Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

[ptatler]

If they tried even a little there's no reason this couldn't be a bursting two disc set. Can't wait to see and HEAR this one on Blu-ray! Maybe they could make it a three disc set with a copy of the CD soundtrack

Excellent news. I can finally re-try this. I wasn't a big fan of it upon initial viewing (many moons ago). But I love LONG GOODBYE, McCABE, VINCENT & THEO, and SHORT CUTS.

[bamwc2]

Grand Old Osprey = Nashville?

Exceedingly well done! I stared at that for five minutes unable to come up with a single guess. I even searched IMDB's keyword of "osprey". And, yes, any day that we get confirmation of new Altman is a good day.

[domino harvey]

It's such a rich and dense film and will immediately upon release be one of the best films in the collection. This spring my students and I spent over a half hour examining just four minutes of the film and several were frustrated afterwards at the film being unavailable for them to watch in full.

[criterion10]

I think there's an audio commentary on the old DVD by Altman himself. Hopefully, Criterion will port this over...

[Gregory]

Out of print, but hardly unavailable.

[Jeff]

I think there's an audio commentary on the old DVD by Altman himself. Hopefully, Criterion will port this over...

They did it for Paramount's Seconds, so I'd say it's a very good bet.

[domino harvey]

Out of print, but hardly unavailable.

I teach high school students who go to retail stores to purchase their movies. It is unavailable for them and the average consumer, and has been for some time. Not sure why you felt the need to make this comment

[ryannichols7]

also add interviews with all the living actors/actresses and Joan Tewkesbury and some visual essays. not to mention all the extra footage/songs. it could definitely be a two-disc release, and I'd imagine they're aware how big a title this is. let's just hope they deliver on it, unlike the somewhat scant (but what was included was good) releases of Rosemary's Baby and Harold and Maude, and more like Medium Cool and Days of Heaven.

[Gregory]

Out of print, but hardly unavailable.

I teach high school students who go to retail stores to purchase their movies. It is unavailable for them and the average consumer, and has been for some time. Not sure why you felt the need to make this comment

Most in-print movies are not readily available at brick-and-mortar stores.
Most high schoolers and average consumers go online and see several options, including secondhand DVDs and streaming options. This comment probably wasn't any more or less "needed" than any of the other umpteen million things said on this forum, but if one knows students who are frustrated that the film is "unavailable," then one could easily direct them to where it has been available affordably, except of course if they have no access to the internet.

[Donald Brown]

Roger Corman's comments for his top 10 list are simply wonderful.

[Arthur House]

also add interviews with all the living actors/actresses and Joan Tewkesbury and some visual essays. not to mention all the extra footage/songs. it could definitely be a two-disc release, and I'd imagine they're aware how big a title this is. let's just hope they deliver on it, unlike the somewhat scant (but what was included was good) releases of Rosemary's Baby and Harold and Maude, and more like Medium Cool and Days of Heaven.

I know that don't 'do' books/screenplays anymore, but this would be a fine opportunity to publish Tewkesbury's original script. Bar that, they could excerpt the pretty extensive character bios that were included in the stage directions in the vintage paperback 'screenplay' (in reality a transcript of the finished film).

[stagefright50]

If they tried even a little there's no reason this couldn't be a bursting two disc set. Can't wait to see and HEAR this one on Blu-ray! Maybe they could make it a three disc set with a copy of the CD soundtrack

Yes, please. I'd even take an MP3 download. I have the soundtrack on vinyl but haven't been able to listen to it for years since my record player went out of commission. It made for nice wall art for a couple of years.

[ryannichols7]

I would love for the cover of the Criterion to resemble the cover of the soundtrack.

and yes to the screenplay idea. i've read it once and it's EXTREMELY outlined besides the dialogue. much better than Two-Lane Blacktop or so

[Randall Maysin]

yay for Nashville! I'd say it's my 10th most favorite Altman. I hope this means some Altman films that I really like are coming in the future. do the deleted scenes actually exist? as far as I know, no one not directly involved in the film's making has even seen the footage.

[essrog]

It's such a rich and dense film and will immediately upon release be one of the best films in the collection. This spring my students and I spent over a half hour examining just four minutes of the film and several were frustrated afterwards at the film being unavailable for them to watch in full.

A lot of my students who saw the whole film probably would've loved the experience of only watching four minutes of it. It's not like I was unaware that showing a plotless, two and a half hour musical in which a lot of the music isn't supposed to be good might not go over well with teenagers, but I always held out hope that a few kids would like it on the basis of the Ronee Blakley songs and the satire. The ending always provoked some good discussion, too. I showed it as part of a unit on Altman in a class about directors, and it's so essential to understanding Altman that I just had to show it, though students didn't like it nearly as much as The Long Goodbye and The Player.

I just love this movie and can't wait to see what Criterion does with it. Blakley's performance of "Dues" is one of my favorite moments in movies.

[Ashirg]

Maybe they can finally upgrade Short Cuts to blu as well...

[hearthesilence]

The Player was my first exposure to Altman - liked it a lot as a tween but not so much anymore, it looks a little too cheap (like a made-for-TV movie) and I feel like they're patting themselves a little too hard on the back for taking broad swipes at an easy target.

[Arthur House]

and yes to the screenplay idea. i've read it once and it's EXTREMELY outlined besides the dialogue. much better than Two-Lane Blacktop or so

Well, the TLB script is pretty valuable, if only because it includes the deleted scenes. For a long time, the only way people could experience the film (outside of the odd TV screening) was to track down the issue of Esquire containing the screenplay. IIRC, in the essay on the film in one of Danny Perry's books, it's clear he's been dipping into it to jog his memory, as he cites scenes as being in the film which were in reality only ever available to the public via the script.

Speaking of deleted material:

do the deleted scenes actually exist? as far as I know, no one not directly involved in the film's making has even seen the footage.

According to Jan Stuart's book on the film, there were some deleted scenes. Some are described, the only one I remember is a segment w/David Arkin & Jeff Goldblum getting handcuffed together as part of a magic trick gone wrong.

It's also mentioned that there were three cuts of the film, as follows:

• 1. The Studio Submission Cut: 3 hours long, rejected by ABC Films
  2. What I'll call "The Kael Cut": Ten minutes shorter than #1, this was the version Altman screened for Pauline Kael, resulting in her famous review that basically got the film released.
  3. The Release Cut: Ten minutes shorter than #2, and Twenty shorter than #1

Altman later claimed that most (if not all) of what was removed from the pre-release versions were music.

[boywonder]

with the long and sloppy "nashville" out of the way, perhaps criterion will add the two jewels of the crown ... "the long goodbye" & "mccabe & mrs miller" to the collection!

[Matt]

with the long and sloppy "nashville" out of the way, perhaps criterion will add the two jewels of the crown ... "the long goodbye" & "mccabe & mrs miller" to the collection!

You were able to find the shift key in order to type quotation and exclamation marks, is it asking to much to use it for a few letters as well? Come on, people, you're not texting your girlfriend here.

[bamwc2]

with the long and sloppy "nashville" out of the way, perhaps criterion will add the two jewels of the crown ... "the long goodbye" & "mccabe & mrs miller" to the collection!

You were able to find the shift key in order to type quotation and exclamation marks, is it asking to much to use it for a few letters as well? Come on, people, you're not texting your girlfriend here.

amen!

[domino harvey]

smh lol

[Moe Dickstein]

or possibly we just have another devotee of e e cummings

[zedz]

Great to have confirmation of the sublime Nashville. Like domino, I'd love for Criterion to break with tradition and include a soundtrack CD (or else for some enterprising reissue label to take this opportunity to get it out at long last).

Cast reminiscences would be fabulous, and a lot of those guys are still around, so this could be a hefty extra. As I recall, the existing Altman commentary is pretty sparse and unedifying, so it seems unlikely that Criterion would port it directly. They might want to trim it down to a 'selected scene' job or (a much better option) augment it with other interviews for a kaleidoscopic 'cast and crew' commentary. I'd also like to see a feature dedicated specifically to the music.

[Dragoon En Regalia]

I hope this release can lead to Alan Rudolph on the label, especially since his career's largely indebted to Nashville (assis. director and Keith Carradine, for example).