criterionforum.org

Has Criterion ever dropped supplements they've produced, such as commentaries? I remember how, when initially announced around 1999, Dodesukaden was supposed to feature a commentary by Stephen Prince. Was it actually produced and they decided not to release it when the title was finally produced more than a decade later due to a compensation request?

Their James Bond laserdiscs had commentaries in the first pressings which were deleted from subsequent pressings.

Matt Zoller Seitz did a video piece for All That Jazz that got dropped. They let him post it on RogerEbert.com instead.

The Short Cuts laserdisc had a lengthy interview with Pauline Kael that was not included on the DVD or Blu releases.

CSM126 wrote:Matt Zoller Seitz did a video piece for All That Jazz that got dropped. They let him post it on RogerEbert.com instead.

Wasn’t that because his interpretation of “fair use” with regard to film clips was looser than theirs, and they didn’t want to risk sticking the piece on the disc given the possibility of an expensive recall?

Exactly.
The Bond LD commentaries were also dropped IIRC for legal reasons.

Back in the day, some films got added to the "Forthcoming" list on the forum because Prince/Cowie/some regular commentator had mentioned recording a track. A few of those (I specifically recall The Men Who Tread on the Tigers Tail) ended up in Eclipse sets. A similar thing happened with the Downey Sr. Eclipse, though there the PT Anderson interviews with Downey ended up as web extras. I forget if any of those rumored titles ended up as a mainline release with no commentary.

Jim Jarmusch and Richard Edson recorded an audio commentary for the STRANGER THAN PARADISE laser disc that didn't make it on to the disc. My memory might be inaccurate, but I think I was told Jarmusch wasn't comfortable with some of the comments he made, and he had Criterion remove so much of what he said that the track was no longer worth including.

I believe Lisa Dombrowski (author of The Films of Samuel Fuller: If You Die, I’ll Kill You) recorded a commentary for Pickup on South Street that was not used.

Werewolf by Night wrote:I believe Lisa Dombrowski (author of The Films of Samuel Fuller: If You Die, I’ll Kill You) recorded a commentary for Pickup on South Street that was not used.

I thought that was White Dog?