Forthcoming Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol.3

[knives]

It's already been stated elsewhere that NL didn't renew the rights. I'm not a fan of Lloyd's silent films, but I would love a decked out version of Feet First.

[sidehacker]

My Criterion connection has said they've tried to get the rights to the Hellman westerns and other films by him, but that they're major clearance issues regarding the music rights for his films. Hopefully something will come along to help the issue.

I believe this was mentioned by Hellman himself about a year or two ago. I'm crossing my fingers for China 9, Liberty 37 as there are passable versions of the other two, The Shooting and Ride the Whirlwind available.

[captveg]

It's already been stated elsewhere that NL didn't renew the rights.

Well there ya go.

[schellenberg]

What's the next likely Tarkovsky film to join the collection? I'm guessing Nostalghia since they put it out on laserdisc back in the day. Have any been hinted at?

[Close The Door, Raymond]

Truffaut’s Soft Skin is making the Janus rounds.

The below-par Fox Lorber DVD of "The Soft Skin" is out-of-print, so that would be an awesome addition to the Criterion Collection. I hope Criterion releases some other out-of-print Truffaut titles:

"The Bride Wore Black" (MGM)
"Two English Girls" (Fox Lorber)
"Small Change" (MGM)
"The Woman Next Door" (Fox Lorber)
"Confidentially Yours" (Fox Lorber)

I think
"Day for Night" (Warner)
is also out-of-print

and
"A Gorgeous Girl Like Me (Une belle fille comme moi)"
which has never had a Region 1 release.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

The Wild Child would be a great addition, too.

[Arthur House]

A Gorgeous Girl Like Me (Une belle fille comme moi) is a Sony property, and I'm kinda worried it's gonna sneak out in the M.O.D. line. They've already let out a couple of their foreign films that way.

Are all the MGM Truffauts OOP now? Amazon has limited copies of Mississippi Mermaid, The Man Who Loved Women & The Wild Child with the "Order Soon" legend attached with no promise of "more on the way". They've still got copies of The Story of Adele H, but I imagine those will run out soonish.

[Quick Billy]

Aside from a brief mention by someone that Criterion is releasing some of his films, has there been any other definite clues? It has to be a labor of love project from someone in the company because this just seems like it isn't going to make much money. Aside from that, this is one of my most anticipated titles and hopefully it even gets a Blu-Ray release.

Any news about the Hollis Frampton set? I know there's been rumor that this'll be released by Eclipse, but perhaps someone knows if Criterion's thinking of slapping it on blu-ray w/ all the fixings... I can't think of another filmmaker whose work would benefit more from commentaries, essays, interviews, whatever Criterion's willing to throw at it. Aside from Frampton's published work, there is a wealth of supplements to be found at the Harvard Film Archive. From Ken Eisenstein's introductory notes to an upcoming screening of Hapax Legomena:

Harvard Film Archive houses the largest Frampton audio collection in the world (lectures, sound experiments, post-screening discussions, classroom sessions [Frampton taught at SUNY Buffalo’s famed Center for Media Study for over a decade])

[zedz]

Any news about the Hollis Frampton set? I know there's been rumor that this'll be released by Eclipse, but perhaps someone knows if Criterion's thinking of slapping it on blu-ray w/ all the fixings...

Considering the amount of work that will need to go into any such set (e.g. the lack of existing transfers) and the cost associated with it, I can't imagine Criterion will fritter it away on Eclipse, and you're right about the need for context.

[justeleblanc]

I imagine promising Blu rays was a way to secure the rights, so this would mean no Eclipse. Also, the cost of this project is too high for Eclipse.

The last I heard (somewhere on this thread) was late 2011/early 2012. They need to get the frame rates perfect with Zorn, as while some of the shots are exactly 24 frames, several are not. I'm not sure if this was deliberate, but seeing this difference has become a project for several Frampton fanatics with whom I've been known to congregate.

[Quick Billy]

The change in frame rates is at once deliberate and arbitrary. Here's a short excerpt found in Frampton's essay Zorns Lemma: Script and Notations describing how he accounted for inherent human "misfortunes" in an ordered work such as Zorns:

Since all these misadventures were bound to occur to me in making Zorns Lemma, I decided to incorporate them deliberately. Then at least I would know where they were. It had to be done "in code," to be sure, and one that had some relation to film as I excern its tradition. This is the scheme I adopted:

1) Metric Errors. All shots in the main section (your "Part II") or matrix are 24 frames long, except for twenty-four: twelve are only 23 frames, and twelve are 25 frames. Their positions were determined by another party (my "key grip," David Hamilton) by chance operations specified by me, and he then destroyed the record of their location (without informing me)....

If there are any Frampton fans out there who haven't found their way to On the Camera Arts and Consecutive Matters, I heartily recommend they give this recently published book a go. Gives great insight into Frampton's influences and humor, both of which may be hard to discern when watching a Frampton film cold.

And thanks for the feedback, re: blu-ray. Even this pure speculation is enough to get me giddy.

[justeleblanc]

Since this is a frame rate movie, it would have to be released on Blu, where you can exactly replicate 24 frames per second, no?

[Quick Billy]

I certainly hope so, but it's hard for me to imagine Criterion lavishing so much attention on a release with such limited sales appeal.

[Crab Society North]

I certainly hope so, but it's hard for me to imagine Criterion lavishing so much attention on a release with such limited sales appeal.

I think this is one of the main reasons why we're seeing more mainstream and current movies being released from the last two years til now so they can use those sales to make these "limited appealing" movies accessible to a wider audience whether or not it does is a chance worth taking as they have always done

[agnamaracs]

So the Criterion/Warner connection is still a bit iffy (if it exists at all), but CC seems to be friendly with Warner Music Group, which is no longer a part of Time Warner.
a) HEAD is licensed from Rhino;
b) that one newsletter where they promoted the Nonesuch label.

I would hate for HEAD to be the only product of what could be a fruitful relationship, but then, I can't think of any other WMG-owned titles that would fit in the collection. I'd kinda like to see WE'RE ALL DEVO, myself. (Didn't Voyager put out the original Devo laserdisc? The copy Rhino has out now is kind of a botch.)

[Anthony]

If Criterion has a relationship with Time Warner Music, I think they (Criterion) should think about putting out a new line of music only classic albums as Blu-ray audio discs. Universal Music's "Damn the Torpedoes" by Tom Petty blu-ray audio disc is excellent. I would definitely welcome more blu-ray audio only discs along this line.

[stagefright50]

Have we already discussed this and I somehow missed it? It posted on Criterion's Ow.ly account... Possible supplement for Welles version?

[Cinephrenic]

It reads Magnificent Ambersons. Silent version?

[stagefright50]

That would probably be Pampered Youth.

[knives]

There was a 1925 adaptation that I believe was on the Laserdisc. That said I really doubt they'd put it out alone. If they don't have the Welles than it's likely a part of an eclipse set.

[stagefright50]

More information on the silent verison. I agree there is no way this would be considered for a standalone disc. My only question is how this version would fit into an Eclipse and doesn't that seem like a waste of a great Ambersons extra? Does anyone know where the rights are to Ambersons these days? I would assume Warners still has them.

[Doctor Sunshine]

It's from a series of pictures of reels from their laserdisc days. The full series is here. In other news, Bill Hader was the latest to walk through their closet and take whatever he wanted:

Do they do that for any celebrity who happens through, or did he contribute to something?

[mfunk9786]

Probably for any [likable] celebrity who comes through. They probably got him to write up a top ten list while he was there.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

I would hate for HEAD to be the only product of what could be a fruitful relationship, but then, I can't think of any other WMG-owned titles that would fit in the collection. I'd kinda like to see WE'RE ALL DEVO, myself. (Didn't Voyager put out the original Devo laserdisc? The copy Rhino has out now is kind of a botch.)

It'd be awesome if they released True Stories. I saw it a few days ago and it blew me away. Rhino or Criterion need to get on it now.

[tavernier]

Bill Hader's a celebrity?