Criterion Blu-ray

[swo17]

Actually, I believe the official line on Week-End is "we'll release it eventually as long as no one ever mentions it again on Facebook."

[aox]

That reminds me to post my daily on the CC FB page:

"Day 237: Please do not release Week End on Blu Ray"

[rrenault]

How about a blu ray release of Rohmer's Six Moral Tales? Does that seem highly unlikely? I think My Night at Maud's could at least work as a standalone release. It's certainly popular enough.

[SpiderBaby]

Unless I'm imagining things, isn't Godard's Week End supposed to be on the way?

I posted on here that Janus told me they will be releasing it sometime this year, so AFTER it is likely Criterion will. Check back in 2012 (unless some quick end of 2011 release happens).

[rrenault]

Then in that case I suppose we should also be expecting a release of Truffaut's Soft Skin. Also, what's the deal with Rivette's Paris Belongs to Us? Is that getting the Criterion treatment sometime soon? I've heard rumors.

[SpiderBaby]

^ Don't I wish. I don't know when Criterion will release Rivette, but that should prob be the safest title to assume would come first.

Also for your Godard titles, Rialto should be releasing my fav Les Carabiniers and Le Petit Soldat soon, so we should see those get C releases as well.

[rrenault]

Well Rivette's The Duchess of Langeais is an IFC title, so perhaps they could start by releasing that.

[SpiderBaby]

We'll see. Hopefully something in 2011.

[Murdoch]

How about a blu ray release of Rohmer's Six Moral Tales? Does that seem highly unlikely? I think My Night at Maud's could at least work as a standalone release. It's certainly popular enough.

I think they'll likely do standalone blu release for the more popular films of their boxsets that didn't get broken up like the Cassavetes, something like Cleo from the Varda set and Woman in the Dunes from the Teshigahara. I'd love to be proven wrong though, as a blu release of the entire Rohmer box would make my head go woozy.

[rrenault]

Except that I'd hate to have to upgrade something that expensive, since the DVD set would probably have next to no resale value once a blu ray edition were to be released.

[swo17]

I think they'll likely do standalone blu release for the more popular films of their boxsets that didn't get broken up like the Cassavetes, something like Cleo from the Varda set and Woman in the Dunes from the Teshigahara. I'd love to be proven wrong though, as a blu release of the entire Rohmer box would make my head go woozy.

Let's not forget the lofty precedent set by the by Brakhage upgrade, in which not only were all the films in a set upgraded to HD, but the content was tripled. Therefore, Criterion is surely working on a 15-film Cassavetes Blu box.

[rrenault]

Well I can't really think of any Criterion release where they've done that, released a film as a standalone on blu-ray but only as part of a set on DVD. The three films in the Louis Malle set are available individually, and all the Cassavetes films are available individually. The closest example I can think of is The 400 Blows where both the DVD and BD is available individually, but the rest of the Doinel films can only be purchased if you buy the set. In any case, I'm surprised they didn't originally release one or two of the films in the Rohmer set is standalones, because I definitely think at least Maud would be a profitable enough release for them, unless perhaps someone who is creatively involved in the production of those films requested they only be released as a set.

[zedz]

I really have very little interest in The Mikado, but it amuses me that people on this forum automatically assume that their taste is the ideal microcosm of the world at large. Thus, every time Criterion releases a disc with a really obvious niche appeal outside the art film crowd (such as this, Antonio Gaudi or the Martha Graham set) there are these big assumptions that Criterion have lost their minds and are about to lose their shirts on those titles as well.

That is a very good point, sir. I'd figured along those lines for some titles, but it certainly hadn't occurred to me that there would be a large niche interest in The Mikado. But I suppose there are still a good number of Gilbert and Sullivan fans out there.

In my experience, G&S fans are like Scientologists. You can know somebody for years and never suspect, then some idle remark trips a switch and you can't shut it off.

[zedz]

Well Rivette's The Duchess of Langeais is an IFC title, so perhaps they could start by releasing that.

I don't recall the details, but I'm pretty sure this was officially ruled out as a possibility some time ago. The Criterion spokesperson probably said something like, "Oh, but we've already released a couple of Resnais films."

[aox]

You have to admit that Rivette and Resnais are very similar names.

[domino harvey]

Well Rivette's The Duchess of Langeais is an IFC title, so perhaps they could start by releasing that.

I don't recall the details, but I'm pretty sure this was officially ruled out as a possibility some time ago. The Criterion spokesperson probably said something like, "Oh, but we've already released a couple of Resnais films."

It and the IFC Chabrol were ruled out explicitly, but so was Antichrist, so who can say anymore

[colinr0380]

I really have very little interest in The Mikado, but it amuses me that people on this forum automatically assume that their taste is the ideal microcosm of the world at large. Thus, every time Criterion releases a disc with a really obvious niche appeal outside the art film crowd (such as this, Antonio Gaudi or the Martha Graham set) there are these big assumptions that Criterion have lost their minds and are about to lose their shirts on those titles as well.

That is a very good point, sir. I'd figured along those lines for some titles, but it certainly hadn't occurred to me that there would be a large niche interest in The Mikado. But I suppose there are still a good number of Gilbert and Sullivan fans out there.

In my experience, G&S fans are like Scientologists. You can know somebody for years and never suspect, then some idle remark trips a switch and you can't shut it off.

Is this the part where I point out that my local town holds a yearly International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival?

...and yes, I've just received my Blu Ray copies of Topsy-Turvy and The Mikado (thereby immediately increasing the Mikado's sales figures by a factor of 10)

[zedz]

In my experience, G&S fans are like Scientologists. You can know somebody for years and never suspect, then some idle remark trips a switch and you can't shut it off.

Is this the part where I point out that my local town holds a yearly International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival?

Et tu, Colin?

[colinr0380]

Just call me Captain Fitzbattleaxe (I also answer informally to the name of Mr Blushington (but never to Yum-Yum))!

I can take or leave Gilbert and Sullivan to be honest. But I can confirm that, like Scientologists, GilbertandSullivanists believe that the day will come when a ship will finally be built in order to whisk the faithful away to the delightful fantasy land of Titipu, where capital punishment, and risque character names, are forever celebrated in song.

That has to be the case, otherwise what else have my generous six figure 'donations' to the cause been used for? :-k

[Toshiro De Niro]

Frankly i'm getting weary of the scratchable media, dvd or blu-ray. Would rather see this in my Criterion case:

[agnamaracs]

Yeah, but that will create new problems.

"Oh, no! A stray dog ate my Stray Dog!"

[Cinephrenic]

They should just cease the production of DVD. Same price anyhow.

[zedz]

And then, six months later, they can cease production of everything! No more deadline pressures, then. Whee!

[ShellOilJunior]

They should just cease the production of DVD. Same price anyhow.

Works for me.

Actually, not being facetious here but I'd like to know what % of new releases sold are Blu-ray. From what I gather on this site and blu-ray.com it seems most people are buying the blu-ray version (where applicable of course).

As for upgrades, I'd be surprised if 2012 didn't bring another P&P title (or two).

[matrixschmatrix]

Actually, not being facetious here but I'd like to know what % of new releases sold are Blu-ray. From what I gather on this site and blu-ray.com it seems most people are buying the blu-ray version (where applicable of course).

I hate to tell you but I think you're getting a bit of a biased survey sample