criterionforum.org

Calvin wrote: Mon Oct 25, 2021 6:04 amI thought that the BBFC passed it fully uncut in 2011 for the old Optimum release?

That's interesting if they did. I'm afraid that I don't have that Optimum release to check, so it may have passed without comment. Though without checking that disc directly it would be hard to tell, since with the offending material having been re-framed rather than cut out (as per the zoomed-in shot on the Film4 screening) the film would still run the same length and the BBFC could also technically claim that they had made no edits from the version of the film that was submitted to them.

The BBFC have a case study on the film and it looks like they did pass it fully uncut without optical reframing in 2011

Oh great! That means that I can stop pretending that I have just been working from the optically re-framed Film4 TV screening all this time, and proudly display my imported Criterion disc on my shelf now!

rapta wrote: Sun Oct 24, 2021 5:23 pmI guess those last two might be from Argos Films? Suppose we will also get Empire of Passion too then, but since I already have that I'd be more excited for Muriel or Night and Fog. We'll get there eventually!

We may not get Empire of Passion released on Criterion in the UK just yet, as they only released it on DVD back when they did the paired release of it with Blu-ray of In The Realm of the Senses in the same month in the US. That's one of the reasons why I don't have the 2011 Optimum release of Realm of the Senses but do have the 2011 Optimum UK Blu-ray of Empire of Passion!

So I wouldn't expect Empire of Passion until they get around to announcing that they are upgrading it to Blu-ray in the US (in which case there may be the possibility that it could get a simultaneous UK release), or if it jumps directly to UHD. Though if that is a possibility I would expect Realm of the Senses on UHD first!

Now when will Criterion dare put Sweet Movie before the BBFC?

2 for £25 offer up again, finally, with some surprisingly recent titles this time (Deep Cover, Original Cast Album: Company, Beasts of No Nation, Pariah) but still lots of titles missing (Charulata, Kagemusha, Investigation of a Citizen, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm, Scorsese Shorts, Polyester).

I assume BBFC costs might have something to do with some of those being omitted? Shame as I was waiting patiently to double-dip on Kagemusha (and pick up a few others that weren't in any offers over the past year).

https://twitter.com/ukcriterion/status/ ... 38153?s=21

20% off sale on pretty much all the Criterions omitted from the current 2 for £25 sale, including Kagemusha, Charulata etc

Feb. 2022 titles:

Love Affair (1939)
Written on The Wind (1956)
Dick Johnson is Dead (2020)

yoloswegmaster wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 12:15 pm Feb. 2022 titles:

Love Affair (1939)
Written on The Wind (1956)
Dick Johnson is Dead (2020)

I believe this is their first time bringing a Sirk title to the UK. many had speculated whether Indicator or Arrow would do a big Sirk at Universal boxset, I guess that eliminates that possibility

Very pleased to see Love Affair and the Sirk.

March 2022:
Boat People
Modern Times
Pale Flower

According to a post on Reddit, Criterion has done a 2nd printing of Andrei Rublev and it appears to be region free.

dwk wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 10:14 pm According to a post on Reddit, Criterion has done a 2nd printing of Andrei Rublev and it appears to be region free.

would be great if they could do this with War and Peace as well. Come and See of course already has this covered with the A+B coding

They did do a 2nd, region free, pressing of War and Peace

dwk wrote: Sat Dec 25, 2021 10:14 pm According to a post on Reddit, Criterion has done a 2nd printing of Andrei Rublev and it appears to be region free.

I emailed them about this on more than one occasion and they refused to acknowledge it as a possibility, which lead me to believe they'd never bother doing it, so this is good news. Will import it eventually, preferably direct if I can to ensure a Region Free copy (maybe the Varda set too when it's next on offer). Glad they finally saw the light!

In theory, it's Curzon Artificial Eye. In practice, who knows? The DVDs are more than a decade old, so the rights might well have lapsed - although Rohmer's always been a cash cow for them, so they may well have renewed them automatically.

April:
Love Jones
In Cold Blood
Make Way for Tomorrow

According to the Blu-ray.com forum, the May releases are
'Round Midnight
The Funeral
Double Indemnity (isn't the MoC release still in-print?)

Happy with those, especially Double Indemnity. The MoC is probably still 'in print' but they must have lost the rights by now...surprised they haven't actively deleted it though if that is the case (as they did recently for a run of titles, some being Universal licenses). Still regret not getting that Double Indemnity quad poster from MoC when I had the chance (I did get the Touch of Evil one though, which is beautiful and needs a frame).

Unsurprisingly, the June releases are all titles that have already had previous UK releases from other labels (and that last one is still in print...)

Dead Man
Shaft
Black Girl

I will double-dip for the extras eventually (I already own all three), but the Sembene seems particularly unnecessary when there are dozens of titles Criterion could release here that have never had a Blu-ray before that were released in the US years ago (as they did with Pale Flower, Le Samouraï, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion). They could've got Pickpocket or L'Argent from MK2, Night & Fog or Muriel from Argos Films, The Ballad of Narayama or The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum from Shochiku (okay that last one has been released before, but it's long-OOP and the Criterion transfer would be an upgrade).

rapta wrote: Wed Mar 30, 2022 6:20 pmThey could've got Pickpocket or L'Argent from MK2, Night & Fog or Muriel from Argos Films, The Ballad of Narayama or The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum from Shochiku (okay that last one has been released before, but it's long-OOP and the Criterion transfer would be an upgrade).

That argument only makes sense if the licensing costs for the titles you cite are the same (or close enough for the difference to be negligible) as they are for Black Girl. But do you actually think that this is the case?

I guess Jarmusch is/has also re-acquiring/ed the UK rights to his films. So more of those are likely going to get re-released by Criterion in the future.

Black Girl is a surprise, though, but I assume this means that Criterion will also be releasing more Sembène films (likely the ones licensed from his estate) in the UK (whenever they also get around to releasing them in the US.)

MichaelB wrote: Wed Mar 30, 2022 6:33 pm

rapta wrote: Wed Mar 30, 2022 6:20 pmThey could've got Pickpocket or L'Argent from MK2, Night & Fog or Muriel from Argos Films, The Ballad of Narayama or The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum from Shochiku (okay that last one has been released before, but it's long-OOP and the Criterion transfer would be an upgrade).

That argument only makes sense if the licensing costs for the titles you cite are the same (or close enough for the difference to be negligible) as they are for Black Girl. But do you actually think that this is the case?

I'd argue paying a bit more in licensing costs would make sense for a title that isn't already available in the territory in question, since they'd presumably sell more copies being a debut on the format (in the UK). How many collectors who own BFI's Black Girl will be willing to double-dip, and how many who don't already own the film will be willing to pay twice the price of the BFI edition?

PS: part of my point was they are already licensing titles from MK2, Argos Films and Shochiku, so presumably those other titles would also be available for them to license, and they'd make more sense to license since they'd be UK firsts on Blu-ray, but YMMV...Criterion clearly 'know what they're doing'.

dwk wrote: Wed Mar 30, 2022 7:51 pm I guess Jarmusch is/has also re-acquiring/ed the UK rights to his films. So more of those are likely going to get re-released by Criterion in the future.

Black Girl is a surprise, though, but I assume this means that Criterion will also be releasing more Sembène films (likely the ones licensed from his estate) in the UK (whenever they also get around to releasing them in the US.)

I think I heard he had re-acquired most of the rights to his films worldwide, so yes that would make sense. If Criterion have more Sembène on the way, I'd be very excited (though they obviously wouldn't do Mandabi since StudioCanal already have that one, and released it fairly recently).

Peter Becker mentioned during a Q&A in 2016 that they had acquired 7 of Sembène's films (I don't know if Mandabi was one of these 7 or if that was licensed from StudioCanal later) and the producers of a doc about Sembène posted on their website that they were working with Criterion and his estate on restorations of his films.

So more are coming. Eventually.

rapta wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 7:39 amPS: part of my point was they are already licensing titles from MK2, Argos Films and Shochiku, so presumably those other titles would also be available for them to license, and they'd make more sense to license since they'd be UK firsts on Blu-ray, but YMMV...Criterion clearly 'know what they're doing'.

That's another big assumption that may well not be supported by the facts.

Granted, neither you nor I are privy to those specific facts, but you have a repeated habit of listing what to you are "obvious" titles that would "make more sense" - yet there may well be a perfectly sound reason why they're not happening that has nothing to do with actual desire on Criterion's part.

In fact, given Criterion's policy of only releasing discs that are identical to their US counterparts, other factors may come into play - for instance, a viable UK release of the Criterion Muriel would require the licensing of three archival pieces as well. If just one of those isn't available, or is too expensive, Criterion either has to change their policy (which I can't see happening) or simply not release it.

MichaelB wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 8:46 am

rapta wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 7:39 amPS: part of my point was they are already licensing titles from MK2, Argos Films and Shochiku, so presumably those other titles would also be available for them to license, and they'd make more sense to license since they'd be UK firsts on Blu-ray, but YMMV...Criterion clearly 'know what they're doing'.

That's another big assumption that may well not be supported by the facts.

Granted, neither you nor I are privy to those specific facts, but you have a repeated habit of listing what to you are "obvious" titles that would "make more sense" - yet there may well be a perfectly sound reason why they're not happening that has nothing to do with actual desire on Criterion's part.

In fact, given Criterion's policy of only releasing discs that are identical to their US counterparts, other factors may come into play - for instance, a viable UK release of the Criterion Muriel would require the licensing of three archival pieces as well. If just one of those isn't available, or is too expensive, Criterion either has to change their policy (which I can't see happening) or simply not release it.

Sorry, I didn't mean all of them, but I am surprised they seem more eager to license titles that already have UK Blu-ray releases (often still in print too) than fresh titles on the format.

You're right though, perhaps I was foolhardy in stating choices as 'obvious' or 'logical', and hadn't considered the extras as well (and the booklets too, I assume). That's probably the biggest roadblock to Criterion's expansion in fact, since they are insistent on transferring the identical product to the UK market (unless it's a box set it seems; they censored a shot on the Zatoichi set, I seem to remember). At least where possible they've made some releases Region B friendly - indeed they recently did this with Andrei Rublev, which I will now be importing at the next opportunity.

One thing about them re-releasing titles that have already had a UK release is that they likely are part of bigger deals and they just happen to have those re-releases ready to go.

I think it is odd that they are hesitant to release UHDs in the UK.