Criterion and StudioCanal

[yoloswegmaster]

Someone asked KL Insider if they had any Bresson or Saura titles, or if they had gotten Forbidden Games, and they responded saying

No Bresson or Saura.

Forbidden Games is with another label.

[domino harvey]

If Cohen is one of the StudioCanal licensees as rumored, that sounds right up their alley

[yoloswegmaster]

For Bresson or for Forbidden Games?

[domino harvey]

The latter, but can’t say I’d blink at the former either

[yoloswegmaster]

Maybe for Forbidden Games (though I hope not since the DVD cover art looks really nice) but I do recall Janus posting a pic from 'Diary of a Country' on their twitter page. Maybe it's their way of telling us that they got the rights to it back?

[KJones77]

So with Fassbinder's Lola coming back via the BRD trilogy upgrade, that should be confirmation that Criterion has a new StudioCanal deal, right?

[yoloswegmaster]

I don't know why you needed even more confirmation even though KL Insider already confirmed a while ago that Criterion did indeed have a deal with them.

[FrauBlucher]

For whatever reason people were skeptical

[albucat]

Just wondering if I should sell my blu-ray of The Third Man soon....

[Drucker]

Depends. The 4k restoration has some dialogue imperfections that have been detailed elsewhere on the forum. If that doesn't bother you, the 4k resto is already available via a Studio Canal BD in the UK for like 10 pounds if you're region B capable.

[kcota17]

Its Region Free

[KJones77]

I don't know why you needed even more confirmation even though KL Insider already confirmed a while ago that Criterion did indeed have a deal with them.

Didn't they vaguely call them an "arthouse label"? It was obviously most likely Criterion, but this is just a 100% confirmation now.

[FrauBlucher]

Just wondering if I should sell my blu-ray of The Third Man soon....

I wouldn't yet. The KL Insider has said that Lionsgate will hold on to the films that they have released. Although I'm skeptical of that being fact, I guess there is an outside chance that that is the case.

[yoloswegmaster]

Didn't they vaguely call them an "arthouse label"? It was obviously most likely Criterion, but this is just a 100% confirmation now.

No, they straight up name-dropped Criterion.

[KJones77]

Didn't they vaguely call them an "arthouse label"? It was obviously most likely Criterion, but this is just a 100% confirmation now.

No, they straight up name-dropped Criterion.

Ah I see that one here at the top of the page. Must've missed it, so yeah, this was already confirmed.

My bad, then.

[DRW.mov]

So with Fassbinder's Lola coming back via the BRD trilogy upgrade, that should be confirmation that Criterion has a new StudioCanal deal, right?

Pretty sure the BRD titles are all held by the RWF Foundation, no? The reason the set went out of print initially was because Wellspring, who Criterion had initially licensed from, had lost them. None of them play on the Criterion Channel, nor on Filmstruck, with Studio Canal logos or branding. Lola is released by SC in the UK but that’s the only connection I can see. Does not mean they own it in the US as well.

[yoloswegmaster]

So with Fassbinder's Lola coming back via the BRD trilogy upgrade, that should be confirmation that Criterion has a new StudioCanal deal, right?

Pretty sure the BRD titles are all held by the RWF Foundation, no? The reason the set went out of print initially was because Wellspring, who Criterion had initially licensed from, had lost them. None of them play on the Criterion Channel, nor on Filmstruck, with Studio Canal logos or branding. Lola is released by SC in the UK but that’s the only connection I can see. Does not mean they own it in the US as well.

I also remember KL Insider saying that he didn't think that StudioCanal had the rights to the BRD Trilogy.

[Minkin]

So with Fassbinder's Lola coming back via the BRD trilogy upgrade, that should be confirmation that Criterion has a new StudioCanal deal, right?

Pretty sure the BRD titles are all held by the RWF Foundation, no? The reason the set went out of print initially was because Wellspring, who Criterion had initially licensed from, had lost them. None of them play on the Criterion Channel, nor on Filmstruck, with Studio Canal logos or branding. Lola is released by SC in the UK but that’s the only connection I can see. Does not mean they own it in the US as well.

This is correct! The BRD Trilogy doesn't have anything to do with Studio Canal in the US.

There's quite a few films where SC doesn't have US rights:
Mulholland Dr
All those other films I'm blanking on, but my point has already long been proven
The Graduate

Wellspring had a bunch of Fassbinder films (including BRD); Criterion picked up (I think all of) those rights, and the boxset went OOP for awhile in anticipation of this upgrade / because the logos on the back were out of date. But someone even emailed Criterion and were told that the BRD Trilogy would be coming back at some point.

Studio Canal return (what they managed to actually license that Kino didn't get) should be happening sometime soon, there's too much confirmation to not think it isn't happening.

[captveg]

KL Insider: "[Criterion] got some of their previously released titles and we got the rest."

So, this indicates that anything that Kino didn't get or that Lionsgate didn't retain themselves is eventually coming back to Criterion.

[FrauBlucher]

If you read KL Insiders response it sounds like a little brother complex. Haha

[yoloswegmaster]

What? How? To me it sounds like a normal response to someone else's stupid claim.

[FrauBlucher]

Really?! Sounds insecure to me. "Well, we had them first." Tongue sticking out.

I still don't buy that Criterion will not get back the Lionsgate/SC releases. It doesn't make sense to me. Most of them are already close to 10 year old releases with poor PQ quality, Criterion can do a much better job with them at this point, except for maybe La Grande Illusion which is the best of the bunch. Maybe they'll have to wait for the Lionsgate deal to end for those titles, or maybe CC can put out their own version a la the Universal deals.

[yoloswegmaster]

What source does the blu for 'La Grande Illusion' use?

[FrauBlucher]

I have the Lionsgate version. It doesn't say on the disc but this came from the Blu-ray.com review...

Studio Canal and the Toulouse Cinematheque (where the negative resides) sponsored a sparkling new 4K scan and restoration, done by Bologna, Italy based Ritrovara Lab. The new restored version was screened theatrically recently and now home video enthusiasts can see the fruit of the restorative labors on this gorgeous new Blu-ray.

And I did see it when it toured, which was advertised as a 4k restoration. Surprised it doesn't say on the Lionsgate release. Although there are supplements that discuss the restoration.

[yoloswegmaster]

Alright thanks. I was just asking since TIFF is playing the restored versions of La Grande Illusion and Pierrot Le Fou and I just thought that was something interesting.