Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[dwk]

Just an observation... this year CC hasn't released a silent film. I believe a year hasn't gone by without at least one release. Perhaps we'll get one for Dec

Did we have one in 2025?

Return to Reason: Four Films by Man Ray

[Finch]

I'm wondering if they're saving Gold Rush for December. But I'd want So This Is Paris more, don't care if it's in a Eclipse box or a standalone.

[therewillbeblus]

Yes, it would be a lot cooler if they gave us a new silent film instead of merely upgrading one

[rrenault]

Come to think of it, Criterion have never released a silent-era Soviet montage film.

There are just the sound era Eisenstein films.

[captveg]

Just an observation... this year CC hasn't released a silent film. I believe a year hasn't gone by without at least one release. Perhaps we'll get one for Dec

Did we have one in 2025?

Return to Reason: Four Films by Man Ray

A Woman of Paris was also a 2025 release

[ianthemovie]

Just an observation... this year CC hasn't released a silent film. I believe a year hasn't gone by without at least one release. Perhaps we'll get one for Dec

2 of the greatest silents turn 100 next year and have just received new restorations for the occasion: Sunrise & Metropolis. It would be nice if Criterion picked up at least one of them.

chances are extremely, extremely slim. Criterion have really shown how disinterested they are with silents and when we have Kino and Flicker Alley delivering the goods stateside, it's fine that they aren't. I suspect Flicker Alley will do Sunrise and Kino will do Metropolis (like they did already), and both will be great editions, if not improved by potential Eureka editions of both.

To state the obvious we're also still waiting on Greed which has supposedly been in the pipeline for years, though I guess it's unclear at this point whether it's with Warner or Criterion.

Did Flicker Alley confirm that they are releasing The Crowd or did I only imagine that?

[denti alligator]

Passing up Sunrise is baffling. Especially considering the other silents they’ve released over the years.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Is there proof they passed on Sunrise? I agree that it would be exceptionally foolish to pass on that. Did Disney fund the new restoration or was it from another source considering it’s now public domain?

Where’s this info about So This is Paris being a potential release coming from? I’m not convinced that’s coming, but would love it if Flicker Alley had the chance to license silents from Warner Bros.

[domino harvey]

I suspect silent films do terrible numbers. If they didn’t, I’m sure they’d release more

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Is there proof they passed on Sunrise? I agree that it would be exceptionally foolish to pass on that. Did Disney fund the new restoration or was it from another source considering it’s now public domain?

AFAICT the new restoration (which is actually three restorations: the Movietone version, the Czechoslovak version, and the Dutch version) had no involvement from Disney. It was spearheaded by the San Francisco Film Preserve with funding from a Minnesota nonprofit aptly called the Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts. I imagine the film's public domain status is the reason this project happened in the first place.