I still don't understand why people wouldn't just pick up the Arrow and AE boxes. The chances of Criterion getting around to releasing even just half of these in timely fashion and with extensive new extras is slim-to-none.

They may have a preference to HD, the possibility of extras, and of course being region locked. Anyway even if we do count those sets I don't think the '60s shorts are available on any of them and they'll likely pop up here.

I've already got all of the Wellspring DVDs. I want as many Fassbinders as I can get in HD, and I don't care if they don't come with extras.

What would make me happy would be to get something akin to the Kurosawa AK 100 box set for Fassbinder but with BDs instead of DVDs. They could get it out in early 2014 and call it RWF 69 (which I'm sure he would have loved).

Well there's plenty of extras on the Arrow and AE releases and with the amount of different extras on the different Fassbinder releases throughout the world you'd have to buy some films two or three times over before you'd get them all. Many of the Aussie releases have exclsuive commentaries for example. The shorts (along with several documentaries and interviews) are in one of the Arrow boxes too so you can't have looked too hard before spreading misinformation!

HD is the only real potential boon I see from any Crit releases. I can't take being region-locked for DVD seriously in 2012. It doesn't have to cost a penny more to be region-free. You can't be that interested in world and arthouse cinema if you're not bothering to look at releases outside your respective region.

Region locking is entirely dependent on the whims of the licensor and the breadth of their control over the film and going free can, in fact cost more assuming its even an option. Just because you have the rights to distribute a film in one country does not mean you automatically have worldwide distribution rights.

I think you've misinterpreted my post as I was talking about people "being region-locked" and not discs. The horse has long since bolted in terms of actually trying to battle against region coding. Why bother fighting it when it's still so easy to get around?

I don't see why a Fassbinder Eclipse would be out of the question because people were sure some of the Kurosawa's that went Eclipse would get a full on Criterion SE (specifically Tiger's Tail). I don't remember who or why people were saying that but I read it a lot.

I'm not surprised about the one that you mentioned, but films like The Idiot or I Live in Fear certainly could have been stand alone releases.

So what's next to bitch about not being released Crash or The Apu films?

Did you forget Rivette?

Re region coding: I can't speak for elsewhere, but in the US the average viewer usually neither knows or cares about region coding, in part because s/he doesn't watch much beyond domestic / domestically produced films. Domestically-produced playback devices default to the US region and requires some work (a hack, etc) to watch media from elsewhere. So while there are obviously people who look for foreign films source, region coding does lock a good section of the US market out of easily choosing non-region one DVDs.

US-based folks have no regional impediment to picking up a Criterion DVD (and they are Criterion's primary market). Right or wrong, misperception or not, it's positive, not normative: you lose a significant percentage of those people once you move to, say, the AE version of the same film.

Did you forget the one-two punch fanboy complaints of The Following and Y tu Mama Tambien?

I was more referring to the people who inhabit forums like these. I fully agree with the fact that most people know nothing about region coding. Once you know about it, however, it's so easy to defeat (and it doesn't really have to cost anything extra over being able to play DVDs in the first place) that there's no point grumbling about it or not being region-free. Being region-free for Blu-ray can be a little more difficult for those outside the likes of the UK, US, Canada and Australia etc. but DVD is a different kettle of fish.

I raise you Cocktail Molotov and Cousin, Cousine! Plus, where's that Eisenstein: The Sound Years box?(!)

I see your selections and raise you the Qatsi trilogy, The Uninvited, and The Long Voyage Home! Plus, whatever happened to Pasolini's Trilogy of Life box set?!

Joining the Criterion pile-on! Rossellini's films with Ingrid Bergman, Andrei Rublev, La Notte

I can't believe we still haven't seen any Paul Thomas Anderson.

They simply have to be working on Punch Drunk Love, right? It was supposed to come out on Blu-ray from Sony years ago but then just...didn't.

I actually emailed them about those two back around 2000 or 2001. Their response: "Don't expect to see them anytime soon". Indeed!

More Ray....Satiyajit or Nicholas.

you can buy the BFIs (10 GBP euch) and you will be satisfied!

after announcing "The Game", I wont complain for the next 3 months no matter, what they are releasing!

As I said in the Sony thread, I hope Criterion gets their hands on it before Twilight Tme. And since Criterion seems to have good relations with Paramount, they should also get Hard Eight. With The Master coming out in October, maybe we can see those announcements already this month.

Just watched CAMERAMAN, the documentary on Jack Cardiff. A lot of the movies he lensed, and most of the ones he directed himself from that period between 1958 through 1973 are completely unavailable in any format. Anyone have any idea who owns these? I would love to see a set with SONS AND LOVERS, YOUNG CASSIDY,THE LIQUIDATORS and THE MERCENARIES. The man was truly a genius and in this day of digitally enhanced images, it would be great to have his work restored and re-appraised.

Sons and Lovers resides with 20th Century Fox, while Young Cassidy and The Liquidators are Warner Bros. titles, so a box set is highly unlikely. Also, The Mercenaries (AKA Dark of the Sun) was already released on MOD DVD by Warners in the Archive Collection.

Young Cassidy shows up all the time on TCM in a decent transfer. It might be a candidate for a Warner Archive release.