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Thanks for those pics Galen. I just wish I could pull off the tuck-in the way Polanski does. He was the 60s, dippin' his toe in every pool....

I had a huge Polanski pigout last year and have always loved RB - Ruth Gordon continually knocks me out. But Chinatown and Bitter Moon are my picks of his these days.

Wow! Phenomenal set photos. Thanks Galen!

Just why this phenomenal trailer isn't on the current Paramount DVD, I will never know.

Extraordinary trailer, I rarely praise trailers but that perfectly encapsulated the surreality and eeriness of the film itself. If I had seen that back in the 60s I would have been first in line to buy a ticket.

Criterion announced for October 2012

Weak package? Or is it just me . . . I love this film and was really looking for some grandslamming extras on this.

Helps also that I'm reading Helter Skelter right now for--believe it or not-- the first time.

I'm satisfied. Nice Komeda docu.

I was hoping that they would have licensed The Tenant as a sequential spine.

Hopefully the new interviews with be a bit more candid than the informative but guarded featurette from the old DVD. I would have liked more extras but as this is one of my very favorite films, I'm sure I would have bought it under any circumstances.

Does this include the original featurette included on the old Paramount dvd?

They came up with some pretty weak supplements for Harold and Maude too. In the extras you hear mention about the test footage the writer shot for Paramount, the long running Harold and Maude stage production, various deleted scenes; that would have made great extras. If they had spent a little more time on the release they could have put together a much more satisfying product.

I agree that the package for Rosemary's Baby sounds a little weak. This has been a problem with Criterion over the last few years. They get some pretty high profile releases and they don't put together the kind of packages they used to in the old days. It's better than what Paramount offered, which is reason for celebration but so much is left off the table.

Who's to say that time is the only reason these packages aren't as complete as you'd like (I think Harold and Maude is a lovely release, for the record)? Bonus features for popular studio films like these are more expensive to get done, and I think they try to put an emphasis on quality over quantity. As much as I'd like to have seen a commentary/video essay on this one, who's to say that that was possible (wrangling worthwhile participants, cost, etc)?

britcom68 wrote:Does this include the original featurette included on the old Paramount dvd?

No, the interviews are new. Dick Sylbert was part of the original featurette and his name isn't listed as an archival interview subject (since he died a decade ago).

mfunk9786 wrote:Who's to say that time is the only reason these packages aren't as complete as you'd like (I think Harold and Maude is a lovely release, for the record)? Bonus features for popular studio films like these are more expensive to get done, and I think they try to put an emphasis on quality over quantity. As much as I'd like to have seen a commentary/video essay on this one, who's to say that that was possible (wrangling worthwhile participants, cost, etc)?

And I hate all that "Oh, Criterion isn't as good as it once was" whining.

Especially since something comes along to disprove it every. single. time.

Depends on the situation but I don't think it's whining. They could have interviewed Bud Cort in addition to the other potential supplements that I listed above. We are now in a period where we are getting 1-2 major studio releases a month and they just don't show the same amount of attention to high profile titles that they used to. The market is smaller overall and they are suddenly faced with the rights to more high profile titles than they can keep up with. It's not a complaint; I'll buy Rosemary's Baby, but even a few years ago they would have come up with a better package.

mfunk9786 wrote:Who's to say that time is the only reason these packages aren't as complete as you'd like (I think Harold and Maude is a lovely release, for the record)? Bonus features for popular studio films like these are more expensive to get done, and I think they try to put an emphasis on quality over quantity. As much as I'd like to have seen a commentary/video essay on this one, who's to say that that was possible (wrangling worthwhile participants, cost, etc)?

On top of that, it does seem like the people making the disc might not have had access to all the behind-the-scenes/makings-of/featurettes. Look at how picky Harold/Maude cover art had to be! If the cover art alone can be such a headache, lord knows how much effort it takes to get great supplements.

Most of the titles released by Paramount over the years were transferred from some abominable prints. Harold and Maude was an ugly mess on the old DVD and now looks and sounds pristine. Features or not, I'm happy just to see these titles being rescued from a company that clearly didn't give a shit.

ianungstad wrote:They could have interviewed Bud Cort in addition to the other potential supplements that I listed above.

Says who? I realize he's not an international superstar but what makes you think he was waiting by the phone to be interviewed and that there weren't extenuating circumstances preventing the inclusion of an interview with him? It's so easy to make up fantasy releases in your mind, but you have to have some respect for the people who actually have to put these things together.

HerrSchreck wrote:Weak package? Or is it just me . . . I love this film and was really looking for some grandslamming extras on this.

Helps also that I'm reading Helter Skelter right now for--believe it or not-- the first time.

The first time? That does surprise me!

I'm with you on the extras front. I expected this to be a pull-out-all-the-stops headliner, the kind of thing that used to warrant a fully loaded two DVD set. Still, it will be nice to get a spiffing HD transfer.

ianungstad wrote:I'll buy Rosemary's Baby, but even a few years ago they would have come up with a better package.

You're wearing those rose-colored glasses again. A few years ago, they would have come up with an equal, if not lesser, package. There's a limit to what they can possibly include. I would have liked it if Criterion included The Kid Stays in the Picture, but licensing that would be a bitch, so they couldn't include. Criterion did as good of a job as they possibly could.

zedz wrote:I'm with you on the extras front. I expected this to be a pull-out-all-the-stops headliner, the kind of thing that used to warrant a fully loaded two DVD set. Still, it will be nice to get a spiffing HD transfer.

The Komeda doc is 70 minutes, so it probably will be two DVDs. I agree though, about the somewhat disappointing slate of extras. A commentary would have been nice.

You can't necessarily judge the quality of a package by what isn't included, as one never knows what's been lost or is tied up with rights issues or whatever. And what's actually on Harold and Maude is great, I wish all their releases of late were that good.

This one looks a bit weak on paper, but the interviews Criterion puts out are sometimes incredibly in depth and worthwhile, and I'm going to pick this one up anyway. I do wish there was a commentary, though, this kind of movie seems ideal for one.

Jeff wrote:The Komeda doc is 70 minutes, so it probably will be two DVDs. I agree though, about the somewhat disappointing slate of extras. A commentary would have been nice.

It is going to be two DVDs.

I'm glad this is coming from Crit regardless of how much extras it has or not after seeing Paramount giving Chinatown a merely OK high definition treatment.