Criterion Random Speculation Vol.2

[zedz]

The film was also paid for by the notorious Golan & Globus' Cannon Films... At that time trying to gain kudos prior to inevitable crash and burn... Contract written on a table napkin, passing glimpses of Woody Allen and opera director Peter Sellers... No wonder it's in a mess...

Raul Ruiz's gob-smackingly bizarre version of Treasure Island was part of the same crazed moment (more high-class Cannon fodder) and seems to be similarly AWOL.

[domino harvey]

could you give me more info on the King Lear lawsuit? I borrowed my professor's VHS copy, it was interesting. too bad, Criterion could add that Meetin' WA short film (you can find it on YouTube if you search for "godard") on the extras if they released it.

Appearantly Godard used a text in the film without the author's permission. I'm guessing it was either an essay or a poem. Variety had an article on it that I think you can search google to find. I forget the specifics though. And right now I'm having difficulty finding a working link.

that's typical Godard behavior too, it's not surprising really.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

I dug this up from the archives of A Film By:

THE PAY'S THE THING
Thu Jan 22, 7:00 PM ET

LIZA KLAUSSMANN

PARIS (Variety) --- A Paris court found Gallic helmer Jean-Luc Godard guilty Tuesday of copyright infringement, after the director used text by writer Viviane Forrester without her authorization in his troubled production of "King Lear."

"In reproducing and diffusing in this film a paragraph of the book 'The Violence of the Calm' without the authorization of the author and the editor, M. Godard and the company Bodega Films have committed acts of copyright infringement against Mme. Forrester and against Editions du Seuil," the court said.

The tribunal forbade Bodega to continue distribution of the film, which was penned by Godard, Norman Mailer and Richard Debuisne ("C'est le bouquet!"), until the passage is credited to Forrester.

Furthermore, the helmer and the French distrib were ordered to pay the author and the publisher E5,000 ($6,350) each in damages and interest.

The verdict must also be published at the expense of Godard in two newspapers or magazines.

The court's judgment is one in a long line of problems "King Lear" has faced since its conception. Godard agreed to do an adaptation of the Shakespeare play at Cannes in 1986, signing a deal on a napkin with producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, of the now-defunct production outfit Cannon Films.

But when Godard showed a work print of the pic the following year at the fest, the film was so far from the Bard's original that the producers threatened to sue the helmer. Godard, however, escaped a legal battle when Cannon folded a month later.

Pic, which stars Godard, Woody Allen (news), Peter Sellers, Burgess Meredith, Mailer, Leos Carax, Julie Delpy and Molly Ringwald, was later bought by Bodega from Hollywood Classics. The distrib finally released "King Lear" on a handful of screens in 2002, 15 years after it was first lensed.

If the article is correct there aren't really any obstacles to getting the film out beyond appending an additional credit.

Regarding Made in USA: from what I've read, Godard didn't actually have the film rights to the Westlake novel. He apparently had an option for the rights (which was sold or given to him by another filmmaker), but he either didn't realize it was only an option or didn't care and made the film anyway. Supposedly Westlake himself won the U.S. distribution rights as part of a legal battle and has been sitting on the film ever since. The problem with this story is it doesn't explain how the film can be released in Europe and Japan but not the U.S. -- perhaps the non-U.S. rights were held by parties other than Westlake and the local distributors were able to clear them.

[zedz]

The court's judgment is one in a long line of problems "King Lear" has faced since its conception. Godard agreed to do an adaptation of the Shakespeare play at Cannes in 1986, signing a deal on a napkin with producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, of the now-defunct production outfit Cannon Films.

But when Godard showed a work print of the pic the following year at the fest, the film was so far from the Bard's original that the producers threatened to sue the helmer. Godard, however, escaped a legal battle when Cannon folded a month later.

It amazes me that someone could sign 80s Godard for this project and expect a straight (or even crooked) adaptation of Shakespeare (though Golan and Globus did seem to be especially clueless at this point). I guess they had similar expectations of Treasure Island. Sounds like they had a list of public domain literary properties and a list of art-house directors and randomly matched them up.

[FilmFanSea]

For the moment, all of the June titles have been removed from Criterion's website. Even the artwork has vanished. Curious.

[justeleblanc]

For the moment, all of the June titles have been removed from Criterion's website. Even the artwork has vanished. Curious.

They've returned.

[Narshty]

They've gone again! Quick - here's a chance for all the haters to believe Dazed and Confused and Equinox were only a dream.

[LightBulbFilm]

I have a feeling She's Gotta Have it will be 2 discs with a commentary by Spike Lee and his 1983 thesis films... RANDOM!

[Matt]

Criterion is having web difficulties? What a shock.

[LightBulbFilm]

So I'm anxiously waiting for Criterion's rumored release of She's Gotta' Have It later this year, so I did some research on what might be on the DVD.

Joe's Bed Stuy Barber Shop: We Cut Heads - Currently it looks as if a distributor by the name of First Run Icarus Films holds the rights to it... Or at least the right to sell a VHS for so God Damn much (Link: http://www.frif.com/cat97/f-j/joe_s_be.html

This lead me to find this on the same website: Making Do The Right Thing (Link=http://www.frif.com/cat97/k-o/making_.html) So it looks like Criterion has aqcuired rights from them before, if this is the case then it look as if Spike Lee's thesis film will finally be released.

[ByMarkClark.com]

Any guesses on what the next CC Truffaut release will be (notwithstanding the 400 BLOWS standalone)? If I remember correctly, they have the rights to: THE SOFT SKIN, TWO ENGLISH GIRLS, THE LAST METRO, THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR and CONFIDENTIALLY YOURS from the Fox Lorber deal. Although they seem to be cozy enough with the Truffaut family that they may be able to lay hands on other titles, as well (like DAY FOR NIGHT).

Among the former Lorbers, I'm thinking the most likely releases would be THE LAST METRO (Truffaut's greatest commercial success) or maybe TWO ENGLISH GIRLS. I'd LOVE to see a boxed set of Truffaut's final 3 features (METRO, WOMAN NEXT DOOR, CONFIDENTIALLY YOURS), but that's probably just wishful thinking. In any case, I'm NOT shelling out 40 or 50 bucks for the crappy F-L discs of those titles.

I'm not all that keen on a DAY FOR NIGHT reissue, since I have the OOP version, which is quite good. But I'm sure the DAY FOR NIGHT-less would put that one at the top of their list.

[GringoTex]

Any guesses on what the next CC Truffaut release will be (notwithstanding the 400 BLOWS standalone)? If I remember correctly, they have the rights to: THE SOFT SKIN, TWO ENGLISH GIRLS, THE LAST METRO, THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR and CONFIDENTIALLY YOURS from the Fox Lorber deal.

Two English Girls has benefitted the most from critical re-evaluation. Coldly received on its release, it's now considered by many to be one his masterpieces. So that's my guess.

[Narshty]

I think Fox Lorber has now lost the R1 rights to the Truffauts (seems like they only had the standard five-year contract). Criterion are licensing them directly from MK2 nowadays.

[domino harvey]

the Soft Skin was his last half-way decent film before he devolved into trite populist films, it would be great to get that one out on the Collection. the middle section with the old friend he can't shake is one of my all-time favorite film scenes.

[ellipsis7]

Yes I like LA PEAU DOUCE... However Truffaut was compiling his 'Hitch-book' at the time, and I always felt that the Hitchcock influence represented as exacting calculation and control of direction, was detrimental and stifling of FT's finest qualities demonstrated in his first 3 features...

[ByMarkClark.com]

I like THE SOFT SKIN as well (in fact, with only a few exceptions I think all of Truffaut's films are quite good). But it seems like rather a long shot to be next Criterion Truffaut.

-Mark, the trite populist

[justeleblanc]

The score to THE SOFT SKIN is also quite great, I almost think it's better than the film itself. I often wondered if the theme was something meant for JULES AND JIM but replaced by something less sentimental.

[GringoTex]

the Soft Skin was his last half-way decent film before he devolved into trite populist films

I thought this outdated critical opinion had been all but nailed to the floor. Bed and Board, Two English Girls, The Story of Adele H., The Green Room, and The Woman Next Door are darker, less compromising, and certainly less palatable to the masses than his first three films.

[domino harvey]

you honestly think Bed and Board is LESS mainstream than 400 Blows?

[Gregory]

I can't understand the purpose of writing off 17 or so different films with a single reductionist assessment like "trite, populist films" and no further explanation, in a thread where noone can go deeper into the subject without it being off-topic.

[ByMarkClark.com]

I agree, Gregroy, and I'm willing to go off-topic to address it, even if the mods slap me across the knuckles with a ruler.

Through his study of Hitchcock, Truffaut learned how to submerge his greater thematic concerns within the form of a lighter entertainment. Like Hitchcock's best films, the later Truffaut pictures are subtle, multi-layered works. They can be enjoyed as simple entertainments by viewers who approach them on a surface level. But astute viewers who are familiar with the director's ouevre will appreciate the deeper undercurrents present beneath that surface.

And even then, Truffaut made the occasional film (like ADELE H or THE GREN ROOM) that eschewed simple entertainment value and took a darker, more challenging approach.

Now back to our regularly scheduled random speculation.

[GringoTex]

you honestly think Bed and Board is LESS mainstream than 400 Blows?

Absolutely. One is about the horrors of growing up, and the other is about the horrors of young marriage. Which do you think is going to be more popular to the masses? Antoine Doinel's smile while a sledge hammer to tear down the wall in his apartment is far more disturbing than Nicholson's while using an axe to tear down the door in The Shining.

[ellipsis7]

Just to remind ourselves of the TIME OUT review...

Domicile Conjugal
For those who found Truffaut's later work becoming flaccid, this fourth instalment in the continuing saga of Antoine Doinel provides plenty of critical ammunition. The early years of marriage for Truffaut's quasi-autobiographical character involve estrangement from his wife, an affair with a Japanese mistress (ending in long silences and cramp in the legs for Doinel), reunion with his wife, fatherhood, and acceptance of his lot. Truffaut takes immense pains to keep his characters interesting, scenes being built around elaborate (and often very funny) sight gags and running jokes, but ultimately they only serve to remind us what a pompous and self-regarding bore Doinel has become. Funny enough, if that's all you want.

[bjeggert82]

What are the chances of getting some more Douglas Sirk melodramas? I thought that All That Heaven Allows and Written on the Wind were great discs with beautiful transfers. And Sirk is very poorly represented on DVD.

Anyone agree, or have any insght?

[Narshty]

What are the chances of getting some more Douglas Sirk melodramas? I thought that All That Heaven Allows and Written on the Wind were great discs with beautiful transfers. And Sirk is very poorly represented on DVD.

Anyone agree, or have any insght?

Yes and, unsurprisingly, no.