Criterion News and Discussion

[Gold Trumpet]

Wait wait......you may not have to give hand jobs after all! If anyone is interested, there is a newly started website called http://www.criteriondvd.com that has the best deals I've ever seen on the net for the purchase of Criterion DVDs.

Isn't dvdplanet cheaper? Go here.

Is that a new sale? I didn't think they were that cheap before...

DVD Planet has always sold Criteiron discs for 35% off.

The reason I omitted DVD Planet from special nodification is that I've had a terrible history with them. I can probably count over 30 DVDs I've ordered from them that never came and then was a hassle to get my money back. I kept going back because the price was so good for the Criterions that I thought the trend wouldn't continue for long. I was wrong. They seem to be of good depedence only when ordering one or two dvds, but still, thats not so great.

[Gold Trumpet]

I heard something about a Graduate Criterion...

I couldn't find it on search, and not on the site, but my friend is so adamant in thinking there will be one...anyone know anything on that?

Highly doubtful. One because it is MGM (very stingy with what films they license out) and two because there has not been any good rumor in the last two years that would say Criterion was planning such a release. Only way I could see this happening if Mike Nichols took personal interest in making it happen.

[meatball]

Imagine collecting the entire Criterion Collection.  

[Gold Trumpet]

Imagine collecting the entire Criterion Collection.  

and having Salo (one of their worst produced discs) costing over $2000 easy.

[MacGuffin]

I heard something about a Graduate Criterion...

I couldn't find it on search, and not on the site, but my friend is so adamant in thinking there will be one...anyone know anything on that?

Highly doubtful. One because it is MGM (very stingy with what films they license out) and two because there has not been any good rumor in the last two years that would say Criterion was planning such a release. Only way I could see this happening if Mike Nichols took personal interest in making it happen.

GT is correct. While Criterion did release The Graduate on Laserdisc (with commentary by professor Howard Suber, production photos, costume tests, pieces of the producer's original notebook, excerpts from unused screenplay drafts, screen tests, interviews and reviews and a comparison of the novel and film), MGM will most definitely keep the rights and release all DVD versions, as they did with Robocop.

[cine]

Speaking of MGM, it's film library is going to be bought out by Warner Bros soon. So what will that do for future MGM films or old MGM DVD releases? Will the big Woody Allen box sets be re-released? Will Midnight Cowboy finally come in a 2-disc box set? So many questions.. tell me everything.

[Gold Trumpet]

Speaking of MGM, it's film library is going to be bought out by Warner Bros soon. So what will that do for future MGM films or old MGM DVD releases? Will the big Woody Allen box sets be re-released? Will Midnight Cowboy finally come in a 2-disc box set? So many questions.. tell me everything.

For better special editions of the films you listed.....a distinct possibility. Warners has much better care of the special editions they release on DVD from old Hollywood classics to new. What is really bad about this deal is that there is no way for Criterion to get a hold of any of MGM's films anymore. The small hope was that even though DVDs are a total cash cow, the studios would realize they'd never be able to release their entire vault at a proximity they'd like so with each year they'd look at companies like Criterion as beneficial for them in releasing films that weren't easily marketable. Recent deals with Well Spring and New Line attest to this new fact. With Warners, its not just they are stingy like MGM was, but they flat out refuse to license any film to third companies. It just puts lesser known classics (like foreign films and such) on a back burner where it is doubtful they'll ever get the attention they deserve.

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

I'm sure this has been asked a million times before, but

1) Why didn't Criterion carry their Laserdiscs over to DVD?

2) Why do Criterions go out of print if they're such pivotal films in film history?

3) What is on Laserdisc but not on DVD for Criterions?

[Gold Trumpet]

I'm sure this has been asked a million times before, but

1) Why didn't Criterion carry their Laserdiscs over to DVD?

2) Why do Criterions go out of print if they're such pivotal films in film history?

3) What is on Laserdisc but not on DVD for Criterions?

1.) They don't hold rights to a lot of the films anymore. The only company they directly get films from is Janus (mainly foreign films) and so with DVDs, film studios see potential for money they had not seen in laser discs and usually just keep the films to themselves.

2.) Studios sometime license films out to Criterion, but on a 2 year contract only or something. The studio will feel that the film can benefit from a release from Criterion because of its acclaim in the world but yet that after two years or so, whoever hadn't bought the Criterion edition prolly never were going to so they release a cheap version to try to lure everyone else in. All about the money.

3.) Its hard to find a source of what laser discs they never released, but here's a link saying all the ones they did: http://www.criterionco.com/asp/laserdisc_browse.asp

[Fernando]

3.) Its hard to find a source of what laser discs they never released, but here's a link saying all the ones they did: http://www.criterionco.com/asp/laserdisc_browse.asp

Damn! They had several Kubrick films there, were those had special features?

Hey Mac, how many LDs do you have? You're always bragging about it, come on tell us, you must increase our envy level.

[MacGuffin]

Hey Mac, how many LDs do you have? You're always bragging about it, come on tell us, you must increase our envy level.

*coughaboutthreehundredcough*

[Chest Rockwell]

That's quite a large, disgusting cold you have.

[hedwig]

MacGuffin, where do you buy them?

[MacGuffin]

MacGuffin, where do you buy them?

LaserBlazer in West Los Angeles.
http://www.laserblazer.com/

[cine]

All New Edition of Fritz Lang's M Coming in December

Fritz Lang's suspense masterpiece M returns to the Collection in an all new 2-disc special edition this December. This release will feature a new transfer from fully restored film elements, as well as a host of new special features, including audio commentary by film scholars Eric Rentschler and Anton Kaes, a filmed interview with Fritz Lang conducted by director William Friedkin, Claude Chabrol's M-inspired short film M le Maudit, classroom tapes of M editor Paul Falkenberg discussing the film and its history, and much more.