Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol.5

[mfunk9786]

I like the Narayama cover quite a bit. I'm glad we're getting the Kinoshita on Blu to pair with MoC's Imamura instead of just another duplication.

I know what you mean, but the two companies don't have influence on what each other release. MoC isn't going to turn down the opportunity to release something because Criterion has or vice versa.

[Dragoon En Regalia]

Both OtW and the Kinoshita covers are great stuff; Kid with a Bike doesn't impress, though I do like the Jean Rouch one a bit.

[triodelover]

I know what you mean, but the two companies don't have influence on what each other release. MoC isn't going to turn down the opportunity to release something because Criterion has or vice versa.

I understand that it's just a happy coincidence, nonetheless it's one less double-dip I'll have to agonize over.

[matrixschmatrix]

It seems like some of their coolest covers of late have been on the $30 price point blus- this one, Three Outlaw Samurai, The Organizer, Letter Never Sent, etc. I wonder if that's a coincidence, or if they're particularly trying to jazz up relatively unknown titles.

[Paupau]

I agree it's intentional, and i'd argue the Samurai Trilogy also fits the bill. Speaking of which, the Narayama cover seems to me to be from the same artist.

[Brian C]

This is the first $30 Blu in some time, isn't it? For a while we were getting them with monthly (or at least bimonthly) frequency, or so it seemed. I had kind of thought they'd gone away.

[triodelover]

I agree it's intentional, and i'd argue the Samurai Trilogy also fits the bill. Speaking of which, the Narayama cover seems to me to be from the same artist.

Or is it just another happy coincidence because these particular films lend themselves to a singularly iconic representation? It seems that they would spend less effort on films at this price point as opposed to a $50 MSRP package like On the Waterfront. The cover for OtW is good, but I don't think there's a single image that encapsulates the film like the Kinoshita cover. The best known scene is the "I coulda been a contender" scene, but how do you make a cover that captures the imagination out of two guys in the back seat of a car?

[Paupau]

Good point, i was just saying that i think it makes sense that, for barebones titles, they'd have to catch our attention somehow. Certainly i have no idea how long it takes to create such a cover.

[dwk]

Speaking of which, the Narayama cover seems to me to be from the same artist.

It is, Yuko Shimizu did both. Here is an in progress pic that she posted on facebook back in September:

[triodelover]

Good point, i was just saying that i think it makes sense that, for barebones titles, they'd have to catch our attention somehow. Certainly i have no idea how long it takes to create such a cover.

I don't disagree that these films need a little "something" to spark interest. They are at the lower price point because there's little in the way of extras to justify the higher price and that's because they are generally lesser known.

Here's a question for those in the industry here. Is it possible that Criterion's margins on these lower priced issues are actually better than the higher priced ones because of licensing and other costs involved in collecting and producing all the extras, including more extensive booklets? If so, does it make sense to pay an artist an increased fee for a more creative cover in order to have greater shelf appeal?

[TheGodfather]

Beautiful Narayama and On The Waterfront covers!

[ryannichols7]

whoever did the La Promesse and Rosetta covers should've done the Kid With a Bike cover, or at least in the same style.

On the Waterfront delivers.

[felipe]

whoever did the La Promesse and Rosetta covers should've done the Kid With a Bike cover, or at least in the same style.

I always assumed all Dardenne titles would be in the same style. I guess I was just wrong.

[HistoryProf]

whoever did the La Promesse and Rosetta covers should've done the Kid With a Bike cover, or at least in the same style.

On the Waterfront delivers.

Agree on both counts, especially the former. I picked up the Dardennes in the current B&N sale and they are beautiful in hand. I don't understand the change to such a bland cover for this one. strange.

Narayama is also absolutely gorgeous. seems like there's been at least one WOW in each month other than December going back to September at least. They are on a roll.

[Buttercream]

The Kid with a Bike image certainly captures the sentiment of the film, but I still feel like they missed an opportunity for something more dynamic and less like a heart-warming-foreign-film-of-the-year Miramax cover.

[acroyear]

Sansho the Bailiff's design remains an all-time fave of mine. Glad it wasn't messed with for the blu-ray. The "Disc Features" description still lists the paperback book as an inclusion, which leads me to hope they will retain the digipak design on the upgrade.

[peerpee]

whoever did the La Promesse and Rosetta covers should've done the Kid With a Bike cover, or at least in the same style.

Totally agree. They missed a trick there.

[JeffWang]

Chronicle of a Summer is actually an interesting cover...minimalist and mysterious.

[cdnchris]

Heaven's Gate

[ryannichols7]

not a single mention of it anywhere being a studio system breaking movie nor could Cimino detach his name from it anywhere...ridiculous.

[mfunk9786]

What?

[The Narrator Returns]

I'm not sure that would be the best thing to put in the description.

"A breathtaking depiction of the promise and perils of America’s western expansion, as well as a massive flop that destroyed its studio, Heaven’s Gate, directed by Michael Cimino, is among Hollywood’s most ambitious and unorthodox epics. Kris Kristofferson brings his weathered sensuality to the role of a Harvard graduate who relocates to Wyoming as a federal marshal; there, he learns of a government-sanctioned plot by cattle barons to kill the area’s European settlers for their land. The resulting battle is based on the bloody real-life Johnson County War of 1892. Also starring Isabelle Huppert and Christopher Walken, Heaven’s Gate is a savage and ravishingly shot take on western movie lore. This release presents the full director’s cut, letting viewers today see Cimino’s potent original vision, which was originally cut because lots of people hated it."

Or the sticker.

Studio Destroyer-Approved Special Edition

[Cold Bishop]

That and, you know, it didn't actually destroy its studio.

[criterion10]

Damn, Cimino really wanted his name printed all over the art design. It's one thing to have it say "Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate" on the front cover, booklet, and discs, but also including it on the spine and top part of the back is simply overkill, IMHO.

[Cold Bishop]

17 instances of Michael Cimino is pretty bad, but it could be worse... It could be 1 Lena Dunham.*

*I hereby spare your life, Alison Anders.