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The Criterion Collection in 2017: All Fancy Movie GAF Releases Welcome!

O

omgkitty

Member
berzeli said:
I agree fully, didn't make the runtime of nearly four hours seem less daunting at the time. And come on, Ran is an hour shorter. ;)
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I've actually decided to work my way through all of his films after watching Throne of Blood on Saturday night. Started at the beginning Sunday so I've seen Sanshiro Saguta and The Most Beautiful over the last two days. I've seen a lot of his other big films - Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Yojimbo, High and Low etc - and figured now was a good time to go through them all, especially with all of them being on Hulu besides a handful of his final films.
 
B

berzeli

Banned
omgkitty said:
I've actually decided to work my way through all of his films after watching Throne of Blood on Saturday night. Started at the beginning Sunday so I've seen Sanshiro Saguta and The Most Beautiful over the last two days. I've seen a lot of his other big films - Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Yojimbo, High and Low etc - and figured now was a good time to go through them all, especially with all of them being on Hulu besides a handful of his final films.
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Oh, that's an admirable project. I never manage to complete mine whenever I set out to do the same. Well, I might be able to finish all four Mad Max films this weekend (if I get them by then), I do feel that's an area where my pop culture knowledge is lacking.
 
O

omgkitty

Member
berzeli said:
Oh, that's an admirable project. I never manage to complete mine whenever I set out to do the same. Well, I might be able to finish all four Mad Max films this weekend (if I get them by then), I do feel that's an area where my pop culture knowledge is lacking.
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I've been wanting to do Bergman forever, but hearing how a lot of his earliest films don't really hold up has put me off starting. Also pretty sure I'd probably get too depressed to keep going at some point. I love his films though and he's probably my favorite director after Kubrick.
 
U

Union Carbine

Member
Watched "Naked Lunch" on Sunday night. I hadn't seen it in some time but I enjoyed it as much as ever. I didn't check out any of the extras but the transfer is really nice looking.
 
B

berzeli

Banned
omgkitty said:
I've been wanting to do Bergman forever, but hearing how a lot of his earliest films don't really hold up has put me off starting. Also pretty sure I'd probably get too depressed to keep going at some point. I love his films though and he's probably my favorite director after Kubrick.
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You can start at Sommaren med Monika (Summer with Monika) and not miss anything of value. But then again if you'd ask me you could skip most of Bergman and I'd still say you wouldn't be missing out.
 
O

omgkitty

Member
berzeli said:
You can start at Sommaren med Monika (Summer with Monika) and not miss anything of value. But then again if you'd ask me you could skip most of Bergman and I'd still say you wouldn't be missing out.
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That's a shame. I actually enjoy Summer Interlude much more than Summer with Monika.
 
O

omgkitty

Member
berzeli said:
I'm not saying there aren't good films before Sommaren med Monika, just that they aren't what I'd call essential by any stretch of the imagination.
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Yeah I always have this weird disconnect between not wanting to waste my time but then also being afraid I'll miss something great. Like with Summer Interlude, I'm sure most people would say it's not necessary but then it ended up being one of my favorites and struck a chord with me whereas I almost actively disliked Summer with Monika and some people love that film.
 
B

berzeli

Banned
omgkitty said:
Yeah I always have this weird disconnect between not wanting to waste my time but then also being afraid I'll miss something great. Like with Summer Interlude, I'm sure most people would say it's not necessary but then it ended up being one of my favorites and struck a chord with me whereas I almost actively disliked Summer with Monika and some people love that film.
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Yeah, I feel you. The reason why I'd recommend starting with Monika isn't even to do with the merits of the film itself but rather as it played a fairly crucial part in forming the perception of "the Swedish sin" in the general cultural consciousness. And that it is followed by generally well received films, so that you don't experience a great fluctuation in quality.

Then again I'm not a scholar (or much of a fan) when it comes to Bergman, so it may be the easy way out. But every once in a while the easy way out is necessary so that one doesn't drown in one's backlog.
 
S

swoon

Member
omgkitty said:
Yeah I always have this weird disconnect between not wanting to waste my time but then also being afraid I'll miss something great. Like with Summer Interlude, I'm sure most people would say it's not necessary but then it ended up being one of my favorites and struck a chord with me whereas I almost actively disliked Summer with Monika and some people love that film.
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Yea, that's why it's really good just to watch them all - totally agree with you on Summer Interlude. I'd add Port of Call to that list as well.
 
O

overcast

Member
So when the time comes I hope one of you guys posts the days that Ran restoration plays. Really want to go out to LA and see it (if it shows there).
 
B

berzeli

Banned
overcast said:
So when the time comes I hope one of you guys posts the days that Ran restoration plays. Really want to go out to LA and see it (if it shows there).
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The only dates that have been confirmed so far is for New York, February 26 – March 3. you can check out the distributor's website for details. I have no idea how many theatres (or where they will be) Ran will play at unfortunately.
 
B

berzeli

Banned
Hey omgkitty, remember when you complained about a not even three hour long film?
Abel Gance’s ‘NAPOLEON’ to receive nationwide theatrical and home entertainment releases
The BFI today announces a new chapter in the epic history of one of the world’s greatest films: Abel Gance’s Napoleon (1927).

In the culmination of a 50-year project, Academy Award™-winning film historian Kevin Brownlow and the BFI National Archive have completed a new digitally restored version of Abel Gance’s cinematic triumph.

From Autumn 2016, for the first time ever, audiences across the UK will be able to experience this extraordinary cinematic masterpiece with Carl Davis’ magnificent score when the film goes on theatrical release in UK cinemas and is available on BFI DVD/Blu-ray and BFI Player.

This legendary 5 ½ hour film was first presented, partially restored, at the BFI London Film Festival in 1980. The latest digital restoration of Napoleon will have its premiere screening with a live performance by the Philharmonia Orchestra of Carl Davis’ score (the longest ever composed for a silent film) in early November 2016 at the Royal Festival Hall.

This project has been achieved thanks to major work undertaken by the experts of the BFI National Archive and Photoplay Productions working with Dragon DI post-production in Wales, and to the generosity of Carl Davis and Jean Boht, who have made possible the recording of the score by the Philharmonia. The original restoration of the 35mm film elements in 2000 was funded by the generous support of the Eric Anker-Petersen charity, with the support of many archives around the world but especially the Cinémathèque Française and the Centre Nationale de la Cinématographie in Paris.
...
This new version of Napoleon will allow audiences to see the film’s original tinting and toning, including colour combinations which could not be achieved in the existing 35mm print. Integration of sections sourced from a wide range of elements have also been improved by detailed digital image repair and alignment.

The film has been entirely re-graded and received extensive digital clean-up throughout, all of which offers significant improvements in overall picture quality. This is the most complete version of the film available, compiled by Academy Award™-winning film-maker, archivist and historian Kevin Brownlow who spent over 50 years tracking down surviving prints from archives around the world since he first saw a 9.5mm version as a schoolboy in 1954. Brownlow and his colleagues at Photoplay, initially the late David Gill, and then Patrick Stanbury, worked with the BFI National Archive on a series of restorations. The film version has been screened only 4 times in the UK since the year 2000 at memorable events with full orchestra performing the original score by composer Carl Davis.

Running at over 5½ hours on screen, the film demands a huge investment of resources, from projectionists, musicians, conductor and audiences; in a live performance with intervals the experience adds up to over 8 hours from start to finish. Napoleon offers one of the most richly rewarding and thrilling experiences in the history of cinema, a brilliant pairing of music and film, comparable to grand opera in its intensity, offering dazzling scenes of unparalleled brilliance, with full scale historical recreations of episodes from the personal and political life of Napoleon from the French Revolution to the heroic arrival of French troops in Italy marking the beginning of the First Italian campaign of 1796.
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(emphasis mine)
This is insanity and I'm so glad they have done this, really looking forward to it. Hopefully it will play theatrically somewhere near me.
 
S

swoon

Member
omgkitty said:
I'm pretty sure you've already seen more films than I will watch for the rest of my life :|
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well i mean, if you are going to watch 14 bergman films, what's 20?

berzeli said:
Hey omgkitty, remember when you complained about a not even three hour long film?
Abel Gance’s ‘NAPOLEON’ to receive nationwide theatrical and home entertainment releases

(emphasis mine)
This is insanity and I'm so glad they have done this, really looking forward to it. Hopefully it will play theatrically somewhere near me.
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this is really exciting.
 
S

Steamlord

Member
Sweet, grabbed it. A bit pricey, but it looks like it's worth it with all the supplements.

I hope Suspiria and Phenomena aren't too far behind.
 
R

Ridley327

Member
Steamlord said:
Sweet, grabbed it. A bit pricey, but it looks like it's worth it with all the supplements.

I hope Suspiria and Phenomena aren't too far behind.
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It sounds like Phenomena is going through some final rights clearance stuff, since it's going to feature three cuts of the film, including the Creepers version. That, too, will also be bundled with its soundtrack.

Suspiria is probably a bit further out, but that's only because they decided to do a full 4K restoration on it and the film has been the founder's dream project since he ever got started in the industry.
 
O

omgkitty

Member
Things are getting weird with Napoleon:

Asked restoration expert Robert A. Harris if BFI's plans affect the previously-announced NAPOLEON restoration he is undertaking with Francis Coppola and Cinematheque Francaise. His reply:

"The two are not connected. We donated the UK rights to the BFI and Photoplay (Kevin Brownlow and Patrick Stansbury) back in the early days of the project, in recognition of the work they had done over the years.

Zoetrope/Film Preserve [Coppola and Harris' companies] own all world rights with the exception of the UK and France, which was donated to the Cinematheque by Claude Lelouch.

A few years ago, the Cinematheque did an inventory of Napoleon elements, many unseen since 1971, and discovered portions of the original camera negative, as well as other missing elements.

While we applaud the BFI's latest efforts, we have been working with the Cinematheque toward the preparation of a more cohesive, and higher quality presentation, based upon Abel's Apollo version of the film.

We anticipate to be complete in 2017."
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B

berzeli

Banned
omgkitty said:
Things are getting weird with Napoleon:
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Of course they do. Sigh.

Ridley327 said:
That one is presumably the one that Criterion has a hand in, correct?

Whoever thought that something like a restoration would get so heated!
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Hasn't Coppola tried to release it before but no one wants it because it has his score and is 24 fps?


I knew that there was some tension but not that it would devolve into drama. This is more fun than jumping into forums and exclaim that Touch of Evil should be watched in 1.85:1 ratio and only 1.85:1. Which normally is the most fun one can have in terms of internet drama and older films.
 
B

berzeli

Banned
There's an interesting rumour brewing about Sony releasing Criterion titles in Europe... It's only a rumour for now, but hey, it's actually looking quite likely (Sony apparently buying the rights for a large catalogue of titles recently, BBFC classified the extras that Criterion made for Polanski's Macbeth with the distributor listed as Sony DADC UK Limited).

Oh, and BFI announced some other titles than Napoleon:
The Firm
Akenfield
I Am Belfast
81DbtEoK3rL._SL1500_.jpg
91YKTFmiyqL._SL1500_.jpg
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R

Ridley327

Member
berzeli said:
There's an interesting rumour brewing about Sony releasing Criterion titles in Europe... It's only a rumour for now, but hey, it's actually looking quite likely (Sony apparently buying the rights for a large catalogue of titles recently, BBFC classified the extras that Criterion made for Polanski's Macbeth with the distributor listed as Sony DADC UK Limited).
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IIRC, Sony handles their distribution in the US these days, as a part of their licensing deal. Not surprised to see the partnership extend further than that, though it is certainly a bit more crowded in Europe.
 
B

berzeli

Banned
Ridley327 said:
IIRC, Sony handles their distribution in the US these days, as a part of their licensing deal.
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Yup.
Not surprised to see the partnership extend further than that, though it is certainly a bit more crowded in Europe.
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I'm actually a bit surprised, Sony haven't been that active on the UK market (been slow at releasing their "prestige" gold/white cover blu-rays, etc.). And if this pans out than there's Arrow, BFI, Eureka/MoC, and Studiocanal (if they get their shit together, which they've hinted at). Crowded is an understatement.
 
W

wild wild rice

Member
I'm dying for somebody to release good versions of Apichatpong's films. The dvds we have in NA are miserable. Tropical Malady on blu ray would be instabuy.
 
M

mariachi507

Member
Ridley327 said:
Wow, that's crazy that the guy behind the Napoleon restoration has been at this for 50 years. If that isn't dedication, I don't know what is.

In other news, pre-orders for Synapse Films' version of Tenebrae went live yesterday. Appears to be a pretty comprehensive release, and it's got the full soundtrack CD to go along with it.
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I've been looking forward to this release but I just can't pull the trigger on it. I know Synapse do some insane quality work but it's hard for me to pull the plug on that price. Do you think it would be risky to wait it out and see if Synapse will later release a standalone blu just like they did with Demons?

I've never seen Tenebrae and decided to hold off until the new transfer was released, so I'm at odds with myself.
 
R

Ridley327

Member
mariachi507 said:
I've been looking forward to this release but I just can't pull the trigger on it. I know Synapse do some insane quality work but it's hard for me to pull the plug on that price. Do you think it would be risky to wait it out and see if Synapse will later release a standalone blu just like they did with Demons?

I've never seen Tenebrae and decided to hold off until the new transfer was released, so I'm at odds with myself.
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I know they're saying now that there's no plans for a standalone Blu, but that may change in the future. As of right now, though, this will be the only region A release of the film.

I would never recommend a blind-buy at $40, but if you're a fan of Argento, there's a whole lot to like about this one. One of his strongest efforts overall, I feel.
 
B

berzeli

Banned
wild wild rice said:
I'm dying for somebody to release good versions of Apichatpong's films. The dvds we have in NA are miserable. Tropical Malady on blu ray would be instabuy.
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Second Run are releasing Mysterious Object at Noon on blu-ray in April. And they just announced that Arrow Films will be handling their sales and distribution from 1st February 2016, so that is looking like your best bet.
 
B

big ander

Member
only reason I wouldn't want Tropical Malady or Syndromes and a Century blus is I'm worried I would never turn them off. I guess I could sell everything else, then. save some space.
 
R

Ridley327

Member
Woo, the Manhunter 30th anniversary Blu-ray is out on May 24, and Mann is fully involved with it. Surely, they couldn't do anything to mar this new relea-

6792_tn.jpg


...

Well, at least Scream Factory covers are reversible!
 
N

Net_Wrecker

Member
lmao


Also fully expecting Mann to adjust the color timing or the cut of the movie in some way and everyone to lose their minds over it. Can't wait.
 
B

big ander

Member
Just read that Second Run are also putting out a Vera Chytilova release!! her medium-length doc A Bagful of Fleas and her first feature Something Different which I remember reading about in the CNW eclipse set. Extremely excited for that
 
M

mariachi507

Member
Ridley327 said:
I know they're saying now that there's no plans for a standalone Blu, but that may change in the future. As of right now, though, this will be the only region A release of the film.

I would never recommend a blind-buy at $40, but if you're a fan of Argento, there's a whole lot to like about this one. One of his strongest efforts overall, I feel.
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Thanks for the reply, as much as it pains me I'm going to hold off on Tenebrae for now. The only real reason being that I just threw down a lot of cash down on some other blu's. The good news is that I'm finally going to join the cool club and have purchased my first Criterion's. My poor wallet.

That Manhunter cover is awful, wtf Scream Factory!?!?
 
B

berzeli

Banned
What is it with BFI and insanely ambitious projects lately?
Dissent & Disruption: The Complete Alan Clarke at the BBC - Limited Edition 13-Disc Blu-ray box set
Includes all surviving BBC TV productions directed by Alan Clarke, extensive extra features (as detailed above), a comprehensive book with new essays and full credits, and an exclusive bonus DVD containing the seven surviving Half Hour Story episodes directed by Clarke: Shelter (1967), The Gentleman Caller (1967, previously considered lost), George’s Room (1967, previously considered partially lost); Goodnight Albert (1968), Stella (1968), The Fifty Seventh Saturday (1968) and Thief (1968, previously considered lost).
Release date: 23 May

Also on 23 May, The Firm will be released in a stand-alone Blu-ray edition, presenting the newly-discovered Director’s Cut and the original broadcast version in High Definition for the very first time.
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13 blu-ray discs. 13. I'm so tempted by this despite not being an admirer of Alan Clarke.

And Eureka Entertainment has released their April lineup:
CaSr6ckUYAABYlO.jpg
CaSuUbcVAAA9B5e.jpg
CaSst8EUAAAq9Yy.jpg


As you might have noticed, I'm slightly excited about one of these in particular (though they're all great). I really hope that Three Days of the Condor gets the release it deserves.

edit: they also announced that they will release Journey to the Shore later this year
CaSu6nJUAAE2lOF.jpg
 
W

wild wild rice

Member
berzeli said:
Second Run are releasing Mysterious Object at Noon on blu-ray in April. And they just announced that Arrow Films will be handling their sales and distribution from 1st February 2016, so that is looking like your best bet.
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Hmm...thanks for the heads up, I'll keep an eye out.
 
F

Fancy Clown

Member
mariachi507 said:
The good news is that I'm finally going to join the cool club and have purchased my first Criterion's. My poor wallet.
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As you will quickly learn, it's best to purchase criterions on one of the fairly frequent 50% off sales, either on their website, barnes and noble, or Amazon. I don't think I've ever payed full price on a criterion.
 
B

berzeli

Banned
omgkitty said:
Wondering if I should double dip on Man With a Movie Camera...
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Rather depends on what edition you already own. It probably will be superior to both the BFI edition (which might be worth keeping due to extras/exclusive Nyman score) and the Flicker Alley. It looks like it's going to quite the package:

Presented in a definitive new restoration from EYE Film Institute in Amsterdam and Lobster Films, the film is also presented with other works by Vertov, both before and after his masterpiece - Kino-Eye (1924), Kino-Pravda #21 (1925), Enthusiasm: Symphony of the Donbass (1931) and Three Songs About Lenin (1934) - in this limited-edition 4-Disc Dual-Format edition.

Limited-edition 4-Disc Dual-Format SPECIAL FEATURES including:

New high-definition restored transfers of all five films | Uncompressed PCM audio on all films | Scores by The Alloy Orchestra for Man With A Movie Camera and Robert Israel for Kino-Eye | New audio commentary on Man With A Movie Camera by film scholar Adrian Martin | The Life and Times of Dziga Vertov, an exclusive, lengthy video interview with film scholar Ian Christie on Vertov’s career and the films in this set | 100-page limited edition book featuring the words of Dziga Vertov, archival imagery and more!
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O

omgkitty

Member
berzeli said:
Rather depends on what edition you already own. It probably will be superior to both the BFI edition (which might be worth keeping due to extras/exclusive Nyman score) and the Flicker Alley. It looks like it's going to quite the package:
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I've got the Flicker Alley version which is supposed to have a better transfer than the BFI, though I still haven't watched it yet.
 
B

berzeli

Banned
omgkitty said:
I've got the Flicker Alley version which is supposed to have a better transfer than the BFI, though I still haven't watched it yet.
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This will have the same restoration but way more extras, so I'd probably try and flip the Flicker alley and get this instead.
 
B

berzeli

Banned
Last but not least is a title which has been rescued from the BFI’s ‘Most Wanted’ list (the record of important British feature films that are considered lost) after the recent discovery of the original negative: José Ramón Larraz’s dark and disturbing Symptoms (1974). Britain’s official Palme d’Or entry at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival, the film was given the briefest of theatrical releases, but aside from a screening on British television in the early 80s it disappeared into obscurity. The BFI’s Flipside release presents the film in a stunning new restoration along with a wealth of essential extra features, including new interviews with its stars Angela Pleasence and Lorna Heilbron, and is being produced in collaboration with the great US label Mondo Macabro.
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BFI stahp. You're making people go broke.

And they also updated the packshot of Beat Girl:
7qm0BvY.jpg
 
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