criterionforum.org

DeusEx wrote:

Lowry_Sam wrote:I've always been a bit baffled by Criterion's choice of experimental/shorts. I picked up both Brakhage & Frampton sets in part because of the praises they received here, but was a bit underwhelmed by them both (particularly that these were chosen over my faves like Anger, Kuchar Bros., Quay Bros... which I not only like better, but would also probably sell better). Not sure if it's a high brow/low brow thing (which I would tend to doubt) or a need to push the less commercially viable (that others are not likely to pick up) when putting together a (very occasional) experimental set.

Personal taste aside, I'm not sure there's anything baffling about Criterion's choice of Brakhage and Frampton for experimental sets. They're among the most foundational filmmakers for the American avant-garde, and are generally pretty well-liked and well-studied among people who like that sort of thing. Anger is certainly part of that conversation too, but there already is a pretty comprehensive DVD collection of his stuff (albeit out of print, I think). The rest of the North American tradition is a weird nut to crack as far as commercial releases go - not just for market reasons but because of artistic temperament. I could imagine Criterion wanting to put together a Bruce Conner set, but I've heard his estate is pretty adamant about avoiding dvd (except for the institutional dvd collections he issued himself). Michael Snow allegedly wants no part of any kind of commercial release. Ditto the Markopoulos estate. Bear in mind this is a generation that took the primacy of the celluloid experience pretty seriously, and may see DVD or BD as an unacceptable compromise on their aesthetic. Someone like James Benning or Ernie Gehr might be more amenable, but their profile isn't as high as Brakhage and Frampton and their "bafflement" factor has to be at least as high.

I have no particular opinion about the Kuchar or Quay brothers, but my impression is that they would fill a different niche than did the "experimental / avant-garde" selections that Criterion has made so far (i.e., the Brakhage and Frampton sets). It's not always a question of "choosing over" but of choosing to fill different gaps, or of having a choice to begin with (it probably helps that those two filmmakers are as well-archived as they are, relative to their peers).

MongooseCmr wrote:They just released a Chaplin like a week ago. How is he surprising anyway, we all know those films are coming sooner or later.

vsski wrote:other pages load quickly without any problems.

swo17 wrote:I'm not trying every page, or even that many pages. Just the home page, and it's only loading for me sporadically. When it does work, I can easily access the Wild Strawberries page.

dwk wrote:The disc features section of Wild Strawberries seems to have some additional items (at least, I don't think these were listed before):
Introduction by director Ingmar Bergman
Behind-the-scenes footage shot by Bergman

• New digital transfer
  Commentary by film scholar Peter Cowie
  Ingmar Bergman on Life and Work, a 90-minute documentary by filmmaker and author Jörn Donner
  Stills gallery, featuring rare behind-the-scenes photos
  New and improved English subtitle translation
  Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

donniedarko wrote:Here's my bets

Repulsion (Blu-ray)

BillWatkins wrote:Well said. It's frustrating that Michael Snow won't allow his films to be released on disc, but there are other Canadian experimental filmmakers to choose from such as David Rimmer, Jack Chambers, and Joyce Wieland. There's also the NFB group, whom were more animation oriented, such as Arthur Lipsett, Colin Low, and Norman McLaren. Surely some more sets could be produced when/if Criterion wants to pursue experimental film again.

Lowry_Sam wrote:I've always been a bit baffled by Criterion's choice of experimental/shorts. I picked up both Brakhage & Frampton sets in part because of the praises they received here, but was a bit underwhelmed by them both (particularly that these were chosen over my faves like Anger, Kuchar Bros., Quay Bros... which I not only like better, but would also probably sell better). Not sure if it's a high brow/low brow thing (which I would tend to doubt) or a need to push the less commercially viable (that others are not likely to pick up) when putting together a (very occasional) experimental set.

arsonfilms wrote:They just tweeted something about Le Samourai. I wouldn't be surprised if we see that announcement today as well.