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October Criterions

post #1 of 34
7/16/07 at 8:36pm
Thread Starter 
Hadn't seen this posted yet.

criterion.com

Under the Volcano

Spine #410



Under the Volcano follows the final day in the life of self-destructive British consul Geoffrey Firmin (Albert Finney, in an Oscar-nominated tour de force) on the eve of World War II. Withering from alcoholism, Firmin stumbles through a small Mexican village amidst the Day of the Dead fiesta, attempting to reconnect with his estranged wife (Jacqueline Bisset) but only further alienating himself. John Huston's ambitious tackling of Malcolm Lowry's towering "unadaptable" novel gave the incomparable Finney one of his grandest roles and was the legendary The Treasure of the Sierra Madre director's triumphant return to filmmaking in Mexico.

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by film editor Roberto Silvi
- Audio commentary featuring executive producer Michael Fitzgerald and producers Wieland Schulz-Keil and Moritz Borman
- Theatrical trailers
- New video interview with Jacqueline Bisset
- New audio interview with screenwriter Guy Gallo
- 1984 audio interview with John Huston conducted by French film critic Michel Ciment
-Notes from "Under the Volcano" (1984), a 59-minute documentary by Gary Conklin shot on the set during the film's production, featuring interviews with Huston, cast, and crew
- Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry (1976), filmmaker Donald Brittain's 99-minute, Academy Award–nominated documentary, narrated by Richard Burton, examining the connections between Under the Volcano author Malcolm Lowry's life and that of his novel's main character
- PLUS: A new essay by film critic Christian Viviani
- More!

Film Info

1984
112 minutes
Color
1.85:1
Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Anamorphic
English

Release Info

Catalog Number:
CC1718D
ISBN:
1-934121-94-0
UPC:
7-15515-02642-0
SRP: $39.95

Days of Heaven

Spine #409

One-of-a-kind filmmaker-philosopher Terrence Malick has created some of the most visually arresting movies of the twentieth century, and his glorious period tragedy Days of Heaven, featuring Oscar-winning cinematography by Nestor Almendros, stands out among them. In 1910, a Chicago steel worker (Richard Gere) accidentally kills his supervisor and flees to the Texas panhandle with his girlfriend (Brooke Adams) and little sister (Linda Manz) to work harvesting wheat in the fields of a stoic farmer (Sam Shepard). A love triangle, a swarm of locusts, a hellish fire—Malick captures it all with dreamlike authenticity, creating at once a timeless American idyll and a gritty evocation of turn-of-the-century labor.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Terrence Malick, editor Billy Weber, and camera operator John Bailey
- New Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
- Audio commentary featuring Weber, art director Jack Fisk, costume designer Patricia Norris, and casting director Dianne Crittenden
- New video interviews with cinematographers Haskell Wexler and Bailey
- PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critic Adrian Martin and director of photography Nestor Almendros
- More!

Film Info

1978
95 minutes
Color
1.78:1
Dolby Digital 5.1
Anamorphic
English

Release Info

Catalog Number:
CC1717D
ISBN:
1-934121-93-2
UPC:
7-15515-02632-1
SRP: $39.95

Breathless

Spine #408



There was before Breathless, and there was after Breathless. With its lack of polish, surplus of attitude, crackling personalities of rising stars Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg, and anything-goes crime narrative, Jean-Luc Godard's debut fashioned a simultaneous homage to and critique of the American film genres that influenced and rocked him as a film writer for Cahiers du cinema. Jazzy, free-form, and sexy, Breathless (A bout de souffle) helped launch the French new wave and ensured cinema would never be the same.

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director of photography Raoul Coutard
- Archival interviews with director Jean-Luc Godard, and actors Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, and Jean-Pierre Melville
- New video interviews with Coutard, assistant director Pierre Rissient, and filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker
- New video essays: filmmaker and critic Mark Rappaport's "Jean Seberg" and critic Jonathan Rosenbaum's "Breathless as Film Criticism"
- Chambre 12, Hotel de suede, an eighty-minute French documentary about the making of Breathless, with members of the cast and crew
- Charlotte et son Jules, a 1959 short film by Godard, starring Belmondo
- French theatrical trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring writings from Godard, film historian Dudley Andrew, Francois Truffaut's original film treatment, and Godard's scenario

Film Info

1959
90 minutes
Black & White
1.33:1
Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Not Anamorphic
French

Release Info

Catalog Number:
CC1716D
ISBN:
1-934121-92-4
UPC:
7-15515-02622-2
SRP: $39.95

Mala Noche

Spine #407



With its low budget and lush black-and-white imagery, Gus Van Sant's debut feature Mala Noche heralded an idiosyncratic, provocative new voice in American independent film. Set in Van Sant's hometown of Portland, Oregon, the film evokes a world of transient workers, dead-end day-shifters, and bars and seedy apartments bathed in a profound nighttime, as it follows a romantic deadbeat with a wayward crush on a handsome Mexican immigrant. Mala Noche was an important prelude to the New Queer Cinema of the nineties and is a fascinating time capsule from a time and place that continues to haunt its director's work.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Gus Van Sant
- New interview with Van Sant
- Walt Curtis, the Peckerneck Poet: a documentary about the author of the book Mala Noche, directed by animator and friend Bill Plympton
- Storyboard gallery
- Original trailer edited by Van Sant
- PLUS: A new essay by film critic Dennis Lim

Film Info

1985
78 minutes
Black & White/Color
1.33:1
Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Not Anamorphic
English

Release Info

Catalog Number:
CC1715D
ISBN:
1-934121-91-6
UPC:
7-15515-02612-3
SRP: $29.95
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post #2 of 34
7/16/07 at 8:58pm

Re: October Criterions

Sweet. Days of Heaven and Breathless.
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post #3 of 34
7/16/07 at 9:05pm

Re: October Criterions

Terrence Malick from Criterion?????? Are you kidding me?! That's the greatest news I've ever heard! Hope that's a sign of things to come.

And Breathless too?!?! What the beep!

I must be about to wake up.

Regards,
Nathan
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post #4 of 34
7/16/07 at 10:02pm

Re: October Criterions

I was hoping for more features on Days Of Heaven - but I'm sure the folks at Criterion tried their hardest. If Malick approved the transfer, I'm sure they tried asking for a commentary or an interview.

That said, the disc is at the top of my must-purchase list!
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post #5 of 34
7/16/07 at 10:26pm

Re: October Criterions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Elijah Sullivan
I was hoping for more features on Days Of Heaven - but I'm sure the folks at Criterion tried their hardest.

well, it does say More! in the specs so they may not be finalized yet.
I'd be temepted to pick this up in November when DD has its next 205 off sale, but I think I may just kep holding out in the hopes that Criterion goes HD at some point in the next 12 months.

Under the Volcano sounds intriguing. I've never seen it before and have always gotten it mixed up in my head with When Time Ran Out, which is an Irwin Allen disaster movie from 4 years earlier, also with Bisset, that featured a volcano prominently in its key art.
Other than the above, and the use of another heavyweight A male lead, I don't think the two actually have much in common
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post #6 of 34
7/17/07 at 10:25am

Re: October Criterions

Days of Heaven and Breathless are definite purchases.

Amazing month just based on those 2 titles.
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post #7 of 34
7/17/07 at 5:09pm

Re: October Criterions

Days Of Heaven is a definite purchase.
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post #8 of 34
7/17/07 at 5:29pm

Re: October Criterions

"Under The Volcano", "Breathless" and "Days Of Heaven" definitely on my list. Especially "Under The Volcano", seeing as this is its first go round.

Does anyone know definitively if Criterion has rights to Huston's "The Dead"?
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post #9 of 34
7/17/07 at 5:57pm

Re: October Criterions

Damn, Breathless! Finally! I've been waiting a long time for that one!
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post #10 of 34
7/17/07 at 7:36pm

Re: October Criterions

Quote:
Originally Posted by ted:r
"Under The Volcano", "Breathless" and "Days Of Heaven" definitely on my list. Especially "Under The Volcano", seeing as this is its first go round.

Does anyone know definitively if Criterion has rights to Huston's "The Dead"?

I believe Lions Gate controls THE DEAD, as it was a Vestron Film producution.

However, I heard rumors that Criterion might have the rights to another Huston film, but rumor is a rumor, so we shall see.
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post #11 of 34
7/17/07 at 10:41pm

Re: October Criterions

So, Paramount are now licensing their films to Criterion. This can only be good news, as Paramount have not exactly been forward in releasing their back catalogue, pre 1960's.
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post #12 of 34
7/18/07 at 12:40am

Re: October Criterions

Under the Volcano is my favorite film from that list but it's a pity there is no contibution from Albert Finney. I don't like the cover though. It makes it look like some kind of gangster film.
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post #13 of 34
7/18/07 at 2:46am

Re: October Criterions

Always good to have more John Huston movies on dvd
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post #14 of 34
7/18/07 at 4:01am

Re: October Criterions

I'd love to see Criterion release Prizzi's Honor.
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post #15 of 34
7/18/07 at 7:19am

Re: October Criterions

Since Criterion is bringing out HOUSE OF GAMES (Orion) next month, does that mean that Criterion has a licensing deal with MGM/UA/Sony?Fox/Tom Cruise? What companies does Criterion currently have licensing deals with? Universal? TCF? How long does the Paramount licensing deal last? (My dream Criterion would be MY SON JOHN: SE.)
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post #16 of 34
7/18/07 at 7:34am

Re: October Criterions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles H
Since Criterion is bringing out HOUSE OF GAMES (Orion) next month, does that mean that Criterion has a licensing deal with MGM/UA/Sony?Fox/Tom Cruise? What companies does Criterion currently have licensing deals with? Universal? TCF? How long does the Paramount licensing deal last? (My dream Criterion would be MY SON JOHN: SE.)
The current Criterion licencors...

Fox (The Discrete Charm of the Bourgeiose, The Leopard, Kagemusha, Naked Lunch, and most likely The Darjeeling LTD.)
New Line Cinema (Short Cuts, My Own Private Idaho, Hoop Dreams)
Buena Vista (Chasing Amy, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Acquatic with Steve Zisou)
MPI (Carnival of Souls)
Anchor Bay (Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Man Who Fell To Earth, Life of Brian)
Universal (The Scarlet Empress, Trouble in Paradise, The Lady Eve, The Blob, Spartacus, Videodrome, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Under the Volcano)
MGM (House of Games, we're still not sure how far this deal goes if there's a deal at all)
Paramount (Robinson Crusoe on Mars, if, Days of Heaven, Ace in the Hole, again the nature of the deal is somewhat unknown)
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post #17 of 34
7/18/07 at 12:13pm

Re: October Criterions

Criterion also licensed BRAZIL from Universal, and THREE WOMEN from Fox, and MONA LISA and WITHNAIL & I from Anchor Bay.
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post #18 of 34
7/18/07 at 5:21pm

Re: October Criterions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jace_A
So, Paramount are now licensing their films to Criterion. This can only be good news, as Paramount have not exactly been forward in releasing their back catalogue, pre 1960's.

If..., Ace in the Hole, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, now Days of Heaven. It looks like Paramount has licensed cataloge titles to Criterion since they pretty much stopped releasing them themselves. I hope these make it to one of the HD formats...Days of Heaven most of all.
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post #19 of 34
7/18/07 at 8:32pm

Re: October Criterions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Dalek
The current Criterion licencors...

Fox (The Discrete Charm of the Bourgeiose, The Leopard, Kagemusha, Naked Lunch, and most likely The Darjeeling LTD.)
New Line Cinema (Short Cuts, My Own Private Idaho, Hoop Dreams)
Buena Vista (Chasing Amy, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Acquatic with Steve Zisou)
MPI (Carnival of Souls)
Anchor Bay (Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Man Who Fell To Earth, Life of Brian)
Universal (The Scarlet Empress, Trouble in Paradise, The Lady Eve, The Blob, Spartacus, Videodrome, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Under the Volcano)
MGM (House of Games, we're still not sure how far this deal goes if there's a deal at all)
Paramount (Robinson Crusoe on Mars, if, Days of Heaven, Ace in the Hole, again the nature of the deal is somewhat unknown)

A few corrections to your list:
StudioCanal was responsible for licensing DISCREET CHARM and THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, not Anchor Bay. Other StudioCanal properties on Criterion include other Bunuel and Godard films, HOPSCOTCH, and ARMY OF SHADOWS.
Jack Harris Enterprises licensed THE BLOB, not Universal, along with EQUINOX.
Fox, acting as MGM's distributor, is likely responsible for the HOUSE OF GAMES deal, not MGM themselves.
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post #20 of 34
7/18/07 at 8:50pm

Re: October Criterions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Edward Heuck
A few corrections to your list:
StudioCanal was responsible for licensing DISCREET CHARM and THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, not Anchor Bay. Other StudioCanal properties on Criterion include other Bunuel and Godard films, HOPSCOTCH, and ARMY OF SHADOWS.
Jack Harris Enterprises licensed THE BLOB, not Universal, along with EQUINOX.
Fox, acting as MGM's distributor, is likely responsible for the HOUSE OF GAMES deal, not MGM themselves.
Also, Carnival of Souls is in the public domain, with the elements under license from the producer. Criterion does credit Anchor Bay as the licensor of The Man Who Fell to Earth, although I think AB has licensed from Studio Canal and sublet it to Criterion.
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post #21 of 34
7/18/07 at 9:36pm

Re: October Criterions

Well I know Criterion got one of their Bunuel's from Fox. Maybe I got it confused with Phantom of Liberty.
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post #22 of 34
7/18/07 at 9:40pm

Re: October Criterions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Newcomb
Also, Carnival of Souls is in the public domain, with the elements under license from the producer.
Yeah but it was still a sublicence deal with MPI hence their logo at the start of the film and on the packaging.
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post #23 of 34
7/18/07 at 9:56pm

Re: October Criterions

You are correct that MPI collaborated on Carnival of Souls, but they don't actually own it. Criterion has let me know that as of right now they have no plans to work on The Darjeeling Limited, whereas with The Life Aquatic they were working on it while it was still filming.

Ignoring the stuff licensed from Studio Canal, Image, Wellspring, Anchor Bay, MK2, and various European rights holders, here is a somewhat complete list of the films have been directly licensed from major American studios. I’m probably forgetting some stuff too.

Disney
Armageddon
Chasing Amy
Indiscretion of an American Wife/Terminal Station (part of Disney’s ABC/Selznick library)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Notorious (part of Disney’s ABC/Selznick library - now OOP and licensed to MGM)
Rebecca (part of Disney’s ABC/Selznick library - now OOP and licensed to MGM)
The Rock
The Royal Tenenbaums
Rushmore
Spellbound (part of Disney’s ABC/Selznick library - now OOP and licensed to MGM)
Straw Dogs (part of Disney’s ABC/Selznick library - now OOP and licensed to MGM)

Fox
3 Women
Heaven Can Wait
House of Games (MGM? remains to be seen)
Kagemusha
The Leopard
Naked Lunch
Night and the City
Pickup on South Street
Thieves Highway
Unfaithfully Yours
Young Mr. Lincoln

Lionsgate
Kicking and Screaming

New Line
An Angel at My Table
Hoop Dreams
Naked
Short Cuts
Sid & Nancy (part of Embassy/Nelson library – now distributed by MGM)
This is Spinal Tap (part of Embassy/Nelson library – now distributed by MGM)

Orion (all out of print – Orion purchased by MGM)
Robocop
The Silence of the Lambs
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (rights reverted to Saul Zaentz – now distributed by Warner)

Paramount
Ace in the Hole
Days of Heaven
If…
Robinson Crusoe on Mars

Universal
All That Heaven Allows
The Bank Dick
Brazil
Charade (technically in PD, but elements from Universal)
Dazed and Confused
Do the Right Thing
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
La Haine
In the Mood for Love (originally licensed from USA films – now Focus/Universal)
The Killers
The Lady Eve
The Last Temptation of Christ
My Man Godfrey (technically in PD, but elements from Universal)
The Scarlet Empress
Sullivan’s Travels
Traffic (originally licensed from USA films – now Focus/Universal)
Trouble in Paradise
Under the Volcano
Videodrome
Written on the Wind
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post #24 of 34
7/18/07 at 11:21pm

Re: October Criterions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul_Scott
well, it does say More! in the specs so they may not be finalized yet.
I'd be temepted to pick this up in November when DD has its next 205 off sale, but I think I may just kep holding out in the hopes that Criterion goes HD at some point in the next 12 months.

Even if they start to release titles in HD, there is no guarantee that Criterion will be able to release HD versions of any of the titles they've licensed from the major studios. The special features might end up being found only on the dvd.
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post #25 of 34
7/20/07 at 3:34am

Re: October Criterions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Dalek
Well I know Criterion got one of their Bunuel's from Fox. Maybe I got it confused with Phantom of Liberty.

I think the confusion is because at one time Fox did release both DISCREET CHARM and THE PHANTOM OF LIBERTY theatrically. (Producer Serge Silberman had a deal with the studio in the '70's) In fact, my ancient Image laserdisc of PHANTOM (when it was released by Media's "Cinematheque Collection") still opens with a Fox logo. I have not seen either DVD of the film, but I would not be surprised if those prints perhaps still open with a Fox fanfare, though Fox no longer owns either film.
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post #26 of 34
7/20/07 at 5:06am

Re: October Criterions

Wow, I'm surprised to see Days Of Heaven is being put out by Criterion... maybe Badlands isn't far behind either?


And of course, I'm thrilled to see Breathless being issued as well. I've yet to pick up the Fox Lorber release so god knows I've waited long enough. Guess that paid off!



Is Under The Volcano a safe buy or should I go with a pre-rental?

To be honest, I don't think I've seen any of Huston's films post-Night Of The Iguana, but of course I've never been let down by his directorial work.

I was searching the listing on IMDB and was very surprised to see a cameo role by one Jim McCarthy... is that who I think it is?
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post #27 of 34
7/20/07 at 9:14am

Re: October Criterions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Derrick King
Even if they start to release titles in HD, there is no guarantee that Criterion will be able to release HD versions of any of the titles they've licensed from the major studios. The special features might end up being found only on the dvd.
Well they weren't able to reissue Traffic in HD so there's a release that adds credence to your theory.

I'm still hoping that if the Fox/MGM theory holds up, we might see a Criterion edition of Koyaanisqatsi.
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post #28 of 34
7/20/07 at 3:08pm

Re: October Criterions

Well, I'll be the first(?) to applaud the release of Mala Noche. I remember long ago that Plexifilm had this one on it's schedule then it disappeared.
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post #29 of 34
7/20/07 at 7:25pm
Thread Starter 

Re: October Criterions

Quote:
Originally Posted by MarcoBiscotti
Wow, I'm surprised to see Days Of Heaven is being put out by Criterion... maybe Badlands isn't far behind either?

Badlands is distributed by Warner, and they don't license to third party publishers.

However, if Warner wanted to do a new release I'm sure it would be great.
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post #30 of 34
7/20/07 at 7:46pm

Re: October Criterions

Interesting that Days of Heaven is getting an aspect-ratio change. The previous release is 1.85/1. The new transfer gives us 1.78/1.

This is going to be strange, cuz I've seen Days a couple dozen times in 1.85, but if it's Malick-approved them I'm dying to see the new disc!!
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