Criterion announces first Blu-ray titles - Page 13

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.)

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."

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.

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.

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