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Svet has graced us with some packaging shots of the Dietrich box set.

I hadn't realized this before, but the Dietrich packaging was clearly designed to match the von Sternberg silent set. Very lovely.

sex, lies, and videotape is looking pretty good:

Obviously trivial, but it’s weird to see a Sony-licensed film without a Sony-affiliated studio logo on the back.

What's the significance of the see-through slipcover? I have not seen this film, but I assume they've done it for a reason?

Bull Durham
Dragon Inn
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
A Matter of Life and Death

Morbii wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 5:05 am What's the significance of the see-through slipcover? I have not seen this film, but I assume they've done it for a reason?

well, I'm not sure if this replies to your question, but the transparent slipcover has certainly (from what I've seen on the preview artwork) a moire effect which should look like the moire of an old TV tube/screen...
Remember that the original artwork which was intended for the Criterion cover of Sex Lies and Videotapes... was a "looking trough a TV tube screen"...
this would have fit perfectly to a lot of early Atom Egoyan's movies (Next of Kin, etc...) by the way. Which makes me think that it's sad that a major cineast like A.Egoyan is still not in the Criterion collection.
At least a x4 transfer of "Exotica" would be much than appreciated [-o< (the A.Eye or US BR transfer is "just" fair...)

Ah, yeah, makes sense.

It looks like that booklet will slip out if you aren't careful. Criterion should've brought back the little pocket on the left side of the digi.

If you ask me, they should just stop with the digis!

Morbii wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 5:56 am If you ask me, they should just stop with the digis!

Absolutely agree. I mean--I can pretty much understand with sets like Dietrich/von Sternberg, but single disc titles deserve better housing, especially at the price point.

Peter McM wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 9:05 am

Morbii wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 5:56 am If you ask me, they should just stop with the digis!

Absolutely agree. I mean--I can pretty much understand with sets like Dietrich/von Sternberg, but single disc titles deserve better housing, especially at the price point.

With how easily they get damaged (and replacement problems/returns), I can't imagine it wouldn't be cheaper to just put boxsets in a box with normal Blu-ray cases, like Arrow usually does. Hell, I'd even take gaudy boxes, personally, even though they won't look as good. Well, until the shrink is opened, anyway - the digi boxsets annoy me to no end with how the digipacks don't line up straight once opened (and probably even before). And let's not get started with how flimsy they feel once they're big enough (Demy set, anyone?).

Oh my God, did I slip and hit my head and wake up ten years ago when we were still having this same discussion

The Demy set feels flimsy because it uses double-plastic digis with thus plenty of dead space under the socles. You could have a 15-digis set à la Dietrich that it wouldn't feel as flimsy.

domino harvey wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 12:51 pm Oh my God, did I slip and hit my head and wake up ten years ago when we were still having this same discussion

Pretty much.
Note that on some forums like blu-ray.com or DVD Classik, it actually never ended.

What I would enjoy would be to hear everyone’s thoughts on the pros and cons of hypothetical Criterion steelbooks.

What if - hear me out - Criterion sold both Blus and DVDs in the same package?!?

Brian C wrote: Tue Jul 03, 2018 1:10 pm What I would enjoy would be to hear everyone’s thoughts on the pros and cons of hypothetical Criterion steelbooks.

I'm quite sure some discussion boards have weighed this about 15 times already over the past 5 years.

Any joke aside, what I still find fascinating after all these regular discussions is how people keep on thinking these cost lots and lots in returns and all, and how they're seemingly massively disliked while it's actually not the case at all. Digipacks ARE perceived as premium packaging, more appealling and more luxurious, but also as a way to be more uniquely tailored for the movie getting released. I also massively doubt they're getting massively returned, but I don't doubt a second that overly obsessive people are over-represented on specialised discussion boards. I'm also quite happy myself to be importing tons of releases for years, including some boxsets, digipacks and stuff, and have less than a 1% return rate. I probably broke more cases myself by dropping them on the floor by accident or during my moving-out than I received damaged ones.

I love digipacks.

I'm against steelbooks if they'll be more expensive for the packaging and I assume they would be. Same reason I'm against 4K/UHD releases. The current price point is high enough.

I like digipacks for their chance to be creative with artwork (e.g. sex, lies, and videotape), however, they are more prone to damage.

I'm totally against Steelbooks. They get damaged far too easily and weigh too much.

It looks like Criterion have returned to quality cellophane, at least for Bull Durham and Dragon Inn.

While ultimately it doesn't really matter, I felt the cheap rewrap-like shrink was really tacky, especially if you're paying so much for each edition.

I... can't really say cellophane has ever been something I ponderated the price with, though.

Some of the ones from earlier this year are re-appearing in cellophane as well, so maybe just a passing phase.

tenia wrote: Wed Jul 11, 2018 5:46 am I... can't really say cellophane has ever been something I ponderated the price with, though.

Well, when you can buy something like Microwave Massacre and it has superior packaging, there’s something wrong. That’s a little tongue in cheek, but if their goal is to go for the definitive, it helps to not make your product look like the porno bargain bin

Ultimately my suspicion is that it (like the disappearing booklets), was a cost cutting measure, but I’m sure we’ll never really know.