Criterion Does It Again

[Omar]

The latest Criterion newsletter clue suggests that they will release Crumb, probably with the Huey Louie Bluie Dewey Defeats Truman documentary as a supplment.  I hope it gets a Blu-ray release so my dream of seeing Chuck Crumb in pristine high-def becomes reality!

[Pat K]

I hope it gets a Blu-ray release so my dream of seeing Chuck Crumb in pristine high-def becomes reality!

Yeah - I want to be able to zoom in and finally be able to read what's written in those notebooks full of microscopic chickenscratch.

[Chris L]

On another note, I watched REVANCHE on Netflix tonight.  I don't recall seeing any serious detractors for this one yet, and it's easy to see why. What deliberately started off as a fairly compelling thriller defied my expectations and evolved into something more mature and truly existential.  Definitely one of the better recent films I've seen.

Haven't seen REVANCE yet, but I intend to. I must say though, the power of the Criterion Canon is pretty fascinating. (And a bit problematic, but that in itself is nothing new.) Who would've even heard of REVANCE if it wasn't for the fact that Criterion immediately picked it up for distribution? They've promoted it quite heavily, so much so that at one point I suspected they had something to do with the financing or even the theatrical distribution. With their new-ish approach to releasing new films on DVD/BD - films that haven't been "tested by time", as it were - what then happens with their Canon? Is a new film then automatically deemed Quality, just like the old ones? Or is it damaging the classic Canon?

Interesting questions for any nerdy cinephile.

Janus did distribute it theatrically.  They had seen it at a festival and decided to make it their first contemporary release in God knows how long, which pretty much made it a given for Criterion.  For what it's worth, Criterion's mission statement has always been to release "important classic and contemporary films," and they're certainly not as all-over-the-place as in their laserdisc days. In the case of Benjamin Button (which they did zero production work on but picked up later) and Che, you could say they're "important" simply because they're ambitious releases by two major directors who the company is looking to work with again down the road.  It can be easy to forget Criterion's a business first and foremost, and that while worthy their aims will never be purely canonical, and they're not always able to branch out in ways their critics want. I do think their taste in newer films can be a little aesthetically suspect at times (Ang Lee?), but I think they get it right more often than not, and they haven't given short shrift to the classics this year at least.

Incidentally, the newsletter also states Andrea Arnold is joining the collection this year, so I guess that means Fish Tank.

[Martin]

I agree with all that, Chris. I was merely reflecting on the impact Criterion have - for better or worse - on the current canon of Quality Films, and what happens when they get into the contemporary circuit. (Thanks for the Janus/Revance connection - I knew there was something.) The "Criterion Generation" is a very real concept, as I'm sure you're aware - many young cinephiles have been getting their film education, some almost exclusively, from the Crit catalogue for the last 15-20 years. You see the phenomenon everywhere, online and off, among academics, students and critics - if it's Criterion, they've seen it, and they love it, and it ends up on their "best of the century" polls; if it's not Criterion, chances are they haven't seen it at all. It sounds barbaric but, unfortunately, it's more common than one thinks.

I love Criterion, but their position as a tastemaker in the arthouse world is ripe for examination - in some sort of critical/academical fashion.

[Chris L]

Yeah, I can't speak to how widespread that perception is on the academic level, but I know many unwisely look to Criterion as the "stamp of approval."  Just look at their Facebook page and you see people constantly asking them to add the well-represented likes of Lynch, PT Anderson, the Coens, etc. for no reason other than the supposed prestige or artistic validation.  In addition to successful brand marketing, this is partly a reflection of many of their American competitors' flaws or lack of similar resources.  At least similarly great labels like Masters of Cinema and Second Run have been able to sustain themselves (so far) in the UK.

[jbissell]

Yeah, I can't speak to how widespread that perception is on the academic level, but I know many unwisely look to Criterion as the "stamp of approval."  Just look at their Facebook page and you see people constantly asking them to add the well-represented likes of Lynch, PT Anderson, the Coens, etc. for no reason other than the supposed prestige or artistic validation.  In addition to successful brand marketing, this is partly a reflection of many of their American competitors' flaws or lack of similar resources.  At least similarly great labels like Masters of Cinema and Second Run have been able to sustain themselves (so far) in the UK.

For me it's not even so much "if it gets a Criterion release, it's a great film", it's the knowledge that the quality of the release, regardless of your feelings on the particular film, is top of the line. They've done a great job of establishing the belief that they put a lot of love and care into their releases, which is something that can't be said for the majority of US DVD release.

[Joe Rogaine]

Whats the name of the English version of Criterion that released House? Thats one where Criterion didnt do it again.

[Matt]

Whats the name of the English version of Criterion that released House? Thats one where Criterion didnt do it again.

I believe you're thinking of Masters of Cinema.

As far as I know, HAUSU is still coming out on Criterion later this year. I wouldn't be surprised if they released it around Halloween, along with CRONOS.

[Chris L]

June: 
Mystery Train
Red Desert
Everlasting Moments (no blu-ray for some reason)
Night Train to Munich
Close-Up
The Leopard on blu-ray

Cover of the month goes to:

[Martin]

Nice.

[Big Plastic Head]

June: 
Mystery Train
Red Desert
Everlasting Moments (no blu-ray for some reason)
Night Train to Munich
Close-Up
The Leopard on blu-ray

Cover of the month goes to:

I approve of that cover.

[icepants]

Somedays I wonder if I'll ever watch that copy of Berlin Alexanderplatz.

[Gilly]

Is that the original poster art for Mystery Train? I've seen that cover before.

[Chris L]

Somedays I wonder if I'll ever watch that copy of Berlin Alexanderplatz.

Just think of it and watch it as a tv series (which it is, after all).  It's frustrating at times but very much worth it.  Don't skip the epilogue either. 

Speaking of Fassbinder, there's a 205-minute "sci-fi" epic he made for German tv playing at MoMA this week.  Glenn Kenney raves about it here.  If you have an all-region dvd player it's coming out in the UK next month

[Pidgeon]

The Criterion forum has some of the biggest blowhards I've ever seen on the internet.