Criterion Newsletter (Part 3)

[HistoryProf]

any possibility of Cousteau's "The Silent World"?

[movielocke]

Thunderball? (heh, I know it's not, but I had to throw it out there)

it seems like the swimmer is wearing a neck tie, but I'm not sure what that would mean.

[warren oates]

it seems like the swimmer is wearing a neck tie, but I'm not sure what that would mean.

It's the only non-literal part of the clue: a "tie" for Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

[Cinephrenic]

Hopefully, this is a beginning of a bunch of Almodovar films.

[FrauBlucher]

Totally stumped there. Wonder what the significance of the tie is, and what is the dark shaft sticking up over the scuba diver's head...

Moe, you couldn't tell that that is Aykroyd under the suit. Clearly it's for Ghostbusters.

[Noiradelic]

what is the dark shaft sticking up over the scuba diver's head...

Took me a minute to figure it out, but it's the other end of the tie, suggesting the "tie up."

[domino harvey]

Totally stumped there. Wonder what the significance of the tie is, and what is the dark shaft sticking up over the scuba diver's head...

Moe, you couldn't tell that that is Aykroyd under the suit. Clearly it's for Ghostbusters.

Plus the figure is crossing the (jet)streams

[ryannichols7]

seriously. very interesting to note that Tie Me Up... is a Miramax title, as opposed to Almodovar's usual relationship with Sony. wonder if Miramax's rights lapsed.

[Moe Dickstein]

Moe, you couldn't tell that that is Aykroyd under the suit. Clearly it's for Ghostbusters.

Plus the figure is crossing the (jet)streams

Awww, you've seen Ghostbusters

[dwk]

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is still listed on Miramax's website. That is the only doubt I have about my guess.

[Moe Dickstein]

If it was Life Aquatic, they're still doing a little blue color for upgrades, yes?

[Lemmy Caution]

any possibility of Cousteau's "The Silent World"?

Dang, that's where my mind went too.
I'd love to see Cousteau become a wacky C.
I was just thinking of the film yesterday because there was a news article about uncovering a sizable whale shark killing operation in southeast China.

[lacritfan]

Yay! First time in three months my newsletter wasn't blank.

[Jeff]

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is still listed on Miramax's website. That is the only doubt I have about my guess.

I think Miramax has only ever had theatrical rights to it in the U.S. though. They released it before they were bought by Disney and had their own home video division. It's the same reason that other pre-93 Miramax films like Sex, Lies, and Videotape, The Piano, and The Crying Game are not with Miramax for home video either.

We actually discussed the possibility of this title nearly six years ago, and at the time I speculated that it might be part of a package licensed from co-producer Palace Pictures. Other titles would include Scandal, and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover. All three titles were originally released by Anchor Bay in the U.S. and had Miramax logos but not copyrights on the packaging.

[dwk]

I forgot about that. I had assumed that the reason that Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover were never re-released on DVD was because of Disney's no NC-17 policy, but maybe they were just tied up in some rights issue that has finally been resolved. Maybe Criterion will finally release The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover this year.

[ianungstad]

If there is a licensing agreement with the entity that controls the library of Palace Pictures; would Hardware be a potential acquisition title? Severin lost the rights earlier this year. Criterion also interviewed Richard Stanley for Island of Lost Souls.

[dwk]

I think that the OOP status of Hardware was because Severin was changing distributors. It is still available from Severin's webstore and their release is pretty good.

Speaking of Stanley, it would be great if Criterion picked up Dust Devil and recreated, on Blu-ray, the awesome limited edition DVD set that Subversive Cinema released.

[HistoryProf]

any possibility of Cousteau's "The Silent World"?

Dang, that's where my mind went too.
I'd love to see Cousteau become a wacky C.
I was just thinking of the film yesterday because there was a news article about uncovering a sizable whale shark killing operation in southeast China.

Yeah, seeing the screen grab it's obviously Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, but I got all excited the moment I saw it thinking it might be Cousteau...not Just Silent World, but a dream box of the numerous short and long form films he did after throughout the 1960s and 1970s. That would be an instant buy and a wonderful thing to see get the full Criterion treatment.

[Lowry_Sam]

I never would have guessed that Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! would be Criterion's first Almodovar. While I'm ecstatic to see him finally enter the collection, it's far down on my list of his titles I'd like to see on blu ray. I would have thought Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown, Matador, Live Flesh or All About My Mother would be first.

[bamwc2]

I never would have guessed that Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! would be Criterion's first Almodovar. While I'm ecstatic to see him finally enter the collection, it's far down on my list of his titles I'd like to see on blu ray. I would have thought Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown, Matador, Live Flesh or All About My Mother would be first.

Huh? Why's that? Regardless, Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown was their first release of the director's work, but it was back before DVD.

[Moe Dickstein]

It's funny how people always forget about the Laserdiscs.

[jindianajonz]

Obsolescence is a bitch.

[Bando]

Looking through the list of Laserdisc releases, it's really amazing how much interesting and diverse material Criterion was putting out. Almost enough to make you want to track down a Laserdisc player and start buying up cheap discs.

[britcom68]

Looking through the list of Laserdisc releases, it's really amazing how much interesting and diverse material Criterion was putting out. Almost enough to make you want to track down a Laserdisc player and start buying up cheap discs.

I am glad I am not the only person feeling that way of late. This thread has led me to wonder about an issue with Laserdiscs that is unclear to me: can Criterion hold onto its Laserdisc-era supplementary materials (interviews, documentaries and most importantly audio commentary tracks) indefinitely or do the copyrights on that change for every title, expiring after a set period of time? I thought of this when IAMMMW was released without the "Something less Serious" documentary from the earlier home release, a sad loss if you actually liked the movie. I mean, would Criterion eventually lose the rights to its Laserdisc supplementary materials? I'm hopeful that there is a clear answer to that scenario, I am not a fan of Pollack's "Tootsie," but perhaps the inclusion of the director's audio commentary from the Laserdisc not ported over to the Columbia dvd will improve my understanding of the film.

[Moe Dickstein]

I believe the same copyright terms would apply for their materials, 75 years or whatever it is.

The Pollack commentary is wonderful, and I've listened to it dozens of times over the years.

If anyone is in LA and wants to get into collecting some old Criterion Lasers, I have two extra players sitting in my closet that are free to the first two people who PM me and are willing to come pick them up from Sherman Oaks. There is quite a lot to be found locally for cheap in used stores. I'm working on completing my set of CC LDs, and I've got just over 1/4 of the entire set at the moment.