criterionforum.org

On the topic of Vampyr, I checked the Criterion website and found the following:

PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by Mark Le Fanu and Kim Newman, a piece by Koerber on the restoration, and a 1964 interview with producer and star Nicolas de Gunzburg; plus a book featuring Dreyer and Christen Jul’s original screenplay and Sheridan Le Fanu 1872 story “Carmilla,” a source for the film (Blu-ray only)

Does this indicate a Blu will be announced tomorrow? And the Blu will have the book - while the DVD drops it? The bit about Blu-ray certainly wasn't there a few days ago.

-edit
Perhaps not, see my post below.

-Edit 2
Let the speculation keep on rolling. See my post on next page.

Ashamed to admit this (oh, not really), but I just took joy in catching up on a couple of somewhat older Criterions for the simple reason that it was such a wonderful thing to find a real BOOKLET in them.

Les amitiés particulières
My Beautiful Laundrette
Prick Up Your Ears
Black Lizard
Law Of Desire
Magnificent Obsession upgrade
and I was stopped from posting, so I'll change my original guess of the Dreyer box upgrade to
Vampyr upgrade

Minkin wrote:On the topic of Vampyr, I checked the Criterion website and found the following:
PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by Mark Le Fanu and Kim Newman, a piece by Koerber on the restoration, and a 1964 interview with producer and star Nicolas de Gunzburg; plus a book featuring Dreyer and Christen Jul’s original screenplay and Sheridan Le Fanu 1872 story “Carmilla,” a source for the film (Blu-ray only)
Does this indicate a Blu will be announced tomorrow? And the Blu will have the book - while the DVD drops it? The bit about Blu-ray certainly wasn't there a few days ago.

Oooh interesting. I certainly hope so

*distant whistling*

Interesting to hear about Vampyr. Eureka stated on Facebook very recently that they'd love to do an upgrade but the currently available HD master (presumably the one that is on the DVD) is not good enough for Blu-ray. And I suspect they're right about that. It would be wonderful news if Criterion or the DFI have done a new 2K/4K transfer though.

Lowry_Sam wrote:Les amitiés particulières
My Beautiful Laundrette
Prick Up Your Ears
Black Lizard
Law Of Desire
Magnificent Obsession upgrade
and I was stopped from posting, so I'll change my original guess of the Dreyer box upgrade to
Vampyr upgrade

I'm guessing the existing Dreyer box set will be downgraded to bootleg thin paper sleeves and an advertisement for Tootsie.

I might have jumped the gun somewhat on this Vampyr Blu-ray scoop. It appears that Criterion's website has messed up quite a few descriptions - by inserting random "Blu-ray only" bits on them. For example, see Harold and Maude:

PLUS: An essay by film critic Matt Zoller Seitz; a 1971 New York Times profile of star Ruth Gordon (Blu-ray only); and two excerpted interviews, one from 1997 with star Bud Cort and cinematographer John Alonzo and one from 2001 with executive producer Mildred Lewis (Blu-ray only)

So, perhaps we will still be awaiting some 2k/4k DFI restoration before this gets upgraded! Sorry to get people's hopes up.

-Edit
Looks like I'm mistaken again! See my post on next page, where I try and clear things up. Speculation is still on!

Minkin wrote:I might have jumped the gun somewhat on this Vampyr Blu-ray scoop. It appears that Criterion's website has messed up quite a few descriptions - by inserting random "Blu-ray only" bits on them. For example, see Harold and Maude:

PLUS: An essay by film critic Matt Zoller Seitz; a 1971 New York Times profile of star Ruth Gordon (Blu-ray only); and two excerpted interviews, one from 1997 with star Bud Cort and cinematographer John Alonzo and one from 2001 with executive producer Mildred Lewis (Blu-ray only)

So, perhaps we will still be awaiting some 2k/4k DFI restoration before this gets upgraded! Sorry to get people's hopes up.

AFAICT, that's because those aspects of the booklet are only in the version that comes with the Blu-ray.

Brief Encounter seems to be getting an upgrade soon as well:

SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
New high-definition digital transfer of the BFI National Archive’s 2008 restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
Audio commentary by film historian Bruce Eder
New interview about the film with Noël Coward scholar Barry Day
A Profile of “Brief Encounter,” a short documentary from 2000 on the making of the film
David Lean: A Self Portrait, a 1971 television documentary on Lean’s career
Trailer

It's been "upgraded" already, it's just in the David Lean / Coward box

Ribs wrote:

Minkin wrote:I might have jumped the gun somewhat on this Vampyr Blu-ray scoop. It appears that Criterion's website has messed up quite a few descriptions - by inserting random "Blu-ray only" bits on them. For example, see Harold and Maude:

PLUS: An essay by film critic Matt Zoller Seitz; a 1971 New York Times profile of star Ruth Gordon (Blu-ray only); and two excerpted interviews, one from 1997 with star Bud Cort and cinematographer John Alonzo and one from 2001 with executive producer Mildred Lewis (Blu-ray only)

So, perhaps we will still be awaiting some 2k/4k DFI restoration before this gets upgraded! Sorry to get people's hopes up.

AFAICT, that's because those aspects of the booklet are only in the version that comes with the Blu-ray.

Actually, that sounds familiar. Checking the website again, only Harold and Maude looked strange - the others are with bonus features that are indeed exclusive to the blu edition.

I found a better example - it looks like the DVD of Sansho the Baliff is dropping the large book (as I think was mentioned elsewhere in another thread).

PLUS: An essay by scholar Mark Le Fanu; plus two versions of the story on which the film is based: Ogai Mori’s 1915 “Sansho the Steward” and an earlier oral variation in written form (Blu-ray only)

So I guess the Vampyr blu-ray upgrade speculation is still on. I wonder if Criterion will be dropping the books for DVD editions, but including them on future blu-ray upgrades? Seems weird in the age of leaflets to be keeping huge, heavy books. I guess we will find out tomorrow for sure.

Can we make a list somewhere of all large Criterion books - so we can pick up the relevant edition before the books disappear?

domino harvey wrote:It's been "upgraded" already, it's just in the David Lean / Coward box

Yeah, that sounds about right. Carry on.

Minkin wrote:Can we make a list somewhere of all large Criterion books - so we can pick up the relevant edition before the books disappear?

Do we need to bring this back? Could this have been a hint at this thing to come?

FYI the last archived version of the Vampyr page is from January and the text about a Blu-ray is most definitely not present, so this looks like an early confirmation. I feel for those who rushed out and bought the SD version for the book if it gets thrown in with the Blu-ray, but like always we have you to thank for the release

Speaking of book/lets, all of my recent sale purchases ended up with just a sheet of paper folded in four, but are still housed in the thick keepcases that Criterion has been using. I really wish Criterion would switch to thinner packaging, my bookshelf is almost full & I've been given the ultimatum from my partner that I have enough & can't expand the collection beyond my bookshelf and I've already had to "thin out" the collection to accommodate new titles once already, it'll be harder the next go round. I know a lot of people don't like the Studio Canal digibooks, but I can cram 2x as many titles onto a shelf.

Predictions

The Fisher King
The Naked Island
Vampyr
Where is the Friend's Home?
And Life Goes On
Through the Olive Trees

domino harvey wrote:I feel for those who rushed out and bought the SD version for the book if it gets thrown in with the Blu-ray, but like always we have you to thank for the release

You're welcome.

Predictions:

A Master Builder
La main du diable
Mulholland Drive
Blue is the Warmest Color redux
Vampyr BD (Feels kind of like cheating here)
My Dinner with Andre BD
Pearls of the Czech New Wave vol. 2 (I really hope the VaHWoW gets it's own release, but I'm pessimistic)

Aside from the obvious choice of Dreyer's Vampyr getting a Blu-ray upgrade, I will also predict the following:

Yang's A Brighter Summer Day
Cronenberg's The Brood
Cronenberg's Crash
Altman's Short Cuts (Blu-ray)
The Dardennes' Two Days, One Night

I also wouldn't be surprised if we saw McCarey's Ruggles of Red Gap show up eventually.

Are people's monthly predictions based on anything, other than scattered clues? It seems people have been guessing Mulholland Dr. for months now..

chrisandy wrote:Are people's monthly predictions based on anything, other than scattered clues? It seems people have been guessing Mulholland Dr. for months now..

30% scattered clues
30% hearsay
30% innuendo
10% half-remembered dreams

Mulholland Dr was announced via Movies Unlimited's blog last fall, that's why we keep guessing it. Whatever big previously announced title they also leaked at the same time already came out, showing they were legit, so it's a good guess until it actually materializes

chrisandy wrote:10% half-remembered dreams

Do we know if those are the same 10% that end up being correct?

Guesses:

A MASTER BUILDER
VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS
THE FISHER KING
That Fucking Eyeball Anime Thing

War Trilogy BD upgrade