356 Sweetie

[What A Disgrace]

Sweetie



Though she went on to create a string of brilliant films, Jane Campion will always be remembered for her stunning debut feature, Sweetie, which focuses on the hazardous relationship between the buttoned-down, superstitious Kay and her rampaging, devil-may-care sister, "Sweetie"--and by extension, their entire family's profoundly rotten roots. A feast of colorful photography and captivating, idiosyncratic characters, Sweetie heralded the emergence of this gifted director as well as the breakthrough of Australian cinema, which would take international film by storm in the nineties.

Special Features

-New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Sally Bongers and approved by director Jane Campion
-New Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
-Audio commentary featuring Campion, Bongers and screenwriter Gerard Lee
-Making "Sweetie," a new video conversation between stars Genevieve Lemon and Karen Colston
-Campion’s early short films: An Exercise in Discipline: Peel; Passionless Moments; and A Girl’s Own Story
-Jane Campion: The Film School Years, a 1989 conversation between Campion and critic Peter Thompson
-Gallery of behind-the-scenes photos and production stills
-Original theatrical trailer
-Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
-Plus: A new essay by film scholar Dana Polan

DVD:
Criterionforum.org user rating averages

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[ellipsis7]

Extraordinarily this has AR at 1.85:1 & 'not anamorphic'... Shurely shome mishtake!

[nick]

Extraordinarily this has AR at 1.85:1 & 'not anamorphic'... Shurely shome mishtake!

do we really have to go through this every month? It is definately a default in the system. It will be updated in another day or two and everyone can breath easy again.

[ellipsis7]

Fret, fret, fret....

[zedz]

Fantastic news, and a fantastic package. Has Criterion suddenly realised that there's a whole 'nother gender of filmmakers out there or something? Two films by women in one year, with maybe a third on the way? Good lord!

Having all of those short films in one place will be terrific. I guess they don't have Two Friends in the pipeline, though, or they wouldn't be calling this Campion's "debut feature."

[Cinephrenic]

I would love to see a Criterion take on The Piano in the future. It's possible via Artisan.

[editman]

Wow. This one came as a bit of surprise. I did suggest Sweetie (and other shorts Campion made) to JM in January. Of course he didn't directly address whether it's a possibility. (Then again it was just after the New Year so I got the 'I'm on vacation' reply.)

Unless I had a 'premonition' while they were working on the titles, six months turnaround is rather impressive.

Finally holding off of getting the French DVD pays off. =D>

[colinr0380]

I love Peel - I'll be jumping on the bonnet of my car with excitement!

[Jem]

as the breakthrough of Australian cinema, which would take international film by storm in the Nineties.

Being Australian I feel I should point out Jane Campion was born in New Zealand.

[CSM126]

Being Australian I feel I should point out Jane Campion was born in New Zealand.

SHHH! They don't know that yet. Hell, they still think An Angel at My Table was filmed in Australia.

[denti alligator]

Well, if this is Campion's best (or the shorts on this set are among her best), then I'm all over this release. An Angel at My Table knocked my socks off. And this one will better even that?

[daniel p]

SHHH! They don't know that yet. Hell, they still think An Angel at My Table was filmed in Australia.

Was going to mention that - but she did study and work in Australia, so the statement is not so incorrect.

[editman]

Thing is, Australia still thinks she's one of our own filmmakers (because of the Oscar nominations and Cannes awards and stuff): I remembered when the Australian Film Institure or the Australian Film Commission (or both) put this ad on TV made up of clips of 'landmark Australian films' around 1996 celebrating the centenary of cinema, The Piano was featured. Talk about shamelessness...

Peter Jackson, on the other hand, got the cold shoulder. Then again, that was before LOTR and Heavenly Creatures had probably just come out.

[CSM126]

so the statement is not so incorrect.

Except for the fact that New Zealand is 1400 miles away from Australia and that the closest the filming of AAAMT ever got to Australia may have been a fly-over during the plane ride to Europe for overseas filming, yes.

[exte]

I would love to see a Criterion take on The Piano in the future. It's possible via Artisan.

I would die. Though I have the Artisan, and R2 German version, Criterion owes this film the treatment it deserves. Hopefully a three disc with 75 page book... =P~

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Thing is, Australia still thinks she's one of our own filmmakers (because of the Oscar nominations and Cannes awards and stuff): I remembered when the Australian Film Institure or the Australian Film Commission (or both) put this ad on TV made up of clips of 'landmark Australian films' around 1996 celebrating the centenary of cinema, The Piano was featured. Talk about shamelessness...

I'd like to point out here that

(a) The Piano was an Australian-French co-production, so there's no shamelessness involved. It would have been more shameless if the NZ Film Institute had done that.
(b) Campion, while a New Zealander by birth, learned her craft at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School here in Sydney and chooses to live in Australia. Most of her films seem to have been made here. Doesn't make her Australian, but it makes her a director of Australian films.

[ellipsis7]

Campion has already recorded a commentary track which is on Optimum's R2 THE PIANO disc - don't know if the CC could access this...

[King of Kong]

What a can of worms...

It would be nice to see some of Peter Jackson's early slasher films in the Collection. They don't make ideal after-dinner viewing, though...

[editman]

Thanks Rufus for clearing that up.

Slightly OT, but while CC is at it, how about them releasing the films made by other significant female auteurs? Clara Law is one that comes in mind (especially that she's an interesting comparsion to Campion I always believe, based on their background and the motifs of their films).

[devlinnn]

A feast of quirky photography and captivating, idiosyncratic characters, Sweetie heralded the emergence of this enormously gifted director as well as the breakthrough of Australian cinema, which would take international film by storm in the Nineties.

What hack at Criterion is writing this blurb? As much as I love the work of Campion and Sweetie, and have been wishing the eventual release by Criterion on these boards for the past few years, I would hesitate very strongly to claim it as the breakthrough of Australian cinema. (Have we not all seen the perils and hijinks of Smiley?) And what storm from these skies in the Nineties ran through international cinema? Surely we're not drawing a thick texta-line to join the dots of Sweetie to the eventual Baz-Priscilla-Muriel Aussie-kitch-fest that had many of us groaning on our soft-reclining bar-stools of over a decade ago? I would have hoped one could hear the occasional whisper of early Schepisi, or a Cox, or a Hillcoat, in conversation at Criterion HQ.

[Tim]

Off topic, but I agree that Clara Law would be a worthy inclusion. I have very fond memories of Quiyue/Autumn Moon.

[Matt]

Slightly OT, but while CC is at it, how about them releasing the films made by other significant female auteurs?

What an interesting thread that would make.

[ellipsis7]

Anyone have the exact date of SWEETIE's release yet?

[Ashirg]

October 24

[Jeff]

I would love to see a Criterion take on The Piano in the future. It's possible via Artisan.

When has Criterion ever licensed a title from Artisan?