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

[mikeohhh]

I jumped out of my seat and ran around the room when I saw the Makavejev Eclipse set. On the main line, we've got... 4 films that have already been released on DVD. Eh. I love the Wings of Desire cover so much though.

[justeleblanc]

[img]http://criterion_production.s3.amazonaws.com/release_images/2383/491_box_348x490.jpg[/img]

Z: One man goes crazydeaf at a Devo concert.

[so lightly here]

I really really like the Z cover - grainy, delicious.

yeah, I am happy that Swimming Horses got a job.

I imagine swimminghorses would like the "Z" cover - I know I do. It is direct and to the point and uses its singular font wisely and with emphasis. I am not so sure why people would dislike the Wender cover. It is the iconic image from the film and that seems to be what the majority gush over here. Luckily it is a great iconic image. Take a look at the previous "Wings" cover if you want to complain. Not so sure about the Merchant/Ivory, though it seems to have the overly prim look their productions so in that sense it works.

The Eclipse covers of late, last month's pink and this month's blinding yellow are shockingly grand! It is too bad swimminghorses is no longer around to give further direction to the designers at Criterion!

[Svevan]

I really really like the Z cover - grainy, delicious.

yeah, I am happy that Swimming Horses got a job.

I imagine swimminghorses would like the "Z" cover - I know I do. It is direct and to the point and uses its singular font wisely and with emphasis. I am not so sure why people would dislike the Wender cover. It is the iconic image from the film and that seems to be what the majority gush over here. Luckily it is a great iconic image. Take a look at the previous "Wings" cover if you want to complain. Not so sure about the Merchant/Ivory, though it seems to have the overly prim look their productions so in that sense it works.

The Eclipse covers of late, last month's pink and this month's blinding yellow are shockingly grand! It is too bad swimminghorses is no longer around to give further direction to the designers at Criterion!

You woke him up, aox, and now suddenly the thread is about him. What a wanker.

[so lightly here]

This thread is most definitely about covers. It was quite thoughtless of me to include a persona non grata in a posting that meant to comment about why most of this months announcements were good to predictable. My apologies.

In my haste to amend my comments I forgot to ask a spine numbering question. One knows some of us hang on them.

It seems to me that if one bought "The Seventh Seal" Blu-ray then one does not get to own every spine number unless he were extravagant enough to purchase the Bergman documentary SDVD just for its extra digit. Now it seems that SDVD buyers will not get the Blu-ray Merchant/Ivory spine number, that is unless they have yet to post it on the SDVD page.

It is becoming a completist nightmare!

[marvinmeraz]

So you guys seriously aren't outraged that criterion is ending custom packaging for the releases? I mean what about the special treatments like slacker, battle of algiers, man on the moon, etc. I pee my pants when I see that stuff and I'm always hoping every great film has its own amazing packaging. I was seriously disappointed when Pierrot Le Fou came in a snapcase. I'm seriously dreading this horribly! Packaging is an essential part of the Criterion experience, especially for the price. Blu-ray going up to $50 SRP and going to snapcase only? I think CC is getting greedy.

[Dadapass]

I thought they were only going to 'correct' the first couple of Blurays.

[Jeff]

Exactly. Criterion hasn't said that they're "ending" anything, and they haven't addressed doing anything to standard DVDs at all. This is what the Mulvaney wrote to me.

For a variety of reasons, we decided to make a custom clear plastic case that is much more durable than the original Blu-ray packaging, which you may have seen with THE SEVENTH SEAL and THE WAGES OF FEAR. Going forward, most of our Blu-ray releases will be packaged in this new custom case. We understand our customers' desire for uniform packaging, and we are planning to offer the custom plastic case for all Blu-ray titles.

They acknowledged the poor quality of the early Blu-ray cases, said that most upcoming Blu-rays will be in their custom plastic cases (which I find very aesthetically pleasing), and they will offer the cases for all Blu titles.

I see no reason to infer that standard DVDs will be affected at all, or that Blu-rays won't occasionally be also offered in digipaks. Even if they were abandoning cardboard altogether, I wouldn't be "outraged" at all. I'd be thrilled if all DVD and Blu-ray titles came in clear plastic Amaray-style cases. Thin packs would be even better!

[Finch]

I like the Z cover but find that one of the overhead shots of Berlin would have suited the Wings of Desire cover better than the chosen image. Undecided yet if I'll get the film: the first hour or so (possibly the closest Wenders has come to achieving the same serene, meditative mood of Ozu's work) is wonderful, the second half (from what I remember) less so.

[fdm]

So you guys seriously aren't outraged that criterion is ending custom packaging for the releases? I mean what about the special treatments like slacker, battle of algiers, man on the moon, etc. I pee my pants when I see that stuff and I'm always hoping every great film has its own amazing packaging. I was seriously disappointed when Pierrot Le Fou came in a snapcase. I'm seriously dreading this horribly! Packaging is an essential part of the Criterion experience, especially for the price. Blu-ray going up to $50 SRP and going to snapcase only? I think CC is getting greedy.

Nope.

[cdnchris]

MIGHT be the Monsoon Wedding cover:

[What A Disgrace]

MIGHT be the Monsoon Wedding cover:

what.

[Feego]

MIGHT be the Monsoon Wedding cover:

Oh good, Elton John is coming to the Collection.

[ianungstad]

I bet that didn't even take 5 minutes to create in paint shop pro.

[denti alligator]

I like it.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Someone is a Jean Cocteau fan.

[Flike]

I think I've seen that hanging on the wall of a Panera Bread.

[Jeff]

The design is not a Criterion original. It was used in much of the key art outside of the U.S.

[godardslave]

all the art+films being released are boring last 2 months except wings of desire, which i already have (and love) on DVD.

Criterion, don't get complacent on us.

[Malick663]

I was hoping they would release or give more info on some of the films they have hinted at in the newsletters such as Che or a new John Ford film. I've been pretty disappointed with the newest releases and their covers. I really hope that isn't the cover for Monsoon Wedding. How uninspired.

[aox]

Some very pleasant news on the Blu-ray packaging front. I wrote to JM regarding the very tight-fitting slipcase for the Last Year at Marienbad Blu-ray. Turns out that it was made too small in the first printing, but has been corrected. They are sending me the corrected slipcase, just like they did when the Rohmer case was too big.

The even better news is that I asked if they would be re-issuing the early Blu-ray titles in the custom plastic cases. It sounds like they will not only be doing that, but will be offering them to customers who already bought the titles in the flimsy cases.

For a variety of reasons, we decided to make a custom clear plastic case that is much more durable than the original Blu-ray packaging, which you may have seen with THE SEVENTH SEAL and THE WAGES OF FEAR. Going forward, most of our Blu-ray releases will be packaged in this new custom case. We understand our customers' desire for uniform packaging, and we are planning to offer the custom plastic case for all Blu-ray titles. We'll announce this on our site, but please feel free to check back in a couple of weeks.

It sure sounds like you'll be able to order the case for any of the titles. I don't know if there will be a trade-in program, or if you'll be able to order an empty case for a few bucks. Maybe he just means that new printings of the early titles will be in the plastic case. I wouldn't be surprised if Last Year at Marienbad and The Last Metro retain the cardstock packaging, since they rely on it for the embossing and die-cut detail. I'm anxiously waiting the upcoming announcement.

Has there been any other information or indication on the time frame regarding this topic?

[Jeff]

Has there been any other information or indication on the time frame regarding this topic?

Nope. I expect we'll hear something by the end of the month though.

[souvenir]

Has there been any other information or indication on the time frame regarding this topic?

Nope. I expect we'll hear something by the end of the month though.

I hope so. I was just arranging my CC Blu-rays recently and wow the stress at seeing how disorganized the design went by spine number. More seriously, the fact that the Blu-rays have jumped around does make them look less appealing when arranged sequentially on a shelf. Whether it's digipaks or plastic cases, I'd like to see just one approach used for some consistency.

[so lightly here]

all the art+films being released are boring last 2 months except wings of desire, which i already have (and love) on DVD.

Criterion, don't get complacent on us.

I am really happy that somebody is rereleasing this (and especially that it offered in Blu-ray too) because the US release I have is so crappy that I can't even watch it without it spoiling my original love for the film. At least CC will do it some serious justice.

In my dreams I hope for the same for "Alice in the Cities" and "Kings of the Road" to roll out someday.

[jbeall]

Dunno if this goes in the packaging thread, but I saw The Rules of the Game in the store yesterday with a figure-8 snap-case with a wacky C logo, instead of the digipak w/plastic slipcover that they originally released. Same specs, just a slimmer package.