Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[yoloswegmaster]

Where do you see Lili Marleen, and what's this about the Wellspring titles? Also, we already know about most of the titles that appear on the website since they've appeared on Filmstruck with the Janus logo at the start.

[SpiderBaby]

The ex-Wellspring Fassbinder titles that Criterion picked up years ago that haven't been released yet. I was replying to the post before mine that we knew of those (and Querelle).

But here's where I see Lili Marleen https://www.criterion.com/films/27931-lili-marleen

[Minkin]

Not sure where to post this or if it has been posted elsewhere, but a reverse-spine columned search reveals a wealth of new titles, including Uncle Boonmee and Cemetery of Splendor, tons of Fassbinder, Berlanga, Safdie, and Kaurismaki, two Vardas and a Chytilova, Dersu Uzala, Spirits of the Dead, Miracle in Milan, Room at the Top, etc. Do we know anything about this? More phantom pages?

A few of those were on Filmstruck, but others (Uncle Boonmee / Safdie / etc) didn't have a Janus logo at the beginning.

They're just phantom pages now, and I'm sure they'll be added to the Criterion Channel at some point. But the question is whether these are just limited offer streaming films, or if Janus / Criterion actually have any sort of rights.

So, per my promise - I won't be adding anything lest it has a Janus logo. But it will be a good thing to keep an eye on.

[dda1996a]

Not sure where to post this or if it has been posted elsewhere, but a reverse-spine columned search reveals a wealth of new titles, including Uncle Boonmee and Cemetery of Splendor, tons of Fassbinder, Berlanga, Safdie, and Kaurismaki, two Vardas and a Chytilova, Dersu Uzala, Spirits of the Dead, Miracle in Milan, Room at the Top, etc. Do we know anything about this? More phantom pages?

What does reverse-spine columned search means and how does one do it?

[Boosmahn]

Sort titles by spine on criterion.com in reverse order

[dda1996a]

The weird thing is they also list a bunch of shorts, both unreleased and released. Lynch's short films available on the Eraserhead blu are also listed on those spinless films

[Peter McM]

Claire Denis' High Life has finally hit wide (so to speak) release in US theaters, ahead of Criterion's issue of Let the Sunshine In next month. What are the chances of its announcement this month, or possibly next, assuming Criterion is actually releasing it to begin with?

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

I don't see any reason to think High Life is on the table for Criterion, since they've never worked with A24 before.

[dustybooks]

Room at the Top was rumored years ago, back in the Hulu days, but I figured it had fallen by the wayside. The BFI release is out in May.

Edit: and I can verify that it doesn't have a Janus logo, that's one of the first things I checked when the CC went live.

[Adam X]

The two Varda feature films were included in the Jacques Demy set.

[DeprongMori]

Note: Many of the titles originally noted from the “Reverse Spine #” listing have already been cleaned up off the listing. No more uncategorized Varda, no more uncategorized Lynch, no more Lili Marleen, etc.

[Ribs]

Spike Lee has confirmed Do the Right Thing for a summer release on his Instagram

[yoloswegmaster]

DTRT feels like a July release, wouldn't be surprised if it was announced on Monday.

[hearthesilence]

Since they corrected the color timing of the 4K restoration on the German BD, there's good reason to hope that it will be corrected here too.

[Harmonov]

So re: "why was Sofia Coppola recently in the Criterion studio?"
The transfer of Bugsy Malone on the channel is terrific (Haven't seen the ITV blu-ray for comparison), and it's one of Coppola's favorite movies. Just throwing that out there for a possible future disc supplement.

I haven't checked in in a while, but Bugsy Malone has always been one of my hopes for Criterion to release. It is one of my favorite films from my childhood and I recently picked up the Zavvi steelbook but will happily double dip if Criterion were to release it. I had no idea they were even considering it. This make me VERY happy.

[onedimension]

Since they corrected the color timing of the 4K restoration on the German BD, there's good reason to hope that it will be corrected here too.

Has Spike Lee ever commented on the color timing, or his original intentions? I got used to the yellow tint, it stands in for something like the heat made visible, palpable, gives everything a sense of heightened or alternative reality.. but I'm sure if it had been released in theaters looking like the Universal blu ray it would have been a critical hit anyway

[zedz]

Maybe, but the point is moot because it wasn’t. The theatrical release was hot, hot, HOT!

[andyli]

Since they corrected the color timing of the 4K restoration on the German BD, there's good reason to hope that it will be corrected here too.

The previous release is not from a 4K restoration, one thing Criterion can fix this time.

[Boosmahn]

Separate pages for the different Mr. Arkadin versions are up -- upgrade incoming?

[DeprongMori]

Separate pages for the different Mr. Arkadin versions are up -- upgrade incoming?

Maybe not. The titles at the top of the “reverse spine number” sort are just individual titles without a spine number. The Mr. Arkadin box has a spine number but the films themselves don’t.

[hearthesilence]

Since they corrected the color timing of the 4K restoration on the German BD, there's good reason to hope that it will be corrected here too.

Has Spike Lee ever commented on the color timing, or his original intentions? I got used to the yellow tint, it stands in for something like the heat made visible, palpable, gives everything a sense of heightened or alternative reality.. but I'm sure if it had been released in theaters looking like the Universal blu ray it would have been a critical hit anyway

Probably, I can't imagine color timing making THAT big of a difference with critics, but regardless, they talk about this on the supplemental materials, which is why it was baffling that they would remove it. Basically, they shot this in the spring (I think March) and it was usually grey and overcast, so all the grading was done to help make it look and feel like summer. I think there's a post in this forum that goes into more detail, but someone here talked with Ernest Dickerson about this and asked him why both releases could look different when he supervised both. His answer is pretty straightforward - the movie came out in 1989, and Criterion's DVD and Universal's BD were years apart as well, and he's done a LOT of other films in between, so he admitted he probably didn't remember or know exactly what he did, and I'm guessing Universal didn't give him a visual guide to help him remember what the film originally looked like.

Since they corrected the color timing of the 4K restoration on the German BD, there's good reason to hope that it will be corrected here too.

The previous release is not from a 4K restoration, one thing Criterion can fix this time.

Ah my mistake, apologies!

[senseabove]

The post where someone says they asked Dickerson directly about the timing is over on HTF: https://www.hometheaterforum.com/commun ... st-3733842

[KJones77]

https://www.criterion.com/films/286-do-the-right-thing

Do the Right Thing upgrade coming 7/23

[domino harvey]

I can’t believe Europa Europa is finally coming out. Been over a decade since it was supposed to be released

[soundchaser]

No Bamboozled? Wow - wonder if it'll be coming this year after all. Can't see them doing two from the same director in just a few months.