Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[criterionsnob]

Excellent month, even though I’ll be double or triple dipping on four titles.

[DimitriL]

Really burying the lede that two cuts of TEXASVILLE are included with The Last Picture Show!!!

I’m a tiny bit stunned that people haven’t picked up on this little bombshell yet.

[yoloswegmaster]

I'm hoping that the release of The Last Picture Show means that we can get more standalone releases from the Columbia sets. Taxi Driver next please!

[Ribs]

Criterion have created a somewhat hilarious auteurist dilemma, as real Bogdanovich fans will now want to own both this standalone release - for Texasville - and the Columbia Classics Vol. 3 set - for To Sir With Love II.

[diamonds]

Really burying the lede that two cuts of TEXASVILLE are included with The Last Picture Show!!!

I’m a tiny bit stunned that people haven’t picked up on this little bombshell yet.

It's interesting that there are now at least three versions of the film: the theatrical cut, the original director's cut (in color), and this new B&W director's cut à la Nickelodeon.

Hopefully this signals more interest in some of his other work.

[Ribs]

One can't help but notice this conveniently brings us up to Spine #1199... wouldn't be surprising if there's still an ace up their sleeve for November (or December, I guess, as we saw with the Olympics set)

[fiendishthingy]

They didn’t announce WALL•E until September last year even though it was a November release, so I suppose it’s possible that there’s still something unannounced, though that may have been a special case.

Edited to add that I just realized that Ozu’s 120th birthday is on a Tuesday in December (the 12th), so that would be a perfect day for some sort of box set…

[ryannichols7]

Edited to add that I just realized that Ozu’s 120th birthday is on a Tuesday in December (the 12th), so that would be a perfect day for some sort of box set…

this has been a hope...

I'd say Ozu has the shortest odds - this year is the 120th anniversary of his birth (and 60th of his death), with Shochiku sponsoring events to mark it worldwide - including complete retrospectives. Criterion have upgraded relatively few of his films and some have already had more recent restorations.

not to mention his 120th birth/day falls on a Tuesday, 12 December. obviously they'd probably be more likely to release it in November since it's a sale month, but I agree...Shochiku is pushing this big time (as one can see on their social media), the BFI have confirmed they're doing releases. I just can't see a way Criterion sits this one out

and I still stand by it. it lines up way too conveniently. they have been inconsistent with numbering the boxsets (Olympics and Godzilla getting them but Bergman/Varda/Fellini/WKW/Pasolini did not) but I can see them rolling with that 1200/120/12th/etc. seems almost too obvious, but hey

[vsski]

I just hope that if it’s a box set, it’s not just a rehash of the BFI releases, but lots of new extras and new transfers (at least for most).

[Blutarsky]

With The Last Picture Show being released on 4K after being released in the Columbia box, is it safe to say Columbia/Sony will release the Taxi Driver 4K from the earlier Columbia box? I mean, it seems like for the past two years we have been gifted with two Scorsese releases. Curious what y’all think?

[Finch]

I'll be getting everything in the November line-up except the Jackie Chan set. Very pleasantly surprised by the Chabrol announcement as the Artificial Eye BD is getting a bit old, and happy to see Mean Streets in there. Perhaps we'll see Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore in 2024.

I'll second the hopes for Taxi Driver getting a standalone release!

[Ribs]

I don't really see Columbia letting go of Taxi Driver. It's one of the, like, ten, if not five, most iconic films associated with the studio, it's entirely on another tier then Last Picture Show. I'm sure they'll just port their disc out on its own as a steelbook or otherwise, especially as I don't really see what Criterion would add to it.

I also am quite confused by the amount of people who seem to want Criterion to spend time doing releases that already exist in the US. Very odd to me.

[Finch]

To be honest, I just want Taxi Driver getting disentangled from the Sony set. Whether Sony or Criterion release it is secondary to me as I have no interest in the Columbia Classic sets (too many films in each set I have no interest in watching/revisiting).

[DeprongMori]

I mean, it seems like for the past two years we have been gifted with two Scorsese releases. Curious what y’all think?

Since 2020, we’ve gotten:

• Mean Streets (4K UHD) - November 21, 2023
• After Hours (4K UHD) - July 11, 2023
• The Last Waltz (4K UHD) - March 29, 2023
• “Raging Bull” (4K UHD) - July 12, 2022
• Rolling Thunder Revue (Blu-ray*) - January 19, 2021
• The Irishman (Blu-ray*) - November 24, 2020
• Scorsese Shorts (Blu-ray*) - May 26, 2020

Prior to that, The Age of Innocence was 2018, and The Last Temptation of Christ was 2012, both on Blu-ray*, so Criterion seems to be on a roll recently with Scorsese.

There was a new 35mm print of the full 155 minute New York, New York at the Venice Film Festival in 2019, but I don’t believe it was a restoration. I’m reasonably sure that Criterion is working closely as possible with Scorsese to get as much of his work into definitive releases while he’s still able. I’m guessing that either Taxi Driver or New York, New York will be next. Fingers crossed for Bringing Out the Dead soon, which is lacking even an HD Blu-ray release anywhere — plus, best to get Paul Schrader’s active participation on that and Taxi Driver soon.

(* Criterion’s first 4K UHD release was November 2021, and all subsequent Scorsese releases have been in that format. The Age of Innocence, Rolling Thunder Revue, and Scorsese Shorts Blu-ray releases were all based on new 4K masters, so are all likely candidates for eventual 4K UHD re-issues. Only The Last Temptation of Christ is lacking a new 4K master, so I’m guessing that will be prioritized over the other current releases for an update.)

[yoloswegmaster]

Since the Mean Streets release was timed for it's 50th birthday, I would think that a blu for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore would be on the cards (and would be greatly appreciated).

[FrauBlucher]

I mean, it seems like for the past two years we have been gifted with two Scorsese releases. Curious what y’all think?

Since 2020, we’ve gotten:

• Mean Streets (4K UHD) - November 21, 2023
• After Hours (4K UHD) - July 11, 2023
• The Last Waltz (4K UHD) - March 29, 2023
• “Raging Bull” (4K UHD) - July 12, 2022
• Rolling Thunder Revue (Blu-ray*) - January 19, 2021
• The Irishman (Blu-ray*) - November 24, 2020
• Scorsese Shorts (Blu-ray*) - May 26, 2020

Prior to that, The Age of Innocence was 2018, and The Last Temptation of Christ was 2012, both on Blu-ray*, so Criterion seems to be on a roll recently with Scorsese.

There was a new 35mm print of the full 155 minute New York, New York at the Venice Film Festival in 2019, but I don’t believe it was a restoration. I’m reasonably sure that Criterion is working closely as possible with Scorsese to get as much of his work into definitive releases while he’s still able. I’m guessing that either Taxi Driver or New York, New York will be next. Fingers crossed for Bringing Out the Dead soon, which is lacking even an HD Blu-ray release anywhere — plus, best to get Paul Schrader’s active participation on that and Taxi Driver soon.



(* Criterion’s first 4K UHD release was November 2021, and all subsequent Scorsese releases have been in that format. The Age of Innocence, Rolling Thunder Revue, and Scorsese Shorts Blu-ray releases were all based on new 4K masters, so are all likely candidates for eventual 4K UHD re-issues. Only The Last Temptation of Christ is lacking a new 4K master, so I’m guessing that will be prioritized over the other current releases for an update.)

I was recently thinking the same thing, even before Mean Streets was announced. I think this is happening because of his age and legendary status in the annals of Cinema. Not just his own but what he has meant to the history here and abroad. It's really cool to see. I will even suggest that Goodfellas joining Criterion wouldn't surprise me. WB released a UHD for Goodfellas which has gone OOP. It's a shame that Fox is the rights holder for The King of Comedy. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is probably next

[Calvin]

I was a bit surprised (however many years ago it was now) that Scorsese Shorts was its own spine rather than being paired with Who's That Knocking at My Door? and now I'm a bit surprised that that one hasn't been paired with Mean Streets. Will they release it standalone or is it just going to be passed up altogether?

[nowhereisaplace]

I really hope they do, particularly for the complex production history a scholarly edition could explore. The film existed in 3 distinct versions at 3 separate times - 1965 with Bring On The Dancing Girls, Scorsese’s lengthy 35mm thesis film for NYU which was ultimately a failure, followed in 1967 by I Call First, which was augmented by new material shot in 16mm by Scorsese and Michael Wadleigh which had a festival run, and finally the 1968 release version we have today that has a surreal sex scene jammed in the middle of a scene in the middle of the film (the final montage of the film was also revised, with some shots of the sex scene showing up there as well).

I’m not sure if any of these earlier versions still exist, but it would be cool to view them, as they are crucial documents in his progression as a filmmaker. I also happen to quite like the film; it doesn’t have the impact of Mean Streets, but it has an energy that is undeniable - plus a great opening!

[ryannichols7]

I don't really see Columbia letting go of Taxi Driver. It's one of the, like, ten, if not five, most iconic films associated with the studio, it's entirely on another tier then Last Picture Show. I'm sure they'll just port their disc out on its own as a steelbook or otherwise, especially as I don't really see what Criterion would add to it.

I also am quite confused by the amount of people who seem to want Criterion to spend time doing releases that already exist in the US. Very odd to me.

ditto. and I'll admit my bias against Scorcese before saying anything else, but wouldn't people want one of his movies that doesn't already have a serviceable disc? I understand it can't be bought separately, but maybe have Sony do that and free CC to do something else? sure, Taxi Driver was a laserdisc title much like Last Picture Show was, but the latter is legitimately the first UHD upgrade to have new supplements on it (and a gigantic one, at that). I legitimately haven't a clue what Criterion could add to Taxi Driver, especially considering they're barely adding much to Mean Streets, which seems like it should've been paired with the shorts or at least some other film. but hey, the market dictates what it wants...

[brundlefly]

I also am quite confused by the amount of people who seem to want Criterion to spend time doing releases that already exist in the US. Very odd to me.

ditto. and I'll admit my bias against Scorcese before saying anything else, but wouldn't people want one of his movies that doesn't already have a serviceable disc? I understand it can't be bought separately, but maybe have Sony do that and free CC to do something else? sure, Taxi Driver was a laserdisc title much like Last Picture Show was, but the latter is legitimately the first UHD upgrade to have new supplements on it (and a gigantic one, at that). I legitimately haven't a clue what Criterion could add to Taxi Driver, especially considering they're barely adding much to Mean Streets, which seems like it should've been paired with the shorts or at least some other film. but hey, the market dictates what it wants...

Thirded (though with no anti-Scorsese bias), so when I saw comments like

We are so back.

my reaction was, "Back buying the same dozen movies over and over."

Mostly I'm hoping the lack of a November Eustache box doesn't mean they're either going to only release Mother and the Whore and be content to let the rest ride on the channel or dump them into a Zetterling/Widerberg new-Eclipse blu set. This seemed like a good opportunity to get press on that, but hopefully it just means they're not ready yet and they'll have it for the February flash sale.

[rrenault]

A lot of people on Blu-ray.com seem to be pushing for Criterion 4K releases of old laserdisc titles, but are new Criterion 4K editions of films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Pulp Fiction, and even Goodfellas really necessary?

What I would love is a 4K release of The Leopard.

The US 4K of Goodfellas does appear to be OOP though, which leads some to speculate it’s coming from Criterion. Who knows…

[flyonthewall2983]

I wonder if Lawrence of Arabia is on the table. The 4K steelbook Sony put out independent of the box is OOP and fetching high prices secondhand already.

[diamonds]

so when I saw comments like

We are so back.

my reaction was, "Back buying the same dozen movies over and over."

Mostly I'm hoping the lack of a November Eustache box doesn't mean they're either going to only release Mother and the Whore and be content to let the rest ride on the channel or dump them into a Zetterling/Widerberg new-Eclipse blu set. This seemed like a good opportunity to get press on that, but hopefully it just means they're not ready yet and they'll have it for the February flash sale.

I don't recall US Blu-ray releases for La Cérémonie or Texasville or most of the Jackie Chan work (but good for you if you're region free). And I've more or less made peace with the fact that a significant portion of their slate as of late has been devoted to 4K upgrades, which Days of Heaven badly needed in my opinion (much more than The Princess Bride for instance).

November seemed to me an almost impossibly fast turnaround for a Eustache box after the retrosepctive. (Especially considering it's been over two years since Janus released the trailer for the Rohmer seasons quartet). I'm painfully aware of the need for it and have been just as eagerly awaiting it, fret not.

[Finch]

Put it this way: I'd prefer Criterion to get Bringing Out The Dead over Taxi Driver if faced with a choice, not least because it'd indeed be hard to see what they could bring to the table for TD. But if getting TD as a standalone release in the first place means Criterion licensing it from Sony, so be it. And it needn't preclude BOTD for that matter, though I'm sympathetic towards the argument that Criterion could/should give a spine number to something other than Taxi Driver (even if they seem to put in the barest effort with titles like Dim Sum). But TD and BOTD are the two Scorseses I'm passionate about so I hope we see them from Criterion because Sony doesn't seem much interested in releasing the former individually and it's like a lottery with Paramount's encoding while Pixelogic have been more consistent (if not always amazing). And if the economics of a release like TD allow Criterion to take the plunge on an unknown or less well-represented title, then that's another upshot.

rrenault mentioned The Leopard on 4k. Yes, please.

[therewillbeblus]

Those are his two best films (followed closely by Wolf of Wall Street), but yes, Bringing Out the Dead is in dire need of an HD release and should be prioritized