Forthcoming Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol.3

[zedz]

A CC "Noiseuse" would be a letdown for me (at least as a first Rivette for the collection), as I'm not blu, and there are many releases of this particular film on dvd already.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't most of these releases include incomplete versions of the film though?

There's a fine Artificial Eye set with both versions of the film and, strictly speaking, both versions are 'incomplete' by design, as Rivette set himself the challenge of creating the second, shorter version of the film only using outtakes - so the two films have not a frame in common. I actually like Divertimento quite a bit (considering La Belle Noiseuse is one of my least favourite Rivettes), and this game-playing element is one of its major charms.

[Michael Kerpan]

At least for me -- the long version of Belle noiseuse _felt_ shorter than the short version. Better coninuity? Maybe. Otherwise, I'm not sure why.

(Better continuity definitely makes the long version of Joan the Maid seem shorter -- but in that case the short version was an unauthorized hack job).

FWIW -- If I was the one to pick, I'd pick Pont du Nord.

[Tommaso]

And I'd pick "Jeanne la Pucelle" (forgot to mention it above), I really want to get rid of that awful AE version. There's an avi of "Pont du Nord" floating around which is far superior to the mess that AE made of Pt.2 of "Jeanne". But whatever they put out: it would probably be a high point in the Collection, not only regarding this year...

[SpiderBaby]

I got this today in an e-mail about Godard's Weekend:

Jon Mulvaney forwarded me your email. I don't know about Criterion's schedule, but Janus Films is planning a re-release of WEEKEND at some point in 2011. We'll have updates at janusfilms.com as plans progress.

thanks!
Sarah Finklea
Janus Films

So at least we get a new poster out of this too.

[Jun-Dai]

Someone considers Death in Venice major Visconti? In that case wouldn't everything be major Visconti.

Well, there's major as in well-regarded, major as in influential, and major as in widely seen. I basically meant a combination of all three.

As weak evidence of the latter, Death in Venice comes in second here. As weak evidence of the former, Death in Venice comes third of Visconti's films in the theyshootpictures list. It also has one of the more flushed out articles on Wikipedia, for what that's worth.

I think La Terra Trema and Ossessione, while not nearly as widely seen as some of the others, have been hugely influential, and I would consider them major for that reason. Bellissima maybe to a lesser degree.

That said, all of this is kind of evidence in favor of Senso as being major too (and a release from Criterion will certainly help it further), even if not quite as much as Death in Venice. Comparatively minor would be L'innocente, The Damned, Conversation Piece, White Nights, The Stranger, and Vaghe stelle dell'Orsa.

[Oedipax]

Via the DVDBeaver listserv:

Last week while I was at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies in New Orleans I spoke with some Criterion reps and was delighted to learn that Criterion plans to release Lonesome (1928) with talking sequences and tinted sequences either late this year or some time next year. It is my favorite picture and I was so excited that I started doing some of the film’s dialogue. When I asked whether I could mention this online, I was assured that it would be perfectly OK.

[knives]

There is nothing on this planet that can properly convey my happiness over that post.

[Tommaso]

That's the best news I heard this year! HEAVENS!

[swo17]

*swoons, collapses*

[zedz]

(speechless*)

* apart from the talking sequences

[Tommaso]

Okay, we all seem to agree that, should it indeed come out this year, the voting for the Critforum Awards 2011 is entirely futile.

[knives]

The year of the silent movie.
That does beg the question on how many more silents would criterion need to release for them to have doubled it from what the amount was before this year.

[Peacock]

I wish Criterion would stop releasing so many silents

[HistoryProf]

The last few months, people have bitched because Criterion was releasing too many Blu-ray reissues and recent IFC films. This month, they announce 10(!) films that are all new to the collection (only one of which has been released in R1 at all), nothing from IFC, and the most recent film is 26 years old. There are American, British, French, German, Italian, and Japanese films (including a silent masterpiece). People bitch anyway. You can't win, Criterion.

It's true, The Makioka Sisters, Black Moon, and Insignificance are not among their respective directors' best or most important films. Kiss Me Deadly and People on Sunday, however, are balls-to-the-wall, flat-out, indisputable masterpieces. They both have very well-appointed discs too. Throw in the zany New Wave joie de vivre of Zazie, and box of (heretofore unknown to me) Italian post-war cinema, and you've got yourself one hell of a month. I really can't imagine what more people could want.

only person I really see bitching is aox....and isn't that to be expected w/ no blu upgrades? I think most of us agree that this is an absolutely phenomenal month in terms of diversity of titles, quantity, and quality. Can't everything every month...that's what makes it all so much fun

[zedz]

The year of the silent movie.
That does beg the question on how many more silents would criterion need to release for them to have doubled it from what the amount was before this year.

Their previous best years were '08 (3 x Ozu) and '10 (3 x Sternberg), and they've already doubled that this year, with at least two other titles as faint possibilities for the remainder of the year: Limite and Lonesome (plus perhaps a reissue of Joan, but that's not a new title).

[Tribe]

Lonesome (1928)...a German silent that has escaped my radar. I never heard of it. Apparently some of you are familiar with it...any insights into this film you might be able to share?

[domino harvey]

The board even voted it the fifth best film of the 1920s

[knives]

Well just sticking to features we've got six this year and about 15 in previous years. I guess we should be thankful that they put out nearly a decades worth(for them)of silents in about a year.

Edit: Tribe I'm pretty certain it's American.

[Jun-Dai]

Hmm, I've never heard of it either, but the excitement here is palpable. I love silence, so I will definitely have to catch this one.

[triodelover]

Jonathan Rosenbaum on Lonesome and its three versions.

[Tribe]

Jonathan Rosenbaum on Lonesome and its three versions.

Thanks for posting that, trio...heavy praise there and from this Forum. Looking forward to it.

[monk0nuggets]

I realize I'm going to look like the lazy noob who should just scan through all 39 pages of this thread, but instead will ask a silly question. So many of the Eclipse boxes sound stellar, but I'm wondering if there will be blu releases down the line. Has Criterion made any comment on such a venture? Like most, I'd prefer blu over dvds, but if there are no plans I may splurge on a couple.

[swo17]

Lonesome (1928)...a German silent that has escaped my radar.

It's actually an American film by a Hungarian director, set largely at Coney Island, and every bit the equal of similarly themed films Sunrise and The Crowd. There's some discussion on the forum here and here.

Man, today rules.

[myrnaloyisdope]

Very cool to see Lonesome finally coming out on DVD. It's a treasure and I'm excited to see how much more I'll dig it, in non-pixelated, non-jarringly scored, non-1983 Apple computer intertitled, and talking sequences in tact form. Who'da thunk that this one would get released ahead of all the MGM silents?

[Jeff]

So many of the Eclipse boxes sound stellar, but I'm wondering if there will be blu releases down the line. Has Criterion made any comment on such a venture? Like most, I'd prefer blu over dvds, but if there are no plans I may splurge on a couple.

Criterion have never commented on this, but since Eclipse was introduced as a budget line, I'm assuming that Blu-rays would be cost prohibitive. If the cost of producing Blu-ray discs ever becomes as low as DVDs and they become the dominant home media format, I could see them changing their stance. Even if they do, I can't imagine them going back to upgrade many of the earlier Eclipse sets. I would think it more likely that they would select some of the more popular individual titles for a main line upgrade.