Criterion Discussion and Random Speculation Volume 7

[Toby Dammit]

For a WB second deal I think SOME, laserdisc titles would be/are a huge priority (there are only 99 LD titles that have not been migrated to DVD/Blu).

From a very quick skim, this seems to be most of the WB owned film (Some are MGM but WB owns a lot of their old library, iirc, like with RKO):

Citizen Kane
King Kong
Blade Runner
A Night at the Opera
Scaramouche
Show Boat
North by Northwest
Singin in the Rain
Adam's Rib
Forbidden Planet
Darling
The Wizard of Oz
2001
Adventures of Robin Hood
West Side Story
Casablanca
Lolita
Bad Day at Black Rock
Arsenic and Old Lace


From those I think the most likely might be
Citizen Kane
King Kong
A Night at the Opera
Scaramouche
Show Boat
Singin in the Rain
Adam's Rib
Adventures of Robin Hood
Lolita
Arsenic and Old Lace

What about Luchino Visconti's The Damned??? (La Caduta degli Dei). It's a Warner title and sounds like a logical pick after Death In Venice

[eerik]

I fucking hope we get a Fellini box, that would be an absolute dream come true! Throw in all the Studio Canal films, and then make it a complete one while we're at it.

Hopefully 8 1/2 also gets a new 4K restoration.

New 4K restoration for any film is always nice, but what's wrong with the recent 2K restoration from 2013?

[Boosmahn]

If we're talking about a new Warner deal, Freaks could use an upgrade...

[justeleblanc]

As could Merry Widow.

[Ovader]

Criterion tweeted a link for a new essay by Colm Tóibín on Almodóvar. A tease perhaps?

[mfunk9786]

No - his films are being featured this month on Criterion Channel

[Drucker]

3 Silent Classics, When We Were Kings, Matewan, Haxan...

Bummed I didn't offload that VS box for big bucks!

[Glowingwabbit]

Ooooooh 3 Silent Classics being upgrade was definitely worth the wait.

[swo17]

Spine 1000 being announced next week, per the announcement email

[agnamaracs]

And When We Were Kings even includes Soul Power, the film about the concurrent music festival. That is a nice touch.

[criterionoop]

I feel vindicated in guessing WHEN WE WERE KINGS when most were talking about Beat Poets.

[Glowingwabbit]

We so rarely get silent films from Criterion, who would have thought we would get 2 releases (4 films) in one month!!!

[Luke M]

I feel vindicated in guessing WHEN WE WERE KINGS when most were talking about Beat Poets.

Obvious clue was obvious

[dda1996a]

Kind of a meh month though... Except for the Von Sternberg nothing really much, but I guess it's in preparation for the 1000th. Haven't seen Haxan or WWK, but I found Matewan really disappointing. At least it would look great in highdef

[Finch]

What a great year for Sternberg fans with the Indicator set and this upgrade!

[TwoTecs]

I fucking hope we get a Fellini box, that would be an absolute dream come true! Throw in all the Studio Canal films, and then make it a complete one while we're at it.

Hopefully 8 1/2 also gets a new 4K restoration.

New 4K restoration for any film is always nice, but what's wrong with the recent 2K restoration from 2013?

The Criterion came out in January 2010 and has a "high-definition digital transfer" and not a 2k restoration . Compare its quality to the 4k based transfer of La Dolce Vita. The difference is immediately clear.

[movielocke]

Interesting, the only thing upgraded on Haxan is the cover and transfer. All the supplements are identical to the october 2001 original release.

[captveg]

Interesting, the only thing upgraded on Haxan is the cover and transfer. All the supplements are identical to the october 2001 original release.

They're not even bothering to do a new DVD edition (note the art work credits), which is becoming a more common trend when the Blu-ray features a new master (BRD Trilogy, Fists in the Pocket). Seems they used to do DVD upgrades more often than not when the BD was from a new master.

[swo17]

I took it they were redoing the DVD because when you click that option it still says "Coming soon, available Oct 15, 2019"

[captveg]

I took it they were redoing the DVD because when you click that option it still says "Coming soon, available Oct 15, 2019"

I don't see why they would still credit Eva Wah for the DVD cover if they were. ("Blu-ray cover by Glyn Smith (pictured); DVD cover by Eva Wah")

Same thing happened last month with Fists in the Pocket despite only the BD saying it was sourced from the new 4K, and the month before that for Magnificent Obsession and An Angel At My Table, even though these two don't seem to have a reason to reissue the DVDs. While the DVD orders now share the same date as the new Blu-rays, nothing else actually indicates new DVDs are being pressed for these titles.

[swo17]

I agree re: the Eva Wah credit. This has been a way in the past to tell whether the DVD was being reissued, but perhaps not anymore

[movielocke]

And if you put the dvd in your cart it will tell you it is “in stock” even though the new cover art shows up

[mfunk9786]

Sort of blows me away that DVD began as a format in 1995 and Blu-ray began as a format in 2003, but a company like Criterion is still pressing separate DVD editions at all in 2019. Put in other terms: In three years' time, DVD will be as old a format as VHS was when DVD came onto the scene, and is already as old as LaserDisc was by then

[FrauBlucher]

Wow. They announced! But of course they left one mystery remaining.

Sorry just got to internet

[mfunk9786]

Wow. They announced! But of course they left one mystery remaining.

Sorry just got to internet

This is the sort of hard hitting discussion and random speculation that we are all craving.