Criterion Newsletter (Part 2)

[Jeff]

I suppose the Christmas thing may indeed just refer to the release date. If that's the case though, the clue seems so broad. There were tons of movies shot in Monument Valley. I suppose the Wacky Horse implies it's an oater.

It better not just be Alex Cox's Searchers 2.0.

[Darbicus]

My initial thought was Alex Cox's Searchers 2.0, but I'm not so sure.

Aside from John Ford titles (none of which seem to fit my thoughts) I'm stumped.

[Izo]

Isn't December typically a month for fairly high-profile releases?

[What A Disgrace]

Maybe its Rio Grande?

[knives]

Do you think Dreaming or dry is cryptic or just them making bad jokes?

[Hail_Cesar]

Do you think Dreaming or dry is cryptic or just them making bad jokes?

It may reference to Arizona reaming

[aox]

White Christmas?

[Tom Hagen]

Isn't December typically a month for fairly high-profile releases?

Not usually; it's generally their lowest output month. October and November have been the heavy hitters the last few years

[bearcuborg]

My first thought was 3 Godfathers... There's nothing really special about it, and I don't know if it was shot in Monument Valley. I wasn't aware of Searchers 2.0 before now, but it seems interesting...

[ianungstad]

If we stick to the possibility of a Ford title, Fort Apache and She Wore A Yellow Ribbon both seem to be fairly barebones and are set in Monument Valley. While Searchers 2.0 could be a possibilty, I hope not.

[fiddlesticks]

The fact that the wacky horse has reins that extend backwards out of the frame suggests Stagecoach.
The fact that the wacky horse also has a saddle suggests that I'm wrong--or that the artist doesn't know how long reins should be.

[Amazing Goose]

Maybe it's The Quiet Man since it's John Ford WITHOUT Monument Valley (dry = not in) and this bit from IMDB:
"While all other saddled horses are seen with English saddles (as would be expected in Ireland during that time period), Sean's (John Wayne's) horse is saddled with a US Army-issue McClellan cavalry saddle." It would be a good December release.

The Quiet Man on BluRay would be awesome from Criterion, even if that's being overly hopeful.

While that's a very esoteric reference (like making a connection to a clue in The Da Vinci Code). at least it something.

The last few months have been quick and fairly simple: Wings of Desire, Cronos, Monsoon Wedding, Rossellini's War Trilogy (that seemed to be general concensus).

But just a horse talking about monument valley? Oggilby, I'll you points for trying.

[foofighters7]

A Man Called Horse

[jaredsap]

Shot in the dark: Raoul Walsh's PURSUED? Filmed in Monument Valley by the great James Wong Howe. We know Criterion likes their Westerns as family dramas with bizarre, psychological bents. Granted PURSUED is already on disc, but I've heard that DVD is weak. Anyone?

I just remembered Niven Busch not only wrote PURSUED, but the novel The Furies. (Which Criterion of course included in their FURIES release.) Obviously they must be a fan of his.

Also, Scorsese is a big PURSUED fan. Given his seemingly ever-closer relationship with Criterion, I'm sure he could provide at least one supplement (as he did for PURSUED's VHS edition).

[ianungstad]

Pursued is an Artisan/Lions Gate release. Considering the problems that Criterion has had with Lions Gate over studio Canal titles and not being able to release films like Diva and It Always Rains on Sunday, it would be very surprising if Lions Gate licensed anything to Criterion. Things could change...but it seems that Lions Gate has been giving Criterion the cold sholder for awhile.

I personally think it'll be one of the Ford westerns though the clue doesn't really point to a specific one. They have more Fox titles coming up, maybe they'll do a special edition of My Darling Clementine? The Fox disc is pretty decent, if not mind-blowing though.

In a few reviews for She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, reviewers noted that while the picture is fantastic, there is still a fair bit of noise in the audio track...so that could be improved. The only feature on the disc is 4 minutes of footage Ford shot while location scouting.

[jaredsap]

Pursued is an Artisan/Lions Gate release. Considering the problems that Criterion has had with Lions Gate over studio Canal titles and not being able to release films like Diva and It Always Rains on Sunday, it would be very surprising if Lions Gate licensed anything to Criterion. Things could change...but it seems that Lions Gate has been given Criterion the cold sholder for awhile.

That's very true. I guess I just keep holding out hope Lions Gate will buckle like virtually every studio has done. As we all know, Fox, Universal, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros. and MGM are all working with Criterion now. Maybe the disastrous effects of our brutal economy on DVD sales has finally made Lions Gate see the light.

But yeah, I'm not holding my breath.

[otis]

We'll be dreaming of a dry Christmas in Monument Valley

Mormons (teetotal, hence "dry") + Monument Valley = Wagon Master

[foggy eyes]

My first thought was 3 Godfathers too, as it really is about a "dry" Christmas... Seems very unlikely, though.

There's nothing really special about it

Yeah, right.

[colinr0380]

And remember that Criterion still have the second part of the Lindsay Anderson documentary to release - the one that covers 'late Ford'.

[bearcuborg]

My first thought was 3 Godfathers too, as it really is about a "dry" Christmas... Seems very unlikely, though.

There's nothing really special about it

Yeah, right.

Duh, it looks great - but that's a given with Ford. It doesn't have near the complexity of The Searchers or, the examination of myth found in Forth Apache. It is minor Ford, and only you might dispute that fact.

[Cinephrenic]

Dumbest clue so far. It could be any Ford western.

[Feego]

I love how everyone complained when the clues were too obvious, and now...

It's kind of nice being held in suspense. Now if only the mystery movie lives up to it is another thing altogether.

[Jonathan S]

The fact that the wacky horse has reins that extend backwards out of the frame suggests Stagecoach.
The fact that the wacky horse also has a saddle suggests that I'm wrong--or that the artist doesn't know how long reins should be.

It might be significant that Stagecoach is omitted from Warner's forthcoming reissue of their Ford-Wayne Collection (along with The Long Voyage Home).

For an awful moment, I thought it might be the 1966 remake with Bing ("White Christmas") Crosby but - apart from being very unlikely anyway - I gather that wasn't shot in Monument Valley!

[Tribe]

So, is there a consensus that the clue refers to a John Ford western then?

[psufootball07]

If you live long enough, you will get to see the upcoming December releases in September.