1155 Cure

[ryannichols7]

at least you guys are getting responses! I feel blacklisted from any such a thing

[FrauBlucher]

Maybe they ran out of generic responses

[Adam X]

Maybe Criterion’s friends with Adam Torel & saw their dig at him on the previous page.

[GabeOfThrones]

Just watched this on Criterion Channel and loved it... anyone know what versions of movies they stream? It looked like VHS, so I assume it's an old print. Makes me want the disc. Perhaps that's the strategy?

[cdnchris]

I think they usually show the old masters until the new disc is released. I seem to recall that with other titles. I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong.

What's there now looks like the same master used for the old HVE DVD and Masters of Cinema disc. They'd have to screw things up royally for the new restoration to look worse.

[dwk]

Yes, the new transfers tend to get added when they put up the special features and feature it as a Criterion Edition.

[FrauBlucher]

Beaver

[starmanof51]

Aaaaand again I'm annoyed by color timing.

[therewillbeblus]

I prefer the bleaker, muted look of the MoC, which fits the tone of the film better. Though it appears the new transfer is closer to the R1 DVD, so maybe it's more accurate

[Michael Kerpan]

Aaaaand again I'm annoyed by color timing.

The colors are different from the UK release, but very similar to the HVE DVD. How does one judge which is more correct? Neither looks objectively bad -- the first BD looks a bit too bluish, perhaps, and the Criterion's off-whites are not bluish at all. Skin tones don't look odd in either. I'm guessing, in this case, that Criterion has gotten things "righter".

[Finch]

The Japanese DVD which I'm assuming is faithful to the theatrical appearance has warmer colors so it'd seem it's the MoC disc that does not look correct.

[black&huge]

CC looks good to me

[feihong]

The colors on the Criterion look much more natural to me. The MOC looks blown out in places––and the skin tones have a narrower range, to my eyes. To me the colors on the Criterion look like they have a broader range to them?

Frustrated with the idea of buying this movie yet again, but....

[ryannichols7]

if this debate has already begun now, the one for Three Colors whenever that gets released will be huge (even though we already know it from the trailer!)

I'd say Cure on Criterion is correct though, the majority of home video releases look this way and it's director/cinematographer approved. if it were one or the other it'd be a tougher call, but I think this fits. the real way to call it would be if anyone has the new Japanese BD. I think it looks a lot more natural with a lot of improved detail.. really wish we'd gotten a 4K but what can you do

[FrauBlucher]

Put me in the camp for liking the way the CC looks.

[ChunkyLover]

Color grading aside, I’ll be glad that Criterion won’t have the frozen “grain” (scanner noise) that plagued the MoC disc.

[Finch]

I'm also fine with how they look on the Criterion and, most importantly, it matches the Japanese disc. Hoping caps-a-holic get the CC BD so we can ascertain whether Pixellogic encoded this properly.

[starmanof51]

The colors on the Criterion look much more natural to me.

No problem at all with folks preferring the Criterion look, but I don't know about it being on the grounds of naturalism. I feel like I'd like a white piece of paper or white photo backgrounds to look white, not cream colored. But its probably not a deal breaker.

[tenia]

We tend to prefer cold whites, which usually are incorrect, rather than more correct warmer whites. Since the older master always felt bordering on old video master to me regarding its grading, and since we're doing a comparison here, it's actually likely the whites on the new disc are closer to real whites than on the older master, which are either too cold or too pinkish.

Since it's not a case of having a blanket signature à la Ritrovata, this seems to me more balanced than the older master.

[knives]

Is this Kurosawa’s first film about a killer putting the inner and outer aspects against himself? I’ve seen a few films which fit that description by him and am curious if this is simply the variation to place him internationally or if it was sui generis for the rest?

Also this thread doesn’t seem to be on the master list

[FrauBlucher]

I watched this last night. I’m assuming this natural look was the way it looked on it’s initial theatrical release. I like it. It feels right to me. This definitely could’ve used more supplements. Some kind of analysis on how hypnosis was portrayed in the film would’ve been an excellent extra. I do enjoy those director to director interviews.

[dwk]

The Criterion Channel has a new video essay called (There is no) Cure from Alexandre O. Philippe .

I don't know if this was intended for the Blu-ray or not

[ryannichols7]

The Criterion Channel has a new video essay called (There is no) Cure from Alexandre O. Philippe .

I don't know if this was intended for the Blu-ray or not

well...this would've added a lot of value to the disc. an 18 minute essay? seriously? how did they not include that? I can't imagine Kurosawa vetoed it since releases of his other films have scholarly pieces (such as the MOC of this very film). what a disappointment, but at least it's available I guess. maybe they can add it to an eventual UHD upgrade to soften the blow of having to buy it again

David Kalat on Cure

somehow I missed this post, thank you! now I'm wishing Criterion or MOC had enlisted Kalat for a commentary..

[Roger Ryan]

The Criterion Channel has a new video essay called (There is no) Cure from Alexandre O. Philippe .

I don't know if this was intended for the Blu-ray or not

well...this would've added a lot of value to the disc. an 18 minute essay? seriously? how did they not include that? I can't imagine Kurosawa vetoed it since releases of his other films have scholarly pieces (such as the MOC of this very film). what a disappointment, but at least it's available I guess. maybe they can add it to an eventual UHD upgrade to soften the blow of having to buy it again...

I didn't think this Criterion Channel exclusive was very compelling. A surprising amount of the running time is devoted to other films in the Criterion Collection (did you know that films as diverse as Citizen Kane and The Red Shoes establish a tone that is maintained throughout? No? Then prepare to have your mind blown). There are a few good nuggets where the essay identified some clues to what's going on in Cure that put the scenes referenced into a new light for me (having just watched the film for the first time). For most of those 18 minutes, however, the viewer is just being told they've been hypnotized as if no further explanation is required.

[ryannichols7]

The Criterion Channel has a new video essay called (There is no) Cure from Alexandre O. Philippe .

I don't know if this was intended for the Blu-ray or not

well...this would've added a lot of value to the disc. an 18 minute essay? seriously? how did they not include that? I can't imagine Kurosawa vetoed it since releases of his other films have scholarly pieces (such as the MOC of this very film). what a disappointment, but at least it's available I guess. maybe they can add it to an eventual UHD upgrade to soften the blow of having to buy it again...

I didn't think this Criterion Channel exclusive was very compelling. A surprising amount of the running time is devoted to other films in the Criterion Collection (did you know that films as diverse as Citizen Kane and The Red Shoes establish a tone that is maintained throughout? No? Then prepare to have your mind blown). There are a few good nuggets where the essay identified some clues to what's going on in Cure that put the scenes referenced into a new light for me (having just watched the film for the first time). For most of those 18 minutes, however, the viewer is just being told they've been hypnotized as if no further explanation is required.

thank you for beating me to watching it, that's a shame. I have to say its a bit disappointing that aside from the Observations on Film Art series, so many of the Channel exclusive "scholarly" stuff comes off very Youtube-y and geared towards binge watchers and getting them to watch other movies. Bordwell and Thompson use comparisons a lot, but in far more informative and clever ways I think