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I dunno, complaining about the cover to the plastic case that will spend most of its life housed inside a handsome cardboard sleeve seems not terribly different to me from complaining about any given picture from a random page in the booklet. In other words, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. Then again, I don't think it looks particularly "slapped together" either.

swo17 wrote:I dunno, complaining about the cover to the plastic case that will spend most of its life housed inside a handsome cardboard sleeve seems not terribly different to me from complaining about any given picture from a random page in the booklet. In other words, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. Then again, I don't think it looks particularly "slapped together" either.

Right. The cover to the package (in all three editions) is the slipcase/box. The SteelBook cover/back are both high-res images of two of our favorite production stills; we didn't want to repeat the outside box image. The Blu-ray + DVD sleeve image(s) (front/back/inside) are high-res photographs via the DFI of the original set model of Joan at the stake (on the cover) and more. A wider selection of these are presented in greyscale in the 100-page book. The inner sleeve seemed a good place to present some of the most striking instances (on the front and back of the inner sleeve) of these photos of the set-models in their full color. In fact that stake model photo, at least for me, makes for one of the more arresting images in a release, once you pull it out of the box for the first time.

evillights wrote:The cover to the package (in all three editions) is the slipcase/box.

...and those covers are great - even the Lubitsch one which is "just" a picture of young Ernst. I LOVE the Metropolis and Joan covers. I'm one of those people who always seems to prefer when DVD and BR packaging uses an original poster or an element from it or some contemporaneous advertising material. For example I thought the cover of Lifeboat was really cool, using what was quite a small detail of an original poster, and the first MoC I ever noticed (and what brought me to the brand) was the Diary of a Lost Girl DVD. Really eye-catching and still one of my favourites!

The Passion of Joan of Arc packaging is fantastic though. I expect the fact MoC had to house that big fat book with the release had quite a bit to do with it but even though I'm not a slipcase / slipbox / steelbook fanatic it's already got me thinking stuff like "I wish Metropolis had had a box like that, "I wish Die Nibelungen had had a box like that"! (Yeah, but don't make it a common practice really though MoC - I've already got a problem with shelf space!)

evillights wrote:

swo17 wrote:I dunno, complaining about the cover to the plastic case that will spend most of its life housed inside a handsome cardboard sleeve seems not terribly different to me from complaining about any given picture from a random page in the booklet. In other words, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. Then again, I don't think it looks particularly "slapped together" either.

Right. The cover to the package (in all three editions) is the slipcase/box. The SteelBook cover/back are both high-res images of two of our favorite production stills; we didn't want to repeat the outside box image. The Blu-ray + DVD sleeve image(s) (front/back/inside) are high-res photographs via the DFI of the original set model of Joan at the stake (on the cover) and more. A wider selection of these are presented in greyscale in the 100-page book. The inner sleeve seemed a good place to present some of the most striking instances (on the front and back of the inner sleeve) of these photos of the set-models in their full color. In fact that stake model photo, at least for me, makes for one of the more arresting images in a release, once you pull it out of the box for the first time.

We'll never all agree when talking about the asthetics of something, but in my mind the product would look better if the cover of the DVD/Blu-ray case continued with the MoC branding and layout even if there's a slipcase or box. e.g. Shoah and Mabuse: great, Lubitsch: your worst ever covers, Joan & Metropolis: fine but I'd prefer no slipcase and just a standard cover over a slipcase and a non-standard cover. I think your standard releases are some of the most beautifully packaged on the market and your covers are consistently far better than anyone elses - and that includes Criterion's. A clear case and a nice cover based on old poster art is a winner every single time.

Maybe it's not coming across but my grumbling says far more about the high standard of your usual covers, then my distaste for the standard Blu-ray Joan package. Needless to say, that Steelbook release looks an absolute work of art, I just don't feel the same about the the other two.

TMDaines wrote:A clear case and a nice cover based on old poster art is a winner every single time.

Not if it's the Vampyr and Trouble in Paradise covers! (The poster art used for the Trouble in Paradise booklet front was much better)

Finch wrote:Not if it's the Vampyr and Trouble in Paradise covers! (The poster art used for the Trouble in Paradise booklet front was much better)

Actually, there's nothing wrong with the underlying artwork on Trouble in Paradise. It's obliterating Herbert Marshall and Kay Francis with that huge font for the title and credits that's the problem.

Random thought: Does anyone else miss the column of screencaps that used to adorn the backside of MoC releases? It seems like most (all?) of this year's releases have only included text.

It got to be a bitch to do and I stopped it around TOUCH OF EVIL, which gave me a few hours back each week. Used to spend ages picking them and putting them in a nice order.

Well, for what it's worth, I appreciated it while it lasted!

peerpee wrote:It got to be a bitch to do and I stopped it around TOUCH OF EVIL, which gave me a few hours back each week. Used to spend ages picking them and putting them in a nice order.

Maybe I'm missing something obvious, but why did it take so long to do?

He wanted only the best looking and most evocative shots.

Oh. Looking at Ro.Go.Pa.G. I do notice that they aren't there anymore. Still, the front covers are the best in the business.

Anyone else had an issue with the wrapping on the regular Passion of Joan of Arc? Mine only just arrived (that's Zavvi pre-orders for you I guess) and the plastic was somehow glued directly onto the spine so I've got a straight line of plastic and glue and crap all the way down it.

Bit annoying but kind of in the 'can I really be arsed to do anything about it' zone.

knives wrote:He wanted only the best looking and most evocative shots.

Sandrine Bonnaire coming out of the shower in Police comes to mind.

Rsdio wrote:Anyone else had an issue with the wrapping on the regular Passion of Joan of Arc? Mine only just arrived (that's Zavvi pre-orders for you I guess) and the plastic was somehow glued directly onto the spine so I've got a straight line of plastic and glue and crap all the way down it.

Bit annoying but kind of in the 'can I really be arsed to do anything about it' zone.

I'm still waiting on mine from zavvi and it still hasn't arrived.

Rsdio, from your description, it sounds as if it has been heat-sealed. A handful of Criterion titles from the past year or so were wrapped this way. I believe they've stopped. (At least, none of the titles I've bought recently were left with the plastic residue upon my opening.)

Rsdio wrote:Anyone else had an issue with the wrapping on the regular Passion of Joan of Arc? Mine only just arrived (that's Zavvi pre-orders for you I guess) and the plastic was somehow glued directly onto the spine so I've got a straight line of plastic and glue and crap all the way down it.

Zavvi finally deigned to deliver mine today (Movie Mail or Eureka themselves from now on) and it too had the glue mark down the spine of the cardboard box. My only quibble for what's a fabulous bit of packaging.

Nice, the chabrol covers are a bit underwhelming, but the rest is looking nice, I like the Bakumatsu cover and the complete Yamanaka ! Sweet

Have MoC hired swimminghorses for the Bakumatsu cover? The Clauzot on the other hand, is typically wonderful.

The new LA NOTTE cover is an effective use of the original US release artwork, the scene the morning after on the deserted golf course...

Finch wrote:Have MoC hired swimminghorses for the Bakumatsu cover? The Clauzot on the other hand, is typically wonderful.

Actually, it was the Yamanaka cover that made me think of swimminghorses, with that extra-clumsy text treatment.

I don't know that we really need two verbose alternative translations for Bakumatsu adding clutter - will anybody actually be looking for it under either guise?

Technically we have three translations up there. What insane overkill, yet it will be totally worth a purchase.

I like it- I like the way the text swells out to have sort of the same contours as the woman on the cover, and I like the way that it wraps her in an extra layer- there's something appealing about a cover that's comfortable with the fact that it's not going to tell me a whole lot. It's certainly more appealing than the Yamanaka cover, where the text appears to be on about 12 Photoshop layers, all only sort of integrated. It might look better in person, though.

The Yamanaka box should just have the picture of him on the front
that appears in the booklet of H &PB.