Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[knives]

There’s different work involved between a regular upgrade and a whole new disc like Daisies.

[Ribs]

Yes, which is why my example was of Night of the Living Dead, which theoretically had no new work done besides reworking the master. But if you’re including Walker in your count I don’t see the benefit of ignoring the 4K upgrades.

[movielocke]

Don’t really see what the benefit is of tracking specifically the Blu-ray upgrades - there’s been 12 upgrades this year, 13 if you count Daisies. The amount of work to upgrade something like Night of the Living Dead will be the same as it should be for Walker.

Apples to oranges. Blu-ray upgrades are coming from the same pool of 475ish dvd only releases that’s been whittled down to 200ish remaining over fifteen years. It makes since to compare blugrades to blugrades, to me.

4k upgrades are coming from a pool of 1150ish releases and aren’t even a year of releases available yet, so nothing to really compare to, with any validity. Maybe compare the 4K upgrades of November 2021 to the announced 4k upgrades of November 2022?

[Ribs]

That seems based on a idea that there is a team of people at Criterion specifically doing DVD-to-Blu to upgrades that would be distinct from Blu-to-4K upgrades, when in actuality it is the same producers and teams that have to do the same work to upgrade catalog titles. The decision from one producer or one of the leadership that it’s time to do a title again would be taking into account the work to not need to produce new features or not the same as it does for conventional rereleased upgrades to BD. I don’t think there’s any distinction - and it should be welcomed that half of the upgrades are to 4K! It makes me excited we’ll get to revisit titles from the Blu-ray era once again. It would be nice to see a direct DVD-to-4K upgrade and though there are definitey some higher tier titles we’re still waiting on (Z has felt like we were going to have an upgrade any month now for something like seven years) I feel the choice not to do UHD for either of this month’s other titles still shows great reluctance from Criterion that Foreign language titles other than hyper-canonical ones might not be worth the extra costs at this point.

[ryannichols7]

I think I speak for literally every single person on this board when I say that I really hope Daisies isn't the last Eclipse -> Bluray rescue. obviously we got The Ascent and the Bergman titles, but those are also upgrades we should factor in. Equinox Flower and The Home and the World are way too good to just be on DVD editions, buried in a boxset.

so truly, let's hope the DVD to Bluray upgrades don't fully get sidelined in favor of 4K. Le Corbeau was a really nice surprise and I hope there's more like it. Blast of Silence absolutely being spot on for December

[therewillbeblus]

I think someone predicted Blast of Silence last December after recent confirmation of it being forthcoming. Maybe this year!

[Hogfather]

…but knowing that Netflix is just sitting on The Other Side of the Wind and refusing to put it out…

Sorry, I haven’t kept up to date on this, but why are they refusing to put it out?

I don't have a clue. I just know that, according to Joseph McBride, who is an actor in the film and was heavily involved with the editing of the final project during the Netflix deal, Everyone who made the film and Criterion want to put it out but Netflix just hasn't done it. Now, McBride said this during his appearance on the Writers on Film podcast (which is a very good podcast) that Netflix "is holding it up." Now, this was back in early March, so the situation may have changed, but that was the last I heard.

[MV88]

I think I speak for literally every single person on this board when I say that I really hope Daisies isn't the last Eclipse -> Bluray rescue. obviously we got The Ascent and the Bergman titles, but those are also upgrades we should factor in. Equinox Flower and The Home and the World are way too good to just be on DVD editions, buried in a boxset.

I’d go even further and say at least three of the five films in the Late Ozu box set deserve Blu-ray upgrades, and I wouldn’t be opposed to just upgrading the entire box set as a proper Criterion BD set with spine numbers.

[rrenault]

Regarding Criterion doing UHDs of non-English films, both films they’ve announced on the format have already had European UHD releases, so despite the questionable sources they probably know what they’d be getting into and figured it was still worth it. I don’t expect them to handle the global UHD debut of a “foreign” title unless it’s something like City or God or Seven Samurai. Even 8 1/2, Stalker, and Wild Strawberries would be a tad niche I think. Then again, La Chat Qui Fume released a Lino Brocka film on UHD in France, so who knows honestly?

[Glowingwabbit]

I think I speak for literally every single person on this board when I say that I really hope Daisies isn't the last Eclipse -> Bluray rescue. obviously we got The Ascent and the Bergman titles, but those are also upgrades we should factor in. Equinox Flower and The Home and the World are way too good to just be on DVD editions, buried in a boxset.

so truly, let's hope the DVD to Bluray upgrades don't fully get sidelined in favor of 4K. Le Corbeau was a really nice surprise and I hope there's more like it. Blast of Silence absolutely being spot on for December

I would have thought Akerman's Les Rendez-vous d'Anna would have been upgraded from the Eclipse line by now given it was restored and a blu-ray has been listed on the Janus page for years. Still hoping an Akerman boxset happens perhaps

[hearthesilence]

I would have thought Akerman's Les Rendez-vous d'Anna would have been upgraded from the Eclipse line by now given it was restored and a blu-ray has been listed on the Janus page for years. Still hoping an Akerman boxset happens perhaps

When she passed away, it was announced that all of her films were being restored, and a good deal of those restorations have screened since (including a few at MoMA soon after she died - I was there and it was especially sad because Dave Kehr introduced one screening saying she had been expected to appear herself). I'm surprised there hasn't been a box set by now.

[movielocke]

I think I speak for literally every single person on this board when I say that I really hope Daisies isn't the last Eclipse -> Bluray rescue. obviously we got The Ascent and the Bergman titles, but those are also upgrades we should factor in. Equinox Flower and The Home and the World are way too good to just be on DVD editions, buried in a boxset.

so truly, let's hope the DVD to Bluray upgrades don't fully get sidelined in favor of 4K. Le Corbeau was a really nice surprise and I hope there's more like it. Blast of Silence absolutely being spot on for December

Equinox flower seems like it should be a slam dunk, along with Les Miserables.

After that, I’d love God’s Country, Mr Thank You, I was Born But, sisters of the gion, one wonderful Sunday, the inheritance, & Walk Cheerfully

[Soothsayer]

On the random speculation of Chantal Akerman, I'd guess Golden Eighties will be her next work Criterion releases. They recently did a piece on Delphine Seyrig in that film.

[Calvin]

Janus has just tweeted a picture from the set of Pasolini's Medea

[ryannichols7]

Janus has just tweeted a picture from the set of Pasolini's Medea

there's no way they don't read this thread!

Janus hints actually have ended up meaning something. that Infernal Affairs one was particularly wild. after becoming a Pasolini convert (Mamma Roma and Gospel According to Matthew did the job) I'm all in on the idea of this set. if it was a December release I can't even imagine the "it missed the sale!!!" meltdowns but I'd be all for it. really hope it actually happens

[FrauBlucher]

A Pasolini box wouldn’t surprise me at all for December. And don’t fret, the February flash sale would be right around the corner from it’s release.

[swo17]

"Janus tweets a picture about one film -> Criterion is going to release a career retrospective box in December" is a big stretch

[senseabove]

there's no way they don't read this thread!

I will personally take responsibility for making this happen by speculating about the rights for Medea. You're welcome, everybody.



And I think it's slightly less of a stretch if you consider we just confirmed a page ago that they seem to have very recently picked up the rights to every Pasolini narrative feature save two, one of which they just tweeted about and the other unconfirmed outlier was previously held by the same company that held two others we know for certain they acquired—and its the last month of his centenary year.

[ryannichols7]

yeah I don't think it's a stretch at all, considering this was one of the movies where the rights situation was pretty ambiguous. they have the rights to basically everything else and have been touring it all too

I'm sure people thought Infernal Affairs was a stretch from the Tony Leung action figure or whatever it was but here we are, it leapfrogged Rohmer, Tanaka, and other boxsets confirmed to be in the pipeline

[therewillbeblus]

They don't have to be Pasolini completists, as we've clearly seen from their director box sets of late, and they released their biggest box set to date in December too

That said, I won't be predicting this in my quarantined predix, and I wish to publicly express my disappointment in realizing the Medea acquired wasn't von Trier's version

[domino harvey]

What box is that? Bergman didn’t come out in December

[therewillbeblus]

The Olympics box set

[domino harvey]

Ah, I think I blocked that one from my consciousness. Thanks!

[therewillbeblus]

I assume it's bigger from the price point, but I admittedly don't own it because I have no interest either. It was memorable for me for two reasons: an unexpected month to release a box, and easily Criterion's most disappointing announcement as I believe it was the only release that month

[swo17]

That November and December:

November
The Philadelphia Story
Desert Hearts
Le samouraï (BD upgrade)
Jabberwocky

December
100 Years of Olympic Films
The Complete Monterey Pop Festival (re-issue)
Election
General Idi Amin Dada (re-issue)