criterionforum.org

Zabriskie Point is with Warner, so completely off limits for now, and there are currently no plans to branch out into foreign-language titles. In any case, doesn't Eureka have the UK rights to Il grido?

Obviously, never say never, but you'd be far better off lobbying them or Arrow.

As for people asking about English-language titles, I'm afraid I can't confirm or deny anything that hasn't been revealed from an official source. But I can confirm that the Indicator team explores the Twilight Time catalogue much less often than you'd think - there'll be occasional overlaps given the common rightsholder sources (and similar access to recent restorations), but each label has a distinctly different focus. For instance, a much higher proportion of the Indicator catalogue is devoted to British films, as Columbia's UK productions have been seriously under-explored on Blu-ray to date.

Noted, thanks indeed, Michael... Yes, I guess IL GRIDO must be still with Eureka/MoC... Re. ZP, while it is not in their current catalogue, the 2014 UK/Ireland release was by Hollywood Classics not Warner... According to their website,

Hollywood Classics International Ltd is one of the UK’s leading sales agencies, representing DVD and Blu-ray rights for the libraries of major studios

, hence my notion that a LE BR might be conceivable...

As far as I'm aware, as it's an MGM production, UK video rights are with Warner Home Video, who were the last people to put it out on DVD. As you say, it's not in Hollywood Classics' catalogue, and I suspect that'll be why. (Theatrical reissues are a separate issue.)

Technically, The Passenger should have been acquired by them too, but Jack Nicholson helpfully intervened.

Yes, it's definitely an MGM production & is indeed with Warner... (I know, as I have to deal with Warner Legal in Burbank to get certain permissions for my research, copying scripts etc.)... But there remains a still some mystery... This is the BBFC record for ZP, which seems to show earlier cuts were restored for the most recent rerelease...

MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI'S ZABRISKIE POINT
Video
109m 2s

Warner Home Video Ltd
25/08/2009

ZABRISKIE POINT
Video
106m 29s

MGM Home Video
13/11/1986

ZABRISKIE POINT
Film

Y
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
03/03/1970

ZABRISKIE POINT
Film
111m 1s

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
01/07/1970

ZABRISKIE POINT
Film
113m 40s

Hollywood Classics
22/09/2014

Also at the bottom of the Hollywood Classics homepage are the logos of Paramount, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal & Warner Bros... ZP has no major stars (apart from Rod Taylor), caused quite a deal of controversy & did relatively poor BO, but is also a kind of Holy Grail for Pink Floyd enthusiasts...

Helpfully, Hollywood Classics specifically lists which titles the labels they’re associated with are available for home video licensing and for which territories. A few Warner-owned titles appear to be available in the UK, for example The Cameraman, but not many and not Zabriskie Point.

For instance, a much higher proportion of the Indicator catalogue is
devoted to British films, as Columbia's UK productions have been seriously
under-explored on Blu-ray to date.

Richard Lester's Robin and Marian and Dick Clement's A Severed Head
would be welcome additions.

Calvin wrote:Helpfully, Hollywood Classics specifically lists which titles the labels they’re associated with are available for home video licensing and for which territories. A few Warner-owned titles appear to be available in the UK, for example The Cameraman, but not many and not Zabriskie Point.

It's simply not available right now, and no amount of advocacy, however impassioned, is going to make a difference. Sorry, but there it is.

Totally accepted. Persistence does sometimes pay off as with THE PASSENGER. In 2005 it was virtually unavailable in any form. Jack Nicholson held the only prints and maybe even the negative (it was rumoured) and I think it was a requirement that Antonioni had to be present for any screening to take place. It was thus pulled from the programme at the last minute for the 2005 BFI/NFT Antonioni retrospective when the director couldn't travel, but by 2006 things were better with the BFI distributing a successful theatrical rerelease and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment putting out the DVD in multiple territories. Hence leading to the happy state that is now.

With all the excitement over the upcoming Criterion Von Sternberg/Dietrich box set, I've realised that, being a Sony-owned title, Indicator could theoretically licence Von Sternberg's Crime and Punishment. I don't think it has ever had a home video release in the UK, and there's only the barebones Mill Creek release in the US.

If they can release The National Health, surely they can release Crime and Punishment. The only question, in both cases, is "why".

MichaelB wrote: But I can confirm that the Indicator team explores the Twilight Time catalogue much less often than you'd think - there'll be occasional overlaps given the common rightsholder sources (and similar access to recent restorations)

I hope two fo them are Picnic and the Blob.
About the first, I was undecided until it went OOP.
About the second, I hadn't seen it and didn't want to blind buy it.
But when I watched it I loved but it was too late since it was OOP too.

The "Coming later this year!" photo of William H. Macey included in the latest newsletter seems to be from David Mamet's Oleanna.

Which is an MGM title, fwiw.

2 other Mamet / Macy movies are with Sony, though : Homicide and Things Change.

I'm not sure if I'm breaking any rules here but, may I ask if there are any 80 sci-fi in the pipeline?

Ask away! But the answer is no.

(Truth be told, there’s not a lot that would realistically be available to Powerhouse - they asked for Starman but Sony decided to do it themselves.)

MichaelB wrote:Ask away! But the answer is no.

(Truth be told, there’s not a lot that would realistically be available to Powerhouse - they asked for Starman but Sony decided to do it themselves.)

I see.
I hope they could at least do Krull.

Are Krull and 80’s sci fi the “great classics” you were calling for?

Costa wrote:

MichaelB wrote:Ask away! But the answer is no.

(Truth be told, there’s not a lot that would realistically be available to Powerhouse - they asked for Starman but Sony decided to do it themselves.)

I see.
I hope they could at least do Krull.

That’s quite the punchline to your thread of reasoning.

nitin wrote:Are Krull and 80’s sci fi the “great classics” you were calling for?

of course not.
I am not sure how you connected the 2.

Spoiler

(anyway, I think that post was a mistake because it was misunderstood by many. I wasn't referrring to Indicator. I was referring to horror fans in general that they're so ardent, when MichaelB said there were complaints that Indicator doesn't release much horror, and I just meant that generally, in the whole Bluray world by ALL labels, there are many wonderful restorations of horror-B movies, but not great classics - meaning famours Error Flynn, Bette Davis, Fred Astaire movies and such stuff). I guess I shouldn't write this in an Indicator thread but quote MichaelB in another general thread about blurays. I hope I'm not misunderstood any further. The Krull and 80s sci-fi post was totally irrelevant to my previous posts!

Lost Highway wrote:
That’s quite the punchline to your thread of reasoning.

see above.

Anyway, my favourite genres of not-great-classics that I would like to see in Indicator more are:
80s sci fi (as i said), biblical epics, peplum italian films, 50s melodramas, historic/adventure, obscure animation and why not anime.

May I ask if anyone knows whether or not "California Split" is in the pipeline.

Probably not - Criterion is almost certainly working on a Region A release of the film, and since I think the rights are with Sony, it's likely that Criterion UK will put out the same release in Region B.

Costa wrote:Anyway, my favourite genres of not-great-classics that I would like to see in Indicator more are:
80s sci fi (as i said), biblical epics, peplum italian films, 50s melodramas, historic/adventure, obscure animation and why not anime.

I'm delighted to confirm that July sees the release of no fewer than four historic/adventure films, and a 50s melodrama - or at least a splendidly florid Technicolor melodrama made in the 1950s.

But I suspect you'd be better off lobbying the likes of Arrow (or even Eureka) for Eighties sci-fi and peplum films - and there are absolutely no plans to move into animation, obscure or otherwise.

MichaelB wrote:

Costa wrote:Anyway, my favourite genres of not-great-classics that I would like to see in Indicator more are:
80s sci fi (as i said), biblical epics, peplum italian films, 50s melodramas, historic/adventure, obscure animation and why not anime.

I'm delighted to confirm that July sees the release of no fewer than four historic/adventure films, and a 50s melodrama - or at least a splendidly florid Technicolor melodrama made in the 1950s.

Oh, Wow, thank you so much for the info!

...he's referring to the very films which have already been announced: the Hammer box and Footsteps in the Fog