594, 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

[knives]

Being cheap. Not everyone has to be into Bluray. Also no one said they had 999 DVDs. Especially for this release I imagine they will be getting a lot of people that haven't bought a Criterion since Chasing Amy.

[mfunk9786]

He mentioned "being kept from collecting #1000," surely the spine numbers mean jack to people who don't have something approaching a sizeable collection, right? And how is wanting to buy a brand new $250 DVD box set but not a $40 piece of 16 year old technology being cheap?

[knives]

Cheap compared to other options. As far as I know this is going to be the only edition of all of the Showa films in print.

[tenia]

And how is wanting to buy a brand new $250 DVD box set but not a $40 piece of 16 year old technology being cheap?

I know some people who aren't cheap but just really don't care.

[mfunk9786]

My only point in the first place is that it's a world's smallest violin situation if someone wants to purchase this badly but can't because they're either "cheap" or "really don't care" - there's a way to play it that you can likely resolve in around 5 minutes and 5 dollars on Craigslist if you wanted to!

[HitchcockLang]

it seems odd that potential DVD-only people might be kept from collecting #1000.

Blu-ray only people are kept from collecting #1. It's nice, fair and symmetrical this way.

[domino harvey]

And us magic lantern slides only folks continue to be excluded entirely

[colinr0380]

And us magic lantern slides only folks continue to be excluded entirely

Fanny & Alexander

[ntnon]

Wasn't one of the reasons behind not continuing with dual-format releases because 'some collectors' only wanted DVDs, or at least DVD-sized boxes...?

My query is more about whether there's a reason for this single-format release and what - if anything - it means for releases going forward: could this herald the end of DVD releases?

As far as it being a "problem," it isn't. But it seems odd.

[HitchcockLang]

Wasn't one of the reasons behind not continuing with dual-format releases because 'some collectors' only wanted DVDs, or at least DVD-sized boxes...?

My query is more about whether there's a reason for this single-format release and what - if anything - it means for releases going forward: could this herald the end of DVD releases?

As far as it being a "problem," it isn't. But it seems odd.

This isn't the first time this has happened. The Bergman box was blu-ray only. The reissue of the Zatoichi box was blu-ray only. I believe the von Sternberg and perhaps some of the other recent box sets have been blu-ray only (granted, many of them had DVD options in the past which are out of print now).

[movielocke]

Howards End was also bluray only, until they buckled under the pressure and released a DVD half a year later.

it's not as though any collector or completionist will be able to put spine 1000 on the shelf in sequence with their other criterions. You'll have to find some other way to display it and just be okay with the discontinuous numbering from 999-1001 on your shelf.

Hehe, what if this big gigantic folio set doesn't even have the number printed on the spine. oh the consternation.

[movielocke]

Also, on the channel, the final two mechagodzilla films are also only available in the dubbed form.

[ntnon]

Wasn't one of the reasons behind not continuing with dual-format releases because 'some collectors' only wanted DVDs, or at least DVD-sized boxes...?

My query is more about whether there's a reason for this single-format release and what - if anything - it means for releases going forward: could this herald the end of DVD releases?

This isn't the first time this has happened. The Bergman box was blu-ray only. The reissue of the Zatoichi box was blu-ray only. I believe the von Sternberg and perhaps some of the other recent box sets have been blu-ray only...

Bergman was a standalone - surely akin to the Eclipse releases which are also only on one format.
Zatoichi... I thought it had had a DVD only release, but perhaps not.
Dietrich/von Sternberg has DVDs. Olympics has DVDs. And I'm reasonably sure that all other boxsets have, too. Hence... "odd."

Logically, film fans will prefer the 'better' blu-rays - but then why continue to release DVDs at all? Or why not return to dual-format?

Could the Godzillas situation be a licensee-demand, a testcase for the future of the collection being only blu, an anomaly, or...?

[movielocke]

Nope. It has expensive bespoke packaging that only suits one format . That’s really all it is.

[ntnon]

Nope. It has expensive bespoke packaging that only suits one format . That’s really all it is.

Like the packaging for the Guillermo del Toro blu-rays..?

Which had a regular DVD release also.

[tenia]

Nope. It has expensive bespoke packaging that only suits one format . That’s really all it is.

Like the packaging for the Guillermo del Toro blu-rays..? Which had a regular DVD release also.

With a completely standard packaging.

[swo17]

Right, he's saying they could put out a completely basic DVD set for Godzilla if they wanted to, which I suppose is true

[FrauBlucher]

The upcoming boxes/collections are mixed. The Koker Trilogy have DVDs and the Silent Sternberg's are blu only. What's interesting is the Koker Trilogy DVDs are listed as the same price as the blus. Is that something new?

[movielocke]

Well perhaps it isn’t just packaging overhead then. There could also be a labor factor. Meaning they can meet a deadline putting out the blu set, but add a 10-15 dvd set worth of labor and they can’t meet deadline ?

[zedz]

Howards End was also bluray only, until they buckled under the pressure and released a DVD half a year later.

it's not as though any collector or completionist will be able to put spine 1000 on the shelf in sequence with their other criterions. You'll have to find some other way to display it and just be okay with the discontinuous numbering from 999-1001 on your shelf.

Or sell all your Criterions to pay for therapy.

[kekid]

I have been reading about the great fascination members of this forum have shown about spine numbers in general, and spine 1000 in particular. I have wondered to what extent, if any, the Criterion organization shares that fascination.There are two possibilities. (1) They really don't care. Spine numbers fall where they may. If consumers keep talking a lot about that subject, so much the better; it creates some unintended excitement. So they watch with detached amusement. or, (2) They pay close attention to the spine numbers, and ensure that certain spine numbers (e.g. 1, 100, 1000, etc.) are assigned to releases Criterion would like to be remembered by. If this is the case, assignment of number 1000 to the Godzilla set defies belief. Is this what the owners or creators of the Criterion brand want to be remembered by? Given the two choices, I would like to think the former is the case. I for one have lost all faith that spine numbers signify anything of importance. They are simply convenient labels to catalogue a collection. If this destroys the "Santa Clause" for the believers, I am truly sorry.

[FrauBlucher]

I believe Criterion has a mild interest in significant spine numbers. They will not go out of there way to match spine numbers but if a situation arises to making a spine number meaningful they will. 1984 is the situation that comes to mind. Not sure if swo was the swaying factor but they changed the initial spine for 1984 to match spine 984. If they didn't care they would have left it the way it originally was.

[Feego]

or, (2) They pay close attention to the spine numbers, and ensure that certain spine numbers (e.g. 1, 100, 1000, etc.) are assigned to releases Criterion would like to be remembered by. If this is the case, assignment of number 1000 to the Godzilla set defies belief. Is this what the owners or creators of the Criterion brand want to be remembered by? Given the two choices, I would like to think the former is the case. I for one have lost all faith that spine numbers signify anything of importance. They are simply convenient labels to catalogue a collection. If this destroys the "Santa Clause" for the believers, I am truly sorry.

Criterion produced a video proudly proclaiming Godzilla as spine #1000. While I agree that probably 99% of spine numbers have no significance whatsoever, this particular instance is clearly one that the owners of the Criterion brand wanted to be remembered by. So yes, kekid, there is a Santa Claus.

[swo17]

Yeah, they picked Godzilla for 1000 because 1000 is a big number and Godzilla is big. They also leaned into this in the email announcement:

Announcing #1000: a monster edition!

This October, we’re celebrating the arrival of spine number 1000, and it’s a collector’s set fit for the granddaddy of all movie monsters!

It’s a colossal set, and we’d have it no other way for our 1000th release!

[ntnon]

The upcoming boxes/collections are mixed. The Koker Trilogy have DVDs and the Silent Sternberg's are blu only.

Silent Sternberg was already on DVD... but if it's being replaced with just Blu, that is curious.

What's interesting is the Koker Trilogy DVDs are listed as the same price as the blus. Is that something new?

My vague memory wants me to think it's not unprecedented, but it's certainly not common.