Criterion News and Discussion

Gold Trumpet · February 13, 2009, 05:41:10 PM

Definitely excited for more Shohei Imamura. He is the first filmmaker to have won the Palme D'Or twice so I, for one, am happy Criterion continues to get more obscure with their releases. Doesn't make much financial sense to me, but I'm happy they can afford these luxuries. If this was a socialist country the United States would see Criterion's mission as important to the culture of art and make sure that they continue to exist in the business world.

Stefen · February 13, 2009, 05:45:35 PM

Yay Socialism.

SiliasRuby · February 13, 2009, 06:12:24 PM

The hottest girl I know is a socialist....

I don't know where I am going with this...

private witt · February 13, 2009, 06:30:14 PM

Quote from: Gold Trumpet on February 13, 2009, 05:41:10 PM
f this was a socialist country the United States would see Criterion's mission as important to the culture of art and make sure that they continue to exist in the business world.

There certainly would be a higher emphasis on public funding of the arts. But then, a society fully educated and enriched with culture tends to not care about such important matters like invading and occupying poor as shit nations and bombing the fuck out of them. Yay, democracy!

Gold Trumpet · February 22, 2009, 01:30:02 AM

It looks like Warners has finally opened their vault to Criterion. This is huge news because Warners has one of the most extensive film libraries and blanketedly refused to sublease any of their films to all third parties before. Times are changing and it seems Warners is discovering that there isn't a market for more obscure and older films. Other major studios know that releasing an obscure film needs some buzz and keeping the production in house isn't doing it. Thus Criterion is slowly getting more films.

Discussion of this on the Criterion forum has sprung up with semi confirmation that Richard Linklater's Suburbia was due for a Criterion release. What other titles could be coming because of this? Nicolas Roeg's Performance, Ken Russell's The Devils, Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow-Up

, and many others...

Also, here is a post that mentions FACTS (?) on other upcoming Warner/Criterion titles:

"The Facts on Warner/ CC releases (as I've been told by the filmmakers):

Linklater's Suburbia is in the process of the Criterion treatment. He also told me that when he met with them to discuss what he would like done for that they asked if he could contribute to their versions of Badlands and Zabriskie Point. Linklater is a good friend of fellow Austin resident Malick (there are collectible Malick posters littering his office).

I can also tell you that Linklater informed me that Steven Soderbergh has recorded a commentary track for Zabriskie Point. a friend interviewed Soderbergh for an article on Che and the filmmaker confirmed this with him.

As for the Before Sunrise/ Before Sunset is also on the way. I am not sure who is releasing it. I saw proofs by designer Marc English (Austin based graphic artist who did the DVD art for both Dazed and Confused and Slacker). Based on the proofs (though no criterion logo on the set), it would seem that they are also being released by Criterion. I asked if any of his other films would get the CC treatment and he said the after BS/BS and Suburbia, Newton Boys and Tape would be a possibility but that release is still a ways down the road."

http://www.criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9359&start=50

hedwig · February 22, 2009, 01:52:48 AM

whoa, this is big news. potentially huge.

glad i never bought Performance.

Gold Trumpet · February 22, 2009, 01:57:05 AM

Quote from: Hedwig on February 22, 2009, 01:52:48 AM
whoa, this is big news. potentially huge.

glad i never bought Performance.

All that news means is that Performance is on the radar. Other films have been in the same position and took years to be released. Hell, I'm still waiting for an announced box set of Eisenstein Silent films. If you really love the film and see a need to own it, pick it up, but if you can wait then do so because a really good edition could be coming.

SiliasRuby · February 22, 2009, 12:11:47 PM

I LOVE Performance and cant wait for hopefully the criterion version. This is great to hear. Thanks for the info GT.

last days of gerry the elephant · February 22, 2009, 02:30:22 PM

Hopefully it leads to more studios realizing the same. That's awesome about Before Sunrise/Sunset. Great news!

Chest Rockwell · February 25, 2009, 12:16:51 PM

That is exciting. I'd love to see Criterions of Before Sunrise/Sunset, and Performance.

bonanzataz · March 01, 2009, 01:47:41 PM

way to get my hopes up that thinking the devils was confirmed by putting it in BOLD!!!! WTF!!!!

SiliasRuby · March 01, 2009, 01:55:27 PM

I'm just as frusterated, and just to calm me down...Im going to watch some Bunuel.

edison · March 16, 2009, 05:45:52 PM

New, restored digital transfer
Bergman 101, a selected video filmography tracing Bergman's career, narrated by Cowie
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A written remembrance by filmmaker Marie Nyreröd

New, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
Introduction by Ingmar Bergman, recorded in 2003
Audio commentary by Bergman expert Peter Cowie
A new afterword to the commentary by Cowie
Bergman Island (2006), an 83-minute documentary on Bergman by Marie Nyreröd, featuring in-depth and revealing interviews with the director
Archival audio interview with Max von Sydow
A 1998 tribute to Bergman by filmmaker Woody Allen
Theatrical trailer
Bergman 101, a selected video filmography tracing Bergman's career, narrated by Cowie
Optional English-dubbed soundtrack
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Gary Giddins

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION:

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Alain Resnais (with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
New audio interview with Resnais
New documentary on the making of Last Year at Marienbad, featuring interviews with many of Resnais' collaborators
New video interview with film scholar Ginette Vincendeau on the history of the film and its many mysteries
Two short documentaries by Resnais: Toute la mémoire du monde (1956) and Le chant du styrène (1958)
Theatrical trailer
Optional original, unrestored French soundtrack
New and improved subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critic Mark Polizzotti and film scholar François Thomas, and Alain Robbe-Grillet's introduction to the published screenplay and comments on the film

My Dinner with Andre
New, restored high-definition digital transfer
New video interviews with actors André Gregory and Wallace Shawn by filmmaker and friend Noah Baumbach
"My Dinner with Louis," an episode from the BBC program Arena, in which Shawn interviews director Louis Malle
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Amy Taubin and the prefaces written for the printed screenplay by Gregory and Shawn

Stefen · March 16, 2009, 05:47:07 PM

I love that Seventh Seal cover. When I think of Criterion, I think of the cover for the first version which I don't like. This one is much better.

Gold Trumpet · March 16, 2009, 06:21:48 PM

Wow, what a month of releases. I knew Last Year at Marienbad was around the corner with recent talks, but I didn't know this soon. That's huge considering the film has been on the front of every list of titles Criterion need to release. My Dinner With Andre was also long overdue and is welcome. That cover for Seventh Seal makes me wish I liked the film more than I do, but it's not a very good film to me. The symbolism is obvious and the films lacks the tough drama of Bergman's better films.

Also, I wouldn't be shocked if the cover for Last Year at Marienbad changes.