Forthcoming Lists Discussion and Random Speculation Vol.3

[matrixschmatrix]

Halloween is going to be in October this year.

Haha, my math skills aren't.... good.

[felipe]

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION:

- Much more!

Much more? Are they still making some features up?

[Gary Gnu]

Funny. Upon first seeing the "Three Collars," I thought it could be a hint for My Life as a Dog! Should've gone with my gut.

[rrenault]

I sort of doubt the 4 DVD set is the Chabrol. The titles are Beau Serge and Cousins that they are releasing. La Ceremonie (as well as Story of Women and Masques) are Janus properties, but they were released on the HVE label several years ago, a sign that Criterion already passed on them once.

Hmm... Are you sure Criterion would have turned down La Ceremonie. I'm surprised they would turn down an acknowledged key work of 1990s French cinema, but release several 2000s French films whose respective positions as essential works of French cinema are dubious at best. For example, people seem to be very divided on whether White Material is a key Denis film, whereas most would acknowledge La Ceremonie as one of the key films in the latter part of Chabrol's career.

[swo17]

If it got released on HVE, that means Criterion passed on it. Of course, that was several years ago.

[rrenault]

Why? What is HVE? In any case, I understand Criterion passed on it. I'm just saying I'm surprised they would pass on it. That's all. In any case, that DVD came out 7 years ago. Their position on releasing the film could have changed since then. Who knows? They probably didn't think it would be an appropriate film with which to introduce Chabrol to the collection, even if that was all they had the rights to at that time.

[swo17]

See here. Think of it like the Eclipse line before that was created.

[Napier]

Why? What is HVE?

Criterion's old sub-label for red headed step children. And Merchant-Ivory.

[rrenault]

I'm sure Howards End was an HVE release they subsequently added to the mainline.

[swo17]

Howard's End was a fluke because it won an Amazon poll to be upgraded to Blu-ray. I doubt it would have been brought to the mainline otherwise.

[knives]

Pale Flower was a former HVE too. I think it's safe to say a lot of the OOP HVE titles are moving over to Criterion which means the Chabrol should be considered likely.

[Napier]

Well then, bring on Hanzo the Razor blu upgrade.

[rrenault]

I'm still wondering what people's opinions are on why Criterion would turn down La Ceremonie, which is widely acknowledged as an essential work of 90s French cinema, but release White Material, whose status as an essential Denis film is currently dubious at best.

[Tom Hagen]

I'm still wondering what people's opinions are on why Criterion would turn down La Ceremonie, which is widely acknowledged as an essential work of 90s French cinema, but release White Material, whose status as an essential Denis film is currently dubious at best.

Probably because they didn't sit down and weigh the two movies against each other when they decided their release schedule.

[justeleblanc]

Hmm... Are you sure Criterion would have turned down La Ceremonie. I'm surprised they would turn down an acknowledged key work of 1990s French cinema, but release several 2000s French films whose respective positions as essential works of French cinema are dubious at best. For example, people seem to be very divided on whether White Material is a key Denis film, whereas most would acknowledge La Ceremonie as one of the key films in the latter part of Chabrol's career.

Keep in mind there are many factors that shape Criterion's decisions to release certain films in addition to whether they consider a film to be important. A film like La Ceremonie may have been passed on as perhaps at the time they didn't think it would sell enough copies or perhaps they didn't have enough extra material to warrant a mainline release.

If these Chabrols sell well maybe they'll look into re-releasing the HVE discs. Or maybe they'll decide to license A GIRL CUT IN TWO from IFC. The second option is probably a better business move, but who knows.

[Gregory]

Back when La Ceremonie came out on HVE, Criterion was releasing 3 to 5 titles a month, compared to about twice that now. They just didn't have anywhere near enough room on their release schedule to release everything they'd have liked to release. And they couldn't have managed to get such a large quantity of IFC titles out back then, as they've done more recently

The HVE editions were typically just as good as Criterion DVDs, or close to it, and often at a lower price point for similar content.

Victim is another unusual case: it went from Criterion LD to HVE to Eclipse.

[Saturnome]

Well. I knew there was some sort of link between HVE and Criterion, but it never occured to me that it was in some sort a label where they sent what they didn't cared for. It's interesting to see Criterion worthy stuff ending there : Norman McLaren, Robert Flaherty, Bruno Bozzetto's Allegro Non Troppo (released with a ton of bonus shorts though!) and the Jacques Feyder box set. And there's a couple of titles that got the Criterion treatment, so I wouldn't rule anything out (though I don't know how it works, do they still have rights over most of these films?). Yet I think a film like Animal Farm will sell more copies like that than in the Criterion Collection.

[Gregory]

A couple of those (Feyder and McLaren) were released under the HVE imprint by Image after the latter bought out the former. Criterion doesn't necessarily have access to what's on the HVE label.
And I don't think it's quite accurate to say that the HVE was where Criterion sent what they didn't want -- it was a more complex than that.

[Brian C]

Howard's End was a fluke because it won an Amazon poll to be upgraded to Blu-ray. I doubt it would have been brought to the mainline otherwise.

It would have never been on the poll otherwise.

[dwk]

Howard's End was a fluke because it won an Amazon poll to be upgraded to Blu-ray. I doubt it would have been brought to the mainline otherwise.

And that poll proved Homer right, Democracy doesn't work.

[matrixschmatrix]

And that poll proved Homer right, Democracy doesn't work.

*pushes up glasses* I think you'll find that was Kent Brockman

[YnEoS]

Bah, I already have the 2 UK DVD releases of Phantom Carriage, and criterion has to throw in both musical scores and a Casper Tybjerg commentary track. I might have to just pick up the Blu-Ray even though I don't have a player yet so I don't have to triple dip on the DVD.

[Cinephrenic]

Bertolucci's The Grim Reaper is in NEW PRINT from Janus/Criterion at BAM Pacific.

[CJG]

Criterion released La commare secca years ago.

[Cinephrenic]

Lol. Haha.. Seriously though, we need The Conformist.