Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[Drucker]

For what it's worth, Klute played in true HD last night on TCM. Anamorphic unlike previous broadcasts on the channel, and it looked better than it has on older broadcasts as well.

[RSTooley]

and yet they let those Hirokazu Kore-eda titles stay out to dry...

What Kore-eda titles? Like Father, Like Son perhaps?

[ryannichols7]

and yet they let those Hirokazu Kore-eda titles stay out to dry...

What Kore-eda titles? Like Father, Like Son perhaps?

Nobody Knows and Like Father Like Son are handled by IFC yet no releases, just boring DVDs. thankfully we have that great edition of Still Walking. granted, it may just be they haven't gotten Kore-eda in since he's constantly working on a new movie.

Magnolia sadly snatched up I Wish, and I'm not sure who has Air Doll, Maborosi, or After Life, the latter of which desperately needs a rediscovery in region 1.

easily a top 5 filmmaker working today

[ryannichols7]

Not so much a prediction (but you never know) but a wish The Emigrants & The New Land.

Glad i'm not the only one beating this drum!

Looking forward to that pair of releases as well, I'm hoping for each a two disc set: original and international (ala the leopard).

That said, having finished up all the supplements and the great essay for here is your life, I think we'll get troells second film next, before emigrants and new land, it's mentioned numerous times and I'm now dying to see it.


***

November has a lot on deck for an impressive month, bicycle thieves, spinal tap, apu, lloyd, coens and malick.

wait do we really think the Stonehendge hint in the New Year's Drawing is for Spinal Tap? that'd be pretty brilliant.

considering how good the editions for Everlasting Moments and Here is Your Life, I'm sure Criterion would go all out for Emigrants/New Land, which will definitely happen now that we have more Warner titles coming (Day for Night, McCabe, Blow Up presumably)

[movielocke]

Glad i'm not the only one beating this drum!

Looking forward to that pair of releases as well, I'm hoping for each a two disc set: original and international (ala the leopard).

That said, having finished up all the supplements and the great essay for here is your life, I think we'll get troells second film next, before emigrants and new land, it's mentioned numerous times and I'm now dying to see it.


***

November has a lot on deck for an impressive month, bicycle thieves, spinal tap, apu, lloyd, coens and malick.

wait do we really think the Stonehendge hint in the New Year's Drawing is for Spinal Tap? that'd be pretty brilliant.

considering how good the editions for Everlasting Moments and Here is Your Life, I'm sure Criterion would go all out for Emigrants/New Land, which will definitely happen now that we have more Warner titles coming (Day for Night, McCabe, Blow Up presumably)

And the graduate as well as other old laser disc criterions with Warners

[HistoryProf]

I guess I blocked out that Jellyfish Eyes discussion after the NY drawing. I also missed the photo from McCabe and Mrs. Miller - my favorite Altman! That would be spectacular. I've long bemoaned the horrid Warner dvd.

Does anyone know the fate of Matewan's US licensing? I simply don't understand how that remains OOP with the only edition being that awful P&S dreck Artisan threw out 15 years ago.

[Gregory]

I don't know the prospects for a Blu-ray of Matewan (probably part of the Lionsgate library that nothing much is likely to happen with), but anyone who wants to own it in the OAS should pass up the Artisan disc and get the Canadian DVD from Seville. The film calls out for a special edition from Criterion or a similar label, and there's plenty of interest in, and sources for, historical supplements. The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum opened its doors in Matewan two months ago, complete with a historical reenactment of the Battle of Matewan!

[DeprongMori]

Maborosi is handled (on DVD) by Milestone, who are still hoping someday to get a BluRay out. Keeping my fingers crossed that it is soon. It's a favorite film.

Those with Region B capabilities currently can get Like Father Like Son on BluRay for only 5 GBP on Amazon UK on their 2-for-10 deal. It unfortunately has burned in subtitles, but Arrow was contractually obligated to issue it that way. (Lots of other great deals on Arrow films to be found there.)

Hoping someone in Region A or B will someday release a good BluRay of After Life, and especially Distance.

[Buttery Jeb]

Does anyone know the fate of Matewan's US licensing? I simply don't understand how that remains OOP with the only edition being that awful P&S dreck Artisan threw out 15 years ago.

Last I heard MGM had laid claim to Matewan, at least in terms of distribution rights; but this was years ago, and I don't know anything about a release being planned.

[chatterjees]

Sorry for interrupting the ongoing discussion, but I have been thinking about posting this for long. I don't recall reading much about it. On April 21, Criterion posted the picture of Agnes Varda on their FB page captioning "Agnès talks to us about her L.A. years". Later, they announced Eclipse Series 43: Agnès Varda in California. Off course they just didn't do the interview to do nothing with it. We all know that Eclipse doesn't come with extra features. There has to be some mainstream release(s) coming soon.

[sir_luke]

Like some posters have mentioned previously, Criterion have occasionally conducted some interviews, etc. "for" Eclipse sets that end up being online exclusives (Robert Downey Sr. being one example, if I recall correctly)

[chatterjees]

Like some posters have mentioned previously, Criterion have occasionally conducted some interviews, etc. "for" Eclipse sets that end up being online exclusives (Robert Downey Sr. being one example, if I recall correctly)

Thanks, it makes sense now. I remember the Downey interview.

[movielocke]

Sorry for interrupting the ongoing discussion, but I have been thinking about posting this for long. I don't recall reading much about it. On April 21, Criterion posted the picture of Agnes Varda on their FB page captioning "Agnès talks to us about her L.A. years". Later, they announced Eclipse Series 43: Agnès Varda in California. Off course they just didn't do the interview to do nothing with it. We all know that Eclipse doesn't come with extra features. There has to be some mainstream release(s) coming soon.

So far this is the only year without a box set upgrade to bluray, I would expect 4 by varda in december.

In other news, I broke down and bought burden of dreams this sale, so if it gets upgraded concurrent to the release of a poem is a naked person, you can thank me

[FakeBonanza]

A new restoration of Hou's The Boys from Feng-Kuei will premiere as part of the Venice Film Festival's Venice Classics programme. The restoration was performed by The Film Foundation, in collaboration with Hou, as part of the World Cinema Project. This would seem a sure opportunity for Hou to finally enter the Collection (not to mention the film finally receiving a North American release).

· Fenggui lai de ren(The Boys from Feng-kuei)
by Hou Hsiao-hsien (Chinese Taipei, 1983, 99’, Color)
restoration (World Premiere): Cinémathèque Royal de Belgique in collaboration with Hou Hsiao-hsien and The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project

There are, of course, a number of other films of interest on the programme. Among these is Heaven Can Wait (also handled by The Film Foundation), and I suppose we can expect the long-expected blu-ray upgrade to appear some time in 2016.

[Drucker]

Sorry for interrupting the ongoing discussion, but I have been thinking about posting this for long. I don't recall reading much about it. On April 21, Criterion posted the picture of Agnes Varda on their FB page captioning "Agnès talks to us about her L.A. years". Later, they announced Eclipse Series 43: Agnès Varda in California. Off course they just didn't do the interview to do nothing with it. We all know that Eclipse doesn't come with extra features. There has to be some mainstream release(s) coming soon.

So far this is the only year without a box set upgrade to bluray, I would expect 4 by varda in december.

In other news, I broke down and bought burden of dreams this sale, so if it gets upgraded concurrent to the release of a poem is a naked person, you can thank me

Am I misreading you? The only box set that has ever been upgraded to bluray is the John Cassavetes box.

[movielocke]

The first was Monterey pop, then fanny and alexander and so on. Samurai trilogy has also been upgraded, and tati was basically a batch upgrade into a box set.

[FakeBonanza]

Rossellini's War Trilogy will surely be the next addition to that list.

[movielocke]

On the other hand, the varda box has the only two second editions not issued on bluray, so they're due.

[Minkin]

A new restoration of Hou's The Boys from Feng-Kuei will premiere as part of the Venice Film Festival's Venice Classics programme. The restoration was performed by The Film Foundation, in collaboration with Hou, as part of the World Cinema Project. This would seem a sure opportunity for Hou to finally enter the Collection (not to mention the film finally receiving a North American release).

· Fenggui lai de ren(The Boys from Feng-kuei)
by Hou Hsiao-hsien (Chinese Taipei, 1983, 99’, Color)
restoration (World Premiere): Cinémathèque Royal de Belgique in collaboration with Hou Hsiao-hsien and The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project

There are, of course, a number of other films of interest on the programme. Among these is Heaven Can Wait (also handled by The Film Foundation), and I suppose we can expect the long-expected blu-ray upgrade to appear some time in 2016.

Here are the films that we will likely to see upgraded / have potential to come from Criterion:

Red Beard
Alexander Nevsky
The Boys from Feng-kuei - WCF
Heaven Can Wait
A Matter of Life and Death - Sony
Pyaasa (The Thirsty One) - Guru Dutt (Criterion indicated they were going to do a Guru Dutt film recently, so here it is)

Amarcord + Salo getting new restorations (again), some Gaumonts that may or may not be likely at some point and some other Fox / Sony films, that who knows who will actually end up with them. At least the above list is essentially guaranteed at some point.

[swo17]

They'll put out Pattes blanches and To Sleep with Anger too if they know what's good for them.

Although it should be noted that Criterion titles get new restorations like this all the time without the home video releases necessarily getting upgraded.

[andyli]

All of these will be very welcome upgrades/releases for Criterion. With Nevsky and Ivan both freshly restored, it is high time to put out an Eisenstein blu-ray box (by Criterion or any other label, I don't actually care).

I notice A Matter of Life and Death is almost the only one that is not given restoration info, so I figure it is still the old photochemically restored copy that serves the basis for the Sony R1 DVD and French blu-ray releases. I'd rather wait for them to do a proper digital restoration a la Heaven Can Wait to bring out the full Technicolor glory.

[dad1153]

Rossellini's War Trilogy will surely be the next addition to that list.

I've been holding on re-purchasing the DVD Box Set (which was stolen from my cubicle at the office I used to work at) for a while now. God, I hope you're right. :)

[criterion10]

With Ken Russell's Valentino being announced by Kino, MisterLime claims that Women in Love is *definitely* with another studio, and he believes that The Music Lovers is with that same studio.

I'm assuming it's got to be Criterion, although he also claimed earlier that he believed Valentino was with Criterion and Kino obviously managed to get their hands on that one, so we'll see (at least regarding The Music Lovers).

[bradass]

A proviso that this is second-hand information, but a rep from the Taipei Film Archive at Il Cinema Ritrovato said that Criterion will eventually be handling A Touch of Zen.

[Dr_Strangelove]

Went to a screening of The Graduate, and people from MGM were there. I asked one of them, they said The Graduate will be a soon release from Criterion. Probably a November or December title, cause David Lynch's films are either September (Eraserhead) or October (Mulholland Dr). Last year they released Tootsie in November, my guess is The Graduate would be a December. Also, any of you wondering if we might get StudioCanal titles back. I mean, The Graduate and Mulholland Dr are both StudioCanal titles. Also, watched Peeping Tom on TCm a couple weeks back, and it had a janus logo, and a Criterion logo.