Criterion Blu-ray titles! (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

I'm betting it's YOUNG AND INNOCENT. One of my favorite Hitchcocks.

I hope so. I love it, too!

 

[Charles Smith]

I hope so, too. About time it was released in HD.

But does the appearance/style of the coat work for it? Or for any of the other guesses? I couldn't figure it out.

 

[AnthonyClarke]

If it's the same transfer as used for the recent UK Blu ray, then it will be first class. The UK 'Young and Innocent' is wonderful.

 

[david hare]

Anthony it simply won’t happen because these Network titles are all under the Studio Canal umbrella. And as you must know by now Canal ceased any licensing arrangement with Criterion some time ago.

I also have very serious issues with the print quality for this. As you might be aware all these 30s Hitchcock prints were acquired by Canal and then “restored” – but only up to a point - by Canal in the 90s, and then released on PAL DVD by both Canal and the German Concorde label around late 90s. These are the sources for the current Network releases (including the new Sabotage) and any future ones.

Anyway what was good enough then frankly isn’t good enough now, and I believe there are serious problems with Young and Innocent. There are several major instances of print shrinkage and warping/tearing, first one right near the top when the girls find the body on the beach, and then for three minutes straight during the Children’s Party sequence. The latter should never have been allowed to stand as is in the master. Then just after this there is a four minute plus section for which Canal have presumably replaced damage first gen positive film with very grainy multi gen dupe footage – it stand out like the proverbial and is not just a shot here or there but a long sequence. There are also the usual print/emulsion damage marks like scratches, blobs and tramlines although these things don’t normally trouble me too much. I agree the encode and transfer itself is perfectly good and very film like, but the 35mm master leaves much to be desired. I would give it a 3 out of 5 based on the element. It’s no better than serviceable. And alas all we will get for years to come.

There is a real restoration problem now with all these 30s Hitchcocks. Canal seems to be just sitting on them as a block of “property” while I would have hoped there might be some broader movement to get them all properly restored to much higher contemporary standards for 4k and modern theatrical and BD releases. Not the least also for film history. Instead we are just getting piecemeal high quality restoration like the Criterion Man Who Knew too Much, for which one of the nitrate elements came from RAH himself or Lady Vanishes. The work done by Criterion (and BFI elsewhere) on this is exemplary and descriptive of what needs to be done with all of them. Alas given Canal’s vast holdings it just won’t happen unless there’s a concerted effort to address it.

In a nutshell, these Network BDs (with Sabotage to come) are at best HD upgrades of the late 90s Concorde DVDs, with all their shortcomings. Far from ideal for such a major body of work.

 

[Lord Dalek]

itvPLC. owns Young and Innocent, not Studio Canal. Canal only owns the films Hitchcock made for Associated British between 1926 and 1932.


Here's the breakdown:


itv/Network (Gainsborough/Gaumont British)


The Pleasure Garden

The Lodger (R1: MGM)

Waltzes From Vienna

The Man Who Knew Too Much (R1: Criterion)

The 39 Steps (R1: Criterion)

Secret Agent

Sabotage (R1: MGM)

Young and Innocent (R1: MGM)

The Lady Vanishes (R1: Criterion)


Studio Canal (British International/Associated British)


The Ring

Downhill

The Farmer's Wife

Easy Virtue

Champagne

The Manxman

Blackmail

Juno and the Paycock

Murder! (and by proxy Mary)

The Skin Game

Rich and Strange

Number 17


Cohen (Renown Pictures/Paramount)


Jamaica Inn

 

[Patrick McCart]

Even the Hitchcock films owned by StudioCanal can probably have something worked out. It's Lionsgate that stipulated the exclusivity, not StudioCanal. That's probably why Les Films de Mon Oncle was able to get StudioCanal to license the Jacques Tati films directly to Criterion rather than them having to go through Lionsgate.


The MGM/Fox DVD for Young and Innocent looks great and it was licensed from iTV.

 

[david hare]

Thanks for clarifications. I had thought ITV were under the very same Umbrella for Canal as the rest. However I notice a number of Network titles included ITV and Canal logos.

Certainly Man who Knew Too Much and Lady Vanishes from Criterion are very successful remasters and high quality BDs. And the LOdger has the benefit of major restoration. So long as there is the will and money out there to get the rest of them done and we don't just have to wait for Canal to suddenly become good Archival citizens.

I foolishly didn't keep the MGM Y and I but is it in fact different (i.e. better) to the one Network is stuck with here? I am someone who's very forgiving of occasional film print artefacts and small issues, but in this case literally minutes of tearing and dupe inserts at a time is hard to ignore. The print also has substantial frame jitter - it badly needed wetgate printing plus stabilization [preferably on something like the BFI's non-sprocket hole printer. It's really quite poor IMO even if tonal qualities are for the most part reasonable.

 

[Martin_Teller]

I hope so, too. About time it was released in HD.

But does the appearance/style of the coat work for it? Or for any of the other guesses? I couldn't figure it out.

The whole movie (Young and Innocent, that is) is basically the heroes trying to find out who has a belted coat like that.

 

[Derrick King]

Samantha Fuller now has a phantom page on Criterion's site. Maybe an upgrade or new to Criterion Samuel Fuller film with A Fuller Life as an extra?

 

[AnthonyClarke]

I note your reservations David .. but it's a heap better than my DVD and as you say, probably the best we're ever likely to see....


However, if a better quality version comes along, I'll be in right away!

 

[Charles Smith]

The whole movie (Young and Innocent, that is) is basically the heroes trying to find out who has a belted coat like that.

Thanks! Been too many years since I've seen this one.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Samantha Fuller now has a phantom page on Criterion's site. Maybe an upgrade or new to Criterion Samuel Fuller film with A Fuller Life as an extra?

Those phantom pages have been dead-ends lately. Wouldn't put any money on it.

 

[Derrick King]

Criterion producer Issa Clubb participated in an Orson Welles panel at the University of Michigan and confirmed that they are releasing Othello, Chimes at Midnight, and Immortal Story but they will not come out this year. Details on what he said can be found starting with this post at the criterionforum

 

[atfree]

September announcements should be today.....Moonrise Kingdom was previously announced for September, but no idea what others may be coming.

 

[Cine_Capsulas]

September announcements should be today.....Moonrise Kingdom was previously announced for September, but no idea what others may be coming.

Hopefully, some pre-70s titles and a Japanese classic.

 

[Lord Dalek]

They STILL don't have a cover for Moonrise Kingdom.

 

[atfree]

They STILL don't have a cover for Moonrise Kingdom.

I'm guessing they're saving it for the announcements this afternoon.

 

[Squire]

Criterion producer Issa Clubb participated in an Orson Welles panel at the University of Michigan and confirmed that they are releasing Othello, Chimes at Midnight, and Immortal Story but they will not come out this year. Details on what he said can be found starting with this post at the criterionforum

I've read elsewhere that the Othello release will include the "restored" version and the original American release version on which the restoration was based but not the original European release version. That's a shame! The European version is the one that won the grand prize at Cannes and it's probably the best version. It would be nice to be able to compare the three versions the way you can Arkadin or Touch of Evil.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Unless Beatrice Welles suddenly drops dead, you'll never see the original Othello again.

 

[Squire]

Unless Beatrice Welles suddenly drops dead, you'll never see the original Othello again.

Is she still the problem? There was word that she'd sold the rights to the DAX foundation along with the rights to Chimes at Midnight and what not. She's praising the upcoming Criterion release which will at least include the unrestored American release version. Up to now she was unwilling for either that or the European version to be released.