Eclipse Discussion and Random Speculation

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Cinephrenic · #326 Post by **Cinephrenic** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:54 pm

I wouldn't be surprised with most of the cult films were at one point under Criterion's radar, but when they decided to go a different direction with Eclipse they gave up on some titles (however unlikely, possibly even on Jodorowsky in exchange for different deals with Anchor Bay). Also a reason why Equinox and Jigoku are released under the Criterion label. Just speculation...

Tribe · #327 Post by **Tribe** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:19 pm

Cinephrenic wrote:I wouldn't be surprised with most of the cult films were at one point under Criterion's radar, but when they decided to go a different direction with Eclipse they gave up on some titles (however unlikely, possibly even on Jodorowsky in exchange for different deals with Anchor Bay). Also a reason why Equinox and Jigoku are released under the Criterion label. Just speculation...

It's possible...but I would bet that if anything they backed out of the Jodorowsky deal due to Klein's genetically ingrained greed (assuming they ever had an "in" in the first place).

Tribe

Forrest Taft · #328 Post by **Forrest Taft** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 12:34 am

How about a Robert Altman set focusing on his made for TV play adaptations, such as his Pinter adaptations, RATTLESNAKE IN A COOLER, PRECIOUS BLOOD, THE LAUNDROMAT, MCTEAGUE, and THE CAINE MUTINY COURT-MARTIAL. I asked Mulvaney if it might be a possibility, but he hasn't replied.

justeleblanc · #329 Post by **justeleblanc** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:26 am

RobertAltman wrote:How about a Robert Altman set focusing on his made for TV play adaptations, such as his Pinter adaptations, RATTLESNAKE IN A COOLER, PRECIOUS BLOOD, THE LAUNDROMAT, MCTEAGUE, and THE CAINE MUTINY COURT-MARTIAL. I asked Mulvaney if it might be a possibility, but he hasn't replied.

Don't forget his A WEDDING opera.

HerrSchreck · #330 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Wed Mar 21, 2007 5:33 am

A carryover from the EARLY BERGMAN thread:

I hope those caps put to bed the erroneous assumption that "if a film is restored it can't be in Eclipse" i e only cruddy looking prints & transfers can make it in. Remember that they are not a film laboratory and do not do film restoration work in the commonly accepted sense (though Janus will fund 3d party restos here & there): they do digital restoration of magnetic images of film frames & audio, post-transfer.

Despite the lack of MTI'ing the Eclipse line, there are tons of pre-restored films just aching for NTSC distribution.

This first release should put a lot of minds at ease viz image quality of Eclipse. Of course there will be variegation (just as in the CC line as well-- see LATE SPRING, etc)... but there are tons of films out there already restored and in no need of the CC MTI treatment. VERONIQUE or PICKPOCKET (and many others) could have easily gone into the Eclipse line with no loss of image quality.

Derek Estes · #331 Post by **Derek Estes** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 4:37 am

I would Love to see an Eclipse release of Silent Ford. None of which are available in decent releases. Nearly all of these films would qualify as eclipsed films.

Straight Shooting,
Bucking Broadway,
Hell Bent,
By Indian Post,
Just Pals,
Cameo Kirby,
The Iron Horse,
Kentucky Pride,
Lightnin',
3 Bad Men,
The Blue Eagle,
The Shamrock Handicap,
Four Sons,
Hangman's House,
Riley the Cop,
The Secret Man,
The Scarlet Drop,
A Gun Fightin' Gentleman,
The Last Outlaw,
The Village Blacksmith,
North of Hudson Bay,
Mother Machree.

Even without extensive restoration, which I'm sure they could all use, just making these films available would be welcome. I know most of these films were made at Fox, and they still hold the rights to them, but I can't imagine Fox releasing most, if any of these films themselves.

#332 Post by **zedz** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 4:51 am

I'd love to see more silent Ford. Bucking Broadway is available in a nice transfer, though, with the French publication Cinema.

jbeall · #333 Post by **jbeall** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 5:04 am

My present infatuation with Second Run has me wanting more R1 Czech New Wave. A box with Menzel's My Sweet Little Village and a selection of other filmmakers (Chytilova, Vlacil, Nemec, Jires) would be welcome. The quality of the source material makes this a good choice for an Eclipse set, rather than Criterion.

A Rossellini box with Louis XIV... would also rock.

And how about a Jacques Feyder box?

Apu · #334 Post by **Apu** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 8:29 am

jbeall wrote:A Rossellini box with Louis XIV... would also rock.

Absolutely! A box with some of his work for TV would be great. Or some of his lesser known earlier films.

Tommaso · #335 Post by **Tommaso** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:59 am

I would be happy if they even released a box of his WELL-KNOWN films in an acceptable version. Absolutely every dvd currently around of "Paisa" or "Stromboli" is pure crap.

stroszeck · #336 Post by **stroszeck** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 4:48 pm

Any chance of a Sjostrom silents boxset????

HerrSchreck · #337 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Wed Apr 04, 2007 6:25 am

Better chance seeing that from Kino-- adjunct to the Stillers via their new relationship w SFI. But of course look for the key "Seastrom" material (i e WIND, HE WHO GETS SLAPPED, SCARLET LETTER) from WB late 2007/early 08.

patrick · #338 Post by **patrick** » Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:53 am

true, but if you are not (or planning on going) deaf, than not having subtitles in a language you are fluent in from being a sole reason for not buying the disc (on a DVD that is put out for a foreign market, making an argument about ethics, or whatnot, somewhat useless).

If you are deaf... or do not have a multi-region DVD player, than waiting seems to be the only viable option...

I've been half deaf from birth and it's really frustrating to buy nicely put-together DVDs that don't have subtitles. It's not so much of a problem when I can turn up my speakers to a good volume, but when I can't sleep and want to watch a movie I always end up pulling the same discs out.

Personally, I'm just hoping for a box that's a good home for Goke, perhaps a "cult classics" collection?

j. alfred prufrock · Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:39 pm

I know I'm not the only one who thinks that the fact that Criterion doesn't appear to have an official way of communicating to us about Eclipse is borderline unprofessional. How hard would it be just to add the Eclipse titles to their coming soon page until they set up a separate website? Pretty lazy if you ask me.

justeleblanc · #340 Post by **justeleblanc** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:40 pm

j. alfred prufrock wrote:I know I'm not the only one who thinks that the fact that Criterion doesn't appear to have an official way of communicating to us about Eclipse is borderline unprofessional. How hard would it be just to add the Eclipse titles to their coming soon page until they set up a separate website? Pretty lazy if you ask me.

wha? they dont want to set up permalinks to eclipse titles housed on criterion's site if they will only be changed in the future. their process makes sense.

#341 Post by **Jeff** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 7:08 pm

j. alfred prufrock wrote:I know I'm not the only one who thinks that the fact that Criterion doesn't appear to have an official way of communicating to us about Eclipse is borderline unprofessional. How hard would it be just to add the Eclipse titles to their coming soon page until they set up a separate website? Pretty lazy if you ask me.

They have issued press releases on all of the officially announced titles, they have the specs and cover on their distributor's website, and they have written about Eclipse on their blog and in their newsletter. I would venture to say there is scarcely any business (let alone a DVD distributor) that is so communicative with their customer base. An official Eclipse website might be cool, but it certainly is not obligatory.

Tribe · #342 Post by **Tribe** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:22 pm

j. alfred prufrock wrote:I know I'm not the only one who thinks that the fact that Criterion doesn't appear to have an official way of communicating to us about Eclipse is borderline unprofessional.

Who's the other one?

Tribe

kinjitsu · #343 Post by **kinjitsu** » Tue Apr 10, 2007 10:19 pm

j. alfred prufrock wrote:I know I'm not the only one who thinks that the fact that Criterion doesn't appear to have an official way of communicating to us about Eclipse is borderline unprofessional. How hard would it be just to add the Eclipse titles to their coming soon page until they set up a separate website? Pretty lazy if you ask me.

I've posted this at least two or three times:

We hope to have an Eclipse website up soon.
Thanks for your support.

Best,
Kim Hendrickson

Eclipse from The Criterion Collection

Happy now?

j. alfred prufrock · Wed Apr 11, 2007 7:11 pm

Great responses. Thanks! How long has that link to the eclipse page been up on Criterion's homepage? I must have missed that-I thought it was the same link to the press sheet and so I didn't try it out.

justeleblanc · #345 Post by **justeleblanc** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 6:42 am

arsonfilms wrote:I noticed a brief little piece in the new issue of Filmmaker Magazine that mentioned that "while Eclipse is currently focusing on individual Directors," upcoming releases would include boxes dedicated to Samurai films and the French New Wave. If I get a chance I'll retype the thing, but that little tidbit was the only bit of news.

French New Wave?

Early Rohmer, Rivette, Chabrol?

BrunoForestier · #346 Post by **BrunoForestier** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 3:32 pm

arsonfilms wrote:I noticed a brief little piece in the new issue of Filmmaker Magazine that mentioned that "while Eclipse is currently focusing on individual Directors," upcoming releases would include boxes dedicated to Samurai films and the French New Wave. If I get a chance I'll retype the thing, but that little tidbit was the only bit of news.

If they're going to release an Eclipse French New Wave set, I'm hoping it will include some of the less popular but equally essential films from the era like Jacques Rozier's Adieu Philippine, Alexander Astruc's Une Vie and Les mauvsises rencontres, Pierre Kast's Le Bel Age and Jacques Doniol-Valcroze's A Game For Six Lovers.

I love Chabrol and am dying to see releases of his remaining early films, but some, like Le Beau Serge and Les Cousins seems significant enough to warrant full-fledged Criterion releases, and there's enough of the others to warrant a Chabrol Eclipse set: L'Oeil du Malin/The Third Lover, Landru/Bluebeard, Ophelia and Les Godelureaux/Wise Guys. It's a pipedream, I know...

Cinephrenic · #347 Post by **Cinephrenic** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 5:07 pm

Samurai Films?

Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron
Samurai Saga
Three Outlaw Samurai
Assassination
Tenchu!

New Wave?

Le Beau Serge (Chabrol)
Adieu Phillippine (Rozier)
Les Choses de la vie (Sautet)
La Maman et la putain (Eustache)
Zazie dans le metro (Malle)

Michael Kerpan · #348 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 5:24 pm

I would hope that any samurai set includes "Bloody Spear at Mt. Fuji".

Cameron · #349 Post by **Cameron** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:45 pm

I hope the mother and the whore would get it's own criterion release and not be relegated to eclipse.

Steven H · #350 Post by **Steven H** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 10:27 pm

Michael Kerpan wrote:I would hope that any samurai set includes "Bloody Spear at Mt. Fuji".

Definitely, Michael. It seems like Gosha's Bandit Vs. Samurai Squadron would also fall under the foot of a set like this (as Cinephrenic pointed out, and it's noted on the "Forthcoming" list). Yamamoto Satsuo's Blood End, Misumi Kenji's Last Samurai, and Imai's Revenge are all pretty interesting and not too often mentioned. I would be curious as to what they would come up with.

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