Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[senseabove]

(Where's a decked-out Crimes of the Future release?)

Coming from Decal in the US in two weeks, though that disc apparently will not have the Dolby Vision layer that, of the several 4k releases worldwide so far, only the French 4k has. I would hope/assume Second Sight will do right by it and include it (though I've already picked up the French release, which is English-friendly save the title card being in French, so that will likely suffice for me).

[Finch]

For me at least, Criterion's April announcements are as reliably boring as they've always been that month. Plenty of other titles to catch up on though!

[brundlefly]

How many of the 4K releases have actually received mixed reviews? An overwhelming majority of the titles have received very positive or glowing recommendations, with only ItMFL being the sole UHD upgrade that I would actually consider as being useless.

Embarrassed that I forgot to apply the pandemic asterisk as I feel like I'm constantly reminding people of it, and didn't think how it may still be applying to restorations and supplements. (I think we're all gritting teeth through supplements recorded via Zoom, by now.) I could ask about all those titles on which they've been sitting for a while, that have been streaming on the channel, but will apply the asterisk to those for now.

As for the 4K releases, I'm not invested in them -- my only concern with format upgrades is that they're fixing things that were mistakes before -- but can't help catching complaints that they're not applying DV or HDR on this or that release; that the Munchausen release is at least a minor mess; that even their Citizen Kane, while a winning package, still looks worse than Warner's own release. But now double-checking Finch's list I see he's got 13 Criterions listed as reference discs. I'm sure I'll appreciate them more when I upgrade my system, but am growing more distressed that (like most times there's a general format upgrade) it's just leading to a narrower selection of titles.

[Finch]

The compression is a bit better on the Warner CK and it doesn't have the gimmicky/annoying packaging but it also doesn't have much of Criterion's other features. Speaking of UHDs with no HDR and/or Dolby Vision, the Criterion Seventh Seal doesn't list them either, and I believe the BFI's 4k had HDR? It looks like with any film where the director and/or the DoP have passed on, they are refraining from HDR10 (did they ever state publicly why ITMFL did not have any, since WKW is still alive and working?).

[cdnchris]

I believe the BFI's 4k had HDR?

Yes, it has Dolby Vision and it looks very good. I'm hoping Criterion just forgot to include a note around HDR.

[tenia]

It shouldn't be too surprising to anyone that more recent films are being added as there has obviously been a slow-down in restorations for older films thanks to a pandemic that has screwed the world for a better part of 2 years, so they will have to rely on newer titles. You can see Arrow doing the same thing as they have actually released more films from this decade than Criterion has.

Considering what has been restored say the past decade, I'm quite certain that pandemic aside, Criterion still have plenty of older movies to release.
For instance, we recently got in France a BD release of In the Heat of the Sun, whose restoration was performed... in 2013.
Criterion upgraded Le corbeau in 2022 : it's a restoration that is at least from 2017.
On the othen hand, they had a deal with IFC that made them release more often more recent movies and that was quite some years ago.

So while the pandemic has slowed things down, not only restorations were still performed, but Criterion most certainly have quite enough of a backlog to cover for it anyway.
For instance, they still haven't upgraded Boudu (and at this pace, the Pathé restoration won't be up to date anymore technically).

I'm also unsure about Arrow's reasoning to release more recent stuff than they used to : it looks to me like a trend that started before the pandemic, and looked to have more to do with Arrow starting to distribute theatrically recent movies than anything else (and then, you have stuff like The Wolf of Wall Street which is feeding UHD releases and most likely has to do with a studio deal and being a potential very good seller).

[Calvin]

Criterion is undoubtedly sitting on a huge backlog of films that have already been restored, if not even released elsewhere. Take the Oshima films just one example of many - Carlotta's box set came out in 2015 and we knew Criterion had the films prior to that. Though I suppose it's hard to know if they've just let the rights lapse.

[yoloswegmaster]

Considering what has been restored say the past decade, I'm quite certain that pandemic aside, Criterion still have plenty of older movies to release.
For instance, we recently got in France a BD release of In the Heat of the Sun, whose restoration was performed... in 2013.
Criterion upgraded Le corbeau in 2022 : it's a restoration that is at least from 2017.
On the othen hand, they had a deal with IFC that made them release more often more recent movies and that was quite some years ago.

So while the pandemic has slowed things down, not only restorations were still performed, but Criterion most certainly have quite enough of a backlog to cover for it anyway.
For instance, they still haven't upgraded Boudu (and at this pace, the Pathé restoration won't be up to date anymore technically).

I'm also unsure about Arrow's reasoning to release more recent stuff than they used to : it looks to me like a trend that started before the pandemic, and looked to have more to do with Arrow starting to distribute theatrically recent movies than anything else (and then, you have stuff like The Wolf of Wall Street which is feeding UHD releases and most likely has to do with a studio deal and being a potential very good seller).

They might have a backlog but at a time of economic uncertainty thanks to inflation causing a massive spike in costs associated with all facets of running a business, what's going to bring the company more of a profit and help them stay afloat (especially when they have just let go 20% of their staff) : UHD releases of very popular films or releases of Boudu or Oshima films (this isn't even a trick question). That's not to say that Criterion haven't been hitting their backlog since they have recently released stuff like the Haneke trilogy, Zetterling trilogy, Von Trier trilogy, Duras duology and the Last Hand of Chivalry, all titles that we know were with Criterion for a long time.

[tenia]

This is then a whole different matter, which is how to balance, in general, a lineup that can release both relative low sellers with much bigger ones.

This being written, I doubt Boudu is considered a small title within the collection, and the French BD release is going to be 10 years old this year so I tend to think Criterion had plenty of time to release this one instead of whatever other title, this time window being pandemic-driven only a minority of the time.

Hence : I don't think this is driven by labs having been slowed down during the pandemic peak.

(And there probably are plenty other and possibly bigger examples than Boudu, it was just the one I thought of)

[FrauBlucher]

It is interesting how CC chooses which titles to delay after securing rights. Although, they must have various reasons. But take for instance the Harold Lloyd films. Is his estate put off that his titles have come out at a snails pace? And I'm sure some have been pushed back to get out some of the post NYTimes article titles. And what about the reacquired Studio Canal titles, they've taken their sweet time with them as well. I'm afraid some of the titles we want to see get announced will never get a physical release upgrade, like Boudu as one example. I do think they slightly altered their model by grouping titles together to get them out that way. We've pretty much had that every month in recent times. I would expect to see a Ousmane Sembene collector set with the rest of his films, which they've been sitting on for quite a while.

I'm not sure Covid is as much a reason as physical media's continued downward trend. I do believe that the layoffs they announced was a significant indication. I hope I'm wrong on all my assumptions but for me this doesn't feel like the same company I first paid attention to at the beginning of the dvd era

[Guido]

I do believe that the layoffs they announced was a significant indication.

Yeah...I wonder if we'll see a greater pivot towards the Channel in the coming months and year. Seems to me like the layoffs were in part driven by a desire to make more significant investments on the streaming front. I'd be thrilled to have the Channel built on a better tech stack than whatever Vimeo garbage they've inherited from the Filmstruck days. Hell, even Mubi has pushed major improvements to their streaming platform in the last year and went 4K.

It would be great to see the Channel offering 4k + Dolby Vision/Atmos, but of course that'd probably come to the detriment of their physical release schedule.

[Hogfather]

I think that some of the stagnation in Criterion's release of older movies has to do with the way that the media landscape has changed in the last Decade. Netflix and Amazon (amongst others) only started making their big, auteurist pushes five years ago, and they only made their deal with Criterion to release films on physical media three years ago. Add to that Criterion's recent deal with Neon (founded in 2017), A24 (founded in 2012) and, most recently, the creation of of Sideshow (just last year), and it becomes clear that Criterion is trying to adapt to a new, more fecund distribution mechanism that has existed for a mere fraction of Criterion (and Janus's) history.

The third anniversary of the tweet that promised the 2020 releases of Atlantics and American Factory will be this coming Tuesday. These were slated to be the first Netflix releases, and they've been held up in favor of Beasts Of No Nation and The Power of the Dog, amongst others. I think that the latter film is the more significant of the two becau thse it was released after the deal was announced, signaling shifting priorities. Whether these priorities are Netflix's, Criterion's, or both, I do not know. I would guess Netflix's because, according to Joseph McBride, they're the ones holding out on a release of The Other Side Of the Wind, and their shift towards being a content producer since their deal with Criterion has probably influenced their decision-making process.

I think that, overall, Criterion is shifting towards more recent films and 4k upgrades because that's what the market looks best for right now, or at least that's what they think it's best for. Alexander Nevsky and Red Beard were both restored for the Venice Film Festival in 2015 (and in 4k, I think), but both remain old-fashioned DVDs without Blu-rays anywhere in the world. You could point to difficulty with Toho and Mosfilm blocking their release, but Criterion has worked with both companies since on other releases, such as Godzilla: The Showa Era and Mirror. Criterion has also released obscure films in the last few months, like Daisies, the Duras box set, and the Zetterling box set, so they're clearly not bringing a halt to these lesser-known releases. But it is obvious that they're slowing down, probably because they think they can take advantage of the changing conditions in the film world.

I also wonder how much they're holding out on certain releases. 2020 was "the year of Fellini," and they probably spent years working on that box set. Similarly, I wonder if the upcoming release of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is being delayed for the next couple years, when Peckinpah's 100th birthday will be recognized. On the other hand, they only promoted Satyajit Ray's centenary with a Criterion Channel selection. The only other clue I have is that the people who work at Criterion are scheduling their releases by what interests them. I remember an interview with Lee Kline where he said that he spent years searching for the negative of The Lady Eve before Peter Becker told him that they just had to restore the film using the materials they already had. I suspect that this, or something like it, probably happens pretty frequently.

[Penti Mento]

The compression is a bit better on the Warner CK

There was a Warner CK UHD?

[swo17]

In the UK

[Penti Mento]

So a UK CK UHD, roger that. My OCD, ADHD and FOMO may trigger an OBE.

[fdm]

whatever Vimeo garbage they've inherited from the Filmstruck days...

Criterion is using something different than what Filmstruck used, the latter actually provided dolby digital 5.1 audio. 4K will be a joke if/when and they still don't provide at least that.

[tenia]

I think that, overall, Criterion is shifting towards more recent films and 4k upgrades because that's what the market looks best for right now, or at least that's what they think it's best for. Alexander Nevsky and Red Beard were both restored for the Venice Film Festival in 2015 (and in 4k, I think), but both remain old-fashioned DVDs without Blu-rays anywhere in the world. You could point to difficulty with Toho and Mosfilm blocking their release, but Criterion has worked with both companies since on other releases, such as Godzilla: The Showa Era and Mirror.

I don't know about Red Beard but Alexander Nevsky was released on BD in France in 2019 based on a 2015 master, and it looks DNRed to death. No way this would make a good UHD (and possibly Criterion might be thinking it's not even good enough for a BD).
Ivan The Terrible was released at the same time based on a 2014 master, and it's pretty much as filtered.

[ryannichols7]

apologies everyone for the extremely late speculation roundup, intense work week. I don't think I was nearly as bad as Criterion making us wait through the long weekend for another four title month

Triangle of Sadness - confirmed by Neon just before. Criterion holds rights to director's early films

The Seventh Seal - random UHD upgrade; Criterion flagship title, and first UHD upgrade of a big tentpole B&W non-English film from the Janus library

The Fisher King - second Gilliam UHD Sony license in four months, teased by Criterion on Twitter just days before

Small Axe - a total shock Amazon license that many wished for and we actually got. Criterion haven't worked with McQueen since Hunger over a decade ago. lovely surprise!
----------------

DVD to Bluray/UHD upgrades this month: none (again)

Bluray to UHD upgrades:

0011 The Seventh Seal
0764 The Fisher King

-----------------

I try and keep my (strong) opinions out of these roundups but it is getting a little difficult to do so. anyway, Criterion and Neon were quick on their word with Triangle of Sadness, which introduces another first time Criterion entrant with Ostlund, after we had Joachim Trier in 2022. The Fisher King is the third UHD to be licensed from Sony, with 66% of those titles being Terry Gilliam directed. I'm genuinely shocked these two came before Fear and Loathing and Brazil, which are undeniably more popular titles, both held by Universal. The Seventh Seal comes two years after the BFI's UHD edition that may already have the leg up based on its inclusion of Dolby Vision alone, but will hopefully present a positive trend. many of us have mentioned how Criterion's UHD lineup has avoided big flagship foreign titles from the Janus catalog so far. 8 1/2, The Wages of Fear, The Rules of the Game, etc are hopefully examples of titles we could see follow this. and lastly, Small Axe was a nice surprise from the Amazon deal - this is the title almost everyone I saw across the internet was most excited for. The Handmaiden would be a nice choice if they were to dip into the Amazon well again.

-----------------

as for this month's speculation winners...

Reeniop41 and RSTooley both nailed guesses for Triangle of Sadness. Neon only confirmed it was coming, not when, so good on them for guessing "immediately"

may we see a deeper May lineup. it'll be my birthday month, come on Criterion! until then, I hope you all see your wishes come true next time!

[Drucker]

I try and keep my (strong) opinions out of these roundups but it is getting a little difficult to do so.

I like the opinions. Maybe an Axios-style: "Here's what it means" headline is in order. Keep it up!

[dwk]

Small Axe - a total shock Amazon license that many wished for and we actually got. Criterion haven't worked with McQueen since Hunger over a decade ago. lovely surprise!

Unless something has changed, word was that BBC retained the home video rights to this and Amazon only has the streaming rights.

[yoloswegmaster]

Unless something has changed, word was that BBC retained the home video rights to this and Amazon only has the streaming rights.

Chris has Amazon listed as the licensor on the site, so presumably that's who was listed as the licensor on the sell sheet.

[rrenault]

I do believe that the layoffs they announced was a significant indication.

Yeah...I wonder if we'll see a greater pivot towards the Channel in the coming months and year. Seems to me like the layoffs were in part driven by a desire to make more significant investments on the streaming front. I'd be thrilled to have the Channel built on a better tech stack than whatever Vimeo garbage they've inherited from the Filmstruck days. Hell, even Mubi has pushed major improvements to their streaming platform in the last year and went 4K.

It would be great to see the Channel offering 4k + Dolby Vision/Atmos, but of course that'd probably come to the detriment of their physical release schedule.

The 4K streaming quality on Mubi is pretty pants though, at least if the Kieslowski films in France are anything to go by: artifacts up the wazoo.

[dwk]

Chris has Amazon listed as the licensor on the site, so presumably that's who was listed as the licensor on the sell sheet.

Huh.

Well, as long as Criterion is picking up Amazon series, how about they rescue To Old to Die Young from the grave Amazon stuck it in.

[soundchaser]

I do believe that the layoffs they announced was a significant indication.

Yeah...I wonder if we'll see a greater pivot towards the Channel in the coming months and year. Seems to me like the layoffs were in part driven by a desire to make more significant investments on the streaming front. I'd be thrilled to have the Channel built on a better tech stack than whatever Vimeo garbage they've inherited from the Filmstruck days. Hell, even Mubi has pushed major improvements to their streaming platform in the last year and went 4K.

It would be great to see the Channel offering 4k + Dolby Vision/Atmos, but of course that'd probably come to the detriment of their physical release schedule.

The 4K streaming quality on Mubi is pretty pants though, at least if the Kieslowski films in France are anything to go by: artifacts up the wazoo.

The internet infrastructure just isn’t really there for good 4k streaming. Discs have a data transfer rate of over 100 Mbps, and I think most streams are less than a quarter of that.

[rrenault]

To make 4K streaming economically feasible on the Criterion Channel how about they add a VOD layer for 4K streams, albeit one only available to already paying monthly subscribers. Basically, on top of your monthly or annual fee for subscribing to the channel you have to pay an extra dollar or two per 4K stream and naturally, only select titles would have the 4K option. Access to the 4K stream after paying the buck or two would be open for 24 hours. I'd prefer this to them just raising the overall subscription price.