Defending Your Darlings, as the Lists forum would have it.

[Max von Mayerling]

Isn't The Wedding March pre-1948 Paramount? Shouldn't we all be screaming for that?

[ianungstad]

They are asking for your picks of Universal and Universal-owned Paramount titles. (Maybe they're in the midst of licensing another batch of Universal titles?) Wedding March, Wings,Miracle of Morgan's Creek, etc are still owned by Paramount.

[Max von Mayerling]

I'm obviously completely baffled by who owns what Paramount-wise. Thanks for the clarification.

[HistoryProf]

all those you list are more than just low budget cheese - Cobra is big budget camp - and hardly path breaking in any sense, or otherwise "important". Now i'm not one to take the mission statement as gospel, and welcome thinking outside the box, I was just curious about this particular title as one people seem to be fond of. It just wasn't one that would ever strike me as something Criterion would do, and I certainly don't see anything in the collection now that would fit as a precursor. That list is all genre stuff and one uber independent flick (Honeymoon Killers) - not post-war B schlock.

Let me take a stab at it. You say that the titles that Matt lists are more than just low budget cheese. I find that debateable, most strongly in the case of the Monsters and Madmen box. But let's go with that. You also seem to want to somehow differentiate between "genre stuff" and "post-war B schlock", if not qualitatively (do you?) then at least as precedent for that holy wacky C. I'd say it's also "genre stuff", just a few years earlier than those others. If you're going to insist on words like schlock and cheese, why make such a distinction between "post-war B schlock" and post-Korean war B schlock? If you see something a little grander in Matt's list, consider that there's also something a little grander here as well. I think you're of the feeling that Cobra Woman is routine and unremarkable, and that's the puzzling bit for you. I'd counter that it's damn near unique, I don't think there's anything within a decade either direction of it quite like it.

It starts by trading on established genre stuff, trying to make a buck on people that were fond of Thief of Bagdad, most specifically. That's not unique, but there's no getting around the first and foremost virtues - Siodmak knows what he's about, and I find the quality of the technicolor photography to frequently be a match for ToB, with some spectacular greens and blues. It's way up there just on the basis of a list of "Great 40s Eye Candy." But that's not what makes it special. What sends it to the stratosphere (at least for me, and I think some of the others voting for it) is the sense of hysteria and decadence emanating from Cobra Island in general, the kinky-dancehall Cobra Throne Room more specifically, and the Cobra Queen as hysteria (and decadence?...ooh, hopefully decadence!) personifed. That Throne Room sees some brazen shit - the casual violence, especially at the end, and those wiggy dances with the Cobra Maidens - this feels emotionally like precode stuff, stuff that just wasn't done in 1944, and stuff you don't start seeing much of again for another decade. It's an island unto itself. If you start looking for similar stuff, you'd naturally look at the other Universal/Montez Technicolor exercises in exotica. Universal has made a couple readily available - Arabian Nights, Ali Baba. These have their virtues, and are pretty enough, but they don't have that wild-eyed hysteria. I keep using that word, don't I? Not to go all auteury on you, but I think Siodmak must get a lot of credit for the uniqueness here. I think of Phantom Lady, from the very same year, and that great jazz drum scene with Elisha Cook and Ella Raines - again, hysteria - something really dangerous and unique (musical rape!) jumping up out of some dime a dozen "post-war B schlock".

And of course Criterion has already included a trailer for it in the Killers set.

Apologies if I sound more combative than I mean to, Prof, - this is definitely a case of Defending Your Darlings, as the Lists forum would have it.

Not combative at all...and I hope I wasn't sounding disparaging....it was just simple curiosity - so I appreciate the explanation.

as for "genre-stuff" all I meant was that they were all in that low budget sci-fi/Horror category, which Cobra Woman is not...that's all. Thief of Baghdad is of course the obvious correlation that I failed to make. And as I said, I found it great fun - "hilariously cheesy" is by no means an insult! I was just curious as to why so many seemed to be hankering for it, assuming full well that while Maria Montez's boobs are indeed a sight to behold in all their technicolor glory, there had to be more to it than that!

[perkizitore]

Which Nicholas Ray films does Universal owns?

[Flike]

No rights at the moment, but we saw Sembene's translator in the office not long ago, so maybe there's hope

[onedimension]

Is that 'The Sweet Smell of Success' Criterion just posted a shot of on their Facebook page?

[Murdoch]

Is that 'The Sweet Smell of Success' Criterion just posted a shot of on their Facebook page?

FUCK YEAH IT IS \:D/

[Peacock]

Yes

EDIT: This isn't the picture Criterion showed but it's from the same scene.

[stagefright50]

Excuse the pun... SWEET!

[domino harvey]

Thank you O Lord for the bounty we are about to receive

[cdnchris]

This cheered me up after all the Paramount OOP nonsense.

[Tribe]

Bill Melidoneas is unhappy:

But what is this necessary if there's a bare bones 2001 MGM dvd release In Stock. Why do we need an HD upgrade with (hopefully) great supplements from Criterion?

[Murdoch]

Bill Melidoneas is unhappy:

But what is this necessary if there's a bare bones 2001 MGM dvd release In Stock. Why do we need an HD upgrade with (hopefully) great supplements from Criterion?

If there was ever a question that answered itself

[Cinephrenic]

Now bring on the Kubricks!

[MyNameCriterionForum]

WTF?

[Brian C]

Bill Melidoneas is unhappy:

But what is this necessary if there's a bare bones 2001 MGM dvd release In Stock. Why do we need an HD upgrade with (hopefully) great supplements from Criterion?

I think that's sarcasm? Making fun of the people who are always griping about Criterion releasing films that are already on DVD?

[Flike]

Do the American studios have absolutely no faith in the future of solid state home video? I'm glad Criterion is doing this, but jeez...

[CrazedCollector]

Now bring on the Kubricks!

Barry Lyndon! He's our man! If he can't marry a woman and totally blow her money no-one can!

...love that movie. Would love to see a Criterion transfer.

Bill Melidoneas is unhappy:

But what is this necessary if there's a bare bones 2001 MGM dvd release In Stock. Why do we need an HD upgrade with (hopefully) great supplements from Criterion?

Makes me want to go #-o