The Mystery of the Phantom Web Pages

[JeffWang]

How is everyone finding these phantom pages on Criterion's website? When I type in the names people listed in the "Search" box on the top right from the Criterion website, nothing comes up for me.

[warren oates]

The File on Thelma Jodon: Paul Kelly, Ketti Frings, Joan Tetzel, Stanley Ridges, Richard Rober, Gertrude Hoffman.

Isn't this coming via Olive Films, though?

[Arthur Bannister]

Dreams That Money Can Buy? That would be a pleasant surprise.

[britcom68]

The File on Thelma Jodon: Paul Kelly, Ketti Frings, Joan Tetzel, Stanley Ridges, Richard Rober, Gertrude Hoffman.

Isn't this coming via Olive Films, though?

I thought that too, but all of these names are found sequentially, and it seems like the most likely explaination, if you can call guessing at phantom pages on Criterion website valid.A lot of names for The Beggar's Opera too.

The Legend of Valentino? "I've no sense of humor and if I did I'd laugh." And yet here are all these Phantom pages listed sequentially: Franco Nero, Suzanne Pleshette, Judd Hirsch, Lesley Ann Warren, Milton Berle, Yvette Mimieux, Harold J. Stone, Brenda Venus. All of whom are in this TV movie. The only guess had better be that this is film will be included, as a special feature, in the package of a much better film staring Valentino. [-o<

Going Down the Road- at last another Canadian film could join the Collection. Doug McGrath, Donald Shebib, William Fruet, Jayne Eastwood, Cayle Chernin, Nicole Morin, Pierre La Roche: all these now have phantom pages. If you can trust a phantom [menace] page.

[adavis53]

Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, Hans Richter, Max Ernst, Fernand Leger: must be 8x8 Chess Sonata.

or Dreams That Money Can Buy

[Cinephrenic]

Released on Blu by Olive Films.

[Moe Dickstein]

I think the forum is being punked.

[jwd5275]

Beggar's Opera is already Warner Archive too.

[britcom68]

Released on Blu by Olive Films.

File on Thelma Jordon? Hmm, then maybe there isn't any significance to having all these names listed together of those cast members, or just a random chance. Although Sidomak, Barbara Stan and Wendel Corey already have their places in the Criterion and those were the only three names left out. That would be an odd coincidence but I'm willing to believe in odd coincidences- I think that's the whole point of films that are suspense genre anyway. Unless it means Olive no longer has File on Thelma, which I doubt very much. hmm, down another rabbit hole we go...

[Cinephrenic]

Criterion was rumoured to have it slated at one point, but Olive Films just released it. I think they changed their minds on it and the names are still listed.

[Jack Phillips]

Criterion was rumoured to have it slated at one point, but Olive Films just released it. I think they changed their minds on it and the names are still listed.

Yes, that's my interpretation. I remember the rumor about Thelma Jordan; Cry of the City was also supposed to get released and never did. Did Olive end up with that one too?

[Jack Phillips]

Um, that's the director and leading cast for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, already out on Blu-ray from MGM/Fox.

And due for an upgrade. The film needs to be presented in its original Italian form, as well as in its English-language international edition (two different cuts, two different audio tracks). That would require a multi-disc set. I doubt that anyone besides Criterion would be willing to do right by this title.

[ianungstad]

If these pages don't mean anything; Criterion may want to stop putting them on their website. I think a lot of people will be disappointed now if they don't release The Man Without a Map, Mommie Dearest, Carnal Knowledge and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Seems very weird to put up cast and crew phantom pages for films you don't have the rights to.

[knives]

Unless they like fucking with people.

[SpiderBaby]

I think a lot of people will be disappointed now if they don't release The Man Without a Map, Mommie Dearest, Carnal Knowledge and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

I will be disappointed if I see another The Good, The Bad and The Ugly release before Limite is announced.

[BillWatkins]

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Blu is lousy and didn't include the US Theatrical cut, which IMO is vastly superior.

[duck duck]

What is the page for Mommie Dearest? I just searched it and the phrase occurs in an article about Eclipse 27. Are you sure these are place holder pages and not just searchable phrases? I know this has been going on for quite some time though.

[knives]

There is no page for Mommie Dearest, but many cast and crew members of the film has people pages.

[duck duck]

Ok, thank you. I have seen the people pages. Is it possible that they were created with the idea of including a laser disc list again but then giving up? (I don't know who all has been found and what they are connected to.) I think it would be best if they were just fucking with people trying to get into their address system and predict titles.

[Drucker]

If these pages don't mean anything; Criterion may want to stop putting them on their website. I think a lot of people will be disappointed now if they don't release The Man Without a Map, Mommie Dearest, Carnal Knowledge and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Seems very weird to put up cast and crew phantom pages for films you don't have the rights to.

Yeah it's Criterion's fault you'll be disappointed. They basically forced people to find these pages.

[PfR73]

Um, that's the director and leading cast for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, already out on Blu-ray from MGM/Fox.

And due for an upgrade. The film needs to be presented in its original Italian form, as well as in its English-language international edition (two different cuts, two different audio tracks). That would require a multi-disc set. I doubt that anyone besides Criterion would be willing to do right by this title.

I agree the film needs an upgrade with both cuts. The thing that makes me suspicious, though, is that, as far as I am aware, this would be the first MGM film that Criterion would release that has already been released on Blu-Ray by MGM themselves. If such an arrangement were to happen, why wouldn't Criterion first go after getting the rights back to the OOP MGM releases like Robocop, Sid & Nancy, The Silence Of The Lambs? Each one of those could also do with an upgrade. I emailed Criterion awhile back curious about why those have never come back in print since they have a deal with MGM, but unsurprisingly never received a response.

[dwk]

I think one of Criterion's producers mentioned at a Wexner Center talk that they could have reacquired The Silence of the Lambs but they passed because they felt they couldn't improve on the MGM release. I think she was talking about the special features, because the transfer on the MGM Blu-ray could definitely be better (maybe, if enough people bother them about it, they'll reconsider.)

[solaris72]

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Blu is lousy and didn't include the US Theatrical cut, which IMO is vastly superior.

And original mono! The spaghetti western gunshot sound is so distinctive. I find the modern gunshots in the new 5.1 mix distracting.

[Brian C]

I think a lot of people will be disappointed now if they don't release The Man Without a Map, Mommie Dearest, Carnal Knowledge and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

"A lot of people"? More like "the three people who are actually credulous enough to take this stuff seriously."

[CSM126]

I'm already disappointed in Criterion for not releasing Mommie Dearest anyway.