Criterion and Sony

[Jeff]

So, with the On the Waterfront newsletter hint and the recent Mill Creek licensing deal, it's fairly obvious that Sony has gotten out of releasing any deep catalog titles

They've sent some pretty heavy hitters to Twilight Time and Image too. I'd say just about anything is plausible.

[onedimension]

A Criterion Capra box could be interesting, but don't forget about Twilight Time- they put out a great blu of 'The Big Heat', a title from the Columbia Classics list- His Girl Friday, Only Angels Have Wings, The Awful Truth and The Lady From Shanghai are more cinephile A-list than AMC Top 100 A-list, so they could plausibly go to TT or even Olive..

EDIT: Jeff beat me to it..

[ianungstad]

After Anatomy of a Murder and On the Waterfront, I wouldn't be surprised at all if there were multiple Capra titles coming. I don't think it would be a box though. More likely they'd pick up his most popular titles and trickle them out over a couple of years.

More likely for a box in my opinion, would be the John Ford films. Several of which have never been released even on dvd in R1.

[Minkin]

Perhaps a new Sony deal recently took place (rather than a one off like the BBS set)? I seem to recall In a Lonely Place was perhaps hinted at being Criterion as well.

[captveg]

I wasn't trying to slight Twilight Time - the recent Mill Creek and On the Waterfront news have simply made all but the extreme LoA-type films license-able, which is a game change from what we thought just a few months ago. While Twilight has got some pretty notable classics, none have the prestige of OTW.

[Cinephrenic]

Expect some Capra, Cukor, Hawks and Ray.

[captveg]

Expect some Capra, Cukor, Hawks and Ray.

\:D/

Best. News. Ever.

[ianungstad]

Grover Crisp/Columbia are sitting on restorations of Funny Girl, Suddenly Last Summer, From Here to Eternity, In a Lonely Place, La Verite, Shampoo, Mr.Smith Goes to Washington. They would all be likely candidates if there's more after On The Waterfront.

[ianungstad]

Expect some Capra, Cukor, Hawks and Ray.

\:D/

Best. News. Ever.

I think he was just speculating.

[Cinephrenic]

Speculating...sorry

[captveg]

Speculating...sorry

Gah... #-o

Still though - I think you're right in expecting films from those directors. Should be a handful at least one would think.

[felipe]

I hope they'll release The awful truth!

[ArchCarrier]

The Age of Innocence? [-o<

[captveg]

The Age of Innocence? [-o<

One can only hope. Image did license it but only re-released the DVD. One would think they would have released a Blu if they could have. Of course, Sony DAC may not have got it newly mastered yet for a new HD release. Who knows if this is now part of the Mill Creek deal. One would think that Criterion would want to get their hands on another Scorsese, and it would be one of their few chances to do so.

[ShellOilJunior]

Grover Crisp/Columbia are sitting on restorations of Funny Girl, Suddenly Last Summer, From Here to Eternity, In a Lonely Place, La Verite, Shampoo, Mr.Smith Goes to Washington. They would all be likely candidates if there's more after On The Waterfront.

Out of these titles if Sony plans to release any of them on their own my guess would be they'd handle the release of Smith Goes to Washington (with From Here to Eternity being a close second). Then again, I would've never guessed in a million years they'd allegedly poach On the Waterfront.

[eerik]

Now that the first teaser for Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master is out, I hope Criterion will get their hands on Hard Eight and Punch-Drunk Love before Twilight Time does.

[ianungstad]

Hard Eight is with Paramount now.

[bainbridgezu]

Now that the first teaser for Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master is out, I hope Criterion will get their hands on Hard Eight and Punch-Drunk Love before Twilight Time does.

Back in 2009, Anderson was personally supervising the transfer for Sony's own BD of Punch-Drunk Love. Obviously this release never materialized, but it's hard to imagine that Sony would hand it over to Twilight Time--or dump it through Image or Mill Creek--after Anderson already put in the work. If Sony doesn't release this one themselves, I expect we'll be seeing it from Criterion.

Given recent trends--America Lost and Found, Anatomy of a Murder, On the Waterfront--a Criterion release seems more likely. Around the same time, Sony also prepared a DVD of Room at the Top (and its sequel, Life at the Top), which never appeared, and is now set to be released through Criterion (the first film, at least).

[AfterTheRain]

Sony also prepared a DVD of Room at the Top (and its sequel, Life at the Top), which never appeared, and is now set to be released through Criterion (the first film, at least).

Where did you hear about this?

[jwd5275]

Room at the Top

[ianungstad]

Room at the Top is a Janus title. Previously it was released on dvd by VCI. I don't think it was ever with Sony/Columbia. Just a guess but are you maybe thinking of the Losey film The Go-Between? Columbia was going to release that a few years ago but it never materialized.

[eerik]

Now that the first teaser for Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master is out, I hope Criterion will get their hands on Hard Eight and Punch-Drunk Love before Twilight Time does.

Back in 2009, Anderson was personally supervising the transfer for Sony's own BD of Punch-Drunk Love. Obviously this release never materialized, but it's hard to imagine that Sony would hand it over to Twilight Time.

I thought the same until Twilight Time announced As Good as It Gets.

[bainbridgezu]

Cassavetes' Husbands is being re-released theatrically in Britain later this year. According to this article, the film has been "recently restored by Sony." Does anyone know if this restoration is something newer than what was used for the previous Sony disc?

[knives]

Assuming it has not been released on disc in the UK than it should be from the same restoration that was provided for the American DVD.

[dwk]

A restoration of Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion was the surprise final screening at AMIA: The Reel Thing, and since I can't imagine that Sony will release it themselves, I figure the odds are good that Criterion will be handling its Blu-ray/DVD release.