A question about Criterion (related to Tuesday night's chat) (1 Viewer)

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Does Criterion also handle the Home Vision DVDs that have begun to surface in the last couple of months? I know that both video labels are under the same company roof, but wonder if they are two separate divisions, with different representatives. That is to say, can the Criterion rep(s) answer Home Vision questions, or would that require a separate Home Vision chat, with different people? Home Vision used to be soley a VHS label, often for films released to LD by Criterion/Voyager, although they also released films that didn't make it to LD (or DVD, so far).
Note: This isn't intended to be a "what should we ask" pre-chat thread, since that sort of thing is, naturally, discouraged around here.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

What are the Home Vision titles on DVD? I have only seen their logo on VHS, usually product from the Janus library. I'm not trying to be confrontational. I'm honestly curious.
Regards,
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Ken McAlinden
Livonia, MI USA

 

[Steve Tannehill]

That's a good question. I was under the impression that the company called "Home Vision" owned the Criterion Collection now. This would then be analogous to the old days when "The Voyager Company" owned Criterion and released films under both the Voyager and Criterion brands.
(For All Mankind, for example, was a Voyager release on laserdisc, and not a designated part of the Criterion Collection.)
- Steve

 

[Jeff Swindoll]

That's a good question. Have you tried emailing Criterion? Maybe Ron should try and get the answer before the chat. I'd hate to see Peter ask for a long list of films just to be told that they dont own the rights

. Cheers.
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I didnt play Dungeons and Dragons all those years and not learn something about courage.
--Bernie Faulkner

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Both are releasing Janus titles, and my assumption is that if it isn't Criterion "worthy" (ie important film, substantial director, whatever...), it will come out as HV. HV has released a few Bardots and a couple of other things. There doesn't seem to be any difference in presentation quality so far, just extras and the importance of the film itself.
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Link Removed | Burt Lancaster is Link Removed | dOc

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Thanks for the input, guys. I was looking through Home Vision's website earlier, and they feature Criterion's DVD versions right next to VHS versions of the same title. They've even released HAXAN on tape recently, probably concurrent with Criterion's DVD edition. Thinking it over, I have a feeling the Criterion rep(s) can handle Home Vision questions in the chat, even if it just means them making a referral of title requests to whomever makes DVD decisions at Home Vision.
Interestingly, Home Vision has the extended cut of THE DEVIL & DANIEL WEBSTER (1941) still in print on VHS, so perhaps that could possibly make it to DVD from either Criterion or Home Vision.
And Jeff Swindoll (you fellow Mobius denizen, you), I'll have you know that I'm only going to be asking them about stuff I'm certain they have rights to, limited to a short list of a mere 50 titles*, so there!

* Just kidding, if Ron's reading this before the chat.