Eclipse (was Criterion Cult Film Sub Company)

[Cinephrenic]

Seriously, all these films they are licencing from Japanese studios, they could possibly capitalize on the pink films as they do on yakuza genre. There could be a market out there for them in the U.S. Or maybe they've got Oshima's In the Realm of the Senses and don't know how to release it.

[backstreetsbackalright]

Or maybe they've got Oshima's In the Realm of the Senses and don't know how to release it.

Seems to me that one wouldn't look too weird in the non-imprint Criterion catalog.

[Cinéslob]

Jigoku perhaps or The Face of Another come to mind.

That one strikes me as an odd choice for a cult-film line established by HVE. I'd have thought that The Face of Another would be an 'ideal' film for Criterion, especially given the presence of Eyes Without a Face in the catalogue - a (slight) thematic companion if you will.

[mmiesner]

I remember reading somewhere that Lars Von Trier runs an "erotic film" production company. Anything to that?

-BJ

yea, it's called 'Puzzy Power' and they release hardcore pornos. apparently they have yet to release any that are even decent porno though, and i don't think he has much to do with the films themselves.

i don't think that 'In the Realm of the Senses' would look out of place in the Criterion catalog... am i the only one who feels this? i mean, 'Fat Girl' has enough nudity and disturbing sexual situations that i don't think they have much of a problem with that...

[THX1378]

I'm wondering if Criterion was able to get some of the rights for these films from the Sinister Cinema label. Both GOKE: BODYSNATCHER FROM HELL, and ATOMIC SUBMARINE were put out by Sinister. Looking on the IMDB it seems that most of the films have came out on the Something Weird label. But if they have an agreement with the company, it seems like they have enough Japanese films that they could have hit some paydirt.

[Cinephrenic]

Sinister cinema has over some 1000 titles in their catalog. I'm sure they have some interesting B-movies. Lets not forget the Shintoho, Toho, Shochiku catalogs.

Perhaps some of these titles that played a while back would make great titles:
http://www.americancinematheque.com/arc ... horror.htm

[toiletduck!]

I've half-joked with a friend for years that DEEP THROAT would be a great Criterion release. I'd buy it in a heartbeat!

-Toilet Dcuk

[Lemdog]

I have a feeling that the "Should Criterion release a porn?" thread will pop up very soon.

[J M Powell]

Many academics would applaud the move. IIRC the 2002 Sight and Sound poll showed quite a few critics voting for hardcore porn films among their Top Ten of All Time choices. "Behind the Green Door", "Deep Throat" and maybe a few others got votes. I myself would not have voted for these, but shucks, they didn't ask me.

[ByMarkClark.com]

Let me reiterate that the word that was used to describe this rumored potential imprint was "erotica." I'm not sure that has quite the same meaning as "hardcore porn!" Somehow I doubt that we'll ever see DEBBIE DOES DALLAS: SPECIAL EDITION from the CC or any subsidiary thereof. I envisioned something more in line with IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES, although let me stress that NO specific titles were mentioned.

I didn't pursue this topic further with my sources because frankly I'm not interested in this type of film. However, after seeing all the hubub my posting has caused, I wish that I had tried to find out more. Sorry.

[godardslave]

Many academics would applaud the move. IIRC the 2002 Sight and Sound poll showed quite a few critics voting for hardcore porn films among their Top Ten of All Time choices. "Behind the Green Door", "Deep Throat" and maybe a few others got votes.

id cast my oar in for "anal deep whores with black dicks vol. 17" (2004), featuring a commentary by up n coming porn starlet jane juggs and a special documentary on how they achieved those "behind the ass" shots.

[toiletduck!]

I didn't pursue this topic further with my sources because frankly I'm not interested in this type of film. However, after seeing all the hubub my posting has caused, I wish that I had tried to find out more. Sorry.

No worries, I was just having a chuckle at the ever-so-slight possibility of my in-joke someday seeing daylight...

But as J M pointed out, a select few hardcore films, notably BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR and DEEP THROAT have managed to grey that line between porn and "regular film"; my reasoning is simply that any hardcore pornography that has grossed anywhere from 100 to 600 million dollars seems to fit well in a 'continuing series of important classic and contemporary films', and, as far as I can tell, no one is scrambling to get the rights to a DEEP THROAT DVD.

Eh, it's all wishful thinking anyway... Criterion's shown some balls in their time (I'm currently working my way through BY BRAKHAGE and loving every second of it), but I can't say that I see Linda Lovelace in their future anytime soon.

-Toilet Dcuk

[Ted Todorov]

I certainly hope it's true: aside from films like in in The Realm of the Senses which deserve a decent DVD release, there is Radley Metzger's racier stuff (The Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann; Barbara Broadcast; Maraschino Cherry...) which if the one DVD I saw is any indication, the existing DVDs are a sick joke in terms of quality and cuts. The problem with Metzger is whether Criterion could get its hands on decent source elements.

[Mathieu]

I was reading up on Equinox, which I've been looking forward to for quite some time, and came across this information. It seems logical that Criterion would include the original student film as a supplement, providing of course that the materials still exist. Perhaps a two-disk set? Here's hoping.

From Internet Movie Database:

The original version of this film is intitled "The Equinox: A Journey Into the Supernatural"(1967) directed by Dennis Muren. This version used the same cast, but includes stop-motion animation not seen in the release version, a totally different stortline, doesn't include the character Asmodeous, has a completely different music score, differently filmed versions of scenes which were in the released film and other differences. Jack Woods is credited for writer and director of the release version.

As far as the "Erotica Imprint" is concerned, it wouldn't surprise me if Criterion did strike up some kind of deal with Nikkatsu. They've been releasing a wider variety of oft-marginalized Japanese films, such as the upcoming Sword of the Beast, and Kino currently corners the market of Japanese erotica with their releases of The World of Geisha, Wife to be Sacrificed and Woman with Red Hair.

[Mathieu]

I wasn't quite certain where to post this, or if it merited a new topic entirely, but since the Eclipse imprint has been all but confirmed, it seems some speculation would be reasonable to keep the discussion lively while we wait for more information.

Black Jesus - Valerio Zurlini's hybrid film merges elements of blaxploitation with political and religious allegory, creating a memorable cinematic oddity. The film also featured fine performances by Pasolini-regular Franco Citti and Jean Servais.

Jess Franco - Franco's early work remains virtually untouched anywhere in the world, which is a real shame. His debut feature Now We Are Eighteen was extremely well-received upon its initial release, and Orson Welles was so impressed by his superb crime film Death Whistles a Blues that he hired Franco as a second-assistant director on Chimes at Midnight.

Teruo Ishii - Ishii's bizarre torture anthology films are long overdue for some stateside recognition. Shogun's Joy of Torture and Yakuza's Law would be an excellent starting point, and we can only pray for Tokugawa 2: Inferno of Torture, perhaps released under it's even more outrageous title - Hell's Tattooers. If you're not familiar with Ishii's work, imagine a cinematic love child between Akira Kurosawa and Pier Paolo Pasolini, and you're almost there.

Takashi Miike - It seems reasonable that Criterion would want to include the work of some contemporary filmmakers as part of this new collection, and few directors working today are as inventive and consistantly fascinating as Takashi Miike. Perhaps a release of the ever-elusive director's cut of Agitator would be a nice addition.

Andy Milligan - Only a handful of this prolific director's bizarre creations are available on DVD, all of which were released through Image Entertainment / Something Weird Video. More of his films deserve proper restoration, along with cast and crew interviews and commentaries by John McDonough, author of the excellent Milligan biography.

Andy Warhol - Image Entertainment's Warhol releases are now out-of-print, with the exception of Blood for Dracula and Flesh for Frankenstein - recently acquired from Criterion, and I doubt many other companies are clamouring for the rights. The vast majority of his shorter works, such as Vinyl and Blowjob were never released at all. Perhaps a boxed set of the three Morrissey pictures - Flesh, Trash and Heat- along with a collection of short subjects is in order. If you haven't seen Vinyl, you're really missing out - the film is Warhol's take on A Clockwork Orange, produced several years before Kubrick's adaptation.

John Waters - Criterion's excellent Polyester LD proved their appreciation for Water's unique talents and his early short films remain criminally unreleased in any form. A comphrensive collection would include: Hag in a Black Leather Jacket, Roman Candles, Eat Your Makeup and The Diane Linkletter Story; along with Water's first two features - Mondo Trasho and Multiple Maniacs, presently available only in poor bootleg form. Speaking of Waters, how about a Mai Zetterling collection?

If Criterion is seriously considering an erotica imprint, Fernando Di Leo's superb To Be Twenty might be better suited for that collection. Should they decide to venture into hardcore territory, Sister Vaseline would be an excellent release, as it fascinated Luis Bunuel along with many of his contemporaries - one of whom considered screening the film to a theatre full of children.

Please, speculate on...

[In Heaven]

Along with the Jodorowsky rumor, thinking of Criterion releasing Andy Warhol's films is literally making my mind explode.

[Mathieu]

A collection of Warhol's factory films could be the Eclipse imprint's equivalent of Criterion's superb Stan Brakhage anthology. I'd also love to see a decent release of Imitation of Christ or perhaps Taylor Mead's Ass.

[milkcan]

While Universal will probably release it on their Noir Collection label (it'll never happen), Blast of Silence would be an excellent choice for the new cult label. I say this because, not only is it a great underground film, but because the producers of the dvd could track down Allen Baron (who, according to the imdb, is still alive) and get some insight into the film's making. Not only this, but they may also get a hold of Baron's other film Terror in the City- which I haven't seen, but it sounds good.

[rwaits]

Forgive my ignorance--is Eclipse the official name of Criterion's cult-film project, or something else? Where is there info on this?? I'm assuming it may have been in the newsletter sent out yesterday, but mine still has yet to arrive.

[Andre Jurieu]

is Eclipse the official name of Criterion's cult-film project, or something else?

Well, I don't know if it's "official", but based on the info we have, yes.

Where is there info on this??

The second to last post on the previous page of this thread (page 4), by MarkClark.com.

I spoke with Dick Gordon this weekend about the fate of the CORRIDORS OF BLOOD, HAUNTED STRANGLER, FIRST MAN INTO SPACE and ATOMIC SUBMARINE discs, then confirmed those details with 2 other sources intimate with Criterion.

I was told that the Gordon films, as well as EQUINOX, GOKE: BODYSNATCHER FROM HELL and some other titles, will be released under a new CC imprint that known as "Eclipse," and that we could see its first batch of releases as early as October. However, the details have not yet been finalized. There's still a chance they could pull the plug on Eclipse, and issue these titles under the CC and/or HVE banners instead.

And in a very surprising (to me) turn, I was further informed that the CC is also exploring the possibility of an erotica imprint.

I'm assuming it may have been in the newsletter sent out yesterday, but mine still has yet to arrive.

It wasn't mentioned in the yesterday's newsletter. Also, be careful about "bitching about" e-mail newsletters associated with Criterion/Janus/HVe. Apparently it's not allowed on this forum and people will ask you to leave and never return because you're assumed to be a hater and it offends the true Criterion fans.

[toiletduck!]

Also, be careful about "bitching about" e-mail newsletters associated with Criterion/Janus/HVe. Apparently it's not allowed on this forum and people will ask you to leave and never return because you're assumed to be a hater and it offends the true Criterion fans.

The forbidden topic? Andre... you've been warned, mention it again and we WILL go after your family.

-Toilet Dcuk

[milkcan]

Speaking of Blast of Silence- although, in line of recent events whether this continued or not is questionable- Allen Baron's film is being screened at the Cambridge Film Festival this year. Hopefully, this will shed some light on this dark, wonderful little gem:

http://www.cambridgefilmfestival.org.uk ... ?filmid=90

[THX1378]

I wouldn't mind see Manos, The Hands Of Fate be put on this label. After what Entertainment Weekly wrote about the film as the worst film ever made, I bet interest has went up in the film. It would also make for some great extras just dealing with the back story about how the film was made, and it seems those who made it still are willing to talk about it. I'd also love to see The Terror in a nice special edition with a commentary track with Roger Corman if he will talk about the film.

[devlinnn]

Which Public Domain films would you like Criterion/Eclipse to release?

Just one.

Detour.

[Jeff]

Eclipse it is. Look who owns eclipsedvd.com.