Forthcoming Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol. 5

[Matt]

I imagine that will be a pattern from now on - a first printing of nice digipaks for the collectors and then a standard case later on.

[FakeBonanza]

I imagine that will be a pattern from now on - a first printing of nice digipaks for the collectors and then a standard case later on.

I suppose that this is reasonable, but in the case of Mishima, it would be nice to have the initial printing of that upgrade with the digipak. In fact, it would be a particular disappointment, as Mishima is one of the standout digipaks. It does seem more crucial to the set's presentation than something like The Earrings of Madame de...

[bainbridgezu]

in the case of Mishima, it would be nice to have the initial printing of that upgrade with the digipak. In fact, it would be a particular disappointment, as Mishima is one of the standout digipaks. It does seem more crucial to the set's presentation than something like The Earrings of Madame de...

Perhaps the digipack is Criterion's attempt to lessen the sting of having accepted Gaumont's crap-ass transfer?

[jindianajonz]

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is on the short list for an upgrade, according to an interview linked by CriterionCast. Unfortunately, if Schrader's comments are accurate, the packaging will be standardized (Slacker, Two-Lane Blacktop) as will new pressings of the DVD (The Double Life of Veronique).

It's interesting that their release schedule for the blu-ray is determined by how quickly the old version sells out. I guess whenever somebody says they caused a blu upgrade because they bought the DVD a couple weeks before, they may actually be right.

[onedimension]

The Janus acquisition of Jacques Demy's films was revealed awhile back, but now here's a series at the Berkeley Art Museum:

http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/filmseries/demy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

13 films in all, 10 films by Demy and 3 documentaries by his wife- not sure how many of these they'll release or split up box-wise, but most of the 13 are listed as Janus/Criterion..

[onedimension]

Also, I came across this criterioncast post again about the October 2012 Wexner talk - http://criterioncast.com/news/criterion ... er-center/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Of the 18 titles or categories mentioned, we've already seen 7: Badlands, Richard III, Col. Blimp, The Devil's Backbone, Shoah, 'more Satyajit Ray', On The Waterfront-

Yet to surface: pre-code Warners, WCF stuff, Eclipse titles re-done as stand-alones, Fellini's Satyricon, Rivette, 'more Imamura', Le Samourai blu, the Apu Trilogy

Only 3 months left of the 2013 schedule, obviously all these and the New Year's clues won't make it, but these are some additional titles to keep in mind..

[Moe Dickstein]

The only time I like a digibook over standard case is stuff like Short Cuts with the book. I plan on replacing anything like Beastie Boys with a wacky C version over time because I'd rather have those than dumb digibook versions

[Matt]

But if you're not going to watch it anyway, wouldn't you rather keep the more collectible version?

[solaris72]

Yet to surface: pre-code Warners, WCF stuff, Eclipse titles re-done as stand-alones, Fellini's Satyricon, Rivette, 'more Imamura', Le Samourai blu, the Apu Trilogy

Wasn't there an announcement sometime last year that Bernard's Les Miserables would be reissued in the mainline? I'd assumed they'd pair that release with the release of the movie but obviously that ship has sailed.

[MongooseCmr]

I believe it was more of a maybe than an announcement.

[zedz]

I imagine that will be a pattern from now on - a first printing of nice digipaks for the collectors and then a standard case later on.

I suppose that this is reasonable, but in the case of Mishima, it would be nice to have the initial printing of that upgrade with the digipak. In fact, it would be a particular disappointment, as Mishima is one of the standout digipaks.

I still fondly remember the intense howls of outrage when that cover art first appeared.

[Matt]

I still fondly remember the intense howls of outrage when that cover art first appeared.

Convenient link for all our n00bs.

[zedz]

The Janus acquisition of Jacques Demy's films was revealed awhile back, but now here's a series at the Berkeley Art Museum:

http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/filmseries/demy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

13 films in all, 10 films by Demy and 3 documentaries by his wife- not sure how many of these they'll release or split up box-wise, but most of the 13 are listed as Janus/Criterion..

The four features they've omitted are all understandable (Lady Oscar is an uncharacteristic manga adaptation; La naissance du jour is a TV movie; Parking is Parking; and La Table Tournante is an extra for somebody else's DVD) but none of them is as bad as A Slightly Pregnant Man!

There are a number of big titles that deserve their own release, with plenty of extras available, so this is how I'd handle it if I were Criterion.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg deluxe edition Blu, supported by The World of Jacques Demy and the extras from the Cine-Tamaris set, plus anything else Agnes has come up with in the meantime.

Lola deluxe edition Blu, supported by the early short films and the C-T extras.

Les Demoiselles de Rochefort deluxe edition Blu, including Varda's '25 years later' doc and the C-T extras.

Donkey Skin Blu, with The Pied Piper as an extra.

Bay of Angels lower-tier Blu, with the C-T extras.

Model Shop Blu? It's a pretty weak film, but might be able to work as a lower-tier Blu. You could also stick it onto a Lola set, since it's a sequel of sorts, but that seems very unlikely. My favoured option would be to pair it with Varda's Lions Love and the relevant shorts for a 'Jacques and Agnes Do America' double feature, to make a virtue of the films' time-capsule qualities. Otherwise, just stick it on Hulu for the morbidly curious.

While we're on the subject of Varda, Jacquot de Nantes is a fantastic film that deserves its own release.

Une Chambre en ville, Trois places for le 26 and the dreaded Parking - Jacques Demy's Late Musicals Eclipse set.

A Slightly Pregnant Man - bury it on Hulu and try to forget it exists.

The only loose end to regret is La naissance du jour, which seems destined for perpetual neglect. It doesn't really pair up naturally with any of the features or possible sets, and a solo release seems highly unlikely. A nice lower tier Blu would be a pairing of his (only?) two literary adaptations: this and Le bel indifferent.

[domino harvey]

Well, I imagine they will pair Model Shop with Lola, either as sister releases or a double feature. Any Eclipse treatment is going to be superfluous thanks to the superior French box and every man woman and child should already own the region-free Blu-ray of La demoiselles de Rochefort, which is still quite possibly the best HD release of an "older" film I've experienced, so Criterion would need to step up its extras game to make that one attractive (and recent trends leave me doubtful)

[Ashirg]

Model Shop is from Sony.

[bainbridgezu]

Any Eclipse treatment is going to be superfluous thanks to the superior French box

[domino harvey]

By "superfluous" I meant "They'll still do it but no one will buy it," ala your example

[knives]

I guess I'm the lone individual who finds Model Shop Demy's masterpiece. Either way though I have yet to see a bad film by him.

[Arthur House]

Model Shop Blu? It's a pretty weak film, but might be able to work as a lower-tier Blu. You could also stick it onto a Lola set, since it's a sequel of sorts, but that seems very unlikely. My favoured option would be to pair it with Varda's Lions Love and the relevant shorts for a 'Jacques and Agnes Do America' double feature, to make a virtue of the films' time-capsule qualities. Otherwise, just stick it on Hulu for the morbidly curious.

Another possible special feature to make for this one (if they can get the movie from Sony) could be an interview with the surviving members of Spirit, Jay Ferguson & Mark Andes, about their experiences doing the score, appearing in the film, and their take on the late '60s LA milieu as interpreted in the film. Speaking of that, this film would be a good candidate for a "Now & Then" location comparison featurette.

[andyli]

But The Young Girls of Rochefort doesn't have the Janus/Criterion listing.

[Moe Dickstein]

But if you're not going to watch it anyway, wouldn't you rather keep the more collectible version?

No, I'd rather have every possible title in the Wacky C design scheme. If the cover art isn't re-done I don't generally keep the alternate versions unless it's due to additional content, like Last Emperor. Tin Drum is a keeper on both fronts.

[EBZ]

But The Young Girls of Rochefort doesn't have the Janus/Criterion listing.

Indeed- and on top of it, "The Girls of Rochefort" is on Miramax's Hulu page, making a Criterion Release very unlikely.

[Jeff]

If you click on the link to each film at the BAM listing, it tells you who the distributor is. Janus has Lola, Bay of Angels, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Donkey Skin, A Slightly Pregnant Man, A Room in Town, and Varda's The World of Jacques Demy.

[movielocke]

new prints have been struck of the Apu Trilogy, probably not indicating anything on the criterion front, but I would bet a 2014 box is nigh

http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibition ... ilogy.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[hearthesilence]

First thing I ever saw at Lincoln Center were these films at the Ray retrospective in the summer of 2009 - they were showing new prints (a lot of restorations) for everything, so good, new prints have been around for a little while.