Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[FrauBlucher]

So with the Fanny trilogy released, I presume that the three Hitchcock's licensed with Straw Dogs have got to be the big November set piece for 2017, right?

But will they reissue the Wrong Men and Notorious Women box set? or just put out singles of Rebecca, Notorious and Spellbound?

Edit: Are there any rumored box sets left on the docket, other than the Berlanga eclipse set?

I'm not sure why Criterion would put the three Hitches in a boxset. They didn't previously release them that way. And there isn't really a thematic reason to do so. I could see them releasing as standalones in rapid succession. Then maybe a huge gift box with all the Hitch titles.

I guess they could be putting together a box of short films as per the phantom pages. But who knows. But I can't think of anything else at this point.

[Feego]

Movielocke is referring to this set from years ago, which just gathered all of the then-available Hitchcock DVDs together, but it did not have a spine number. It was similar to this current Blu-ray box set.

[FrauBlucher]

Ah, I see. It'll be interesting to see if it's a total redo of the 3 former MGMs. I think they'll give it fresh look with new cover art to match the rest of the current Criterion Hitch's.

[domino harvey]

I'm just praying they don't fuck with the Notorious cover, one of their best ever

[FrauBlucher]

Out of the three covers Notorious is the best by far.

[domino harvey]

I mean, the other two are awful, so it's not saying much!

[captveg]

MisterLime says The Great Escape is "with another label". I can't see that one going to Shout, Olive, Arrow, or Twilight Time, especially since MGM did their own release a few years ago.

[FrauBlucher]

It was a Criterion Laserdisc. So...

[kidc85]

Is there any chance that The Lodger will be released in the UK, or does the Network release stop that?

[Ashirg]

The Lodger is with Network in UK. I doubt Criterion has rights outside US/Canada. Although Screenbound editions didn't stop Black Orpheus / Cul-de-sac and Artificial Eye edition didn't stop Solaris...

[dwk]

According to this poster at the Blu-ray.com forums, during his live show Friday night, John Waters confirmed Criterion is going to be releasing some more of his films.

[Costa]

i'm sorry, are those 3 hitchock films certain?
or maybe a 70-80% certain?
(edit: Oh, i saw an earlier post which says they're near certain)

I didn't buy the first blurays because I hated the covers!
I hope i was right to wait..

[ianungstad]

Hopefully they grab Female Trouble and Hairspray in addition to Polyester and Pink Flamingos.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

I have the Sundance restoration of Pink Flamingos by Criterion on laserdisc. I appreciate the work done on the restoration in terms of picture quality (more than twenty years later and it still looks great), but by blowing up the 16mm to 35mm, it's cropped to an unnatural looking 1.85 aspect ratio. It also has a restored soundtrack in 5.1, so those grimey, scratched-up 45s that populate the soundtrack sound like crystal clear CDs; something completely antithetical to what the movie represents. Hope they release it with all the original, bad audio in mono and in tact.

[saji1986]

With the films from the Ingmar Bergman Island Trilogy showing up on Filmstruck with the Criterion logo, is it reasonable to expect a blu-ray box set?

Excuse my ignorance, but I had never heard the news that Criterion had acquired these. For me personally this would be a fantastic addition - just questioning the possibility?

[Ribs]

Seeing as it'll be coming up in two or three month's time, anything seem likely for Spine #900? Whilst I don't think Criterion goes out of their way in any huge capacity for them I certainly feel that the past two big milestones were held specifically for the special numbering. Grand Budapest Hotel should be coming soon-ish (Moonrise Kingdom came out 3 years, 4 months following its release, which for Grand Budapest would be July) which seems as likely as anything.

[Self]

Grand Budapest Hotel seems the most likely. Possibly The Tree of Life or The Koker Trilogy as well.

[Minkin]

With the films from the Ingmar Bergman Island Trilogy showing up on Filmstruck with the Criterion logo, is it reasonable to expect a blu-ray box set?

Excuse my ignorance, but I had never heard the news that Criterion had acquired these. For me personally this would be a fantastic addition - just questioning the possibility?

They've been picking up alot of stuff that MGM has failed to renew. Since they picked up Persona, the rest of the former MGM Bergman titles were nearly a sure thing (I'm not sure if they picked up the rights at the same time, or if they became available more recently). We typically don't find out about these things until released (Janus/homevideo) / Filmstruck.

I had to look up which trilogy you were referring to (Shame, Hour of the Wold and Passion of Anna) - so I'm not sure if its as cemented as a trilogy as the one Criterion has already released (even though Bergman didn't see those films as a trilogy either!). But they've released so much Berman already (only one title away from matching Kurosawa - and they have far more Bergman films left to release) - that I wouldn't be surprised by any way for them to creatively package/sell the titles left.
==============
Great, although very expected news about John Waters. I rather hope he means more than just his two laserdisc WB films - Polyester + Pink Flamingos (although a re-release of Polyester would be a dreamland come true). That said, wasn't Multiple Maniacs originally distributed by WB (New Line Cinema)? It looks like those rights reverted back to Waters - so I wonder if the two mentioned above + Desperate Living, Female Trouble, and Hairspray (all New Line Cinema as well) might have reverted - thus be in play (as though WB wouldn't let Criterion handle them anyway). I could see further Janus tours of all of these. Perhaps they could even finally solve the Mondo Trasho music clearances. I just hope whatever we get, we get an Odorama card included.

[Minkin]

I hadn't seen this posted anywhere else:

Dino Risi's I Mostri (1963) (AKA Opiate '67 / 15 From Rome) played at MOMA in December in a new restoration with credit to Janus.

This was one of the titles on the strange AFI list of Janus films that I found awhile back.

[Omensetter]

If ever there was any doubt that the days of years between acquisitions were behind us.

Add this one to their busy release schedule alongside the David Lynch doc and The Lure (both of which seem firmly targeted at the cult film demographic). Kaurismaki's latest could well net them a second Oscar this decade, between its topical subject matter, seeming baseline quality, and the likelihood that Finland won't submit a different film.

[Graphist]

Do you, guys, think the David Lynch documentary will be released on its own or as a supplement to one of his films? I suspect the former.

[TMDaines]

I hadn't seen this posted anywhere else:

Dino Risi's I Mostri (1963) (AKA Opiate '67 / 15 From Rome) played at MOMA in December in a new restoration with credit to Janus.

This was one of the titles on the strange AFI list of Janus films that I found awhile back.

This needs a better release. Italian DVD is really poor and the French one contains what I understand to be the original French cut of the film with a sketch or two missing.

[Omensetter]

Do you, guys, think the David Lynch documentary will be released on its own or as a supplement to one of his films? I suspect the former.

Yeah, definitely the former. They'd be foolish to tack it onto a release of Lost Highway or The Straight Story, although I'd much prefer that. Maybe I've just kicked and screamed in a college town for too long, but the cult of personality around Lynch is well and alive and includes plenty who'd rather rewatch Blue Velvet for the twentieth time on a big screen rather than explore, well, Kaurismäki. I don't intend to disparage---film is a massive investment of time---but the level of pre-awareness for this film at least exceeds Burroughs and perhaps even Bergman, these days. A July/August release seems likely, as it will presumably line up with his new Twin Peaks show run.

[beamish13]

Do you, guys, think the David Lynch documentary will be released on its own or as a supplement to one of his films? I suspect the former.

Yeah, definitely the former. They'd be foolish to tack it onto a release of Lost Highway or The Straight Story, although I'd much prefer that. Maybe I've just kicked and screamed in a college town for too long, but the cult of personality around Lynch is well and alive and includes plenty who'd rather rewatch Blue Velvet for the twentieth time on a big screen rather than explore, well, Kaurismäki.

You're totally right. I think that along with Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher and Christopher Nolan, Lynch has ascended/descended to contemporary Western filmdom's royalty,
the class of director the casual cinephile is willing to follow the career of and could recognize on the street. More than any of the others from said group, though, Lynch has become
famed for his personality and eccentricities, and that seems to imbue him with an especially rabid following. There are scores of directors with oeuvres as challenging and varied as Lynch's, and
it is frustrating to not see them get nearly as much press attention or adoration as him.

[tenia]

On the other end, I doubt that a Criterion release of documentary about Lynch would gather as much attention and sales than a release of one of his movies.

The other question would also be : what would Criterion include as interesting (sales wise) extra features with the documentary (except deleted and extended scenes, I suppose) instead of keeping them to accompany a movie release ?

It's still need to look as an interesting-enough package to support the relatively higher price point of a Criterion release, and I'm not sure the documentary alone could.