Criterion and Warner Bros.

News on Criterion and Janus Films.
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Dr Amicus
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:20 am
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#801 Post by Dr Amicus » Mon Sep 21, 2020 12:16 pm

I've recommended it before, but The Crash Controversy by Martin Barker, Jane Arthurs and Ramaswami Harindranath is excellent covering both the controversy and some audience / viewer research.

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FrauBlucher
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#802 Post by FrauBlucher » Mon Sep 21, 2020 1:56 pm

Was there any indication that Criterion will release Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, or just guessing?

flyonthewall2983
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#803 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Tue Sep 22, 2020 3:09 am

My guess is that they will, and that The Wild Bunch will get a UHD release by WB when/if Mel Gibson's remake comes out.

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colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#804 Post by colinr0380 » Tue Sep 22, 2020 3:59 am

MichaelB wrote:
Mon Sep 21, 2020 8:46 am
(Ferman was notorious for pulling stunts like that.)
Didn't something similar occur with Natural Born Killers too with the video release not being rejected outright but rather stalled on by the BBFC for years after events like Dunblane occurred, so the film was not banned but effectively suppressed on video because it would have made easy fodder for the tabloid press and/or politicians to use in their articles. (Which is why Channel 5 ended up being able to premiere it on UK television before it had a home video release)

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MichaelB
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#805 Post by MichaelB » Tue Sep 22, 2020 5:13 am

Not quite - it was passed uncut by the BBFC, but it was Warner Bros themselves who took the decision to postpone the video release. The sale to Channel 5 had already happened by then, so they couldn't do anything about it, although they weren't expecting it to be the UK's small-screen premiere.

The Tarantino-related BBFC stalling involved Reservoir Dogs, much to the annoyance of its distributor. In fact, when James Ferman retired in 1998 (or, more accurately, was retired), one of his successor's first promises was that decisions would be swift regardless of any controversy - a promise that he kept.

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colinr0380
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#806 Post by colinr0380 » Tue Sep 22, 2020 12:03 pm

Thanks for clarifying the Natural Born Killers situation. I knew that there was some caution about the release that held up the distribution but had mixed up the parties who were doing the holding up!

beamish14
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 3:07 pm

Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#807 Post by beamish14 » Tue Sep 22, 2020 12:26 pm

colinr0380 wrote:
Tue Sep 22, 2020 3:59 am
MichaelB wrote:
Mon Sep 21, 2020 8:46 am
(Ferman was notorious for pulling stunts like that.)
Didn't something similar occur with Natural Born Killers too with the video release not being rejected outright but rather stalled on by the BBFC for years after events like Dunblane occurred, so the film was not banned but effectively suppressed on video because it would have made easy fodder for the tabloid press and/or politicians to use in their articles. (Which is why Channel 5 ended up being able to premiere it on UK television before it had a home video release)
Interestingly, at a 25th anniversary screening of Natural Born Killers at the American Cinematheque last year, Oliver Stone
railed against WB for not allowing the extended cut of it to be screened. I imagine it is to WB as Kundun or Blood In, Blood Out
are to Disney nowadays.

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FrauBlucher
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#808 Post by FrauBlucher » Tue Sep 22, 2020 12:38 pm

flyonthewall2983 wrote:
Tue Sep 22, 2020 3:09 am
My guess is that they will, and that The Wild Bunch will get a UHD release by WB when/if Mel Gibson's remake comes out.
It sounds like Passion of the Christ sequel may be coming before the The Wild Bunch remake. I always thought once a WB/Criterion deal was struck that The Wild Bunch was a no brainer to go to CC

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Blutarsky
Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2017 10:09 pm

Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#809 Post by Blutarsky » Tue Nov 17, 2020 9:01 pm

I finally snagged The Cameraman this B&N sale and I remember the days when TCM would release combo packs with screen icons. The Cameraman was in the Keaton set, now OOP. I am wondering, with the Garbo set now OOP, could we see Criterion releasing The Flesh and the Devil?

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What A Disgrace
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#810 Post by What A Disgrace » Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:35 pm

Personally, I'd love to see a great big Lon Chaney at MGM box. Unlike with Keaton, there's more than just two good movies and at least four which are widely beloved silent classics.

Orlac
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#811 Post by Orlac » Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:30 am

What A Disgrace wrote:
Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:35 pm
Personally, I'd love to see a great big Lon Chaney at MGM box. Unlike with Keaton, there's more than just two good movies and at least four which are widely beloved silent classics.
Yes please!

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captveg
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:28 pm

Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#812 Post by captveg » Tue Dec 15, 2020 2:00 pm

Defending Your Life is the latest licensed title. Like Crash the WAC DVD-R is still in print, so it seems that being OOP cannot be relied upon to guess future titles anymore.

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FrauBlucher
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#813 Post by FrauBlucher » Sat Dec 19, 2020 2:33 pm

This was in the Criterion thread from bluray.com
Ben Stoddart on Facebook:

Quote:
I can’t divulge the label or my source but Bringing Up Baby is getting a restoration and Blu-ray. Probably in 2021. 🙂

Calvin
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2011 11:12 am

Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#814 Post by Calvin » Sat Dec 19, 2020 8:43 pm

I discovered earlier that Warner own Louis Malle's A Very Private Affair with Brigitte Bardot and Marcello Mastroianni. It has been a while since Malle has had a new spine number, but I thought that this would be a shoo-in. Warner have never even put it out on DVD as far as I can make out.

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FrauBlucher
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#815 Post by FrauBlucher » Sat Jul 17, 2021 10:50 am

Last night I caught the second half of Body Heat on TCM's neonoir night. I've seen this a bunch of times and it always draws me in. This is one of my favorites from this genre. I'm really hoping Criterion releases this. The WB bluray is from 2008 so this could definitely use an updated release

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therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#816 Post by therewillbeblus » Sat Jul 17, 2021 5:25 pm

I'm with you Frau- I know plenty of people are cool on it, but this is another of the 80s William Hurt films that defined my childhood. On a purely visceral level this is one of those movies that makes you feel the physical heat- even though it was apparently shot during cold temperatures!

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captveg
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#817 Post by captveg » Wed Aug 11, 2021 12:51 pm

In addition to the long suspected Citizen Kane, good on Criterion for picking up Menace II Society from Warner as well, and for UHD no less.

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dwk
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#818 Post by dwk » Wed Aug 11, 2021 12:52 pm

Menace II Society has been crying out for a new transfer. The current Blu-ray looks awful.

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FrauBlucher
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#819 Post by FrauBlucher » Wed Aug 11, 2021 1:48 pm

Which is another laserdisc rescue

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FrauBlucher
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#820 Post by FrauBlucher » Wed Aug 11, 2021 8:01 pm

Just a thought, with CC releasing Kane in 4K, does that open the door for other classic WB titles? King Kong, Casablanca and Singin' In the Rain which were all Criterion laser discs getting UHD releases via CC. If the new WB mgmt is not committed to physical media in the longterm then what's to say they wouldn't license these out

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Blutarsky
Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2017 10:09 pm

Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#821 Post by Blutarsky » Wed Aug 11, 2021 8:56 pm

What I am more curious about is will we be getting the chicken sex scene in 4K UHD in the future? John Waters in a 4K UHD would be one of the most beautiful things to be gifted this year.

Noiradelic
Joined: Sun Jul 19, 2009 12:45 am

Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#822 Post by Noiradelic » Thu Aug 12, 2021 1:42 am

FrauBlucher wrote:
Wed Aug 11, 2021 8:01 pm
Just a thought, with CC releasing Kane in 4K, does that open the door for other classic WB titles? King Kong, Casablanca and Singin' In the Rain which were all Criterion laser discs getting UHD releases via CC. If the new WB mgmt is not committed to physical media in the longterm then what's to say they wouldn't license these out
I'm skeptical about Casablanca, but King Kong seems like a good bet.

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Big Ben
Joined: Mon Feb 08, 2016 12:54 pm
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#823 Post by Big Ben » Thu Aug 12, 2021 2:59 am

King Kong will be in the public domain with the next decade though right? It entering the public domain might resolve a lot of rights headaches.

flyonthewall2983
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Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#824 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Thu Aug 12, 2021 4:20 pm

One 4K/laserdisc title that wouldn’t surprise me is Se7en, especially if Criterion has its eyes on putting out Mank

shiftyeyes
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2010 9:51 pm

Re: Criterion and Warner Bros.

#825 Post by shiftyeyes » Thu Aug 12, 2021 7:35 pm

FrauBlucher wrote:
Wed Aug 11, 2021 8:01 pm
Just a thought, with CC releasing Kane in 4K, does that open the door for other classic WB titles? King Kong, Casablanca and Singin' In the Rain which were all Criterion laser discs getting UHD releases via CC. If the new WB mgmt is not committed to physical media in the longterm then what's to say they wouldn't license these out
I really hope so! WB's 4K disc output has been pretty abysmal for anythign before 1980. Other than the Kubrick titles, they've only put out The Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Superman: The Movie and the Peanuts holiday specials. They've even passed over big anniversary releases of some of their evergreen titles like Gone with the Wind and Ben-Hur. Licensing these to Criterion would be a great way of getting these classics out there. It really seems like 4K UHD is the new laserdisc when it comes to studios licensing out their titles.

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