The Wellspring Deal

[Buttery Jeb]

Does anyone remember the details on the Wellspring deal Criterion made like three years ago. In particular, which films were supposed to be included. I know we've alreay got the Doinel and Fassbinder boxsets, "Schizopolis" and "Ali: Fear Eats the Soul," plus now "Jules and Jim" (maybe). I vaguely remember rumors about a Rohmer "Six Moral Tales" box, and maybe "Gray's Anatomy," although nothing was ever confirmed on either.

Personally, the darker parts of me would probably go for a "Tetsuo the Iron Man" Criterion disc. Otherwise, my request is speculation free. Any info fellas?

-BJ

[Matt]

This is the press release by Wellspring (or at least the Davis DVD version of it):

Criterion signs with Wellspring

The Criterion Collection has just signed a deal with Wellspring Media to produce new editions of titles in Wellspring's catalog - including one that was among Criterion's earliest DVD releases. The deal includes films by French New Wave directors Francois Truffaut, Eric Rohmer, Steven Soderbergh, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Wellspring, formerly Winstar Video, wants to take advantage of the standards and technology that have improved so much in the four years since DVD appeared on the scene, said Al Cattabiani, Wellspring's president and CEO. "Our catalog is just too big for us to do everything at once and we want to make sure when we want to put out a DVD it's the best it can be, both aesthetically and technically," Cattabiani said. "We needed a partner in order to do this, and who better than Criterion?" Criterion, which started the whole special-edition-on-disc trend back in the laserdisc days, has been lauded for producing high-quality DVDs of digitally cleaned-up versions of movies that are often packed with unique special features. Special features on the Wellspring title discs might include audio commentaries, director's cuts, deleted scenes, documentaries, scripts, filmmakers' early shorts and storyboards, according to Wellspring.

Eight titles are on the burner for the Criterion treatment, but others will likely follow, according to Cattabiani. Among the initial titles under the deal are: Truffaut's The 400 Blows and Jules et Jim, Fassbinder's The Marriage of Maria Braun and Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, and Rohmer's My Night at Maud's and Claire's Knee. The 400 Blows, Jules et Jim, My Night at Maud's and Claire's Knee are on DVD under the Winstar label. The 400 Blows was among Criterion's first half-dozen DVDs. That edition quickly went out of print and the title was subsequently released on disc by Wellspring when it was still Winstar. Wellspring's previous discs have been criticized by DVD fans. Now Wellspring is making an effort to bring out better quality discs, either in partnership with a company like Criterion or on its own, Cattabiani said. For instance, Wellspring itself will reissue an improved, remastered edition of Akira Kurosawas Ran, as well as other European classics such as the political thriller Z and Jacques Demy's Lola and Bay of Angels. All new titles will use remastered, restored prints at the very least, and some will contain extras such as audio commentaries and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound remixes. "We're not getting out of the DVD business ourselves," Cattabiani said. "We're going to spend a lot of time upgrading our DVDs ourselves."

And here is JM's take on it from the old CriterionDVD board:

It is true that Criterion has struck a deal with Wellspring. I don't know the exact contents of the agreement, but Criterion will be turning its attention to a number of works by Francois Truffaut (including The 400 Blows) in the coming year. We haven't announced any specific release dates or features yet, but you can expect to see the first of the new Criterion Truffauts in 2003. I haven't heard any specifics about Fassbinder or Rohmer, but they are distinct possibilities as well.

Thanks for your mail and please feel free to contact me with any future questions or concerns.

Best,
JM

So, I think the eight films originally expected were:
The 400 Blows
Jules and Jim
My Night at Maud's
Claire's Knee
The Marriage of Maria Braun
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
Schizopolis
Gray's Anatomy

It's clear that we've gotten more titles out of the deal than 8 (the additional films in the Doinel and BRD boxes), yet we're still waiting on the Rohmers and the other Soderbergh.

[solaris72]

The deal that seems to be dead in the water is the one that was announced between Criterion and Wellspring several years ago. The last time that arrangement bore fruit was in October of 2003 with Schizopolis (Jules and Jim was licensed from MK2). Mulvaney's assertion that the Rohmer films aren't on the schedule doesn't bode well.

Ran's coming out in November...

[Andre Jurieu]

The deal that seems to be dead in the water is the one that was announced between Criterion and Wellspring several years ago.

Ran's coming out in November...

Plus, Shoot the Piano Player was part of the original Wellspring deal.

[Jeff]

Ran's coming out in November...

Plus, Shoot the Piano Player was part of the original Wellspring deal.

I remembered both of those, but I'll be very curious to see who Criterion credits as the licensor. I'll bet anything that Shoot the Piano Player has been licensed from MK2, not Wellspring. I'm really surprised that Wellspring agreed to license Ran after they made a point of saying in their press release that they would be re-doing many of their titles themselves. That was what led to the Masterworks Edition of Ran. I hope I'm wrong, and the Wellspring deal is active again after lying dormant for the past two years. I covet that Six Moral Tales box!

[Andre Jurieu]

... but I'll be very curious to see who Criterion credits as the licensor. I'll bet anything that Shoot the Piano Player has been licensed from MK2, not Wellspring.

That's a distinct possibility. Actually, it's likely. I just figured that Wellspring handed over the rights to these titles to Criterion, which is why they have the US rights to all these Truffaut films. Does mk2 even have US rights to these titles, or just the Region 2 rights? It doesn't appear that mk2 deals in Region 1.

[Derek Estes]

Actually, all of the Truffaut has been from the Wellspring deal, as was Godard's A Woman is a Woman, and the Fassbinder films. Heaven Can Wait was also from the Fox deal which originally included about one dozen films.

So far released from Fox:
Naked Lunch
Pickup on South Street
3 Women
The Leopard
Night and the City
Thieves Highway
Kagemusha
Unfaithfully Yours
Heaven Can Wait

Rumoured Fox releases:
Young Mr. Lincoln
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

[Jeff]

Actually, all of the Truffaut has been from the Wellspring deal, as was Godard's A Woman is a Woman, and the Fassbinder films.

Are you sure about that? I know that Wellspring released all of those titles at one time, but that doesn't mean that they still have the rights. For example, if you look at The BRD Trilogy, Ali:FETS, Antoine Doinel, or Schizopolis, you will find "Under exclusive license from Wellspring Media" and the Wellspring logo on the packaging. Jules and Jim, however, is credited exclusively to MK2 and A Woman is A Woman is licensed from Rialto Pictures and Studio Canal.

[Matt]

What most likely happened is that Wellspring's license to these films expired and Criterion just picked them up at that point. If you follow titles going out of print, you'll see that Wellspring's licenses are dropping like flies. Just this week, their DVDs of Shoot The Piano Player, My Sex Life... Or How I Got Into An Argument, My Favorite Season, The Last Metro, Confidentially Yours, and The Millionairess went out of print. Check out the whole list of OOP Wellspring DVDs.

[Jeff]

Well, I am pleasantly surprised. For the first time in over two years, a Criterion DVD (Ran) bears the "under exclusive license from Wellspring Media" tag. Hopefully, this bodes well for future titles.