Criterion and MGM

[Svevan]

Uh, are we forgetting that Roger Ebert now has the best Max Headroom impersonation ever?

(edit: was mentioned earlier)

[movielocke]

it occured to me that The Day After could make a truly spectacular criterion set. I've never seen it, but definitely an iconic and important moment in television as well as cold war history, and it has such a dramatic backstory to the production you'd get some wonderful special features. Not to mention that it was cut from a 4.5 hr miniseries to a 2.5 hour movie and had different European and home video cuts.

But how cool would it be if Criterion released it and one of the key special features was that Nightline special debate that aired after the movie with Kissinger, McNamara, Buckley, Sagan et al?

[oldsheperd]

it occured to me that The Day After could make a truly spectacular criterion set.

Only if it came with a lock of Ronald Reagan's hair and a package of jelly beans

[Cinephrenic]

I would say meltdown, but he's having a fallout.

[Werewolf by Night]

I don't think the fabled "four hour cut" actually exists. It was planned as a two-night event, but the complete scripted/storyboarded was never shot. The version as shot/aired is available on DVD for $4, and that's about what it's worth.

[captveg]

As regards Ebert and commentaries, ever since he lost his voice I've wondered if he'd be at all interested in writing commentaries and allowing someone else to record them. Of course it's sad not to hear Ebert's voice anymore, but at least to have his insights in some form would be delightful when watching a number of films.

(and hasn't this sort of thing been done before? I believe CC's Rules of the Game has Captain Ascot reading someone else's prepared statements?)

You should recommend this to him on his Blog.

[mteller]

it occured to me that The Day After could make a truly spectacular criterion set. I've never seen it, but definitely an iconic and important moment in television as well as cold war history, and it has such a dramatic backstory to the production you'd get some wonderful special features. Not to mention that it was cut from a 4.5 hr miniseries to a 2.5 hour movie and had different European and home video cuts.

But how cool would it be if Criterion released it and one of the key special features was that Nightline special debate that aired after the movie with Kissinger, McNamara, Buckley, Sagan et al?

I'd much rather see them release Threads. Or When the Wind Blows.

[Harmonov]

it occured to me that The Day After could make a truly spectacular criterion set. I've never seen it, but definitely an iconic and important moment in television as well as cold war history, and it has such a dramatic backstory to the production you'd get some wonderful special features. Not to mention that it was cut from a 4.5 hr miniseries to a 2.5 hour movie and had different European and home video cuts.

But how cool would it be if Criterion released it and one of the key special features was that Nightline special debate that aired after the movie with Kissinger, McNamara, Buckley, Sagan et al?

I'd much rather see them release Threads. Or When the Wind Blows.

Why not all three?

[Frank M]

As regards Ebert and commentaries, ever since he lost his voice I've wondered if he'd be at all interested in writing commentaries and allowing someone else to record them.

I would rather like a subtitle commentary without anyone else speaking in his place.

[matrixschmatrix]

Interestingly, the voice sim they built for him is actually based off of his speaking voice in his other commentaries- his speaking voice in At the Movies came off as too combative and didn't sound like how he thought of himself as sounding.

[ianungstad]

What I would really like to see Criterion put together is a Wyler box. Pretty much all the MGM Wyler discs are barebones. A six film set with The Best Years of Our Lives, Wuthering Heights, Dodsworth, The Little Foxes, Dead End, The Westerner would be fantastic.

I don't think it's a totally out there idea. If they do end up licensing some Goldwyn titles, I'm sure Best Years of Our Lives and Wuthering Heights will get picked up at the very least.

[domino harvey]

FYI, every single title you just mentioned is now OOP

[willoneill]

Wuthering Heights had been oop since long before being oop was cool. Considering it's a big part of the reason Gregg Toland was hired to shoot Citizen Kane, I think it's about time someone released it on blu-ray, so why not Criterion?

[onedimension]

I could see all those Wylers on Eclipse, but none (maybe Best) on the main line..

[What A Disgrace]

Eclipse is not where Criterion usually dumps established Hollywood classics.

I mean...the very idea of something like The Best Years of Our Lives *maybe* making it to the main line is absurd. I'd sooner expect it to be their first Blu-ray only release.

[domino harvey]

I could see all those Wylers on Eclipse, but none (maybe Best) on the main line..

Criterion would license and re-release barebones MGM discs and charge more while adding no content? =;

[Ashirg]

The Killing and Kiss Me Deadly are playing at ATP. Does it mean that it makes them both confirmed for the Criterion treatment?

[Flike]

Something Wild, also. Think Kiss Me Deadly is the only one that was merely hinted at previously and not unofficially confirmed.

[Murdoch]

First Sweet Smell of Success and now Kiss Me Deadly, best year of announcements ever.

[Cinephrenic]

All these American classics on Blu brings tears of joy.

[domino harvey]

First Sweet Smell of Success and now Kiss Me Deadly, best year of announcements ever.

It's almost like they listened when we started speculating on dream MGM acquisitions after House of Games' announcement \:D/

[tojoed]

Maybe the Studio Canal losses have been a good thing. It's perhaps made Criterion look to the great bounty of American film.

[Tom Hagen]

I'm fairly confident that they would have picked up Paths of Glory and The Night of the Hunter irrespective of the whether the Studio Canal stuff stayed in print or not. I don't think the impetus for suddenly putting out a bunch of classic '50s American cinema was the loss of an unreleated part of the back catalogue to rights issues.

[MoonlitKnight]

Here's hoping they pick up Frankenheimer's "The Fixer" -- still never released on DVD. :-k

[Person]

The Fixer is a Warner Bros. asset. I saw the film about two years ago on DVD-R. Great film. Powerful. Shamefully overdue on DVD.