Criterion Newsletter

[Jeff]

I anxiously await the supplements to these Lubitsch releases. Criterion seem strained in the other two films put out in terms of extra material. I'd love to see something a littler meatier. With all the Lubitsch releases on the DVD market, there is very, very little background on his films or him, with the exception of the commentary on Trouble in Paradise.

In addition to The Marriage Circle and the French version of One Hour With You and that I mentioned earlier, I would be very happy to see this feature-length German documentary, though I suppose it's mostly about his pre-Hollywood career.

[ianungstad]

Pardon my ignorance; there a lot of criterions that I have yet to see, but have they ever released a musical in the past?

[kaujot]

Pardon my ignorance; there a lot of criterions that I have yet to see, but have they ever released a musical in the past?

The Ruling Class, sort of.

[Jeff]

Here is a good article on the behind-the-scenes wrangling between Cukor and Lubitsch over credit on One Hour With You.

I must admit that I don't know what's up with that Wacky Raccoon. Is he related to one of these, or from a previous Criterion release?

[souvenir]

I would be very happy to see this feature-length German documentary, though I suppose it's mostly about his pre-Hollywood career.

That sounds great, apparently including interviews with the director of Run, Lola, Run (for the kids!). If not this apparent Criterion set then maybe MoC could put it on their Lubitsch silents box?

[Ashirg]

Eisenstein the Sound Years: Coming Soon

you're late by about 6 years. You must mean Silent Years.

[a.khan]

So, Rian Johnson is apparently...an important director.

[domino harvey]

you're late by about 6 years. You must mean Silent Years.

That's what I get for having Roger Ebert proofread my post

[CSM126]

Pardon my ignorance; there a lot of criterions that I have yet to see, but have they ever released a musical in the past?

Le Million, Under the Roofs of Paris, A nous la liberte

So, Rian Johnson is apparently...an important director.

Just like Michael Bay.

[Antoine Doinel]

So can expect Rian Johnson as a future commentator? Perhaps his Brothers Bloom may find itself in the Criterion lineup?

[justeleblanc]

Pardon my ignorance; there a lot of criterions that I have yet to see, but have they ever released a musical in the past?

Le Million, Under the Roofs of Paris, A nous la liberte

A Woman is a Woman?

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Pardon my ignorance; there a lot of criterions that I have yet to see, but have they ever released a musical in the past?

Le Million, Under the Roofs of Paris, A nous la liberte

A Woman is a Woman?

Tales of Hoffman, kinda. It's actually an opera, but what are you going to do?

[tryavna]

I haven't seen much Lubitsch, but did love Heaven Can Wait.

If you liked Heaven Can Wait, then chances are that you'll like just about anything Lubitsch made. (That movie, like The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, seems to be a test case for just how much latitude you're willing to give Lubitsch in terms of sacrificing plot for character and "atmosphere.") But the better test case would be The Merry Widow, which is obviously closer to the other titles we're talking about here, since it's also a musical. As a Warners property, it pops up on TCM quite regularly and will surely come on that channel again before this Criterion release.

BTW, as someone who already owns Image's excellent release of The Marriage Circle, I'd rather see something else included as an extra.

[Jonny Pasadena]

The upcoming Threepenny Opera disc would qualify as a musical as well, no?

[mikeohhh]

I must admit that I don't know what's up with that Wacky Raccoon. Is he related to one of these, or from a previous Criterion release?

he's from Trouble in Paradise

[LightBulbFilm]

The harsh words toward Rian Johnson are un-necessary. I don't know why you guys wouldn't consider him a good director. He proved he can make a great film when he made Brick.

[CSM126]

The harsh words toward Rian Johnson are un-necessary. I don't know why you guys wouldn't consider him a good director. He proved he can make a great film when he made Brick.

Well that's your opinion. Maybe other people have other opinions. You can't really say he "proved" his greatness, when greatness is a subjective thing. "Eye of the beholder" and all that.

[Harold Gervais]

So, Rian Johnson is apparently...an important director.

I don't know about important but Brick was one of the better debut films I've seen in the past 5 or 10 years. The guy has potential. I swear this board sometimes....zero to snotty in less time than it takes to say the word.

[domino harvey]

So, Rian Johnson is apparently...an important director.

I don't know about important but Brick was one of the better debut films I've seen in the past 5 or 10 years. The guy has potential. I swear this board sometimes....zero to snotty in less time than it takes to say the word.

link 2 ur FacebookFlixster acct plz

[reaky]

"Chevalier will be cutting in..." because the son-of-a-gun is nothing but a tailor. It must be Love Me Tonight.

[Harold Gervais]

So, Rian Johnson is apparently...an important director.

I don't know about important but Brick was one of the better debut films I've seen in the past 5 or 10 years. The guy has potential. I swear this board sometimes....zero to snotty in less time than it takes to say the word.

link 2 ur FacebookFlixster acct plz

I don't have any clue about what you are talking about. Sorry.

[tavernier]

I don't know about important but Brick was one of the better debut films I've seen in the past 5 or 10 years. The guy has potential. I swear this board sometimes....zero to snotty in less time than it takes to say the word.

link 2 ur FacebookFlixster acct plz[/quote]
=D> =D>

[Jaime_Weinman]

"Chevalier will be cutting in..." because the son-of-a-gun is nothing but a tailor. It must be Love Me Tonight.

I just hope that The Smiling Lieutenant makes it in, even though it doesn't have MacDonald. It was Lubitsch's first collaboration with Samson Raphaelson, and to the famed "Lubitsch Touch" they added a new strain of whimsical, deadpan, sometimes surreal humor that talkies hadn't had up to that point. Every time I've seen it with an audience, there's laughter all the way through and applause at the end; it works better with an audience than some of Lubitsch's better-known movies.

An odd thing about Lubitsch's musicals is that they often don't have a lot of musical numbers. With Smiling Lieutenant and The Merry Widow he took popular operettas and cut out almost all the songs, relegating them to background music. (He also had Rodgers and Hart write new songs for Merry Widow and didn't use any of them.) Mamoulian's Love Me Tonight has better musical numbers, though Lubitsch's movies are stronger in the dialogue/comedy scenes -- if you put their respective strengths together with the Chevalier/MacDonald team, you'd have the perfect musical.

[Harold Gervais]

I don't know about important but Brick was one of the better debut films I've seen in the past 5 or 10 years. The guy has potential. I swear this board sometimes....zero to snotty in less time than it takes to say the word.

link 2 ur FacebookFlixster acct plz

=D> =D>

You know this board is one of the most informative & educational of any film related sites on the web. I have learned so much and discovered so many films, directors & movements through this place that I had never heard of before that I consider this place to be a treasure trove for any one who cares at all about film, its history & its future. The downside has always been the way it treats with scorn & mockery anyone who dares imply that sometimes people around here take themselves a little seriously or if they are percieved as not being as committed to film as others. I suppose it's why I've been around for several years but have such a low post count. Dealing with the bs of saying anything "wrong" just isn't worth it.

[ezmbmh]

Harold, my feelings exactly.