Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol.3

[Derek Estes]

I hope the Berlin cover is actually screen printed. It would be a nice touch on such a fine set.

[jbeall]

I love the Berlin Alexanderplatz artwork!!!

Time to start saving $$$ for this one (which'll be relatively easy, as Criterion are putting out lots of films that I don't really feel like buying in the next couple of months).

[mikeohhh]

Criterion are putting out lots of films that I don't really feel like buying in the next couple of months).

whatta weirdo, amirite???

[pianocrash]

The Berlin Alexanderplatz cover would look stunning on a matching paper-brown colored box, but that Year logo & wacky C are so so annoying! Hooray for temp box art!

[denti alligator]

Drunken Angel, Stardust and Tinsel and BA I like (though Matt's right, they need to shift the text at the bottom so the logo doesn't cut off the first letters). Lady Vanishes would be great if a) the face were removed, then b) the font was changed. As it is it's horrible.

[Gregory]

Is there a name for the style of design on the upper half of the Sawdust and Tinsel cover? It seems very fashionable right now, especially screenprinted on clothing (though I can´t seem to find a link to a picture of the kind of thing I´m talking about).

And count me as another who dislikes the new Lady Vanishes cover. That kind of large face fading into the background is on many of the worst covers out there. My first thought was that she´s supposed to be "vanishing" but of course then it should have been Miss Froy.

[Highway 61]

Is there a name for the style of design on the upper half of the Sawdust and Tinsel cover? It seems very fashionable right now, especially screenprinted on clothing (though I can´t seem to find a link to a picture of the kind of thing I´m talking about).

I didn't notice until you said anything, but yes, the design looks like every faux-vintage shirt I see for sale. And now, I definitely hate that cover.

[domino harvey]

Is there a name for the style of design on the upper half of the Sawdust and Tinsel cover? It seems very fashionable right now, especially screenprinted on clothing (though I can´t seem to find a link to a picture of the kind of thing I´m talking about).

I didn't notice until you said anything, but yes, the design looks like every faux-vintage shirt I see for sale. And now, I definitely hate that cover.

Ingmar Bergman's Free Mustache Rides

[jt]

CC and MoC have between them, made 2007 the best ever year for both DVD releases and cover art.

That being said, it's been a while since I've loved all the artwork for a single month's releases but I think these four are all very nice and perfect for their respective films.

[Svevan]

That being said, it's been a while since I've loved all the artwork for a single month's releases but I think these four are all very nice and perfect for their respective films.

You're not interesting unless you hate something, or maybe if you love something that everyone else hates. Start defending The Lady Vanishes cover, otherwise you're looking very generic.

[timothy.newsum]

Is there a name for the style of design on the upper half of the Sawdust and Tinsel cover?

It's a typeface called Nars3 (designed by Eduardo Recife at misprintedtype[.]com) -- very fashionable because you don't necessarily have to be a good designer to buy a font and use it.

[Gregory]

That´s it! It´s not just the font but also things like the crown shown on the Sawdust and Tinsel cover (crowns, crosses, crests, and other ornate touches) to go along with the text that I´ve seen screenprinted or embroidered on longsleeve shirts, denim, album covers, etc. I´ve spent a little too much time on crowded subways staring at people´s clothing I guess.

[jt]

That being said, it's been a while since I've loved all the artwork for a single month's releases but I think these four are all very nice and perfect for their respective films.

You're not interesting unless you hate something, or maybe if you love something that everyone else hates. Start defending The Lady Vanishes cover, otherwise you're looking very generic.

Point taken. The Lady Vanishes screams of cheap pulp novel covers from decades ago, except much more polished.
The font and floating head especially are unlike almost all the other CC covers and I think that is what they were going for. I think it's pretty cool and will look different from all the other covers on my shelf.

But if I have to avoid being generic, how about this: "I think that the Lady Vanishes cover is not only the best CC cover, nor is it just the greatest dvd cover in history, it is quite simply one of the crowning artistic achievments of all mankind."

[Steven H]

But if I have to avoid being generic, how about this: "I think that the Lady Vanishes cover is not only the best CC cover, nor is it just the greatest dvd cover in history, it is quite simply one of the crowning artistic achievments of all mankind."

I'm probably going to name my children after The Lady Vanishes Criterion DVD cover art I love it so much. I can't believe that Drunken Angel mess hasn't drawn more ire.

[scalesojustice]

I have to admit, at first I wasn't aware these were new announcements and I was going to upbraid people for posting fan covers in this thread. Oops.

oddly enough, i thought the same thing and actually checked the thread name at the top, thinking it wasn't what i thought i clicked on. they just seem like better cover substitutes for shitty ones.

then again, we have some spectacular fan cover-makers here.

[jmj713]

I like The Lady Vanishes cover. Very 1930s.

[Greathinker]

I can't believe that Drunken Angel mess hasn't drawn more ire.

Haven't seen the film but even then I don't think the concept would reveal itself. What's more is that they're continuing to play on the association of Kurosawa's painting background, while reusing the font from the past yojimbo/sanjuro covers-- by recycling these materials they seem to be saying that it's a minor work, and are relying on the 'kurosawa' look to sell it, maybe.

Because I like to try and show up criterion when the opportunity arrives, here's a 10 minute mock-up.

[Gigi M.]

I can't believe that Drunken Angel mess hasn't drawn more ire.

Because I like to try and show up criterion when the opportunity arrives, here's a 10 minute mock-up.

That's actually very good. Try changing the fonts to more Japanese style.
Also, like the color split reference.

[TheGodfather]

The Berlin Alexanderplatz and Drunken Angel are great, Sawdust And Tinsel is beautiful. Only The Lady Vanishes I don`t really like. As said, the face needs to go.

About all the covers: I feel the colors they use for the logo`s aren`t good looking. They should`ve picked a color that`s already used in the cover. Especially the blue for The Lady Vanishes and the brown for Sawdust And Tinsel.

[Highway 61]

I can't believe that Drunken Angel mess hasn't drawn more ire.

Just like the Days of Heaven cover, I think Drunken Angel's art would work if Criterion didn't shoehorn a figure into the cover. Granted, I haven't seen the film. Can anyone who has offer an explanation?

And Greathinker, that's some nice work. I'm impressed that in a mere 10 minutes you can make a better B&W headshot cover than any Criterion has ever done. It's also interesting to see how easily you make the Wacky C design work when Criterion still hasn't figured it out.

[Jem]

here's a 10 minute mock-up.

Sorry Greathinker, I prefer The Criterion cover. That half and half split image is just too expected.

[djali999]

I dunno, I think outside of showing the stagnant pond, they chose probably the most famous thing about Drunken Angel that's not a still of Mifune or Shimura regarding each other. I'm not a huge fan of the font, but it integrates stylistically with the (much more tasteful) Stray Dog cover. I also suspect that it'll look fine in person, in its' cute little clear Amaray.

I say, at least it wasn't something expected. Sawdust and Tinsel, on the other hand, I think deserves something a little more reserved than that nonsense. They can make reserved Bergman covers that are still fun, like Smiles of a Summer Night, which are as elegant as the films are. Sawdust & Tinsel looks like it came from Hot Topic.

[domino harvey]

Sawdust and Tinsel as a movie has a fair amount of nonsense tho, the cover is nothing if not wholly appropriate to the spirit of the film

[jon]

I would like the Drunken Angel cover a lot more if they lost the orange logo and the anime inspired font choice (though the whole cover is a bit anime inspired). Berlin is absolutely awesome looking and will look great as a digipak. And though it is sort of a hodgepodge and somewhat photoshoppy on the top half, I really dig the look of The Lady Vanishes cover and think it will be better in person. Sawdust is horrendous.

[godardslave]

I like the days of heaven cover very much.
i would hope strongly this would be a digipak, as i think the faded colors used suits digipak better, but somehow i doubt it will be, they seem to be favoring more of the keep cases (boring!) again recently.

the sawdust cover is somewhat messy and unimaginative; it lacks a strong graphical style or theme, as though the designer struggled to pull a unifying theme for the artwork from the film content.