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No, different then the two discers to me.

Well, I'll be the one to bitch....I was really hoping for a digipak with this one, like the early picture we saw. Oh well.....won't cause me to not get it, I just think the packaging could have been much nicer. Oh well.

Even before seeing that picture I was kinda sure it would be a Digipak because of the size of the content. Even the front cover alone looked like a Digipak. Oh well! I really like the pics on the discs though!

No sight of the seahorse-text alternative cover inside the booklet ??!

Saturnome wrote:No sight of the seahorse-text alternative cover inside the booklet ??!

You mean the "23" with the seahorses? It's actually on the index page of the booklet.

disappointing lack of digipak for "23 films", especially after the previous box picture.

Packaging for:
In the Realm of the Senses (DVD)
Empire of Passion
The Hit

As to the 23 Films packaging, I suspect it was originally conceived as a digipak but to save costs was released in a keepcase. I suspect they figured at $49.95 it would probably be a harder sell and compromised in packaging so they could still release it as a 3-disc set (which I'm happy to see) at a cheaper price.

The only bitching toward the Painleve I'll do is for the booklet hiding the one disc, which - as Bunuelian pointed out - expends far too much of my precious energy.

Surprised. Delighted.

"Warning: Explicit Content" is hilarious marketing. An apparently acceptable method of putting a sticker on the front of your product exclaiming "Don't worry about the subtitles, this movie's got naked boobies and sex"

kidc85 wrote:"Warning: Explicit Content" is hilarious marketing. An apparently acceptable method of putting a sticker on the front of your product exclaiming "Don't worry about the subtitles, this movie's got naked boobies and sex"

I wouldn't be too surprised if they had to do that. Somehow I imagine it takes a concession or two to get retailers to put a box with a cumshot facial on it on their shelves. And who could forget Salo's shit eating cover which I still can't believe I found displayed prominently in a store (in a shopping mall no less).

kidc85 wrote:"Warning: Explicit Content" is hilarious marketing. An apparently acceptable method of putting a sticker on the front of your product exclaiming "Don't worry about the subtitles, this movie's got naked boobies and sex"

I'd imagine its for the Wal-Mart crowd...a warning to Bubba and Marge.

But they don't buy Criterion or blind buy when it's expensive (I'm sure they all enjoyed Night & Fog). While it is a warning that may work (I dunno, some more conservative people who consider Criterion as a quality label), it also work as a marketing tool (and much more, I'm sure!). Stores blindly buy and display Criterion without being exactly aware of the content, with Salo and Realm of the Senses never other such films had such kind of accessibility in common stores (I'm probably wrong, but it's not a frequent sight at least)

Saturnome wrote:But they don't buy Criterion or blind buy when it's expensive (I'm sure they all enjoyed Night & Fog). While it is a warning that may work (I dunno, some more conservative people who consider Criterion as a quality label), it also work as a marketing tool (and much more, I'm sure!). Stores blindly buy and display Criterion without being exactly aware of the content, with Salo and Realm of the Senses never other such films had such kind of accessibility in common stores (I'm probably wrong, but it's not a frequent sight at least)

Local Fry's probably displays WR, most stores seem not to care as long as it sells. Never saw a Criterion at a Wallmart though.

knives wrote:Never saw a Criterion at a Wallmart though.

No doubt...my remark was tongue in cheek.

For films that don't have ratings but contain explicit content, those stickers save the retail store a lot of hassle with customers who might try to complain or return a purchased film on the grounds that there was no warning about the sexual content.

I just wish they would've gone with In The Realm Of The Senses: UNRATED AND OUT OF CONTROL instead.

Tribe wrote:

knives wrote:Never saw a Criterion at a Wallmart though.

No doubt...my remark was tongue in cheek.

I've seen Dazed & Confused and Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas at Wal-Mart. I wouldn't expect to many others though.

cdnchris wrote:As to the 23 Films packaging, I suspect it was originally conceived as a digipak but to save costs was released in a keepcase. I suspect they figured at $49.95 it would probably be a harder sell and compromised in packaging so they could still release it as a 3-disc set (which I'm happy to see) at a cheaper price.

Seems unlikely to me digipak packaging is that much more expensive than a keepcase, it is after all simply a common, mass produced, cardboard box.

People sometimes talk about digipaks as though they are made of gold and diamonds.

I think the keepcase is simply a bad (aesthetic) packaging choice.

Digipaks have a higher initial cost and there isn't a price drop for repressings. Plus the complex gold and diamond inlays require at least five to seven unpaid child workers per unit to set properly

cdnchris wrote:While I actually like it (and it was probably done for economical reasons to keep the price down) I'm sure you guys are going to bitch and moan about it:

Packaging for Science is Fiction

I actually like it, it saves shelf space.

domino harvey wrote:Digipaks have a higher initial cost and there isn't a price drop for repressings. Plus the complex gold and diamond inlays require at least five to seven unpaid child workers per unit to set properly

Only five to seven? I demand at least ten! Other corporations wouldn't cut those kinds of corners!

tholly wrote:I've seen Dazed & Confused and Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas at Wal-Mart. I wouldn't expect to many others though.

Add My Own Private Idaho to that list.

agnamaracs wrote:

tholly wrote:I've seen Dazed & Confused and Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas at Wal-Mart. I wouldn't expect to many others though.

Add My Own Private Idaho to that list.

I find it more than a bit shocking that Wal-Mart would carry My Own Private Idaho! Oh well, if memory serves, I've also seen Chasing Amy and The Life Aquatic there as well. And, while it's not quite Wal-Mart, my wife (then girlfriend) bought the Criterion edition of The Rock at Target on the day of its release. Come to think of it, I've definitely seen Chasing Amy there as well and I believe that their website even offers a fair number of Criterions if you do the searching.

Target definitely holds some criterions, but I've found Fry's to be the cheapest B&M store.

As for the Painleve, I too love that it will save shelf space. I'm just happy they didn't do whatever you would call it as they did the Ophuls. Does anyone know how much of this set overlaps with the BFI and if there are any unreleased between the two?

knives wrote:As for the Painleve, I too love that it will save shelf space ... Does anyone know how much of this set overlaps with the BFI and if there are any unreleased between the two?

C'mon, I know you can handle this on your own. On page 2 of the release thread Domino lists the BFI titles, and Chris lists those found on the Criterion.