Discuss releases by Criterion and the films on them. Threads may contain spoilers!
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onedimension
- Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:35 pm
#151
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by onedimension » Mon Apr 16, 2018 5:43 pm
hearthesilence wrote:Holy s***, this is amazing. I wasn't sure if some of these titles would ever get released.
Most have been scattered on DVD, some in decent transfers - but this is the first time they've all been put together in the context they deserve.
Hoping for the same with the Mann/Stewart cooperations someday, but Criterion has a lot of months left to fill.
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Murdoch
- Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 11:59 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
#152
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by Murdoch » Mon Apr 16, 2018 5:59 pm
I haven't been this excited by a Criterion release in a while. I adore Sternberg and Dietrich's collaborations.
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Mooney
- Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:32 am
#153
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by Mooney » Mon Apr 16, 2018 6:11 pm
I'm stunned and speechless. This is a amazing release.
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Drucker
- Your Future our Drucker
- Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:37 am
#154
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by Drucker » Mon Apr 16, 2018 6:15 pm
Holly shit.
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Werewolf by Night
#155
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by Werewolf by Night » Mon Apr 16, 2018 7:04 pm
I have been waiting for this for about 20 years. Thank you, Criterion.
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denti alligator
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:36 pm
- Location: "born in heaven, raised in hell"
#156
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by denti alligator » Mon Apr 16, 2018 10:50 pm
Yeah, I think this was on the rumored forthcoming list at the first Criteron Forum back when I joined in.... 2003?
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DeprongMori
- Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2014 1:59 am
- Location: San Francisco
#157
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by DeprongMori » Mon Apr 16, 2018 11:19 pm
I notice that the set does not seem to include two supplements from The Scarlet Empress DVD release — Documentary: "The World of Josef von Sternberg," including interview with Kevin Brownlow (30 min.), and Von Sternberg tribute by underground filmmaker Jack Smith. I understand the documentary is quite good and a unique glimpse into Sternberg’s lighting methods. It sounds like quite a loss. Anyone have thoughts on these?
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Ashirg
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:10 am
- Location: Atlanta
#158
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by Ashirg » Mon Apr 16, 2018 11:22 pm
Shanghai Express was rumored to be joining collection at least since October 2001...
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cdnchris
- Site Admin
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:45 pm
- Location: Washington
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Contact:
#159
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by cdnchris » Tue Apr 17, 2018 12:36 am
I'm pretty sure it had been rumored since Scarlet Empress was released, so 2001 sounds about right.
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Svevan
- Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2004 7:49 pm
- Location: Portland, OR
#160
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by Svevan » Tue Apr 17, 2018 2:27 am
Finally! What a set.
Blonde Venus and the Golden Afro - not my favorite of the Von Deitberg collabs, but a weird and glitzy film. Worth it for the hairstyles alone.
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movielocke
- Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:44 am
#161
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by movielocke » Tue Apr 17, 2018 2:42 am
I remember Shanghai Express being rumored around 2001-ish because I put off watching it for a few months thinking a dvd was imminent.
As I recall during an HTF chat with criterion around 2002-2003 era they said there were no suitable materials for Shanghai Express on dvd, at least not comparable to the standard they’d released Scarlett empress in, so it had more or less been indefinitely postponed/shelved.
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ethel
- Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:47 am
#162
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by ethel » Tue Apr 17, 2018 3:27 am
The apparent absence of Jack Smith from the extras is concerning. I hope the overall impression of sober heteronormative academic analysis isn’t actually the whole story. Couldn’t they rope in John Waters, Charles Busch and Lypsinka for balance? Sheesh. The films are delirious, and the extras should ideally reflect this at some point. It’s not John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks fans who’ve lit candles and kept shrines to these films for lo these 80 years.
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Roscoe
- Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 3:40 pm
- Location: NYC
#163
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by Roscoe » Tue Apr 17, 2018 10:27 am
Any word as to the restorations? I'm hoping they've found the missing dialogue from SHANGHAI EXPRESS.
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mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
#164
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by mfunk9786 » Tue Apr 17, 2018 10:36 am
david hare's post above has some information on that.
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oldsheperd
- Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 5:18 pm
- Location: Rio Rancho/Albuquerque
#165
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by oldsheperd » Tue Apr 17, 2018 2:45 pm
Happy for this release and the price is perfect!
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senseabove
- Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 3:07 am
#166
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by senseabove » Tue Apr 17, 2018 5:50 pm
david hare wrote:I can't verify the 4K of Shanghai Express has the missing dialogue reinstated but one assumes it will.
If it isn't this is it:
CHANG. Explain to him if he does not tell the truth I'll have him shot.
LILY to LENARD (in French): He says if you don't tell the truth he will have you shot.
LENARD (In French) when I was in the army I committed a minor offence and I was discharged.
LILY: He has been discharged for a minor offence.
CHANG. THen why does he wear that uniform?
LILY. Why do you wear that uniform then?
LENARD. I'm going to see my sister and I dont wamt her to know I've been discharged. It would cause too much shame and sorrow.
LILY. HE is going to visit his sister and he doesn't want her to know about his disgrace.
I don't know the history of the cut or the vintage of the 35mm print I saw—though IIRC it looked fairly pristine—but when I saw it a few weeks ago it had this dialogue in it...
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whaleallright
- Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:56 am
#167
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by whaleallright » Thu Apr 19, 2018 3:23 pm
ethel wrote:The apparent absence of Jack Smith from the extras is concerning. I hope the overall impression of sober heteronormative academic analysis isn’t actually the whole story. Couldn’t they rope in John Waters, Charles Busch and Lypsinka for balance? Sheesh. The films are delirious, and the extras should ideally reflect this at some point. It’s not John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks fans who’ve lit candles and kept shrines to these films for lo these 80 years.
I gotta agree with this. The centrality of Dietrich and these films in particular to the development of a camp sensibility—and all the gender fuckery the films include— is so important that it would be a major oversight not to make these things the subject of at least one of the "extras" on this set.
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Tuco
- Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 4:57 pm
- Location: Twin Cities, MN
#168
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by Tuco » Fri Apr 20, 2018 12:13 am
I swear that the last time I saw Shanghai Express on TCM (before Comcast bumped TCM to a more expensive tier), the missing dialog was, well, not missing. And that wasn't the first time I've heard/seen it. At any rate, so excited about this set. And not just because my wife won't be crabby about me "buying another fucking blu-ray" because she luuuuuuuuves Marlene.
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Roscoe
- Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 3:40 pm
- Location: NYC
#169
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by Roscoe » Fri Apr 20, 2018 8:51 am
The last time I watched it on TCM the dialogue about the French officer was missing. A pity.
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Feego
- Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 7:30 pm
- Location: Texas
#170
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by Feego » Fri Apr 20, 2018 9:16 pm
david hare wrote:I can't verify the 4K of Shanghai Express has the missing dialogue reinstated but one assumes it will.
If it isn't this is it:
CHANG. Explain to him if he does not tell the truth I'll have him shot.
LILY to LENARD (in French): He says if you don't tell the truth he will have you shot.
LENARD (In French) when I was in the army I committed a minor offence and I was discharged.
LILY: He has been discharged for a minor offence.
CHANG. THen why does he wear that uniform?
LILY. Why do you wear that uniform then?
LENARD. I'm going to see my sister and I dont wamt her to know I've been discharged. It would cause too much shame and sorrow.
LILY. HE is going to visit his sister and he doesn't want her to know about his disgrace.
Tuco wrote:I swear that the last time I saw Shanghai Express on TCM (before Comcast bumped TCM to a more expensive tier), the missing dialog was, well, not missing.
I just checked my DVD of
Shanghai Express that was released by TCM in 2012. The lines I have bolded in David Hare's quote above are there, but the lines before that are missing. We hear Chang say, "Your passport says nothing about your military rank." Dietrich translates and the soldier answers, then there is a visible cut to Chang asking about the uniform. I saw no evidence of visual deterioration prior to the cut however. I'm pretty sure this is the version that has aired on TCM for the last several years.
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black&huge
- Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2017 5:35 am
#172
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by black&huge » Sat Apr 21, 2018 2:08 pm
With this mammoth being announced I hope an upgrade of the 3 silent classics box set isn't too far behind.
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hearthesilence
- Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
- Location: NYC
#174
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by hearthesilence » Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:01 pm
Universal released a PAL DVD of Shanghai Express that's pretty good - surprised DVDBeaver didn't use it in their comparisons, and I have to say the new Criterion doesn't look all that different from it. (No surprise - I was under the impression that any radical improvement in PQ is very unlikely given the best available elements,)
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domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
#175
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by domino harvey » Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:05 pm
I'm surprised that Shanghai Express only has one extra directly related to it. Those coming into this set blind would not be blamed for not realizing it's one of the most popular of the films