Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[Calvin]

I'm interested to see where The Wind will turn up - MoMA has recently done a 4K restoration that has had a few screenings. Hopefully it makes it to disc sooner rather than later.

[yoloswegmaster]

Someone at the Blu-ray forum said they saw Criterion mentioned on one the restoration notes on the new 4K Mysterious Skin.

The restoration notes state that it was done by Resillion with no mention of Criterion.

The restoration was made possible through a collaboration between Strand Releasing, Antidote Films, the Academy Film Archive, Frameline, the Sundance Institute, and the UCLA Film & TV Archive. Audio restoration was completed at Monkeyland Audio, the original sound studio.

However, they have been Criterion's go-to lab for restorations lately (along with Prasad Corp), so I wouldn't be surprised if they end up releasing it.

[ryannichols7]

I'm interested to see where The Wind will turn up - MoMA has recently done a 4K restoration that has had a few screenings. Hopefully it makes it to disc sooner rather than later.

would be happy with Eureka doing The Wind via MoMA the way they did for The Cat and the Canary. but I do have a feeling 2026 will finally be the year

[Lowry_Sam]

Matango opening with a crazy C, hopefully we're getting an Ishihiro Honda non-Godzilla box soon!

A number of the HK films not on disc so far (like Mr. Vampire 1-4) also open with a crazy C, while Hard Boiled & The Killer open with Shout's newest logo (so I take it they're the new 4k restorations, though the trailer I watched looked to be from the dvd). Curious what kind of negotiations took place between Criterion & Shout! over who gets what on the physical releases & streaming of the HK titles.

Also all of Kira Muratova's films that have been added to the channel open with crazy C's. Her first release somehow passed me by, maybe an Eclipse is coming for the rest?

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

The only Mr. Vampire film that Shout would've acquired with the Golden Princess library is Mr. Vampire 1992. The others were Golden Harvest titles and I'm sure Criterion licensed them directly from Fortune Star. Maybe Shout would license out Mr. Vampire 1992 for a potential Criterion box with the first four, but given the subject matter I suspect Criterion would be more than fine leaving it out.

[dwk]

The 1992 Mr. Vampire is one of the Golden Harvest titles owned by WB.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

I was going to mention Magic Cop, aka. Mr. Vampire V, but had no clue 88 Films released it already. I don't recall too much about it other than it was enjoyable enough, but I'll watch anything with Lam Ching Ying.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

The 1992 Mr. Vampire is one of the Golden Harvest titles owned by WB.

Noticed this after a trademark search and came to correct myself, but I should've guessed I wouldn't be fast enough. Golden Princess distributed it, but it was produced by Lo Wei's Grand March, most of whose titles were acquired by Golden Harvest (probably after Lo lost his shirt on Blade of Fury) and then by WB.

[Peter McM]

I've been thinking I wouldn't mind seeing a fresh 4K restoration of Antonioni's Red Desert, given the issues surrounding the bluray.

[Mr.DarjeelingLimited]

Inquired about them releasing Stranger and the Fog soon. I got a response saying there’s no disc coming in the foreseeable future. Deeply sad because it’s one of the best films I’ve ever seen and I think they might just stick it on the channel.

[FrauBlucher]

This is probably not a surprise at all but Ronald Epstein who runs the HTF has confirmed via Lee Kline that Criterion holds the license to Captain Blood.

[domino harvey]

I look forward to the bonus feature critiquing the film’s glamorization of pirates

[Peacock]

Fingers crossed we get a jam packed special edition for the 100th anniversary in 2035.

[FrauBlucher]

I look forward to the bonus feature critiquing the film’s glamorization of pirates

[FrauBlucher]

This is probably not a surprise at all but Ronald Epstein who runs the HTF has confirmed via Lee Kline that Criterion holds the license to Captain Blood.

I've been thinking about this. Criterion doesn't give out confirmations without it being near. So, this can happen sooner than later

[pistolwink]

I look forward to the bonus feature critiquing the film’s glamorization of pirates

Preceding the feature: a sternly-worded warning that concludes, "These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now."

[domino harvey]

Preceding the feature: a sternly-worded warning that concludes, "These stereotypes were wrong then and arrrrrrr wrong now."

Fixed

[jazzo]

Guadagnino in the closet. An Even Bigger Splash 4K announcement coming soon, methinks.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPo5sXyA ... B4M2l0NXdh

[yoloswegmaster]

I'm pretty sure he was only there since After the Hunt is screening at the New York Film Festival. The closet tends to see an uptick of famous visitors at this time of the year due to the festival.

In other news, Ned Brainard at the BR forum found this:

An interesting comment from Mike Gebert at Nitrateville:
"Hate to spoil the fun of archive-bashing here, but Dave Kehr [MoMA curator] mentioned to me a couple of days ago some projects that MoMA has delivered to a certain well-known label... but no idea when they'll come out. If they're stuck in a pipeline, it is not MoMA's."

We know who the label is but besides The Wind, what other restoration were MoMA involved in?

[beamish14]

I'm pretty sure he was only there since After the Hunt is screening at the New York Film Festival. The closet tends to see an uptick of famous visitors at this time of the year due to the festival.

In other news, Ned Brainard at the BR forum found this:

An interesting comment from Mike Gebert at Nitrateville:
"Hate to spoil the fun of archive-bashing here, but Dave Kehr [MoMA curator] mentioned to me a couple of days ago some projects that MoMA has delivered to a certain well-known label... but no idea when they'll come out. If they're stuck in a pipeline, it is not MoMA's."

We know who the label is but besides The Wind, what other restoration were MoMA involved in?

Wouldn’t be surprised if Girls Town (1996) is on the docket

[diamonds]

Non-exhaustive list of titles I believe MoMA was involved in restoring:

• Rosita (1923)
• Forbidden Paradise (1924)
• The Marriage Circle (1924)
• Lady Windermere's Fan (1925)
• Transatlantic (1931)
• Quick Millions (1931)
• Wild Girl (1932)
• Me and My Gal (1932)
• Sherlock Holmes (1932)
• Nothing Sacred (1937)

[soundchaser]

I could see them doing the Lubitsch films as an Eclipse set - although that may just be wishful thinking on my part.

[Peter McM]

Preceding the feature: a sternly-worded warning that concludes, "These stereotypes were wrong then and arrrrrrr wrong now."

Fixed

How about including an anti-movie piracy PSA, as well.

[Finch]

Me and My Gal would be great! Wasn't Nothing Sacred already restored before? I have Kino's second BD of that film.

[diamonds]

It was, but according to Kehr the MoMA restoration is more definitive:



More info here:

This new MoMA restoration is based on the original Technicolor separations in the Museum’s collection, and is the first to reflect the experimental color design of the film’s first 1937 release. Backing away from the harsh tones of early two-color Technicolor, cinematographer W. Howard Greene uses Technicolor’s new three-strip process to create softer, paler color washes, an intriguing effect that later reissues obscured by pumping up the hues to the standard Technicolor intensity.

More MoMA screenshots