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Bill Forsyth's "Housekeeping" (1987) is a MUST ACQUIRE for Criterion. It's an absolutely brilliant work that never had a chance at the box office.

Gregory wrote:What about The Working Class Goes to Heaven?

We did have home video rights at one point, but they expired over a decade ago.

Jeff wrote:That makes sense, though I have heard that Husbands was slated for the next wave of Martini Movies, which I believe are already in production.

I can confirm that HUSBANDS is coming from Sony rather than Criterion.

Based on existing supplements that I know of, some others that seem like reasonable possibilities, Criterion's usual modus operandi, and the pros and cons I mentioned in the initial post, I've come up with the titles that my gut tells me are most likely, along with some possible supplements. Keep in mind that these titles and features are all completely random speculation on my part.

Safe
Audio commentary by Director Todd Haynes with guest Steven Soderbergh
Audio commentary by professor Julie Grossman
New video interview with actress Julianne Moore
Haynes 1993 short film Dottie Gets Spanked
Original featurette on "multiple chemical sensitivity"
Theatrical trailer

The Spanish Prisoner
Audio commentary by director David Mamet with Ricky Jay
New video interviews with actors Steve Martin, Campbell Scott, and Rebecca Pidgeon
Arthur Train's original short story The Spanish Prisoner read by Steve Martin
Original Featurette: The Spanish Prisoner: A History of the Confidence Game
Theatrical trailer

Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
Audio commentary by director François Girard and co-writer Don McKellar
Glenn Gould (1961): A 59-minute documentary produced by The National Film Board of Canada
Good as Gould: A Multimedia Essay by Dave Kehr
Theatrical Trailer

Bonjour Tristesse
Audio commentary by Chris Fujiwara, author of The World and Its Double: The Life and Work of Otto Preminger
A 1996 episode of the French television series Un siècle d'écrivains (A Century of Writers) dedicated to author Françoise Sagan, narrated by Jeanne Moreau
Bass on Titles (1977): A 32-minute documentary on title designer Saul Bass
Theatrical Trailer

The Fisher King
Audio commentary by director Terry Gilliam
Audio commentary by screenwriter Richard LaGravenese
New video interviews with actors Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Mercedes Ruehl, and Amanda Plummer
Episode of the BBC-Radio 4 series In Our Time dedicated to discussion of the medieval story

Repulsion
Audio commentary by director Roman Polanski
New video interview with Roman Polanski
New video interview with actress Catherine Deneuve
New video interview with legendary cinematographer Gilbert Taylor
Music videos: The Cardigans' "Hanging Around" and Metric's "Monster Hospital," both inspired by the film
Theatrical Trailer

Matador
Audio commentary by director Pedro Almodóvar
New video interviews with actors Antonio Banderas and Assumpta Serna
Torero, Carlos Velo's 1956 Academy Award nominated feature documentary on bullfighting
Theatrical Trailer

These Are the Damned
Audio commentary by David Caute, author of Joseph Losey: A Revenge on Life
New video interview with Positif editor and Losey biographer Michel Ciment
New video interview with actress Shirley Anne Field
A 1994 episode of The World of Hammer, featuring the film and narrated by Oliver Reed
Theatrical Trailer

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion
Audio commentary by Laurence Kardish, Senior Curator of the Department of Film and Media, Museum of Modern Art
New video interview with actress Florinda Bolkan
Ennio Morricone: Music for the Eyes, a 1990 Italian documentary about the composer
Theatrical Trailer

To Die For
Audio Commentary by director Gus Van Sant and screenwriter Buck Henry
New retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Gus Van Sant, Buck Henry, Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, and Joaquin Phoenix
New video interview with author Joyce Maynard
New documentary feature on the Pamela Smart case which inspired the book and film
Theatrical Trailer

Beat the Devil
Audio commentary by Lesley Brill, author of John Huston's filmmaking
The Life and Times of John Huston, Esq., a 1967 BBC program on the director
A 1953 episode of The Jack Benny Program, guest starring Bogart and featuring a promotion for the film
Theatrical trailer

In Cold Blood
With Love From Truman, Albert and David Maysles documentary portrait of Truman Capote following the publication of In Cold Blood
A 1985 episode of the French television series Cinéma cinémas, featuring director Richard Brooks
An original documentary featurette on the Holcomb, Kansas murders
An appreciation of cinematographer Conrad Hall featuring Gordon Willis and Haskell Wexler
New video interview with composer Quincy Jones
Theatrical Trailer

That's like Criterion Porn, Jeff!

Also, jaredsap, please don't ever post from work, because I think this board wants to keep you around as an inside man for as long as possible

Jeff wrote:Safe
Audio commentary by Director Todd Haynes with guest Steven Soderbergh
Audio commentary by professor Julie Grossman
New video interview with actress Julianne Moore
Haynes 1993 short film Dottie Gets Spanked
Original featurette on "multiple chemical sensitivity"
Theatrical trailer

Dottie is owned by Zeitgeist.

I'd love to see a gallery supplement expanding on the images from Haynes' scrapbook.

david hare wrote:Jared. what word (if any) on Sternberg's Crime and Punishment and/or the three title Lorre set?

We've restored CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK (which is amazing) and ISLAND OF DOOMED MEN. I can't speak about timelines, but as Mike S. has already mentioned, there should be a Lorre box from Sony eventually. THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK and ISLAND OF DOOMED MEN are often considered noirs (a stretch in both cases, but nevermind) so a Lorre box is not the only packaging opportunity.

A Scandal in Paris
Sleep my Love

Sony doesn't own these.

Sirk's Shockproof [...] Sternberg's The Kings Steps Out

But we do own these.

domino harvey wrote:Also, jaredsap, please don't ever post from work, because I think this board wants to keep you around as an inside man for as long as possible

Haha. Just to be clear, my member name gives away my identity (Jared Sapolin). I'm comfortable with everything I've divulged and happy that so many cinephiles here know so much about Sony's library.

And I'm in awe of your latest list, Jeff.

Jeff, don't tease me with the Fisher King. That is my favorite Gilliam. Also I doubt To Die For would get a commentary. I don't think a Van Sant film ever has had one.

knives wrote:I doubt To Die For would get a commentary. I don't think a Van Sant film ever has had one.

The Drugstore Cowboy and Good Will Hunting discs feature Van Sant commentaries.

Gregory wrote:

Jeff wrote:Fedora... I've never heard Sony mentioned as a possible rights-holder. My best guesses are United Artists, the producer, or some random German bank. Gregory, do you have a source for this?

I think it is UA, so that's probably why I was thinking about it in relation to Sony, but that deal ended, so I guess Fox would be the one distributing it? Criterion should get hold of it somehow.

UA (MGM) hasn't had any rights to FEDORA in many years. Someone online claimed the rights reverted to the original producers/financiers.

Jeff wrote:Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin Gardens
Arguments For: Current DVDs have no supplements. Criterion released Five Easy Pieces on laserdisc. No Rafelson in the collection.
Arguments Against: Sony's DVDs are still in print. They may be especially reluctant to let go of Five Easy Pieces, which has some name recognition with mainstream consumers. Criterion's laserdisc didn't have supplements.

Also, an HD transfer of Five Easy Pieces has already been made and aired on HDNet Movies. That may suggest Sony has plans already, unless they'd just toss Criterion the transfer.

Same applies to Shampoo, which premieres next month.

Jeff wrote:City of Hope
Arguments For: Of all of Sony's John Sayles films, this one seems most likely, as it remains unreleased.
Arguments Against: Criterion hasn't shown Sayles any love thus far. He has a previous relationship with Sony.

I'd be happy to see this film in ANY widescreen release. Even the LD is pan & scan, and given the 2.35:1 ratio and Sayles's visual scheme of switching between characters during tracking shots, the p&s version is nearly impossible to watch.

Jeff wrote:

knives wrote:I doubt To Die For would get a commentary. I don't think a Van Sant film ever has had one.

The Drugstore Cowboy and Good Will Hunting discs feature Van Sant commentaries.

And Disc two of Criterions My Own Private Idaho features a very lengthy audio track with Van Sant and Todd Haynes that is basically a commentary that ran longer than the film and someone just couldn't bring themselves to cut it down...

lol technically I guess you could call what he did for the original Drugstore Cowboy dvd a commentary... though this (much beloved, don't get me wrong) guys h u g e l y spaced out (I mean that both literally and figuratively) burbling are more like somnambulistic blurting--accidental soft collision of the lips tongue and palatte-- accidentally caught on tape with an atomically sensitive mic. Without Matty Dillon there to jump the whole affair up to beyond the sleep line, it'd be so hilariously vacant of that which constitutes actual commentary they'd hafta take the bullet point offa the disc's listed extras.

Jeff wrote:That makes sense, though I have heard that Husbands was slated for the next wave of Martini Movies, which I believe are already in production.

I can confirm that HUSBANDS is coming from Sony rather than Criterion.[/quote]

This is the best news of the year to me. The fact that this film will finally see a DVD release has me excited to no end. Jared, thanks for all of the happy news.

Jeff wrote:Repulsion
Audio commentary by director Roman Polanski

Wouldn't they just use the Polanski and Deneuve commentary from the laserdisc (one of the first I ever bought, when I became a member of the Criterion Laserdisc Club)?

Matt wrote: Wouldn't they just use the Polanski and Deneuve commentary from the laserdisc (one of the first I ever bought, when I became a member of the Criterion Laserdisc Club)?

Yeah, I was referring to the existing laserdisc commentary. I didn't realize that Deneuve was on there. Criterion has commentaries ready for Repulsion, The Fisher King, The Prince of Tides, Jason and the Argonauts, Taxi Driver, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, and likely several other Sony properties that I am forgetting.

Jeff wrote:The Prince of Tides

Ha! That's right. But I think you can bet they're going to stay far fucking away from Prince of Tides this time around.

david hare wrote:To very kind Jaredsap and Mike Schlesinger, when can we hope to see this?

Well, I can say we do own and have restored Visconti's SANDRA...

Sandra and Investigation of a Citizen would be most welcome.

As usual, I wish Criterion would raid the studio vaults for obscurities instead of putting effort into the mostly rehashes on Jeff's last list.

I'd be surprised if These Are the Damned becomes a Criterion, given the CC's lack of enthusiasm for sci-fi/horror and Sony's commitment to releasing its Hammer properties.

Sony is definitely planning on giving THESE ARE THE DAMNED a release, according to an interview I read online.

HarryLong wrote:Sony is definitely planning on giving THESE ARE THE DAMNED a release, according to an interview I read online.

Mike Schlesinger said that he would like to do that for Losey's centenary. He reiterated yesterday at HTF that nothing official has been decided yet. I imagine the Criterion deal has reshuffled the deck.

Perkins Cobb wrote:As usual, I wish Criterion would raid the studio vaults for obscurities instead of putting effort into the mostly rehashes on Jeff's last list.

I wish they would too. My wish list would look a lot different than my predictions list (though I would still buy almost everything that I predicted). Of course releasing obscurities doesn't generally pay the bills.

david hare wrote:If it were just me I would be putting the Losey Damned very low on the list. I watched it again recently from a TCM anamorphic scope copy and its one of those middle period Losey's that - well - time has not been kind to. There are a host of problems with it - the sheer archness of most of the cast, not to mention Shirley Anne Field's far too toffy voice (as sister/biker moll to Ollie Reed fer chrissake), and even the children are too "Stagey" (as Losey himself admits in the Ian Cameron book.) The actual SciFi centre of the story plays well for the atmosphere but the movie overall comes undone with the overwhelming archness of the production, not least elements like the absolutely dreadful bikers' rock and Roll number "Black Leather, Black Leather, Go go GO". Lawdy. Id substitute any of the Columbia Quines or Siegels for this junk.

David, I respectfully agree and disagree. From a certain vantage point, the film is a hopeless melange of stylized attitudes and posturing: the sociopolitical commentary about the dangers of playing God, the Frank Tashlin-meets-Terence Fisher Rock n' Roll, the wannabe Wild One stuff, the very (IMO) Bunuelian black-and-white photography itself. All of it, essentially, leads to not very much.

However, I think it is also a fascinating time capsule, one that really shows a contemporary audience just ho uneasy things felt in the world at that time. The film touches on a lot nerves, and sort of combines the middlebrow audience's fears of rebellious youth (in many senses) and arcane science. Not that the film is middlebrow, but it certainly is a commentary of the fears of the status quo.

I'd take The Go-Between and Accident over this any day, but damn if this one doesn't just stick with me.

Just curious, David: have you seen Losey's The Big Night? My friend had shown me a crappy bootleg copy quite a while ago, and I think its a film you'd really dig.

Sony is releasing In Cold Blood as a double-feature Blu-ray with Capote next week. Though the former lacks any special features, it might put a damper on some speculation for that title since early reviews suggest they've done a high quality remaster for this release.

Jeff wrote:The Spanish Prisoner
Audio commentary by director David Mamet with Ricky Jay
New video interviews with actors Steve Martin, Campbell Scott, and Rebecca Pidgeon
Arthur Train's original short story The Spanish Prisoner read by Steve Martin
Original Featurette: The Spanish Prisoner: A History of the Confidence Game
Theatrical trailer

Dog my cats, I want that.

Has Criterion ever licensed anything from HBO, because if they did do Spanish Prisoner, they should license Ricky Jay's excellent Mamet-directed HBO special