Criterions Out of Print (OOP)

[Minkin]

Here is our handy catch-all thread for all news and discussion of Out of Print (OOP) Criterion titles. Feel free to PM me or post below when a Criterion title leaves for worse pastures (goes OOP).

The following is a list of all Criterion titles that are currently OOP. Do note: Only the die-hard completionists should care about former releases of in-print titles. For a complete list (including all of the various editions of The 400 Blows), see this page. Also, despite several titles being originally licensed from a different company (See Anchor Bay), the following list contains the companies which currently own the rights to these films, thus Criterion would have to license from the below in order for the title to come back into print. I'll also make mention of when titles are potentially coming back into print soon (Handmade Films) or when they might be leaving us in the future (endangered list). So, enough warnings, here you go:
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154- The Horse's Mouth
239- The Lower Depths
241- Jean Renoir: Stage and Spectacle
275- Tout va bien
282- Andrzej Wajda: Three War Films (Ashes and Diamonds still available separately)
303- Bad Timing
324- La bete humaine
328- Murmur of the Heart
410- Under the Volcano
427- Death of a Cyclist
455- White Dog
471- Shohei Imamura: Pigs, Pimps and Prostitutes
524- The Only Son/There Was a Father

Eclipse 8: Lubitsch Musicals
Eclipse 15: Travels with Hiroshi Shimizu
Eclipse Series 16: Alexander Korda’s Private Lives
Eclipse 25: Basil Dearden's London Underground
Eclipse Series 34: Jean Grémillon During the Occupation

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Anchor Bay

Hard Boiled

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Cohen Media

Two of Us
W.C. Fields: 6 Short Films

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Disney / ABC / Buena Vista - Straw Dogs + Rebecca + Notorious were announced and are from this exact same catalog, so Spellbound is extremely likely at this point.

Armageddon
Chasing Amy
The Rock
Spellbound

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Fortune Star

The Killer

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Image / RLJ Entertainment

Blood for Dracula
Flesh for Frankenstein

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KG Productions

The Confession (DVD + Blu)

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Merchant Ivory Insurance Bond Stooges / Cohen Media

Howards End (DVD + Blu)

Merchant Ivory series titles:
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe
Bombay Talkie
The Bostonians
The Courtesans of Bombay
The Deceivers
The Europeans
Heat and Dust
The Householder
Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures
In Custody
Jane Austen in Manhattan
Maurice
The Perfect Murder
Quartet
Roseland
Savages
Shakespeare Wallah

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MGM - Expect many of these to come back into print, given Criterion's re-release deal with MGM (thus don't shell out for OOP prices on some of these)

RoboCop = Arrow licensed

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Paramount

Harold and Maude
Nashville
Rosemary's Baby

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Raro Video USA

Il generale Della Rovere

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Repackaging / Blu-Ray upgrade - these will be coming back into print soon
Per the response from Mulvaney - do not fear the OOP status of these - as they are currently going through a new print run or a new edition is being prepared. Sometimes this takes years, so be patient.

Carl Theodor Dreyer boxset (upgrade should be forthcoming at some point)
Deep Crimson (formerly in the Rialto set, should be released soon enough)
Last Holiday (Essential Art House) - Appearing with Janus logo on the Criterion Channel, likely a Studio Canal pickup then
Madadayo (formerly in AK:100 set, should be released soon enough)
Nanook of the North (new restored edition should be coming soon)
Pygmalion (available as EAH edition -essentially the same thing as mainline release)

How to Get Ahead in Advertising (Handmade Films, now owned by Janus, expect it back in print)
Withnail & I (HandMade Films)

The following have this message on Criterion's website:

Unfortunately, we are not able to offer this product for sale on Criterion.com. Please note that it is not out of print and is available at other retailers, like Amazon.com.

Thus they are temporarily OOP, until the packaging change/logo on back/distribution deal (Buena Vista) is taken care of - no need to fret about semantics, these will be back in print soon enough!

Firemen's Ball
Three Films by Hiroshi Teshigahara - Woman in the Dunes is now back in print.
Three Films by Louis Malle (boxset only) - individual films in print

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Shout Factory

Dead Ringers
The Harder They Come
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Studio Canal/Lionsgate

Alphaville = Kino licensed
Billy Liar = Kino licensed
Bob le Flambeur = Kino licensed
Carlos Saura's Flamenco Trilogy Eclipse
Contempt
Coup de torchon
Diary of a Chambermaid
Diary of a Country Priest
Le doulos = Kino licensed
The Fallen Idol
Forbidden Games
Gervaise (Essential Art House)
Grand Illusion
Le jour se lève (Essential Art House)
Kind Hearts and Coronets = Kino licensed
Last Holiday = On Criterion Channel with Janus logo
Last Year at Marienbad (DVD + Blu) = Kino licensed
Leon Morin, Priest (DVD + Blu) = Kino licensed
Mafioso = On Criterion Channel with Janus logo
The Man Who Fell to Earth (DVD + Blu)
Mayerling (Essential Art House)
The Milky Way = Kino licensed
Murderous Maids (Rialto set)
The Orphic Trilogy (except Orpheus)
Port of Shadows = Kino licensed
Quai des Orfevres = Kino licensed
Ran
The Small Back Room = On Criterion Channel with Janus logo
The Third Man (DVD + Blu)
Touchez pas au grisbi = Kino licensed
Le Trou = On Criterion Channel with Janus logo
A Woman is a Woman

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Universal

The Bank Dick

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Warner Brothers

Day for Night
The Unbearable Lightness of Being

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Totals:
Mainline titles: 51 (doesn't include repackaging OOP titles)
Eclipse sets: 3
Essential Art House: 3
Merchant Ivory: 17 (not including Howard's End)
Other: 1 (Murderous Maids)

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Endangered list (Potential to go OOP in the future)

Chasing Amy (Criterion claims it is not OOP, but its owned by Lionsgate)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (now distributed by Warner Bros - like Chasing Amy, the new distributor has decided to takeover distribution, while maintaining the Criterion status, thus it is not technically OOP, and will not unless Lionsgate/WB decide to do things differently, thus they are here in this section).

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While the current DVD is not OOP, there's a few cases where Criterion do not own Blu-Ray rights:

Indiscretion of an American Wife (Kino has Blu rights)
Putney Swope (Robert Downey Sr Eclipse set - Vinegar Syndrome has Blu rights)
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Edit 24: Moves the Handmade Films to the "repackage section (thus the total mainline OOPs go from 63 to 59) -because these films are now owned by Janus, thus the only thing keeping them from being back into print is their eventual upgrade /repackaging -thus they are no different than say BRD Trilogy, etc -hence the move + the decrease in OOP by 4. I also made a note about MGM titles -as they are highly likely to be back into print.

Edit?: Finally updated this with titles that are confirmed OOP, and not just restock vs still has Janus/streaming rights, as it will probably come back in print eventually, but let me know if I missed anything - Nov 2, 2024

[Valin Kenobi]

Cool, thanks for this thread! I've been looking for a list like this for a while, and I'll definitely appreciate having an ongoing reference.

I knew there were a lot of StudioCanal titles, of course, but hadn't realized that that actually made up at least half of the OOPs.

Where are you getting "Repackaging / Blu-Ray upgrade" for BRD, Golden Age, Pandora, and Pygmalion?

[movielocke]

Are the sternberg set, the killers and le samurai also in repackaging/upgrade limbo?

[Minkin]

I knew there were a lot of StudioCanal titles, of course, but hadn't realized that that actually made up at least half of the OOPs.

Where are you getting "Repackaging / Blu-Ray upgrade" for BRD, Golden Age, Pandora, and Pygmalion?

I too was surprised by the Studio Canal tally - didn't realize there were about 40 titles removed from Criterion thanks to them.

I took my list from the OOP page on our site (linked in my first post). Criterion still owns the rights to the films in the repackage section, thus they are merely going OOP at the end of a pressing/due to a blu-ray upgrade/ packaging change. Pygmalion is a strange case, since they took it OOP because the Essential Art House version of the film was basically the same as the mainline release (so it didn't make sense to have both in print).

There are some titles that have been mentioned elsewhere as being OOP (Killers, Samourai, Last Wave, etc) - but the Criterion website still shows them as in print (and I'm treating the Criterion site as this list's Bible) - so I'll keep them off until Criterion's site changes (though I'd imagine that blu-rays are forthcoming any month now). I'll add the Sternberg set, since the Criterion site lists that as "not OOP, but available at Amazon.com" - which indicates a high probability of package changes/Blu-ray upgrade.

[Valin Kenobi]

I took my list from the OOP page on our site (linked in my first post). Criterion still owns the rights to the films in the repackage section, thus they are merely going OOP at the end of a pressing/due to a blu-ray upgrade/ packaging change. Pygmalion is a strange case, since they took it OOP because the Essential Art House version of the film was basically the same as the mainline release (so it didn't make sense to have both in print).

Makes sense, thanks! Now I'm doubly glad I've resisted coughing up for BRD if a Blu release is possible down the line.

[Minkin]

I'll also post this here, since more people will probably see it, rather than scrolling through the Forthcoming discussion:

Saw this comment on the bluray.com news page:

Unfortunately, this deal is for broadcast/non-physical media only. So for those who hoping for new Blu/DVD releases of the films in this library, sorry to give your hopes up.

Perhaps we were being overly hasty and none of the Westchester films are in any danger of going OOP? They make it sound like the deal pertains only to Shout's digital ventures. So perhaps Breaker Morant will disappear from Hulu, but a blu (from Criterion) would still be forthcoming. Shout are starting a digital channel (like TCM/Fox Movie Channel/MGM movie channel/etc), so this deal would give them some actual content, but it sounds like physical media is not going to be impacted (I suppose someone can double/triple check with Shout and Westchester).

[dwk]

Criterion's website lists Vampyr as OOP

[Drucker]

Probably packaging again.

[sir_luke]

Yeah, the fact that it's still on Hulu+ probably indicates that it's not gone for good.

[danieltiger]

The Golden Age of Television is back in print in a slim case, as expected. Saw it in a store a couple days ago.

[StevenJ0001]

Are the discs destined for repackaging usually listed as OOP on Criterion's site? Seeing an official out of print notice like that makes me wonder if it really is going away.

[Drucker]

BRD Trilogy is also listed as "Out of Print" but we know it isn't.

[StevenJ0001]

OK, maybe no urgency to pick up Vampyr then, thanks.

[swo17]

BRD Trilogy is also listed as "Out of Print" but we know it isn't.

It isn't? Then where can you find it for a reasonable price?

[Drucker]

I should have added "permanently" out of print. It was confirmed from Criterion that BRD would eventually be back in print, and therefore, this isn't your last chance ever to get this DVD at a reasonable price. But hey, I love this film, and think it should be urgently seen by any film lover!

[swo17]

Well, until Criterion says otherwise, I would say that this is a time to be picking up Vampyr if you want to be sure you don't go without, especially if you want the big book that it comes with. I can't envision how they would repackage this without getting rid of the book.

[domino harvey]

The DVD is only $14.53 at DVDPlanet right now

[Mr Sausage]

Also a perfect time to watch it as the film club will be discussing it for the next two weeks. More participation is always welcome!

[Minkin]

There was some talk about Cohen, as part of the pirate Rohaeur collection, also claimed rights to Vampyr. That said, Nick (MoC) said those claims were absolutely BS and most likely had to do with a butchered version of the film that the Rohauer guy slapped together. Plus I think Criterion has already pulled the relevant titles OOP due to Cohen (Robeson + WC Fields 6 films). Not all of the Rohauer claims are accurate by any means, as witnessed by the Riefenstahl titles. So, at worst there'd be competing editions - a PD Banidt version (as has happened many times before - Nanook, Things to Come, etc) and the official licensed Criterion edition.

All that said, I'd imagine they are just dropping the large book for Vampyr, as they've come upon a trend of streamlining their booklet content lately (after giving us better hope of large book releases lately - Red River, Picnic..). Chris has reported that most all new releases just have a leaflet, rather than a hearty booklet (which I can't blame Criterion, as shipping costs have gone through the roof, and they always want more content for their website). Either way, it should be worth owning the version with the large book plus the eventual blu-ray. I've already picked up the DVD, expecting such an eventuality.

I'd guess that The Furies, Mr Arkadin, Two-Lane Blacktop (any others I've missed?) will likely have a similar fate at some point.

[tenia]

It is actually already the case with Two Lane Blacktop which has sadly lost the Script reproduction during its upgrade.

However, with indeed the resurgence of putting the movie with its original novel, maybe The Furies and Mr Arkadin would come with their respective books, since it's not a question of "analytical / scholar" content.
This being said, I'm afraid Picnic and Red River might remain exceptions amongst Criterion current editorial lines (which is sad).

[rrenault]

We can add Six Moral Tales to the discussion of releases with an actual book included.

So can we conclude that from here on out only 'special' releases like Y Tu Mama Tambien and Eraserhead will have nice booklets while La Dolce Vita and Macbeth only get pamphlets? Saying that, I'm curious to know how they determine which standalone releases are the more "special" ones meriting more slick packaging, and not just a Scanavo jewel case with a pamphlet. Like why Breathless, Persona and Amarcord but not Jules and Jum and/or La Dolce Vita and/or The 400 Blows and/or 8 1/2?

[StevenJ0001]

The DVD is only $14.53 at DVDPlanet right now

Great deal, thank you! I took swo17's advice and snapped it up.

[DeprongMori]

Thanks for the tip on "Vampyr" at DVDplanet. I've been meaning to replace copy with the missing book since forever. Saved me a bundle. Don't forget to use the Promo code SPOOKY for an extra 10%.

It's a bummer we're unlikely to get books ever again since dual format was dropped. I would note that the brief "dual format" period was the only time Criterion releases have come with books since BluRay was introduced. I may need to snag "The Furies" and "Picnic at Hanging Rock" before they go away as well. (Unfortunately "Picnic..." will be a double-dip over the more richly featured Second Sight BluRay.)

[Feego]

If all you want from Criterion's Picnic at Hanging Rock is the book, it's readily available to buy separately.

[roderigo]

BRD Trilogy is also listed as "Out of Print" but we know it isn't.

Hi Rodrigo,

Thanks for your email. Generally when a Criterion title, such as THE
BRD TRILOGY, has gone
out of print it is because we lost the rights, and despite our efforts
to renew, we were unable to. (It's definitely not for lack of
interest!) If we should ever recover the rights to any of our
out-of-print titles, we will happily re-release them. However, to the
best of my knowledge, there are no immediate plans to re-release this
box-set.

I hope this information is helpful and please let me know if you have
any more questions. Thank you for supporting the Criterion Collection!
Sincerely,

Jon Mulvaney