Criterion and Paramount

[Zot!]

The UK version is lower bit rate (two discs squeezed to one) and no uncompressed sound. The reviews are not negative, but it's not the definitive release, if that matters to you.

[Matt]

bought this one a few months ago. is there something wrong with it that I'm missing? can get it for 20...

If you're not willing to bet on or wait for Paramount to re-issue Zodiac on blu-ray, there is an in print, fairly cheap, region free version of it from Warner in the U.K. Its potential weaknesses are that it only has a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (vs lossless for the Paramount), and that any/all supplements are squeezed onto the same single disc that the movie is on (so very possibly PQ not quite as good as the Paramount version).

[dad1153]

I would think that Danger: Diabolik would be a more pressing rescue anyway since it is OOP. Good publicity all the same.

I'd rather Shout! get the rights to it so they can also release the "MST3K" episode that marked the end of the TV series. Heck, both uncut and "MST3K" version of "Diabolik" on the same disc as a stand-alone... (swoon!)

[dwk]

I would think that Danger: Diabolik would be a more pressing rescue anyway since it is OOP. Good publicity all the same.

I'd rather Shout! get the rights to it so they can also release the "MST3K" episode that marked the end of the TV series. Heck, both uncut and "MST3K" version of "Diabolik" on the same disc as a stand-alone... (swoon!)

No no no no no! One of the reasons that I want Criterion to pick Danger: Diabolik up is that it would maybe atone for the cinematic injustice of it having appeared on MST3K.

[Matt]

I can't imagine that Criterion would do an edition any better than the Paramount disc with its commentary and documentary. Unless you're really aching for a ten-minute interview with Roman Coppola or something, which might be all they'd throw on there.

[dwk]

A Blu-ray release of Diabolik, which is something Paramount isn't going to do, would be the main attraction to Criterion picking up the film. (I agree the special features on the Paramount disc are really good.) Maybe they could rope Scorsese into talking a bit about Bava.

Actually, Planet of the Vampires would be a better rescue. The OOP MGM disc is not anamorphic and only includes the US cut of the film. A Blu-ray with both the Italian and US versions and Tim Lucas commentary on both versions would be nice.

But I doubt they have any interest in either film. Maybe if the Eclipse line ended up being what it was initially going to be, they would have gone after Bava's films.

[AfterTheRain]

I wonder if Criterion has any interest in The Red Tent and/or The Day of the Locust since Paramount doesn't appear to be interested in releasing the two themselves.

The former is a very good movie about the ill-fated voyage of Umberto Nobile in 1928 and seeing both the international version (121 minutes with the beautifully haunting Ennio Morricone score) and the original Russian language version (over a half hour longer with the original Aleksandr Zatsepin score) on Blu would be a dream come true for me. I brought this up since Kalatozov's Letter Never Sent is getting released in the next couple of months.

The latter is a brilliant adaptation of Nathaniel West's novel about 1930s Hollywood seen in a completely different light. A real hidden gem of the 1970s and one crying out for a Blu-ray, in my honest opinion.

[Roger Ryan]

I wonder if Criterion has any interest in The Red Tent and/or The Day of the Locust since Paramount doesn't appear to be interested in releasing the two themselves...

...The latter is a brilliant adaptation of Nathaniel West's novel about 1930s Hollywood seen in a completely different light. A real hidden gem of the 1970s and one crying out for a Blu-ray, in my honest opinion.

...and home to what I consider to be Donald Sutherland's finest performance - a heartbreaking realization of West's "Homer Simpson". Although it's not sourced from West's novel, the scene showcasing Simpson's dazed reverie to Tod Hackett ("She was like sunshine in my life...") never fails to choke me up.

[SamLowry]

I wonder if Criterion has any interest in The Red Tent and/or The Day of the Locust since Paramount doesn't appear to be interested in releasing the two themselves.

The Day Of The Locust dvd is still in print....I don't think Paramount would prioritize this for a blu ray release over other titles that are better known.

[domino harvey]

I wonder if Criterion has any interest in The Red Tent and/or The Day of the Locust since Paramount doesn't appear to be interested in releasing the two themselves...

...The latter is a brilliant adaptation of Nathaniel West's novel about 1930s Hollywood seen in a completely different light. A real hidden gem of the 1970s and one crying out for a Blu-ray, in my honest opinion.

...and home to what I consider to be Donald Sutherland's finest performance - a heartbreaking realization of West's "Homer Simpson". Although it's not sourced from West's novel, the scene showcasing Simpson's dazed reverie to Tod Hackett ("She was like sunshine in my life...") never fails to choke me up.

The source text is interesting if flawed, but the film is a total disaster, in large part due to Karen Black's utter miscasting-- maybe the worst I can think of (and I'm not against her in general, either).

[Feego]

The Day Of The Locust dvd is still in print....

No it's not.

[Roger Ryan]

The source text is interesting if flawed, but the film is a total disaster, in large part due to Karen Black's utter miscasting-- maybe the worst I can think of (and I'm not against her in general, either).

I can't disagree with you outright - Karen Black is miscast (although I don't think it's the worst casting ever), but everyone else, from Sutherland to Burgess Meredith, Geraldine Page, Richard Dysart, Billy Barty, even William Atherton, are just right. The film is not a complete success, but it contains some brilliant moments and captures the odd American malaise West was going for in the novel. Certainly a better adaptation than Jack Clayton's GREAT GATSBY from the same period.

[SamLowry]

The Day Of The Locust dvd is still in print....

No it's not.

Well let's put it this way then. Amazon and its 3rd party sellers have had new copies in stock & for under $10 for at least 2 years now...and if all the new copies suddenly disappear, there's plenty of used copies to keep the price that low for some time to come.

[JabbaTheSlut]

Searching for Bobby Fischer? DVD is OOP.

[Ashirg]

So anything by Paramount that is OOP is coming to Criterion? There goes chances of Good Burger finally coming into the collection!

[JabbaTheSlut]

You are funny. \:D/ . No, not just anything, funny. Searching for BF is a very good film which is OOP and would fit nicely in CC. Keep up with the funniness, you.

[beamish13]

I'm sure the rights aren't even with Paramount anymore, but does anyone know if Wim Wenders' original cut of HAMMETT still exists? Zoetrope has pretty comprehensive archives, and it wouldn't surprise me if they retained a copy.

[Perkins Cobb]

I've heard that Frederic Forrest has a tape of a workprint of it, or something like that. I'd love to see it but I can't imagine that Coppola would be wild about it seeing the light of day.

[Jeff]

Lionsgate has the U.S. distribution rights to Hammett now, though Zoetrope produces their own discs.

[captveg]

After this and Harold and Maude it's pretty obvious they've licensed a second Paramount batch. They usually do about a dozen at a time. I'm pretty certain that The Conformist is amongst them. La Dolce Vita may happen some day, but I'd imagine it's going to be wrapped up in legal red tape for a while.

I suspect that they re-licensed the previous DVD-only releases for Blu-ray upgrades at the same time, which led to the Days of Heaven, If.... and Robinson Crusoe on Mars upgrades. It wouldn't be all that surprising to see upgrades of the others in the next year or two (being Ace in the Hole, The Naked Prey, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, White Dog, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, The Furies, Downhill Racer and the Von Sternberg set).

[What A Disgrace]

I wonder if its possible that Criterion licensed some of the OOP Jerry Lewis titles from Paramount, or if Olive Films is going to take over the Lewis releases which were previously available, with the five recent releases (all first-timers on DVD and Blu) being merely the first wave.

Oh, and Seconds. Where's my Seconds.

[domino harvey]

Someone asked them about Seconds and they said to the effect of they weren't interested

[captveg]

It really opens up possibilities - Bringing Out the Dead, Paper Moon, Serpico, The Elephant Man, Hud, Marathon Man, etc.

In fact, the only titles I see as absolutely off limits would be Roman Holiday, Sunset Boulevard, Shane, and Stalag 17. Paramount still has their Sep-Dec 100th Anniversary titles to announce, too, so that's another five that we'll know Criterion didn't license.

[onedimension]

Nashville's a Paramount title too, right? Liberty Valance and Hawks' El Dorado (first CC Hawks!) would be great.

I remember reading Johnny Guitar went to Olive, and I suspect they'd go after the Lewis discs as well.

[Cronenfly]

Someone asked them about Seconds and they said to the effect of they weren't interested

Here's hoping they come around, either for this second batch or a third one down the line...there are few titles I want to see go Blu more than this one. Would make for a good excuse to upgrade Face of Another, as well...