Criterion Random Speculation Vol.2

[Derek Estes]

That is an optimistic response regarding Wilder. I have asked on a couple of occasions and was told there was no plans. Double Indemnity is the obvious first choice. Though I'm sure they are also hoping for the chance to release Citizen Kane again, but that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

[Napoleon]

Ace In The Hole would be more up cc's street.

[pzman84]

Ace in the Hole is Paramount. Unless a new deal is struck with them, you won't see it or any of its films on Criterion any time soon.

BTW, at the Balboa theater, they are showing a bunch of Pre-Code films by Paramount (rights by Universal). They are basically all new prints. DVDs could be coming soon as well.

http://www.balboamovies.com/program/bal ... _dec_x.pdf

[Jeff]

That is news. I've been asking about Wilder for years, and have always received the standard "no plans" response too. Obviously, this looks to be Double Indemnity. Peter Becker said several years ago that this was a perennial favorite when the Criterion staff was discussing which films they would like to work on. The fact that Universal pulled it from their noir line-up at the last minute would indicate that something was up as well.

Wilder mentioned in his interviews with Cameron Crowe that the original ending is still extant. Hopefully Criterion could get their hands on that, along with Volker Schlondorff's series of interviews with Wilder from German television. Throw in an introduction by Crowe, and a commentary with Alain Silver, and you've got a helluva set. Of course I wouldn't turn down a box with The Major and the Minor and Five Graves to Cairo either.

[Gregory]

I was thinking Fedora would be outstanding, but it was a United Artists so I guess we have to look to Sony.

[Cinephrenic]

Well you guys can stay up and watch see any new prints of Double Indemnity at 4:00 am Eastern time on TCM on Saturday the 19th.

[justeleblanc]

I was thinking Fedora would be outstanding, but it was a United Artists so I guess we have to look to Sony.

Why wasn't this released in the Wilder Box that was also UA?

[djali999]

Some time ago I did a quick run down of Wilder titles owned by Universal, and outside of Double Indemnity the only thing they haven't yet issued which I'd be willing to skin a cat for a copy of is The Major and the Minor. Not to say that any Criterion Wilder release is anything to turn your nose up at.

....Not to say I'd actually skin a cat, but I'd think about it...

As for Ace in the Hole... the day Paramount isses that will be the day they're cashing in on a remake, sadly enough.

[justeleblanc]

Some time ago I did a quick run down of Wilder titles owned by Universal, and outside of Double Indemnity the only thing they haven't yet issued which I'd be willing to skin a cat for a copy of is The Major and the Minor. Not to say that any Criterion Wilder release is anything to turn your nose up at.

....Not to say I'd actually skin a cat, but I'd think about it...

As for Ace in the Hole... the day Paramount isses that will be the day they're cashing in on a remake, sadly enough.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005 ... d&v=glance

I know this is the wrong release date, but I swear davisdvd.com announced that it will be released onto DVD.

And as for a remake, doesn't the Costa-Gravas film MAD CITY count?

[Andre Jurieu]

I know this is the wrong release date, but I swear davisdvd.com announced that it will be released onto DVD.

Didn't davisdvd.com make a mistake and assume it was the Wilder film, when in fact it was that US Military-sponsored documentary about Saddam?

[godardslave]

I know this is the wrong release date, but I swear davisdvd.com announced that it will be released onto DVD.

Didn't davisdvd.com make a mistake and assume it was the Wilder film, when in fact it was that US Military-sponsored documentary about Saddam?

heehee. #-o

[justeleblanc]

I know this is the wrong release date, but I swear davisdvd.com announced that it will be released onto DVD.

Didn't davisdvd.com make a mistake and assume it was the Wilder film, when in fact it was that US Military-sponsored documentary about Saddam?

heehee. #-o

Just watch, the U.S. military will release a documentary about bin Laden called THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS: DIRECTOR'S CUT

[backstreetsbackalright]

Well you guys can stay up and watch see any new prints of Double Indemnity at 4:00 am Eastern time on TCM on Saturday the 19th.

Anybody peep this out?

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

I know this is the wrong release date, but I swear davisdvd.com announced that it will be released onto DVD.

Didn't davisdvd.com make a mistake and assume it was the Wilder film, when in fact it was that US Military-sponsored documentary about Saddam?

Some people did confuse the two, but Paramount supposedly mentioned Ace in the Hole would be coming out in October (the other Ace in the Hole was a Sony release and came out in September). There was no mention of it after that. There's a HTF thread about it here.

[edgarnazaretian]

Anybody peep this out?

It's actually tonight at 1 a.m. for pacific and 4.am. for those on the east coast. I'll record it and post if there is any change in quality from the last time they showed it on tcm. I recorded it the last time as well.

[Narshty]

Random note: seeing how Ran proves the Wellspring deal is alive and well, I'd say there's a very good chance we'll see Breathless in the collection soon enough. It's just too important for them not to be scrabbling after.

[justeleblanc]

Maybe they'll take all of Wellspring's Godard titles: Breathless, Le Petit Soldat, Les Caribineers -- I can't see them turning down a Godard film under any circumstance

[chaddoli]

I can't see them turning down a Godard film under any circumstance

Hopefully they will if it's called 'Notre Musique.'

[backstreetsbackalright]

I saw it for the first time with three friends. One of them - who is no slouch when it comes to the cinema - said afterwards without irony (and I'm paraphrasing here, but barely), "That Godard, he's gettin' pretty good."

Sure, Godard of the 90s-00s may not carry some of the, I dunno, magic that the finest of 60s Godard did (which is to my thinking akin to making a federal case of The Passenger's inferiority to L'eclisse). But to dismiss it so totally is - again, to my thinking - to fail to appreciate the bulk of what makes Godard such a distinctive voice and precocious, slippery, challenging talent.

[zedz]

In Chuck Stephens' article on Tatsuya Nakadai on the Criterion website, he quite naturally focusses on the already released Criterion titles, and the article includes links to images from all eleven of the released films.

There are two exceptions: images are also provided for The Human Condition and Ichikawa's Odd Obsession. Hidden message, or red herring? For what it's worth (probably nothing), The Face of Another is not similarly privileged, even though it's mentioned more than once.

[Steven H]

In Chuck Stephens' article on Tatsuya Nakadai on the Criterion website, he quite naturally focusses on the already released Criterion titles, and the article includes links to images from all eleven of the released films.

Not to mention that on the Harakiri DVD most of the extras basically play as advertisements for how good The Human Condition is. If my Criterion Propaganda radar is correct, I'd expect it very soon. With the Image connection, I'd say it's a no-brainer.

[zedz]

Not to mention that on the Harakiri DVD most of the extras basically play as advertisements for how good The Human Condition is. If my Criterion Propaganda radar is correct, I'd expect it very soon. With the Image connection, I'd say it's a no-brainer.

Which will put Nakadai within spitting distance of Mifune as the actor appearing the most times in the collection. I would be thrilled to see The Human Condition appear, as it's been near the top of my must-see list for a couple of decades now.

[zedz]

Last Saturday I went to a screening of Poison and Far From Heaven. In between Todd Haynes spoke and one thing he mentioned was that there were some Max Ophuls movies coming out on DVD and that he had been asked to do introductions. The one title i remember for sure was The Reckless Moment. He didn't say what company it was through but i figured since there was a chance it was Criterion I would let you guys know.

Thanks for the news. Since Haynes has an existing relationship with Criterion and he's done introductions for them before, it's a reasonable conclusion to draw. Regardless of whether it's Criterion or not, any Ophuls on DVD would be welcome.

[FilmFanSea]

According to IMDb, The Reckless Moment (1949) was made for and distributed by the Columbia Pictures Corporation, with no other production company listed. That would almost certainly indicate that SONY would be releasing it on DVD. Hard to believe those tightwads would pony up for a Haynes intro, though (unless they plan to release it under their "Columbia Classics" banner).

[FilmFanSea]

I think Columbia was only the distribution company for it, just as MGM was for Caught (which is now in then hands of Universal.) The actual Production Company may have been Walter Wanger/Diana but in any case it has been out of circulation for so long who knows. (However Sony picked up excellent prints for the DVDs of Mann's T-Men and Raw Deal.)

This program link from a 2003 retrospective at William & Mary College, entitled "Max Ophüls Beyond Borders"seems to confirm that Sony has the rights:

THE RECKLESS MOMENT Sunday, March 30, at 9:45 P.M.

Film noir invades melodrama in Ophuls' last film, recently re-made as The Deep End. Joan Bennett stars as a respectable housewife whose bourgeois sensibilities are upended when her daughter's boyfriend turns up dead. James Mason is the blackmailer with a conscience. The Reckless Moment is not available on video or DVD. We are proud to present the restored print commissioned by Sony in celebration of Columbia Studios 75th anniversary, provided courtesy of King World Productions, Inc. United States, 1949, b&w, 82 mins.

For the record, Criterion does own the rights to La Ronde (1951), Le Plaisir, (1952) and The Earrings of Madame de... (1953). I suspect they could negotiate the rights to Lola Montès (1955) from Wellspring to do a welcome re-release. Criterion released all four of these films on laserdisc.

EDIT: Contrary to the description above, The Reckless Moment was not "Ophuls' last film" (which was Lola Montès in 1955).

EDIT 2: For those curious about the German restoration of the multilingual original cut of Lola Montès, its history is summarized here. Unfortunately, Ophüls' son, Marcel--a great filmmaker in his own right--has blocked its distribution.