The Dead Criterions

[Gigi M.]

Criterion were going to release The Game on DVD ported over from their laserdisc; but I believe they lost the rights to the film (much like Spinal Tap, Silence of the Lambs etc. during the early days)

Anyways the rights I believe are with Polygram and they certainly don't deal with Criterion anymore....correct me if I'm wrong about this.

Still a great Fincher flick that should have a special edition out. Alas.

I found this news at Dvdanswers.com from January 2002:

"DavidFincher.net is reporting that Criterion will be releasing a Special Edition of The Game starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn. Here's what the disc is expected to include:

• Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer
• DTS and 5.1 Tracks
• Isolated Score with Commentary by Howard Shore
• Director's Commentary
• Interviews
• Trailers
• Psychology Test
• Never before seen footage

We can't confirm any of this at the moment, at least not until the official announcement from Criterion. Anyway, the rumoured release date for The Game is currently April 25th 2002. We'll keep you posted".

So, that pretty much says that we won't see The Game release by Criterion.

Here's the link: http://dvdanswers.com/index.php?r=0&s=1 ... Dcriterion

[blindside8zao]

yes, where exactly are Eisenstein's silent years?

[Andre Jurieu]

yes, where exactly are Eisenstein's silent years?

Tied up due to the bureaucratic tape of Russia, which is giving Criterion major headaches as they try to find proper elements.

[blindside8zao]

bleh... Thank goodness there are companies like them willing to work so hard on these ventures. Just started studying on Eisenstein's silents and am eager to see more than Battleship Potemkin.

[Derek Estes]

Whatever happened to Ivan's Childhood? It was once announced as forthcoming.

[Cinéslob]

Whatever happened to Ivan's Childhood? It was once announced as forthcoming.

Given that MK2 worked wonders with Ivan's Childhood on their recent DVD, I'd put good money on it being a prominent release for Criterion next year.

[Cinephrenic]

I bet it's coming out along with Nostalghia.

[HerrSchreck]

bleh... Thank goodness there are companies like them willing to work so hard on these ventures. Just started studying on Eisenstein's silents and am eager to see more than Battleship Potemkin.

You can get STRIKE & OCTOBER in very good and decent editions, respectively, from Image/Corinth films.

[rollotomassi]

The Dietrichs will be a no-no, there's a massive Dietrich set coming out in the UK in June (price well over £100) with 18 films, and The Devil is a Woman and Morocco were in the Dietrich franchise set released in the US, while rarer stuff like A Foreign Affair is available in France.

Pandora's Box I never expected from Criterion, all the German silents are under the rights of the Murnau Foundation. It's out in a satisfactory R2 release from Second Sight. If it comes out again later on, it's likely to be Kino in the US and Masters of Cinema in the UK, who hold exclusive domain over German silents, it seems. With the Pabst available in the UK, I'm more anxious to see Dupont's Variety (which would make a great double bill with that ever absent Bergman, Sawdust and Tinsel) and Robison's Warning Shadows...or better still, Voin Perlach's Chronicles of the Grey House.

As for the Riefenstahl's not sure about restoring these. Both parts are coming out on cheap R2 DVDs from DD video in the UK on 12th June, but they are generally "slap it on a disk but do nothing with the print" merchants - the UK's answer to Facets, and we'll have to see how good the prints are.

L'Année Dernière a Marienbad is available in a gorgeous R2 version in the UK, that'll do for the time being. I'd rather see Criterion releasing stuff not available elsewhere, rather than playing oneupmanship with other companies.