Criterion announces first Blu-ray titles

What happened with Ran had nothing to do with Toho (it had to do with either Studio Canal's deal with Lionsgate or something to do with Genius Films), so I wouldn't worry about any more problems with Criterion's Kurosawa titles. (Although, there will undoubtedly be some waiting period between the Japanese Blu-Ray releases and Criterion's US Blu-Ray releases.)

Ran got canceled because of the Weinstein Co. getting US rights. It was all very last minute from what I understand. All the other Kurosawa's or under different licensing deals than Ran was.

There's some valid speculation that the title may in fact be Stagecoach (1939). From criterionforum.org:

"I think we may indeed be looking at a Criterion release of Stagecoach. Warner does not "own" the rights to the film, they've licensed them. Its rights situation has always been fairly complicated:

Wikipedia: 'The film was originally released through United Artists, but under their old seven-year-rights rule, surrendered its distribution rights to producer Walter Wanger in 1946. Many independent companies were responsible for this film in the years since. The film's copyright is currently held by 20th Century Fox, who produced a later 1966 remake of Stagecoach. However, distribution rights are now held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive on behalf of ancillary rights holder The Caidin Trust, with Castle Hill Productions and Warner Bros. Pictures representing.

The original negatives of Stagecoach were either lost or destroyed. John Wayne had one positive print that had never been through a projector gate. In 1970, he permitted it to be used to produce a new negative, and that is the film seen today at film festivals. UCLA formally restored the film in 1996 from surviving elements and premiered on cable's American Movie Classics network. The current DVD releases by Warner Home Video do not contain the restored print, but rather a video print held in the Castle Hill/Caidin Trust library.'

Warner has been distributing the film through an arrangement with Castle Hill, which I believe may be about to expire. Warner is re-issuing the John Ford/John Wayne Collection on September 15 with Stagecoach and The Long Voyage Home (which was also licensed from Walter Wanger/Castle Hill) removed from the box. If this is the case, Criterion could have licensed Stagecoach from Castle Hill, The Wanger Estate, UCLAFTA, or The Caiden Trust -- maybe other films too.

While discs are currently still available, it certainly appears that Warner could be losing the rights to Stagecoach and other Wanger/Castle Hill properties. The fact that there is a major restoration available that Warner did not or could not use would certainly be incentive for Criterion to try and top the Warner disc, and if there is any film that screams "Monument Valley," this is the one."

Which would be pretty damn awesome if it is Stagecoach. Especially on Blu.

(And other Castle Hill film properties that Criterion would possibly be interested in: Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent, Lubitsch's To Be or Not To Be, Kazan's A Face in the Crowd, and Welles' Othello.)

Every one of those titles would be exciting additions to the Criterion Collection. I think STAGECOACH is the likeliest candidate.

If it is Stagecoach, it's an immediate buy for me.  I use it in my history of the American West course in the unit on westerns as a film genre, so I'd like to watch it in as nice a PQ as possible.

If it is Stagecoach the only way I'd buy it is if it were released on BD (and I have my doubts it would be).

The Warner 2-disc SE will suffice for me if it turns out to be a SD only release.

i don't. but there are fansubs+previously released DVDs with ENG subs. u can always mix&match stuff on encodes .

Someone else on criterionforum.org made this pretty keen observation:

"I believe that that it will be Ford's "Stagecoach." And with a December release. The key clue word is "dry." Doc Boone dries out (sobers up) to do his job as well as deliver the memorable closing line."

I have a question regarding the Criterion Blu-ray cases. I like the new ones very much, and am not at all a fan of the cardboard ones - Bottle Rocket, The Last Emperor, etc. I want to buy the latter two titles, but am unsure if Criterion will start releasing them in the new cases as supplies run out. I think they did this in the past with DVDs, but am not sure I want to wait and how long I would have to wait.

Sorry, two pet peeves of mine r.e. DVDs or BDs, are the inconsitent cases/packaging and the different artwork. I prefer the original artwork that was on the theatrical release poster. That is no longer the norm...

I'm sorry, but where is your question in your post?

CC

I guess in my head ;) The question is, will Criterion in fact release their older Blu-rays in the new cases? As I said, I know they did this with DVDs in the past, but can't remember how fast..

Okay, I thought that might've been your question, but I wanted to make sure. ;)  Anyway, from earlier e-mail correspondence with myself plus other members from various forums and Jon Mulvaney over at Criterion about this topic, he stated that is was something that Criterion had thought about but no plans were set in stone at that time.  This was a couple months ago.

Just yesterday, though, I came across a post on another forum about a more recent response from Jon Mulvaney.  Below is the quoted text...

The October releases will likely be announced later today. I'm really hoping that if they announce Wings of Desire that a Blu-ray is also gonna be released. Other than that I have nothing specific in mind, so here's hoping for a nice surprise.

I'm hoping for a Walkabout Bluray, I also figure Cronos is likely for a bluray and possibly Wings of Desire if that's coming out this month as well.

I wonder when/if they'll release Chasing Amy on bluray, or if one of their really big catalog titles (seven samurai, Grand Illusion, for example) will get a bluray by december. :D

Kevin Smith has said that Chasing Amy Blu-ray would be coming out in November but he didn't say whether or not Criterion was involved.

If Criterion releases Chasing Amy on Blu-ray then Disney will probably be doing all the heavy lifting on the title, similar to Paramount and Benjamin Button.

If Grand Illusion is also slated for a BD release, my wallet won't be very happy in the fall--but the rest of me will be.

I doubt Grand Illusion will happen, more of a pipe dream of mine, criterion only did all their digital restorations in the SD realm, so they'd need to do a new complete cleanup from the ground up on the film.

Looks like they're a bit behind schedule with the announcements this month. Perhaps tomorrow or Friday....

Wings of Desire
Wim Wenders
1987

127 minutes

Color, Black and White

1.66:1

English, French, German
Bruno Ganz is Damiel, an angel perched atop buildings high over Berlin who can hear the thoughts—fears, hopes, and dreams—of all the people living below. Wings of Desire forever made the name Wim Wenders synonymous with film art.
20 Oct 2009

Criterion

Blu-Ray

1 Disc

Edited by Bradley-E - 7/16/2009 at 11:01 pm GMT

Monsoon Wedding
Mira Nair
2001

114 minutes

Color

1.85:1

Hindi, Punjabi, English
Cultures and families clash in Mira Nair’s exuberant Monsoon Wedding, a mix of comedy and chaotic melodrama concerning the preparations for the arranged marriage of a modern upper-middle-class Indian family’s only daughter.
13 Oct 2009

Criterion

Blu-Ray

1 Disc

Edited by Bradley-E - 7/16/2009 at 11:02 pm GMT

Edited by Bradley-E - 7/16/2009 at 11:03 pm GMT

Did you see the new $49.95 SRP for the blu-ray discs?

CC

yeah, apparently blurays are selling so well criterion wanted to put a stop to it and are abandoning their excellent policy of identical pricing. Bullshit,moneygrab, imo. This just means that Seven Samurai will be 60 when it comes out on Blu, that's too much for a single movie!

at least the eclipse movies are still a great deal... when on sale for 50% off or at Deep Discount's sale.

And the bizarreness of not releasing Cronos before Halloween is sort of mind boggling, what a film to save for November. GENIUS marketing, clearly the same person that told them people are eager to pay $50 in a down economy for a single movie in high definition. They are getting some high class consulting, apparently. ;)

Additionally, Z, most deserving of a blu-ray of these four november titles is the only one not getting a bluray edition. Which is bullshit, and just means i won't be buying that title. :(

Wow.  Big disappoint in both the higher SRP and the selection of titles (which is becoming a regular event with me).

FWIW - I would've thought Kwaidan would've been a natural for a Halloween time release.  Go figure.

 Well, at least We're not paying $125.00 for a criterion film like the good old laserdisc days.  

People we have got to remember, there are options to buy you can have the High def criterion for $50 or the Standard Def for $40 which is still not that much of a mark up compared to REgular DVDs and the High Def Brothers. (Silence of the lambs STandard def 2 disc special edition List is $19.99 compared to the HIgh Def $34.99.  Quite a jump up percentage wise compared to criterion.  

Listen I know times are tough and we all wish to be buying movies like we used to back in the days of DVD's inception.  But it's not going to happen for a while and there are always different alternatives to paying a lower price for a Criterion Blu Ray.

If people would have voted for Kwaidan like I suggested, we would have had it in Oct. 

Now, on to the IDIOTIC price increase...I guess Sept. is the last month I buy all the new Criterion Blu-Ray discs and only buy their Kurosawa releases (whenever they get around to releasing them). Sigh, it is a shame as they were doing a great job with their Blu-Ray releases and they had to go and screw it up.

I always get a good chuckle whenever I see the old  "Well we paid $100+ for a Laserdisc" rationalization.

A price increase of 25% is not a good thing for consumers.  What other kind of reaction did you realistically expect here?  

and
still
no
sign
of
Walkabout


oh well. I just ordered my first Criterion title on Bd- Wages of Fear for $19.04 shipped (DD Sale)
I was happy with the price, but it seems like an even bigger bargain now hearing that prices are going up on the new titles.