criterionforum.org

High and Low on Blu!

Cocteau and my favourite Kurosawa - good month in my book.

If we get a Kubrick in July then I think July 2011 is the best blu-ray month yet. Even without it it's darn close, imo.

What's left for Melville that Criterion could possibly have access to? The man only directed thirteen features, and Leon Morin makes eight that Criterion has released.

Looks like they're saving Le Samourai until the last. September or October maybe..

Surprised that Carlos wasn't in this month's line-up, must be some stacked release they're planning.

And yet another great director enters the collection via the back door: Shyam Benegal.

Magnet of Doom, Two Men In Manhattan or When You Receive This Letter are still around for Criterion to get to. They're certainly the most overlooked Melville titles. Though more likely could be Le silence de la mer given the MoC connection.

damn. In a light month like this, we really should get an eclipse.

On the other hand we only have Lady Vanishes and Salo left to be released to blu from the DVD-only reissues.

I'm thinking Salo next month, and Lady Vanishes sometime this fall, maybe a big Hitchcock push/box in November?

Finch wrote:Surprised that Carlos wasn't in this month's line-up, must be some stacked release they're planning.

I have a strange feeling that it'll be in December.

colinr0380 wrote:Magnet of Doom, Two Men In Manhattan or When You Receive This Letter are still around for Criterion to get to. They're certainly the most overlooked Melville titles. Though more likely could be Le silence de la mer given the MoC connection.

I'd plump for the latter. It's coming out on Blu in France, it probably has the strongest reputation of the remaining films (and deservedly so), and there's a major extra-in-waiting in the form of Melville's first film (also readily available) - plus, from a marketing standpoint, there's the thematic connection with his big hit Army of Shadows.

High and Low is about 3rd or 4th on my Kurosawa BD wishlist, but I'll take it.

As far as Melville is concerned, there's still Un Flic. Also, why didn't they change the DVD covers, as well, for Naked and Beauty and the Beast? Usually, if they create a new cover for a blu ray upgrade, they give the DVD that same new cover as they did with Solaris.

I'm so happy about LEON MORIN. Thought that was in the StudioCanal dead zone, and had no idea it was forthcoming until today. That and HIGH AND LOW made my month - both personal favorites of mine.

rrenault wrote:Also, why didn't they change the DVD covers, as well, for Naked and Beauty and the Beast? Usually, if they create a new cover for a blu ray upgrade, they give the DVD that same new cover as they did with Solaris.

Because they aren't reissuing the DVD versions with different features or a new transfer. Of course, there's always the possibility that future pressings will don the revised Blu artwork.

Somehow I have a feeling we'd see a Janus theatrical run before seeing blu ray upgrades for L'Avventura and L'Eclisse. Also, isn't Beauty and the Beast a studio canal property? Perhaps SC has European rights only to B & B and Leon Morin. I also saw Topsy-Turvy listed on SC's site.

rrenault, Un Flic is a StudioCanal title, released on dvd by Lionsgate under the title Dirty Money (re-released actually, Anchor Bay issued it first under its real title, but the rights shifted to Lionsgate).

Also, StudioCanal has no US rights to Beauty and the Beast.

zedz wrote:And yet another great director enters the collection via the back door: Shyam Benegal.

That's great news - I've never seen that documentary. In terms of his features wouldn't it be great if Criterion released Ankur or Mandi! Channel 4 here in the UK regularly turns towards Benegal's films for their late night seasons of Indian film screenings over the Summer months - last year they even showed the most recent film, Well Done Abba!, which has a great tall tale/flashback structure involving the relaying of a series of unfortunate events involving tasks within tasks and escalating chaos that ensues from them.

swo17 wrote:

rrenault wrote:Also, why didn't they change the DVD covers, as well, for Naked and Beauty and the Beast? Usually, if they create a new cover for a blu ray upgrade, they give the DVD that same new cover as they did with Solaris.

Because they aren't reissuing the DVD versions with different features or a new transfer. Of course, there's always the possibility that future pressings will don the revised Blu artwork.

If I'm not mistaken, the only change they made to the Solaris upgrade was fixing the blue tint of the B & W scenes. Otherwise, it's the exact same release I believe.

That alone necessitates a new transfer.

movielocke wrote:damn. In a light month like this, we really should get an eclipse.

On the other hand we only have Lady Vanishes and Salo left to be released to blu from the DVD-only reissues.

I'm thinking Salo next month, and Lady Vanishes sometime this fall, maybe a big Hitchcock push/box in November?

What big box? I thought they only had the rights for lady vanishes and 39 steps.

felipe wrote:

movielocke wrote:I'm thinking Salo next month, and Lady Vanishes sometime this fall, maybe a big Hitchcock push/box in November?

What big box? I thought they only had the rights for lady vanishes and 39 steps.

I think their are a couple Wanger Hitchocks that could happen like Foreign Correspondent. They can also probably get some more of the 30s Hitchcocks if they wanted to. I'm theorizing a box since Lady Vanishes and 39 Steps haven't happened yet. probably not happening, but it'd be great if they surprised us all with a November Hitchcock box.

What are the rights issues with the Hitchcocks Criterion released on laser but never on dvd? A lot of them are in the MGM Premiere Collection along with Rebecca, Notorious, and Spellbound, but as far as I know Blackmail and Secret Agent only have public domain releases here.

Ecstatic for LEON MORIN. Not too long ago I asked about its potential release on here and was shot down. I'm glad those people were wrong and we're getting it.

Apparently 1991: The Year Punk Broke is coming out loaded later this year from Universal.

Criterion is not mentioned in either that Pitchfork note nor the Slicing Up Eyeballs post they link to as a source.

Janus have just posted on their Facebook page that a new print of Shindo's THE NAKED ISLAND opens on Friday. Guessing we'll see a Criterion this year then? Maybe the same month as Kuroneko...