Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[agnamaracs]

On the broader subject of Criterion releases that brought out charges of the collection's curatorial standards going out the window, before the Michael Bay titles there was a fuss about This Is Spinal Tap, and in the early DVD era you had a freakout over the Beastie Boys anthology.

Hell, in the laserdisc days I remember people groaning over Evita...

[mfunk9786]

What's the deal with all the Del Toro films?

You're asking that now? Nearly his entire catalog is out on Criterion. What's with all the Wes Anderson films?

[CSM126]

What's the deal with all the Del Toro films?

He’s a popular award-winning filmmaker with enough stroke to insist on his films getting the Criterion treatment. And Criterion enjoys having high-selling films on their roster.

[dwk]

What's the deal with all the Del Toro films?

He’s a popular award-winning filmmaker with enough stroke to insist on his films getting the Criterion treatment. And Criterion enjoys having high-selling films on their roster.

To this, I'd add, that they clearly like working with him and he likes working with them.

[captveg]

What's the deal with all the Del Toro films?

He's basically got the lifetime deal for all his films going forward being released by Criterion, similar to Wes Anderson.

[Maltic]

I guess I could've asked why more filmmakers don't make sure their films will get a CC spine number.

I probably would've done that, in their shoes. But then I collect blurays, like Del Toro.

[Zot!]

On the broader subject of Criterion releases that brought out charges of the collection's curatorial standards going out the window, before the Michael Bay titles there was a fuss about This Is Spinal Tap, and in the early DVD era you had a freakout over the Beastie Boys anthology.

Hell, in the laserdisc days I remember people groaning over Evita...

There are so many, but more recently Tiny Furniture raised quite a stink. Chasing Amy was another one that people had misgivings about. Both are still highly questionable in hindsight...but again, I think Criterion is allowed a few missteps along the way as long as they fulfill their greater mission, which I believe they still are.

[jt938]

A user on the other forum said that The Elephant Man is now 4k on Fandango At Home.

[Matt]

Same on Apple TV, and credited to The Criterion Collection.

[Matt]

I guess I could've asked why more filmmakers don't make sure their films will get a CC spine number.

Probably very few filmmakers have the clout or foresight to put a stipulation in their contracts or care enough about physical media to want a Criterion edition. I'm surprised, too, that more filmmakers don't do this, but it seems like Sean Baker might join the ranks of Anderson and del Toro going forward.

[Mr.DarjeelingLimited]

I guess I could've asked why more filmmakers don't make sure their films will get a CC spine number.

Probably very few filmmakers have the clout or foresight to put a stipulation in their contracts or care enough about physical media to want a Criterion edition. I'm surprised, too, that more filmmakers don't do this, but it seems like Sean Baker might join the ranks of Anderson and del Toro going forward.

Might be the case for Scorsese going forward too. I think he wants all of his work with them.

[beamish14]

I guess I could've asked why more filmmakers don't make sure their films will get a CC spine number.

Probably very few filmmakers have the clout or foresight to put a stipulation in their contracts or care enough about physical media to want a Criterion edition. I'm surprised, too, that more filmmakers don't do this, but it seems like Sean Baker might join the ranks of Anderson and del Toro going forward.

Might be the case for Scorsese going forward too. I think he wants all of his work with them.

I certainly hope he can pry two of his best works from Disney

[therewillbeblus]

I'd probably take an Irishman upgrade over most of what's left of his canon moving over

[Maltic]

The Imprint "films of faith" box, with all the Imprint extras, but in 4k...

[Zot!]

I guess I could've asked why more filmmakers don't make sure their films will get a CC spine number.

I probably would've done that, in their shoes. But then I collect blurays, like Del Toro.

I think it's hard to conceive of, for those of us afflicted with film collecting/watching, that film directors have very different concerns than we do. I've seen so many interviews where directors refuse to even watch their own movies, or do so accidentally. Similarly, in the course of a Q&A the director is reminded that their film is out of print/not on BD/4K and they're totally surprised..."We'll have to do something about that". Or conversely, the WKW situation where they can't help themselves from messing with a faithful release of their seminal works.

[dwk]

I'd probably take an Irishman upgrade over most of what's left of his canon moving over

Setting aside his documentaries and shorts, I think the only two Scorsese films not release on Blu-ray are
Who's That Knocking at My Door
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

And I think the only ones not on UHD are:
Who's That Knocking at My Door
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
New York, New York
The King of Comedy
The Color of Money
The Last Temptation of Christ
Cape Fear
The Age of Innocence (unless this is in one of those boxsets that Sony is so fond of releasing)
Kundun
Gangs of New York
The Aviator
Silence
The Irishman

[jordan-r]

Janus has Pialat's La maison des bois.

https://x.com/TheFilmStage/status/2027068914450964625

[jt938]

Age Of Innocence is indeed available in one of the Sony boxsets but I imagine Criterion will end up doing a 4k upgrade of it.

[dwk]

Around 1:01:47, Zach Cregger said that the plans for Barbarian from Criterion fell through two years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziNA_gROcfg&t=3768s

[Zot!]

Janus has Pialat's La maison des bois.

https://x.com/TheFilmStage/status/2027068914450964625

Seeing as this is something like a 7 hour miniseries, do I dare think it might make it past streaming?

[Lowry_Sam]

Janus has Pialat's La maison des bois.
Seeing as this is something like a 7 hour miniseries, do I dare think it might make it past streaming?

Now this is the type of tv series I would like to see Criterion Channel diving into! Hopefully they don't cram it all onto 1 disc like Christ Stopped At Eboli.

Do we have a thread specifically for international television (mini) series that make great candidates for inclusion in the collection? All I see are discussions of individual shows or of international disc releases.

Some of my (upgrade) wants would be:

Mistérios de Lisboa
Cinéastes de notre temps
Days Of Hope (Loach)
La meglio gioventù/The Best Of Youth
Bila jednom jedna zemlja/Underground (Kusturica)
Das Boot (4k)
Heimat I-III (complete)

[Stefan Andersson]

Janus has Pialat's La maison des bois.
Seeing as this is something like a 7 hour miniseries, do I dare think it might make it past streaming?

Now this is the type of tv series I would like to see Criterion Channel diving into! Hopefully they don't cram it all onto 1 disc like Christ Stopped At Eboli.

Do we have a thread specifically for international television (mini) series that make great candidates for inclusion in the collection? All I see are discussions of individual shows or of international disc releases.

Some of my (upgrade) wants would be:

Mistérios de Lisboa
Cinéastes de notre temps
Days Of Hope (Loach)
La meglio gioventù/The Best Of Youth
Bila jednom jedna zemlja/Underground (Kusturica)
Das Boot (4k)
Heimat I-III (complete)

+1 vote for
La maison des bois
Mistérios de Lisboa
Cinéastes de notre temps
Days Of Hope (Loach)
La meglio gioventù/The Best Of Youth
Bila jednom jedna zemlja/Underground (Kusturica)
Heimat I-III (complete)

Heimat I-III might profitably be combined with Heimat-Fragmente die Frauen (not in the Potemkine box), consisting of deleted scenes from Heimat I-III:
https://www.heimat123.de/hfrag/88-fragmente/
Update: Heimat-Fragmente also has "newly filmed material to create a narrative that mostly focuses on Lulu looking back on her family history."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heimat_(f ... Fragments)

Underground director´s cut (TV version, 5 hrs 16 mins) has been restored in 4K by TF1 Films and re-released in France by Malavida Films:
https://cinema-palace.be/en/events/sun- ... ll-version
https://www.malavidafilms.com/cinema/underground (see page bottom for downloadable pdf "dépliant" with info about the longer cut).

Also:
Noce i dnie, TV series
Bolwieser, TV series
Les uns et les autres, Lelouch

[beamish14]

I’m still surprised that the director’s cut of Kusturica’s Arizona Dream has yet to receive an HD release

[ballmouse]

Janus has Pialat's La maison des bois.
Seeing as this is something like a 7 hour miniseries, do I dare think it might make it past streaming?

Now this is the type of tv series I would like to see Criterion Channel diving into! Hopefully they don't cram it all onto 1 disc like Christ Stopped At Eboli.

Do we have a thread specifically for international television (mini) series that make great candidates for inclusion in the collection? All I see are discussions of individual shows or of international disc releases.

Some of my (upgrade) wants would be:

Mistérios de Lisboa
Cinéastes de notre temps
Days Of Hope (Loach)
La meglio gioventù/The Best Of Youth
Bila jednom jedna zemlja/Underground (Kusturica)
Das Boot (4k)
Heimat I-III (complete)

+1 vote for
La maison des bois
Mistérios de Lisboa
Cinéastes de notre temps
Days Of Hope (Loach)
La meglio gioventù/The Best Of Youth
Bila jednom jedna zemlja/Underground (Kusturica)
Heimat I-III (complete)

Heimat I-III might profitably be combined with Heimat Fragmente die Frauen (not in the Potemkine box), consisting of deleted scenes from Heimat I-III:
https://www.heimat123.de/hfrag/88-fragmente/

Underground director´s cut (TV version) has been restored in 4K by TF1 Films and re-released in France by Malavida Films:
https://cinema-palace.be/en/events/sun- ... ll-version
https://www.malavidafilms.com/cinema/underground (see page bottom for downloadable pdf "dépliant" with info about the longer cut).

Also:
Noce i dnie, TV series
Bolwieser, TV series
Les uns et les autres, Lelouch

Eight Deadly Shots has been a Janus title for some time now.

[captveg]

Like Anderson, Del Toro, and Scorsese, the Coens are also seemingly trying to get as many of their films in the collection as possible. Here's to them getting Raising Arizona out of the Disney vault.