Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol.4

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fdm · #851 Post by **fdm** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 5:07 am

I wonder if a blu-ray release automatically means cardboard for both, or might they throw in some plastic-only releases too?

(Can't really see the blu-ray fanboys going for cardboard all that much, they really do like their blu plastic cases (worse about it than me even).)

Cinephrenic · #852 Post by **Cinephrenic** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:52 am

The El Norte cover couldn't be more appropriate. Perfect representation over a social realist drama. Like a Diego Rivera mural.

a.khan · #853 Post by **a.khan** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 8:46 am

A month when neither the DVD releases nor the artwork sucks? Welcome back, Criterion; for now.

(November has to be Ozu month. I can feel it.)

kidc85 · #854 Post by **kidc85** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 1:23 pm

Love the style of the Rossellini cover, is it symbolic/representative of something from the movie?

mteller · #855 Post by **mteller** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 3:02 pm

Cinephrenic wrote:The El Norte cover couldn't be more appropriate. Perfect representation over a social realist drama. Like a Diego Rivera mural.

It's pretty much the same as the theatrical poster & VHS cover

Anhedionisiac · #856 Post by **Anhedionisiac** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 4:14 pm

Completely agree with the general consensus here.
These are the best covers to come out in a while, worthy of the Criterion brand.

#857 Post by **Matt** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 4:28 pm

Anhedionisiac wrote:These are the best covers to come out in a while, worthy of the Criterion brand.

It's kind of a backhanded compliment, though, isn't it? Since two of the three covers are just light reworkings of original poster art.

TheGodfather · #858 Post by **TheGodfather** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 4:49 pm

Excellent covers, especially the Magnificent Obsession cover is beautiful

#859 Post by **domino harvey** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 5:30 pm

Matt wrote:
Anhedionisiac wrote:These are the best covers to come out in a while, worthy of the Criterion brand.
It's kind of a backhanded compliment, though, isn't it? Since two of the three covers are just light reworkings of original poster art.

As Schreck's said, sometimes the Criterion art department gets ahead of themselves. It's one thing when they farmed out to places like Aesthetic Apparatus and we got the Eyes Without a Face cover, but the last couple months of covers have been so many midterm projects from first year design students that this is a breath of fresh air

GringoTex · #860 Post by **GringoTex** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:23 pm

I don't get the Louis XIV cover. Can anyone fill me in?

tholly · #861 Post by **tholly** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:54 pm

domino harvey wrote:
Matt wrote:
Anhedionisiac wrote:These are the best covers to come out in a while, worthy of the Criterion brand.
It's kind of a backhanded compliment, though, isn't it? Since two of the three covers are just light reworkings of original poster art.
As Schreck's said, sometimes the Criterion art department gets ahead of themselves. It's one thing when they farmed out to places like Aesthetic Apparatus and we got the Eyes Without a Face cover, but the last couple months of covers have been so many midterm projects from first year design students that this is a breath of fresh air

I agree with you on most newer covers, except Vampyr, etc., but the EWAF cover was very good IMO.

#862 Post by **domino harvey** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:57 pm

Of course the EWAF was good, that's my point: AA are professionals and it seems like whoever Criterion's been hiring in the last two years or so are not-- or at least the majority are not of the level where they can successfully pull off a reinvention cover of that level. I mean, there's still some good covers that slip through (the Malles from this year, Miss Julie), but you know

HerrSchreck · #863 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Thu Oct 16, 2008 9:07 pm

Criterion had the uncanny ability to distill the subtext & atmosphere of a film into a color/design. The blue & black & white of Rules of the Game with the various image capsules perfectly sums the the cinematographic feel, and ensemble nature of the film for me. The plastic slipcover for me captures the gleam of the restoration. Eyes Without A Face... the pinkish monochrome brings out the feminine delicacy lurking alongside the horror of the film. The cool remote icy blue of LAvventura, pretty much all the Tati's, the black and yellow of Rififi, the dignified earthy, woody tones of Redbeard, etc, I could go on and on. Early Summer. These covers were amazing crystalizations of the feel of the film upon reflection. Very uncanny.

I havent seen that kind of finger-on-the-pulse of the spirit of the film for quite some time... this doesn't mean that there hasnt been decent art, which is a totally different thing.

DignanSWE · #864 Post by **DignanSWE** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 11:32 am

I don't think the new cover is any better than the old one. They still haven't fixed the 'E':

TheGodfather · #865 Post by **TheGodfather** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 4:21 pm

Received my Eclipse`s Mizoguchi set today. Good to say that they returned to using the full cover and not just one strip like they with the Prolitariat Trilogy.

Cinephrenic · #866 Post by **Cinephrenic** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 5:49 pm

TheGodfather wrote:Received my Eclipse`s Mizoguchi set today. Good to say that they returned to using the full cover and not just one strip like they with the Prolitariat Trilogy.

I couldn't make out what you mean by "one strip"?

#867 Post by **domino harvey** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 6:25 pm

Strip of pictures in middle of cover surrounded by blank space (Malle, &c) vs full screenshots (Late Ozu, &c)

Cinephrenic · #868 Post by **Cinephrenic** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 6:36 pm

Oh ok, thanks

Magic Hate Ball · Sat Oct 25, 2008 7:40 pm

DignanSWE wrote:I don't think the new cover is any better than the old one. They still haven't fixed the 'E':

It still just looks like a connect-the-dots version of The Milky Way.

Feego · #870 Post by **Feego** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 11:09 pm

I'm sorry if this has been addressed before. I did a search but couldn't find any previous discussions about this. Are there two different cover designs for the Eisenstein: Sound Years box set? The Criterion website features the cover on the left, while Amazon shows the one on the right. When I ordered my copy (from Criterion's store), I received the Amazon cover. Are there available sets with the other design, or does Criterion just show an alternate one? If they are using two designs, have they done this with other releases?

HerrSchreck · #871 Post by **HerrSchreck** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 11:25 pm

I think one "cover" is the glossy sheet overlay that's gummed to the outside of the box, which has an equivalent on the Dreyer, Cocteau and (I don't remember posisitvely here) the Bergman Trilogy.

#872 Post by **zedz** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 12:19 am

Schreck is almost right, just sort of reversed. Those are the front and back covers of the actual box, and the blurb / list of features is a flap of paper stuck on one side, so if you remove that you'll find the other cover (unless they've done a package redesign since I got mine years ago - my copy is one of those big thick cardboard affairs they gave up on after Dreyer)

Feego · #873 Post by **Feego** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 2:51 am

Hmmm. Well, mine is in a cardboard holder, just like my Dreyer set, but it had neither a sheet gummed to the back nor the alternate design on the back. The back of the box simply features the synopses and special features just like other Criterion releases. Maybe they have done a redesign?

Svevan · #874 Post by **Svevan** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:34 am

I recently bought the Dreyer set and it had nothing gummed to it at all. And I bought it from DVDPlanet! The least they could do was kick the box around a little.

hammock · #875 Post by **hammock** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:57 am

In the first boxset I owned, the Nevsky DVD had a clear DVD-case and there was printing on the back of the cover that you could read trough it. I sold the box and then regret it and bought it again only to discover the Nevsky DVD no longer had a clear DVD-case, nor any printing on the back. Does anyone have the clear jevelcase version of Nevsky they could scan and post?

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