Criterion & Eclipse in the Press

[essrog]

5 Classy DVD's From the Criterion Collection

[Tommaso]

It's surprising that they picked (apart from the Rohmer) some very old Criterions that are way below standard today and will certainly give a somewhat wrong impression about the company's current quality for those who do not know Criterion yet. Nothing against "La grande illusion" or "The seventh seal", but I think they should have chosen "The River" or "Fanny and Alexander" instead.

[domino harvey]

Weren't the supplements to the Grand Illusion added in the reissue? the article makes it sound like they always were there

[toiletduck!]

Weren't the supplements to the Grand Illusion added in the reissue? the article makes it sound like they always were there

Truth be told, I can't even deduce which one you're mistaking this with... Wages of Fear, mayhaps?

EDIT: Also, I came into this thread expecting some sort of epic Criterion adventure tale. Something on the lines of Matt Lipson battling his way through time and space to recover the mythical Magnificent Ambersons footage from the evil agents of F.A.C.E.T.S., all along the way facing dinosaurs and pirates, gladiators and Ghengis Khan, you know, fukkin' Criterion In Time!!!

I was severely disappointed.

-Toilet Dcuk

[Napier]

The article also states that Grand Illusion was Criterion's first DVD release.Which is not true, it is just spine # 1.

[Matt]

The article also states that Grand Illusion was Criterion's first DVD release.Which is not true, it is just spine # 1.

You didn't expect Time to check a fact, did you?

[Napier]

Time Wrote

This was the first Criterion DVD release, and the supplements show that the company was on its game from the start.

Loved the extra's on The Naked Kiss and Shock Corridor! Trailers, cough,cough.

[cdnchris]

Weren't the supplements to the Grand Illusion added in the reissue? the article makes it sound like they always were there

There was no reissue. It was just released a lot later (though, the original announcement for the DVD, before they delayed the release date, only stated the Cowie commentary as a supplement--it was to be a direct port of the laserdisc with the same transfer)

[a.khan]

That Criterion list from Corliss is in line with Time's penchant for 'balance.' They like cherry-picking to appease a broad readership.

Subjective statement, but IMHO no Criterion list can be complete without "Ugetsu" or even "The Man Who Fell to Earth."

[Narshty]

Christ, that's a useless article. If someone on here posted that as a new thread, it'd be locked, if not deleted almost immediately.

[godardslave]

That Criterion list from Corliss is in line with Time's penchant for 'balance.' They like cherry-picking to appease a broad readership.

I think this statement pretty much nails it.

[Steven H]

La Grande Illusion translates as The Big Illusion.

Wow. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Ted Todorov]

That Criterion list from Corliss is in line with Time's penchant for 'balance.' They like cherry-picking to appease a broad readership.

Subjective statement, but IMHO no Criterion list can be complete without "Ugetsu" or even "The Man Who Fell to Earth."

Oh come on -- surely one can objectively state The Grand Illusion is a better/more influential/more classic film than The Man who Fell To Earth.

When you have a mainstream film critic writing in a mainstream publication, of course the quality of the film itself is more important than the DVD supplements.

And he does include the Rohmer box which includes great supplements and pristine transfers to go with the peerless cinema.

The only real fault of the article is making the wrong assumption that spine #1 was the first Criterion DVD release -- big deal.

The NY Times may have written about Criterion many times, but the Times has a narrower, more intellectual readership than Time, and Criterion is a New York City based company. There are plenty of mainstream publications that have never written about Criterion (Newsweek?) so we can hardly single out Time.

[Jun-Dai]

Oh come on -- surely one can objectively state The Grand Illusion is a better/more influential/more classic film than The Man who Fell To Earth.

?! One can objectively state it all one wants, but that still won't make it an objective statement.

[dx23]

I didn't know where else to put it, so I created a new thread for the article:

[quote]Criterion Launches New 'Eclipse' Line

Author: JESSICA WOLF
[email protected]
Posted: January 23, 2007

Early Bergman is the first DVD release for Criterion's Eclipse line.
The Criterion Collection moniker has become synonymous with features-laden, carefully restored and impeccably documented special-edition DVDs.

But the company is stepping back from that time-consuming and expensive focus for Eclipse, a new line of releases unveiling films that otherwise may not see the light of day.

It takes months, even years to shepherd a film through the Criterion pipeline. Many titles that film fans are clamoring for, titles they often hear about in other Criterion-produced documentaries and featurettes, are “eclipsedâ€

[Antoine Doinel]

Interesting to see that there is possibility that some Eclipse releases get future Criterion treatment.

So they're going to start double dipping on titles now? I do hope they'll let people know in advance otherwise this doesn't sit very at all.

[Matt]

I do hope they'll let people know in advance otherwise this doesn't sit very at all.

I think they're talking about years between an Eclipse release and an eventual Criterion SE.

[sevenarts]

I do hope they'll let people know in advance otherwise this doesn't sit very at all.

I think they're talking about years between an Eclipse release and an eventual Criterion SE.

Yes, it also gives the impression that they might, down the line, select one film from an Eclipse box set to present in a more lavish, extras-laden edition from Criterion -- not that they'd simply reissue the entire box with extras.
I for one could not be more excited about the idea behind Eclipse. I'll probably be skipping Series 1, but I'm really looking forward to the Malle box, and can't wait to see what else is on the platter. I'm personally hoping for some rare Godard, but I know he hasn't been mentioned as an Eclipse possibility yet so that's just my own desire at this point.

[Matt]

I forgot to post this yesterday. I'm surprised no one else did:

DVD firm Criterion issuing budget line

By T.K. Arnold
Thu Feb 8, 1:45 AM ET

The Criterion Collection, known as the Cadillac of DVD suppliers because of its elaborate packages, will launch an entry-level line of boxed sets in March.

The Eclipse line, according to its mission statement, will feature "lost, forgotten or overshadowed films, in simple, affordable editions." Each set will contain three to five films, sans bonus features, made from the best available masters, but not getting a full Criterion restoration. Retail pricing, on average, will be less than $15 a disc. Regular Criterion Collection DVDs start at about $30.

"The goal is to make these films available, to make sure that Criterion's own work style doesn't contribute to the continuing unavailability of these films," Criterion Collection president Peter Becker said. "Once our producers and restoration crew get started on a Criterion edition, the project takes on a life of its own. Months later, with a little luck, we'll have something really special to show for it, but at that rate we can't make a dent in the number of important unreleased films that we'd like people to be able to see."

The Eclipse line launches March 27 with the five-disc set "Early Bergman," which includes a quintet of psychological character studies from the career of legendary Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman a decade before "The Seventh Seal" and "Wild Strawberries" earned him a reputation as one of the greatest directors ever. Among them: "Torment," a 1944 coming-of-age drama that was Bergman's first produced screenplay, and 1949's "Thirst," a complex film about the human condition told in flashbacks. Also included in "Early Bergman" are "Crisis" (1946), "Port of Call" (1948) and "To Joy" (1949).

The second Eclipse release, scheduled for April, will be "The Documentaries of Louis Malle." The six-disc set includes seven of the celebrated French films he shot at the same time he was helming such landmark films as "Elevator to the Gallows" and "My Dinner With Andre." Among them: "Phantom India" (1969), which Malle once called the most personal film of his career; "Calcutta" (1969), a chaotic portrait of the equally chaotic city that consists of footage shot during the making of "Phantom India"; and "Vive le tour" (1963), an almost staccato-like look at the Tour de France. Other documentaries included in the package are "Humain, trop human" (1972), "Place de la Republique" (1972), "God's Country" (1985) and "And the Pursuit of Happiness" (1987).

Future releases in the Eclipse line include rarely seen films from Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Yasujiro Ozu and Raymond Bernard.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

[justeleblanc]

Isn't this old news?

[Matt]

Isn't this old news?

Well, sort of:

At the moment, you'll find more Mizoguchis in theaters (thanks to a traveling retrospective) than in the video store, and that's certainly also true for Naruse, Ozu, and Imamura. While Criterion is working on new special editions of individual pictures by all of these filmmakers, at a rate of maybe one or two a year, we'll never be able to represent the breadth of their bodies of work. Eclipse will help to fill that gap.

But it's always nice to have some confirmation, no? Didn't realize I was performing a disservice by posting a mainstream news article about Eclipse.

[justeleblanc]

Feh, I'll get over it.

[Scharphedin2]

Future releases in the Eclipse line include rarely seen films from Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Yasujiro Ozu and Raymond Bernard.

Thanks for posting this Matt. 'Tis almost enough to make a sensitive kid like me break out in tears...

[kinjitsu]

Premiere: Introducing Eclipse

By the way, Kim Hendrickson reports that Criterion will be adding an Eclipse section to their website sometime soon.

[justeleblanc]

Premiere: Introducing Eclipse

By the way, Kim Hendrickson reports that Criterion will be adding an Eclipse section to their website sometime soon.

And they did confirm that the 4th series will only be two films... if that wasn't already confirmed.