Criterion announces first Blu-ray titles - Page 21

The press releases for Days of Heaven, Yojimbo and Sanjuro listed DTS-HD MA audio tracks for those releases (5.1 for Days of Heaven, 3.0 for Yojimbo & Sanjuro). The website has simply not been updated.

It's more than a rumor - Criterion said as much on their very website last Monday:

"As for other Kurosawa plans, we had hoped to celebrate the actual centenary, in March, with a Blu-ray edition of Seven Samurai, but weeks of additional restoration have turned into months—yes, it looks really amazing—and the release won’t be until later in 2010. Instead, on March 23, we’ll be releasing Kurosawa’s Yojimbo and Sanjuro. They look great, too."

http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1330

I haven't seen any of them. Can't wait to check them out.

It should be noted that Ride with the Devil is a new, 160-minute director's cut (theatrical cut ran 138 minutes).

The Fugitive Kind is also coming, but DVD only.

Some amazing covers, IMO. Love the book crease for The Fugitive Kind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-luc_Godard

"Many of Godard's films challenge the conventions of traditional Hollywood cinema as well as the French equivalent, namely the "tradition of quality". He is often considered the most extreme or radical of the New Wave filmmakers. His films express his political ideologies as well as his knowledge of film history. In addition, Godard's films often cite existential and Marxist philosophy."

Most find his only notable period to be between Breathless (1959) and Week End (1967). But that 9-year period is seen as essential French New Wave cinema. From wikipedia: "Week Ends' enigmatic and audacious end title sequence, which reads "End of Cinema", appropriately marked an end to the narrative and cinematic period in Godard's filmmaking career." (He is still making films, though I know of no one who sees them, even in the art house circles. He also works more often in short length format now rather than feature length, and often on video rather than film).

Personally speaking, I think both Breathless and Week End are great films. The former is more in line with what people think of as French New Wave, and is my personal favorite from Godard (I would rank it slightly below Truffaut's The 400 Blows). The latter.... well, its usually as far as people go with Godard in his filmmaking journey, and can be quit divisive. I love its boldness and blatantly radical politics.

I wasn't a big fan of Contempt (1963) or Pierrot le fou (1965), but they were both interesting and worth watching. His other notable films of this era that I have yet to see include Vivre sa vie (1962), Band of Outsiders (1964), A Woman is a Woman (1961), Alphaville (1965), and Masculine Feminine (1966), all released by Criterion.

Yeah, this StudioCanal thing is gonna really gash the Criterion Collection. In addition to those titles and previously OOP titles (Nights of Cabiria, Third Man), there are many more potential titles that StudioCanal control under current license to Criterion, including but not limited to:

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Bid Deal on Madonna Street
Diary of a Chambermaid
Billy Liar
That Obscure Object of Desire
Bob le Flambeur
Hopscotch
Le cercle rouge
Touchez pas au grisbi
The Proud Valley / Native Land (from Paul Robeson box)
Army of Shadows
Last Year at Marienbad
The Man Who Fell to Earth

I understand SudioCanal is trying to rebrand themselves to the collector market with the StudioCanal Collection, but it still hurts the Criterion fanboy in me.

That's very true, Nick. For example, I'm anxious to read the reviews on The Ladykillers, which I doubt Criterion would have got to on Blu anytime soon even if they had a chance to release it.

^ That's good to know. Thanks!

By the way, StudioCanal France has already confirmed Grand Illusion is coming soon to BD, so you gotta figure the US release will likely be here by the end of the year.