Thanks for the tip, ordered! I've only seen SHADOW ON THE WINDOW, which is.... well, not awful but not great. For that price, though, it's worth a gamble on the other four.
My most-wanted "classics" (pre-1990) on Blu-Ray:
Revenge of a Kabuki Actor
Scenes from a Marriage
Time of the Gypsies
The Apu trilogy (Criterion rumored)
The Exterminating Angel
Mahanagar
Charulata
Pratidwandi
Devi
A Woman Under the Influence
Aguirre: The Wrath of God
Cairo Station
Jules...
Definitely:
3:10 to Yuma
Safety Last!
Repo Man
Autumn Sonata
The Devil's Backbone
Lord of the Flies
Oshima's Boy
Eraserhead
The Kid
Le Samourai
Maybe:
The Tenant
Yo-Yo (Etaix Eclipse?)
Scanners
Gate to Hell
Babette's Feast
All That Heaven Allows
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife...
Definitely:
3:10 to Yuma
Safety Last!
Repo Man
Autumn Sonata
The Devil's Backbone
Lord of the Flies
Oshima's Boy
Eraserhead
The Kid
Le Samourai
Maybe:
The Tenant
Yo-Yo (Etaix Eclipse?)
Scanners
Gate to Hell
Babette's Feast
All That Heaven Allows
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and...
So... has anyone bought the new Vertical Ray of the Sun release? I'm wondering if there's any reason to buy it if you already have the old release. Can't find a review (much less a comparison) anywhere.
Boy, I have to disagree. ALL THESE WOMEN and THE TOUCH are two of his worst movies. As a Bergman completist, I'd still buy them, but having seen each twice I'm in no rush to see them again.
Top 5 Bergmans I want most on DVD/Blu:
In the Presence of a Clown
Brink of Life
Dreams
Secrets of Women...
Sansho the Bailiff is nothing like a Kurosawa samurai picture. For one thing, there are no samurai in it. It's an incredibly depressing drama.
You also see and spend perfectly good money on movies you don't like at all. No one can like every single film released by Criterion. But...
I haven't seen Koyaanisqatsi in about 20 years. I liked it at the time, and I do want to see it again, but not too interested in buying it (I love Baraka, though). Also, I saw Powaqqatsi and pretty much hated it.
Pina: very interested, but I haven't seen it yet so it's a try-before-I-buy...
Sansho - will upgrade
Ballad of Narayama - I've seen Imamura's version and liked it, rental with possible buy
Kid With a Bike - not one of my favorite Dardennes, but will definitely buy it
On the Waterfront - Not too crazy about this, but I do owe it a second look. Rental.
Chronicle - Like it...
Case Against Brooklyn, The
Criminal Lawyer
Crooked Web, The
Escape From San Quentin
Shadow On The Window, The
The only one of these I've seen is Shadow on the Window, which is... not terrible, but not great. Case Against Brooklyn is on my watchlist, I might risk a blind buy of the set.
I wonder if anything will be different with Vertical Ray. I have the old DVD already. I deeply wish a Blu-Ray was coming, it's one of my top 100 films. I guess I shouldn't hope for the "making of" featurette from the European releases. Sigh.
My ratings for the noirs:
The Blue Dahlia - 7/10
The Glass Key - 7/10
Phantom Lady - 8/10
I think this will be a "wait until I have some extra cash" set for me, if not a "pass" entirely. Definitely not a must-have. Very rare for a noir set not to have at least one title I'm dying to own. Some...
City of Life and Death is a far, far better movie. As is the documentary Nanking. What we really need is Under the Hawthorn Tree on Blu-Ray, it's Zhang's best movie in years.
My haven't seens from this list:
Colossal Youth
Separation, A
Sicilia!
West of the Tracks
Black Girl
Nouvelle vague
Code Unknown
Empire
From the Clouds to the Resistance
Last Bolshevik, The
Numéro deux
Outer Space
Aguaespejo granadino
Ciénaga, La
Evolution of a Filipino Family...
My ratings for those:
100 - Time of Gypsies
94 - Meghe dhaka tara (Hidden Star)
89 - Round-Up, The (Szegénylegények)
88 - Los Olvidados
88 - Still Life (if it's the Zhang Ke Jia... if it's the Saless, then 75)
84 - Through the Olive Trees
83 - Floating Clouds
82 - And Life Goes On
78 - City of...
I've seen all of the top 50. SATANTANGO is a top 100 film for me. JEANNE DIELMAN is tough but very interesting. HISTOIRE(S) DU CINEMA was an utter chore, but I'm not a Godard guy.
My quick take on the noirs (just the noirs) I've seen from that massive Republic list.
6/10 Beware, My Lovely (1952) Harry Horner Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan
8/10 Caught (1949) Max Ophuls James Mason, Barbara Bel Geddes, Robert Ryan
8/10 Champion (1949) Mark Robson Kirk Douglas, Marilyn Maxwell...
I've seen Eraserhead probably a dozen times and I'm nowhere near done with it. If Criterion does release it, they NEED to include the "Stories" feature from the DVD. One of the best special features ever.