Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[yoloswegmaster]

Frank Tarzi from Kino Lorber essentially confirmed on the latest episode of Shelf Space that all the 50s Kubrick titles that KL released on 4K are now with Criterion. I'm gonna assume this means that the other MGM 4K titles released by KL that went OOP are now also with Criterion.

Kind of a pointless acquisition if you ask me but I'm sure it will be a money maker regardless.

[Finch]

Might not be completely pointless if Criterion address the bad audio on the Kino Manchurian Candidate. But that's the only MGM title I can think of where they can do better. The Great Escape could have had HDR compared to Kino's SDR only disc but Criterion don't seem to add it if none of the behind the camera team is alive to consult on it, and a lot of people will have imported the Arrow already, too.

[ryannichols7]

said it in the Arrow thread (or the Kino one?) but I'm more hopeful Arrow do their own 4K of The Manchurian Candidate. not only would they fix the poor audio, but likely also add good supplements, something this film has never gotten on home media

[Mark L.]

Someone I know was personally told by Sean Baker that Prince of Broadway would be coming out in April.

Just saw a (35mm!) screening of Anora with an appearance by Karren Karagulian and he went out of his way to mention this coming in April. So seems pretty set.

[Elizabeth Corday]

What would it take for the Kinuyo Tanaka boxset? I know her birthday is November 1909 so would that be....2029 we would get it? I know Janus has them but I'm wondering if it will happen. I have a fear they think shes niche or something

[pianocrash]

What would it take for the Kinuyo Tanaka boxset? I know her birthday is November 1909 so would that be....2029 we would get it? I know Janus has them but I'm wondering if it will happen. I have a fear they think shes niche or something

Without some Tiktok hashtag goosing, a living canonical CC-approved filmmaker direct request/monetary bequest, or a direct shift in the letterboxd consciousness derived from streaming numbers in the millions, wishing on a comet might prove more successful, at this point.

There are already several box set-worthy amounts of titles CC has been hoarding (don't get me started!), so Tanaka, despite the wealth of discovery it could mean to any viewing audience, just doesn't have the numbers to justify a physical product....or does it?!?!? ](*,)

[Matt]

There used to be an assumption around here (if I recall correctly) that Kurosawa and Ozu (and maybe Mizoguchi) were the only classic-era Japanese filmmakers whose work would reliably sell. I think this came around when the BFI, Masters of Cinema, and Criterion tried to present Naruse as a great, unheralded filmmaker who was their equal and very few people bought into it.

Now in 2025, it seems like any classic Japanese film that doesn’t have a sword (or a ghost) in it is unsellable. Tanaka has the current cachet of having been the rare female director in that era, but her movies just aren’t going to shift enough units on physical media. I’m sure Criterion has box office data from the Janus theatrical release of her films that leads them to believe this.

In some respects, Criterion has become much like other streamers in that they now seem to acquire content primarily to put on their streaming platform.

[Michael Kerpan]

Matt, I think you are heartbreakingly correct -- at least as to the English-centric world. Perhaps we might see some French releases of significant (but lesser known) non-sword-and-ghost classic Japanese films (no English subs, of course). But America especially seems to have lost most of the interest it once had. Not only Naruse was a bust (despite being my second most favorite director), but Animeigo lost its shirt with its first (and last) Tora-san box set. So, I never ever will expect a Tanaka-kantoku set released with English subs. And for most of my favorite, less-well-known directors, I dfon't ever expect to see much (if any) streaming with subs. Mostly I expect that I won't see virtually any classic film that I have not already seen (albeit only unsubbed).

[andyli]

Yet Criterion released Demon Pond with the best format option recently. I wonder what they see in that title that’s particularly sellable.

[knives]

It has Demon in the title.

[sabbath]

Yep. Horror sells, and Demon Pond looks and sounds like yet another classical Japanese horror film such as Kwaidan or Onibaba, especially when you release it together with I Walked with a Zombie + The Seventh Victim in October.

[andyli]

Valid point I guess, plus the fact that it's the first English-friendly release in the West for quite a while. But maybe the situation still has some hope. Janus is touring The Burmese Harp at the moment, and the eventual physical media release will probably make a lot of us happy. Needless to say Radiance is setting the example of championing so many underseen Japanese works from auteurs like Kawashima, Oguri, Imamura, as well as Oshima in the future, that have neither samurai nor ghost in them. And then there's Third Window (and Cinema Guild) who is bringing more modern stuff to the audience. Lastly, I don't see how Carlotta can manage a Naruse or Tanaka box set while Criterion cannot. We aren't expecting the latter to be as thorough in the extras department or as devoted in printed material at this point anyway.

[andyli]

On the other hand, it doesn't seem to me that samurai or ghost alone could serve to prioritize a physical release. Funny you should mention Kwaidan, as the other day I was thinking about Masaki Kobayashi. I felt he was kind of 'left out' (if not 'abandoned') by both his home country and the West nowadays, as far as new restoration and re-release are concerned. Come to think of it, his most famous works only have 2K/HD restoration no matter how ghost/samurai-friendly they are. Still patiently waiting to watch The Inheritance and Samurai Rebellion in a decent HD copy. And absolutely radio silence about his other noir stuff getting restored or released for new editions. To me Kobayashi has always been a very marketable film master, and his skills in genre cinema is right up there with Kurosawa...

[JSC]

They've mentioned they weren't going to do it, but a blu-ray edition of the Eclipse Line would be marvellous. At least
it would get more titles onto disc, even if they had no extras. Maybe it isn't commercially viable, but I would personally
have prefered (for example) a complete Eustache set to a one-off 4K release of The Mother and the Whore.

[andyli]

If we end up getting a Tanaka set this year a la the Sembene set it’s still better than nothing.

[Walter Kurtz]

It has Demon in the title.

The post of the decade.

[ryannichols7]

If we end up getting a Tanaka set this year a la the Sembene set it’s still better than nothing.

I can promise I would absolutely complain that it didn't get a better shake, but ultimately I'd be glad they'd just be released. if they can release the Sembene and Widerberg sets, I don't see any reason they can't do Tanaka. but they seem very content with hoarding stuff for streaming (I feel reasonably confident that Radiance would've taken the chance and put out the Tanaka films)

I'll be more excited about Criterion's Japanese opportunities if they release The Burmese Harp on UHD. not only as it's a big favorite, but since it's a non-big name director (though I personally think of Ichikawa as big!) doing a non-genre film. as much as I was happy to see Branded to Kill and Demon Pond get 4Ks, they're very marketable

[Michael Kerpan]

Burmese Harp is big, but Ichiokawa doesn't get all that much attention overall -- and it looks like no one will ever pick up his black comedies (which are some off my Ichikawa favorites).

[Mr.DarjeelingLimited]

Jim McBride’s Breathless shows up on related films to Chungking Express

[domino harvey]

Ha wow, there it is. The Shout and Fun City Blus are OOP, this is presumably happening but hard to imagine why we needed a third edition of it

[dwk]

Since I spaced and missed the FCE Blu-ray, I can use it. Plus, I assume it'll be on UHD. Hopefully Cutter's Way also gets re-released from someone, because I missed that one too.

[jt938]

I'm predicting Married To The Mob will be picked up by Criterion as well considering their past with Demme.

[knives]

I’m one of the crazies that prefers it to the original so I say bring it on.

[Finch]

I'd be very happy with a 4K of Married to the Mob, and while we are at it, of Something Wild and Melvin and Howard. FCE's BD of Married didn't have a great encode and if they do Something Wild again maybe they'll add more extras this time.

PS.: I thought Burmese Harp might get the upgrade this month but that evidently didn't happen.

[jt938]

I'd be very happy with a 4K of Married to the Mob, and while we are at it, of Something Wild and Melvin and Howard. FCE's BD of Married didn't have a great encode and if they do Something Wild again maybe they'll add more extras this time.

I want a Something Wild 4k so badly. One of my favorite movies ever.