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

[Jeff]

Unless you count the case for Benjamin Button.

Which of course you really can't, because it's just a Paramount product with a rented Wacky C.

I'd guess that Matt is correct that the digipak is the new standard packaging for most multi-disc Criterion Blu-ray sets. The Blu case is too short to accommodate their preferred figure-8 design, and hinged-tray designs wouldn't allow for Criterion sized booklets. I imagine that they have just recently decided to go with the digipaks and found a manufacturer for them after being spooked by the early Criterion Blu-ray O-Sleeve Debacle. I suspect that if the Che and Monterey Pop Blu sets were being released now, they'd get this packaging too. I'm sure Seven Samurai will get the digipak treatment, but I cant think of anything else that we know of in the Blu-ray pipeline that will necessitate multiple discs - perhaps Fanny and Alexander, which I think was sort of hinted at on Facebook for a 2010 release.

[CrazedCollector]

Would stacking the discs one on top of the other in a Scanavo case have been such a bad thing?

. . . I cant think of anything else that we know of in the Blu-ray pipeline that will necessitate multiple discs - perhaps Fanny and Alexander, which I think was sort of hinted at on Facebook for a 2010 release.

Correct, you are! Criterion all but confirmed it in a response to a comment shortly after New Year's.

[eerik]

Looks like The Leopard BD is going to be a digipak.

It is a digipak indeed.

[Cinephrenic]

If they do it right, I have no problems with them. Their flimsy smashed flat ones were horrible for the single disc Blu's.

[CrazedCollector]

Looks like The Leopard BD is going to be a digipak.

It is a digipak indeed.

I guess I can live with it.

...Aw Hell, I think it's head-and-shoulders above the original packaging. My fears are vanquished!

[Brian C]

The digipak looks beautiful to me, judging from those photos. I'm thrilled.

I'm looking forward to this more than any other Blu they've put out ... I never bought the SD.

[cdnchris]

Blu-rays:
Close-Up
Red Desert
Everlasting Moments
The Leopard

[Fierias]

seems like if a non-Vitti cover had to be used, the front of the Red Desert booklet would have made a much nicer option.

[cdnchris]

DVDs:
Everlasting Moments
Night Train to Munich

[HistoryProf]

Man....this summer is getting awfully expensive awfully quick. I want them all.

[TheGodfather]

All of them look good. And great to see that they went with a digipack on The Leopard. Finally some variation on blu-ray editions

[matrixschmatrix]

Not 100% sure of if this is the appropriate thread, but the packaging for Down By Law looks suspiciously recent (figure 8, clear case) for its spine number- was it a subtle re-release, like Short Cuts?

[Mikos Stenopolis]

Does it now have a wacky c logo? I've owned it since 2006 and it was a figure 8 case back then but black and not clear

[cdnchris]

Mine has the flipper-thingy in it.

[matrixschmatrix]

I don't have it on me so I can't say for sure, but as I recall it's the pre-wacky C line and name logo on the side.

Strange that there's a clear and an opaque figure 8 version as well as the original flipper, that's at least two rereleases.

[Minkin]

I was planning on buying most of the rest of the Criterion blurays at the next B&N sale and wondered if this is a complete list of the releases with replacement cases (I'm going by memory)

• The 400 Blows (?)
  The Third Man
  The Man who Fell to Earth
  The Last Emperor
  Bottle Rocket
  Chungking Express
  El Norte
  Last Metro
  Last Year at Marienbad

[Doctor Sunshine]

Strange that there's a clear and an opaque figure 8 version as well as the original flipper, that's at least two rereleases.

Once they transition out of using whichever style of case they probably aren't going to order a batch of the old ones just to re-press a title. It's not anything new. Circa 2002, I remember seeing a double wide and flip tray Armageddon sitting next to each other in a brick and mortar store. I don't know why I remember that.

[Ashirg]

No date is set yet, but artwork for these two are on amazon:

[matrixschmatrix]

Ew, I hope they don't just shrink the Videodrome DVD case and stick that ugly yellow C on it- it was such a brilliant design before.

[Cinephrenic]

That wacky yellow needs to go!

[TheGodfather]

Agreed.

[movielocke]

the yellow continues the smpte bars used for the criterion bar on the left.

[mfunk9786]

Yessssss! Thumbs way up, Criterion.

[mfunk9786]

For some reason, the OOP announcement re: The Man Who Fell To Earth is giving me a very paternal feeling towards my copy and is making me want to finally see what this case replacement thing is all about. I have several releases with the old cases and figure I should do them all in one fell swoop. So my question is, have they worked out the kinks from this program? How long does it usually take to receive the cases, or are they perpetually backordered?

[swo17]

My guess is that if you ordered your cases now, you'd get them within a week. There were only backorder issues before because they were still waiting on their first batches for certain titles, but even then, they sent me the ones I ordered immediately as they became available. Also, for what it's worth, the replacement case deal for The Third Man was not impacted by its having gone out of print, if memory serves.