Criterion & Eclipse Cover Art & Packaging Babble-on Vol. 6

[Valin Kenobi]

From a purely aesthetic standpoint I wish Don't Look Now used the poster art, but I haven't actually watched it so I can't speak to which one better fits the movie.

[chatterjees]

Aren't we really a bit perplexed by this spontaneous overflow of newspaper leaflets? I personally feel very sad about it. Since they went back to separate DVD and BD editions, several big releases have been suffered by this leaflets to some extent. Example includes La Dolce Vita, Macbeth, My Darling Clementine, L’avventura and many more. With all due respect to Red River, My Darling Clementine is a much better Western. You get a paperback in addition to a booklet for Red River. What you get for My Darling Clementine?
I don't know why, but this is really puzzling me.

[HistoryProf]

So I was able to coax my overwide spines into a configuration that's reasonably pleasing to the eye and perhaps even a little Tatiesque, which I suppose I can live with (if you can even call this living)...

I'm sorry, but for a set like this that's just absurd. how can their QC not catch this in the proof stage?

[Minkin]

Aren't we really a bit perplexed by this spontaneous overflow of newspaper leaflets?

I discuss the possible reasons for this devlopment here. Basically: postage prices have increased dramatically, and continue to rise year after year. So every ounce saved in paperweight (probably the heaviest part of a package)- will work out to $$ saved that can better be spent elsewhere (like working on that Andrei Rublev restoration). So I don't blame them for wanting to save money by limiting the print content.

Besides, they've been putting a lot of essays on their website - which is probably the 2nd reason why we're getting leaflets -as they always want new content for their Current. It might not be in physical form, but at least its available to everyone (rrenault, eat your heart out) and its a damn slight better than what Flicker Alley are doing. So perhaps don't bemoan the loss of thicker booklets, as the content will still be somewhere, and its contributing to the greater good (less overhead cost = money better spent elsewhere).

[mfunk9786]

Aren't we really a bit perplexed by this spontaneous overflow of newspaper leaflets? I personally feel very sad about it.

We know, man, you've posted pointlessly about it several times now

[tenia]

While I always like a thick booklet, and I believe plenty of Criterion equivalent labels around the world are still able to export 40+ pages booklets (think MoC and Arrow for instance), I understand how this can be a big cost driver.

However, I also believe thick booklets are part of the "Criterion treatment", and it's a bit sad to see them progressively disappear.

[swo17]

Peter Becker must think staples are minor office supplies. Also rulers.

[Gregory]

The preference for so-called leaflets is nothing new. I haven't counted but I believe most of the earlier Criterion releases came with these, not with bound booklets. Maybe if more of us emailed Mulvaney to say how much we appreciate this printed content, they'd have a more tangible reason for continuing to include more of it. Perhaps one of the reason they've gotten away from including big books like with Short Cuts, The Furies, Arkadin etc. was because they got the impression that too few people were actually reading them to make it worthwhile.

[Gregory]

David Merveille posted a bunch of his art from the Tati set on his facebook page

He also started a Tumblr blog a month ago. Only four posts so far, but more to come I hope.

[Charles]

So I was able to coax my overwide spines into a configuration that's reasonably pleasing to the eye and perhaps even a little Tatiesque, which I suppose I can live with (if you can even call this living)...

I'm sorry, but for a set like this that's just absurd. how can their QC not catch this in the proof stage?

AGREE. That's beyond the pale.

Have any of you tried seeing how the digipacks fit in the box without the book? Maybe it wouldn't be tight enough that way, but it's worth a try. In a case like this I don't mind shelving the book right next to the box. I've already done things like that when, for example, keeping the original book for Veronique, storing it next to the Blu-ray.

(I was supposed to have taken my first pilgrimage of the month to B&N a few days ago. Fate intervened. It should happen tomorrow and I should finally have this in my hot little hands.)

[swo17]

The box is just the right width for the open ends of the digipaks plus the booklet, or for the flattened spine ends of the digipaks without the booklet. This is because each of the spine ends is about 1mm wider than the open end.

[Roger Ryan]

...(I was supposed to have taken my first pilgrimage of the month to B&N a few days ago. Fate intervened. It should happen tomorrow and I should finally have this in my hot little hands.)

When I went to my local Barnes & Noble last Wednesday, the media department clerk informed me that the TATI set was sold out on Blu-ray and that none of the stores could get additional copies prior to the holidays. "If you can find it anywhere, let us know 'cause we want to be able to stock this item again", he told me. I went home and ordered the set from the Barnes & Noble website.

The set should be arriving today; I've already been debating whether to bend the spines into a cute geometric pattern or remove the booklet!

[pmunger]

I don't know much about restocking technicallities but since stores are not able to get copies before the holidays, could it mean Criterion is somehow fixing the packaging isssue? I would think restocking a newly released title wouldn't be so long unless a new pressing is required or something like that, right?

[Charles]

Thanks for the heads up!

I wondered that, too, if perhaps Criterion isn't shipping until new boxes are made.

So I should wait and see, right? But the flesh is weak. I just called the two stores, one of which I'd have been going to today, and each of them had one copy of the Blu-ray in stock (but several on DVD). So here I go...

[Roger Ryan]

I don't know much about restocking technicallities but since stores are not able to get copies before the holidays, could it mean Criterion is somehow fixing the packaging isssue? I would think restocking a newly released title wouldn't be so long unless a new pressing is required or something like that, right?

My point was that the TATI Blu-ray set was readily available on Barnes & Noble's website at the same time the store clerk told me there was no way they could get hold of a copy since it was, apparently, this year's equivalent of Tickle-Me Elmo. I was also disappointed to discover that four additional Criterion titles I had intended to purchase were not in stock at this store. I believe this has more to do with the brick-and-mortar stores not wanting to stock niche items than any kind of unexpected sales run or recall.

[ryannichols7]

I don't know much about restocking technicallities but since stores are not able to get copies before the holidays, could it mean Criterion is somehow fixing the packaging isssue? I would think restocking a newly released title wouldn't be so long unless a new pressing is required or something like that, right?

My point was that the TATI Blu-ray set was readily available on Barnes & Noble's website at the same time the store clerk told me there was no way they could get hold of a copy since it was, apparently, this year's equivalent of Tickle-Me Elmo. I was also disappointed to discover that four additional Criterion titles I had intended to purchase were not in stock at this store. I believe this has more to do with the brick-and-mortar stores not wanting to stock niche items than any kind of unexpected sales run or recall.

as someone who works for B&N, please do understand that some stores competently order in a bunch of copies of recently released Criterions, as well as popular old ones (Seven Samurai, etc) but we still will dramatically sell out in no time.....

great example was Rosemary's Baby when it came out and literally every single customer that bought Criterions the first day walked out with that one, leading a sellout.

[Gregory]

When I went to my nearest store early last week, they had been cleaned out of many of the new releases, and I got the last Tati box, but they said they'd easily be able to restock everything within a few days. I went back three days later and everything was back in stock. I can't figure why any B&N wouldn't be able to restock the Tati set until after the holidays when they apparently still have stock of it in their warehouses.
I'm also curious why it's taking them so long to fix the bug in their in-store pickup feature on the website. The whole thing seems a little Tati-esque.

[Minkin]

This should rather be split between this thread and the BN sales or complaints thread but on those two different topics:

Regarding the Tati box - I don't think it's really that bad. The Godzilla blu-ray was far worse than anything here (and I can name hundreds of other releases by other companies that have a worse overly snug fit than the Tati set - like my Danger Man DVD set). My Tati set only has Parade at an angle different than the rest. I don't think this is the sort of problem where Criterion needs to stop the presses and start issuing refunds (they should've saved that for Earrings of Madame de.. ) and I don't think anyone should not purchase this set based on these fears.

As to BN restocking things - nothing will ever take the cake as The Thin Red Line - which was out of stock throughout the country except for a nearby BN to me - which always has a wildly inaccurate product availability - thus it wasn't actually in stock (don't I tell this story every sale?). My local BN just got a huge (probably 10-15 sets) order of Tati boxes in, and another nearby store also has a lot of copies available. For those in the Los Angeles area looking for a copy, PM me and I'll direct you to the stores in question (though some of you might not enjoy driving that far).

[ryannichols7]

i checked tonight....we have 13 tati boxes

[movielocke]

I've Seen Plenty Of tati boxes at bn for each of my four trips so far this sale.

[Roger Ryan]

Sorry if I have caused any consternation with my little Barnes & Noble story. I only meant to suggest that my local media sales clerk didn't know what he was talking about. I've not had a problem with shopping at the store in the past and can usually find what I'm looking for. I guess I got a little apprehensive not finding recently released titles on Blu-ray this time around. Carry on.

Oh, and I agree that the TATI packaging issue isn't really that bad; I'll just turn the thing around on the shelf (like I normally would) so I don't have to look at the slight irregularity of the spines.

[aox]

I've Seen Plenty Of tati boxes at bn for each of my four trips so far this sale.

There were at least ten unclaimed at the Union Sq. (NYC) store when I was in on Monday. One point: they are treating it like a high end box set so that store specifically was keeping it behind the counter and you have to inquire. It's not on the shelf in that store.

[mfunk9786]

Ah, that means spider locks at my local store, I guarantee it.

[criterion10]

Regarding the Tati Set, I can say with certainty that my B&N had multiple copies on hand. I know, because after purchasing the set, I complained to the cashier about the the box being beaten up and dented (unsurprising, unfortunately), and he was able to swap me a new copy in seconds. (I was surprised that the man didn't call "the men in white coats" on me!)

[Charles]

The box is just the right width for the open ends of the digipaks plus the booklet, or for the flattened spine ends of the digipaks without the booklet. This is because each of the spine ends is about 1mm wider than the open end.

That's it, exactly. I spent some time with it today, and compared this set with others like BBS, Cassavetes, Robeson, etc. Those individual digipacks fold to be exactly the same width from spine to open end, making each one flat and parallel (as opposed to becoming narrower at the open end). In the case of Tati, the folds made the spines too wide, and the printing of the titles did not call for that -- as printed, the titles would fit perfectly on those smaller widths.

So, even though this current style of box is not nearly as good as the old stiff cardboard ones, the actual size of the Tati box is correct, and it's the digipacks that are at fault.

As for the box itself: it doesn't seem possible that the seemingly Rube Goldbergesque method of constructing these things, what with the fold-overs and gluing, is cheaper than simply using a hard paper-covered box, but that has to be the reason Criterion and others are using this kind of construction now. And I wonder if this design prevents the box from being perfectly squared (cf. my earlier comment about the IAMMMMW box), because while the Tati box will stand on its own due to its width and the distribution of its contents, I can see its tendency to "tilt".

Anyhoo, enough OCD from me. swo17 called it. Tweaking each digipack to fold to right angles, and leaving the book out of the box, makes it all look fine on my shelf and makes me happy enough, and I'm especially thankful that my copy was devoid of any shipping or handling damage.