Archived Criterion Streaming Discussion

[Minkin]

Note to some of the people above, there's not too much point in alerting everyone about a title being added to Hulu/Amazon that Criterion has already released on disc (unless its the return of an OOP title).

As for new titles then: Flaherty’s Man of Aran is now on Itunes. I assume Louisiana Story will probably appear soon as well.

And whatever happened to the promised Flaherty set/bluray of Nanook? I hope the Flicker Alley release didn't throw those plans out the window (not the first time FA has released Janus owned films, just because they're in public domain.... just saying). I suppose a Flaherty set might be more likely at this point than just Nanook (as a chance to get as many Flaherty titles out in one go- which I wouldn't mind).

Speaking of Flaherty - did we ever find out where the US rights to Tabu went (Milestone said they lost them)?

[albucat]

Note to some of the people above, there's not too much point in alerting everyone about a title being added to Hulu/Amazon that Criterion has already released on disc (unless its the return of an OOP title).

I feel just the opposite and like having the information.

[Arrow]

Note to some of the people above, there's not too much point in alerting everyone about a title being added to Hulu/Amazon that Criterion has already released on disc (unless its the return of an OOP title).

I feel just the opposite and like having the information.

I agree. I can see if I like it before I buy the disc.

[rrenault]

Why are so many films they've released on blu ray not available in HD on Hulu (i.e. Seven Samurai, Wild Strawberries, Tokyo Story, Purple Noon, among others)? L'Avventura, which has been restored, isn't in HD either. Is it a rights issue, or have they just not gotten around to it yet?

[albucat]

For a while they seemed to be gradually updating them, but once they began ignoring Hulu (up until very recently) that completely stopped. Whether they're interested in doing so again, or putting up a few extras like they were occasionally up to as well, is anyone's guess.

[jwd5275]

More Harold Lloyd is on Hulu now including:
Billy Blazes, Esq.
Get Out and Get Under
Ask Father

[rrenault]

For a while they seemed to be gradually updating them, but once they began ignoring Hulu (up until very recently) that completely stopped. Whether they're interested in doing so again, or putting up a few extras like they were occasionally up to as well, is anyone's guess.

We'll see. Maybe someone just needs to nudge them a little, because I feel gypped to the point of refusing to watch an SD stream of a film they've already released on blu-ray, out of principle. If it's still DVD-only like Ikiru or Cries and Whispers then I can tolerate the lack of an HD stream, but there's no reasonable explanation for the lack of HD if they've given the film the blu treatment.

[Michael Kerpan]

Ask Father is great -- it's not out on blu yet , is it?

[ianungstad]

The Passionate Frieds (David Lean) added to amazon instant.

[Fred Holywell]

The Passionate Friends (David Lean) added to amazon instant.

Looking forward to this if and when Criterion releases it on disc. One of the few Lean pics I haven't seen in its entirety.


Madeleine is up on Amazon Instant now, as well.

[EddieLarkin]

They could put these with Great Expectations and Oliver Twist for another chronological 4 film Lean box set.

[Zaki]

They could put these with Great Expectations and Oliver Twist for another chronological 4 film Lean box set.

Why not add the great Hobson's Choice to make it the 5th film in the box (even if The 1952 Sound Barrier separates between it and Madeleine)? Are we asking for too much?

[Noiradelic]

The Passionate Friends (David Lean) added to amazon instant.

Are Criterion-licensed films appearing on Amazon Instant a new phenomenon?

[mfunk9786]

It all depends on who owns streaming rights for what company. For example, IFC films that are out on Criterion are on Netflix, not Hulu.

[jwd5275]

Hulu actually has some IFC films released by Criterion too.

[mfunk9786]

Streaming companies can selectively buy rights for some films from a distributor, so that makes sense. Presumably the ones that are only on Netflix and not Hulu are ones that Netflix paid for exclusive rights to.

Once you get out of the Janus sphere, it all gets very complicated w/r/t Criterion titles (or any titles) being available for streaming/purchase. It really just depends on the film and who owns it, and whether they own exclusive rights to it.

[Black Hat]

Some of the films appear on Netflix as well as Hulu.

[mfunk9786]

Exactly - some of the rights that streaming services acquire are exclusive rights, some are merely rights.

[rrenault]

Then why no Shoah on either Netflix or Hulu? Is it too 'special'? This is what I find so paradoxical and irritating, with cinephilia itself being a movement with such strong Marxist and 'egalitarian' undercurrents, distributors are so 'precious' about the rights of films that would be of most interest to cinephiles. It's almost as if the 'preciousness' of the rights contradicts and undercuts the purpose of the mere existence of the film. So it's almost like 'faux Marxist bourgeois chic', not the film's themselves, although some films are that too, but the way they're treated by rights holders and distributors.

[domino harvey]

'What'

[Red Screamer]

Then why no Shoah on either Netflix or Hulu? Is it too 'special'? This is what I find so paradoxical and irritating, with cinephilia itself being a movement with such strong Marxist and 'egalitarian' undercurrents, distributors are so 'precious' about the rights of films that would be of most interest to cinephiles. It's almost as if the 'preciousness' of the rights contradicts and undercuts the purpose of the mere existence of the film. So it's almost like 'faux Marxist bourgeois chic', not the film's themselves, although some films are that too, but the way they're treated by rights holders and distributors.

I'm not sure what just happened, but I too think that Shoah is perfect fit for streaming, since many people won't want to buy a large set of a film they will likely only watch once.

[rrenault]

I've seen the first quarter to a third of Shoah like three times already, but I've never managed to make it all the way through. I always get sidetracked.

[sir_luke]

My apologies if this question has been asked before, but if a non-Blu film is featured on Hulu in HD, does that indicate that a Blu-Ray release of that film is on its way relatively soon (example: Masculin Feminin)?

[knives]

It certainly suggests it as a possibility, but doesn't say anything definitive.

[zedz]

My apologies if this question has been asked before, but if a non-Blu film is featured on Hulu in HD, does that indicate that a Blu-Ray release of that film is on its way relatively soon (example: Masculin Feminin)?

An awful lot of Criterion's pre-Blu releases were taken from HD masters, so it could be a case of them just using that.

And just because there's an existing HD master doesn't mean that it's good enough to sustain a BluRay transfer, unfortunately.