CC40

[Tuppence]

Criterion have always been somewhat full of themselves, but releasing an $800 hymn to your own social media series is genuinely pathetic.

[domino harvey]

Great question! It’s worse! Because that had some films in it that at the time were not otherwise available

Frankly the approach they should’ve had is (and they’ll do this sometime in the future though I’m not hopeful) a box set of films that wouldn’t really sell otherwise that Criterion hasn’t put out to not only pay tribute to their defunct Eclipse line but also to the whole point of why the Criterion Collection is so important to so many, because it brings forth films they’ve otherwise would’ve never heard of.

Yeah, that would have actually been inspired. Call it “Hidden Gems” and make the cover holographic or lenticular and you’d still get the same people who like things like this for the ornate packaging on board

[Aspect]

I just packed 40 random criterions into a box. Who wants to PayPal me $640?

[domino harvey]

Only if you toss out any second discs that came with those releases!

[Mark L.]

I get this isn't for us, but I'm not sure it even succeeds as a "Criterion for Newbies" box for the younger Letterboxd crowd. If anyone is even somewhat interested in physical media they already have a good handful of these and if they're completely new to the scene $400 (the SALE price) is still a huge investment for a bunch of non-4K blu rays. I could see a box half this size doing okay, but this feels kind of kooky and misjudged. I even think some of the people they're targeting with this would have picked up a cool auter specific box at a more manageable price that would have at least also appealed to people who are doomed to peruse these boards.

[domino harvey]

This kind of thing no longer makes sense as a gift set even. Surely if you wanted to get something for someone who expressed interest in Criterion but didn't know where to start, you'd... spend $100 on a year's subscription to the channel for them, right?

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Only if you toss out any second discs that came with those releases!

This is exactly what bugs me! [Insert that Giancarlo Esposito photo from the set here] The selection of films here is quite good but if it's Criterion without those extras then what's the use of that Criterion branding? Is this a gift for say one's parent who can't be bothered to subscribe to the Channel so this is the next best thing? I kinda get it in that way but then again as tenia pointed out that price tag is a problem. I can already think of several people besides myself who'd be delighted to find the Eustache box sitting in their hand for birthdays/holidays instead of whatever this is supposed to be.

[dwk]

Only if you toss out any second discs that came with those releases!

This has 49 discs, so it appears that he 2nd discs are all included.

It is their 40th anniversary, so I dont have any issue with them releasing greatest hits boxset, but it is a bit of a bummer that it appears to be the only big set happening this year. Especially as it really shouldn't have been a very resource or time heavy release (just new designs for previously published discs and essays.)

[colinr0380]

Great question! It’s worse! Because that had some films in it that at the time were not otherwise available

Don't remind me! I eventually got the UK DVD of Madadayo, but that never got a standalone Criterion release outside of that set and I am still patiently waiting on it getting a Blu-ray bump up!

[tenia]

They are sitting on Eustache, Ozus, Buñuel, so MANY films that have been restored

It's also part of the issue with this set : it's going to recycle now 10-15 years old discs of movies that have since gotten much better restorations, and for some even UHD releases. I can see this being a set that actually used very little resources beyond picking titles and putting the packaging together, but as such, it should barely get any marketing. This is nothing to boast about, and except from a price perspective if included in any future 50% sale, anyone who might want to start digging into the collection might be better off buying those releases at their own pace and without having to get movies they might not be interested in.
It's also way too expensive to be a festive season gift set.

[bfaison]

I get this isn't for us, but I'm not sure it even succeeds as a "Criterion for Newbies" box for the younger Letterboxd crowd. If anyone is even somewhat interested in physical media they already have a good handful of these and if they're completely new to the scene $400 (the SALE price) is still a huge investment for a bunch of non-4K blu rays. I could see a box half this size doing okay, but this feels kind of kooky and misjudged. I even think some of the people they're targeting with this would have picked up a cool auter specific box at a more manageable price that would have at least also appealed to people who are doomed to peruse these boards.

I had similar thoughts when I saw the product page - who is this for exactly? The price would seem to alienate both established and new collectors the same. Then again, that Janus DVD box seems to be a coveted item even today. I don't have every film included but I can't see a reason to buy this outside of those that collect every spine or those with some packaging fetish

[criterionsnob]

Exactly, the Janus 50th box is long out of print, and there doesn't appear to be any overlap with that set. So maybe there are some people who just want to own "some Criterions," but don't want to put in the effort of actually picking and choosing the films they want out of 1200+ films. They must have reason to believe this will sell to somebody. It also probably didn't take much time away from producing those lusted after auteur box sets by just creating one new disc of YouTube videos and repackaging everything else.

[therewillbeblus]

I can't imagine this selling well either. The only reason I can think to get it is 'save shelf space', which a new collector likely wouldn't be too concerned with yet anyways

[Maltic]

They did it... they're actually putting the closet picks on disc.

49-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION COLLECTOR’S SET FEATURES

• Digital restorations of all forty films

Digital restorations! Of all the films!

[domino harvey]

Only if you toss out any second discs that came with those releases!

This has 49 discs, so it appears that he 2nd discs are all included.

Thanks for the correction, that makes it slightly better, but in the way a 30/100 is better than a 20/100 but both are still Fs. I poked around the internet and I think it's telling that even the Blu-ray.com forums are dunking on this and the only praise is coming from the guys on the Criterion subreddit who probably have a Criterion t-shirt cumsock

[dwk]

If you needed to buy movies for a library or video store, getting this during one of the 50% off sales is a steal. But other than that, I can't see much of a market for it.

I think doing a book of as many of the commissioned essays (going back to the laserdisc liner notes) as possible would have been a more enticing, and practical, 40th anniversary release. (A not very practical, or possible, but more interesting release wolud have been a box set of the the first 10 laserdiscs, the first 10 DVDs, the first 10 Blu-rays, and the first 10 UHDs.)

[Saturnome]

I can imagine this in the office of some kind-of-rich person, something prestigious (the Criterion brand!) to point at to gain the trust of their client. They know Kurosawa and Fellini but seem weirdly unpassionate about it, they haven't seen a film in years.

[Maltic]

I've mostly stopped dunking on CC. They have been and will be putting out some huge upgrades of certain films (The Roaring Twenties, The Devil and Daniel Webster, Real Life, After Hours, Pat Garrett, the 2 Lewtons, the Duras films...), which is good enough for me at this point. Other labels can break new ground.

And this set, whatever...

[pzadvance]

Great question! It’s worse! Because that had some films in it that at the time were not otherwise available

Sorry, but doesn’t that make this way better since every established collector can just ignore it? If it was all of these films plus a random unreleased Eustache or Ozu, how infuriating would it be to have to shell out $400 just to get the 2 or 3 new releases?

It’s completely anecdotal but i have already had a younger friend reach out in excitement over this. Blu-ray forums and those already in the collecting habit are clearly not the target audience here, but i could see a budding cinephile who’s bought a couple Criterions but hasn’t fully committed yet getting hyped up over this. It covers a wide range of eras and subject matter and doesn’t seem as “old and inaccessible” as the art house collection might have to a theoretical younger buyer. Still, for that sort of person it’s a steep asking price, but as mentioned it will come out to $10/film during sales so it’s technically speaking a better deal than buying these all individually!

As a misuse of resources, i can see cause for complaint— although repackaging pre-existing discs can’t be such a massive effort, right? Regardless, i tend to look at something like this, recognize that it’s not targeted at me, and carry on, thankful to have absolutely zero temptation to shell out money for it.

[hearthesilence]

Good point about the cost of repackaging - I'm skeptical that this is somehow sucking up so much resources that we're being denied some coveted release, and it really is ridiculous to complain about something that's clearly not meant for buyers like us. I highly doubt Criterion executed this idea without having some concrete idea of the economics based on their own sales data - for all I know, it's something meant for schools and public libraries and they're simply making it available to the public. (Not unprecedented, physical media has always had releases like that.)

Sorry, but doesn’t that make this way better since every established collector can just ignore it? If it was all of these films plus a random unreleased Eustache or Ozu, how infuriating would it be to have to shell out $400 just to get the 2 or 3 new releases?

OTM.

[Mark L.]

Good point about the cost of repackaging - I'm skeptical that this is somehow sucking up so much resources that we're being denied some coveted release, and it really is ridiculous to complain about something that's clearly not meant for buyers like us. I highly doubt Criterion executed this idea without having some concrete idea of the economics based on their own sales data - for all I know, it's something meant for schools and public libraries and they're simply making it available to the public. (Not unprecedented, physical media has always had releases like that.)

I would push back a little on the idea that we're being denied a coveted release because of resources. It's more like we're being denied some coveted release because it's taken up the prime release window. So far this reminds me of the Bergman and Fellini push. It seems this is "the" big box this year. I'm fine with that, not everything needs to be something I'm personally interested in, but it's definitely a bummer as those big filmmaker boxes are something a lot of people around here look forward to (even if i haven't gotten around to picking up the last few!).

[Lowry_Sam]

Given how little extra spending monsey I have these days, I welcome this. a collection of titles that will be upgraded to UHD in 2025 & 2026 is something I don't have to give a second thought to.

[zedz]

Great question! It’s worse! Because that had some films in it that at the time were not otherwise available

Frankly the approach they should’ve had is (and they’ll do this sometime in the future though I’m not hopeful) a box set of films that wouldn’t really sell otherwise that Criterion hasn’t put out to not only pay tribute to their defunct Eclipse line but also to the whole point of why the Criterion Collection is so important to so many, because it brings forth films they’ve otherwise would’ve never heard of.

Or a box of 40 BluRay debuts for "classic" Criterion titles that never had an upgrade from DVD (and might not warrant the commitment of a standalone release)

Here are forty titles (limited to one per director) drawn from the non-upgraded DVD titles that are currently available on the Criterion Channel (and thus presumably not that difficult to license / upgrade) - and there are dozens and dozens more:
Great Expectations
Henry V
Blood of a Poet
Ivan the Terrible I & II
I Know Where I’m Going!
Double Suicide
Ordet
Le Trou
Closely Watched Trains
The Last Wave
Loves of a Blonde
Pepe le Moko
I Am Curious – Yellow & Blue
Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne
Il Posto
The Pornographers
Knife in the Water
Salvatore Giuliano
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
Stray Dog
Early Summer
Tout va bien
Kanal
Burden of Dreams
The Flowers of St. Francis
Story of a Prostitute
Shoot the Piano Player
Mr. Arkadin
La Bete Humaine
Viridiana
A nos amours
The Spirit of the Beehive
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
Fires on the Plain
The Face of Another
Les Enfants Terribles
Cria Cuervos
The Fire Within
La Ronde
Colossal Youth

[domino harvey]

Michael Cera never picked any of those, they might as well not exist

[andyli]

We still have our November announcement next week, I should hope?

The moment I saw the picture of this I thought this was a giant box set of Criterion Channel stuff unreleased on disc… Imagine my disappointment.