Criterion Blu-ray titles! (2 Viewers)

[Brandon Conway]

Originally Posted by Derrick King

I don't know about BRAZIL, but Criterion already confirmed that they will be releasing VIDEODROME and CHARADE on Blu-Ray. So some Universal titles are in play.

I have yet to see a formal statement confirming these titles. It's very possible, but other than amazon.com placeholders that were since removed and online unofficial statements, we have yet to have any actual confirmation, to my knowledge.

 

[PaulDA]

Originally Posted by Brandon Conway
The Von Sternberg silents are licensed from Paramount. According to Jeff at criterionforum.org (who is VERY reliable), the 14 Paramount titles licensed by Criterion in 2007 were for DVD only (makes sense, as Criterion's first Blu-rays were not until Fall of 2008). Criterion was able to later negotiate a deal for Days of Heaven as a unique supplemental license, but apparently that wasn't exactly a simple matter. In any case, considering how scarce Paramount deep catalog titles (especially silents) are on DVD, this release is excellent news, Blu or no Blu.

For those keeping track, the other 10 Paramount licensed titles are:

If....
Ace in the Hole
Robinson Crusoe on Mars
The Naked Prey
The Furies
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
White Dog
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
Downhill Racer
The Wedding March (yet to get released)

Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a separate unique agreement, I believe.

Any chance at all that The Spy… will get a BD release? It is one of my favourite films and I've hesitated getting the SD DVD as an "upgrade" when it could come in BD.

 

[Brandon Conway]

I guess there's always a chance, but I suspect Days of Heaven was a unique case. Criterion probably figured that DoH would be a good seller on Blu due to the cinematography, so they probably were willing to pay a little more for the additional Blu licensing. Interestingly enough, while the DVD of DoH says it is under "exclusive license" from Paramount, the Blu-ray says it is under "non-exclusive license". That tells me that not only did they have to have new negotiations, but that whatever they paid also did nothing to promise them that Paramount wouldn't release their own Blu-ray of the title.

 

[PaulDA]

I guess I'll just bite the bullet and get the DVD of The Spy… at some point. Oh well.

 

[Derrick King]

Originally Posted by Brandon Conway
I have yet to see a formal statement confirming these titles. It's very possible, but other than amazon.com placeholders that were since removed and online unofficial statements, we have yet to have any actual confirmation, to my knowledge.

Criterion confirmed the titles here: http://theplaylistnation.blogspot.com/2010/05/criterion-confirms-thin-red-line.html

 

[Brandon Conway]

Originally Posted by Derrick King
Criterion confirmed the titles here: http://theplaylistnation.blogspot.com/2010/05/criterion-confirms-thin-red-line.html

Well, it's only a second-hand confirmation. I'll be reserve some slight skepticism but remain optimistic that it'll turn out to be correct.

 

[Craig Beam]

Originally Posted by Derrick King

That cover is GORGEOUS. Great film, too. Must-buy for me.

 

[Adam_S]

criterion confirmed on twitter yesterday that Merry Christmas Mr. lawrence is coming later this year. Since that's another high profile title for Oshima I'm going to guess it'll probably be on blu as well.

 

[Derrick King]

I see that someone has posted this in the dvd forum, but not here. So, for those that don't visit the dvd forum:

Criterion is going to be releasing a box set in November that includes Five Easy Pieces/ Head/ King of Marvin Gardens/ The Last Picture Show/ Easy Rider/ A Safe Place/ Drive, He Said.

Sources:
http://criterioncast.com/2010/06/02/rumor-criterion-to-release-new-hollywood-box-set-this-november/#more-3993

http://www.criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=291680#p291680

 

[Adam_S]

Makes me curious if Seven Samurai and Thin Red Line will be big titles in September October or if they'll be the big (and only) December releases.

It will be a shame if those titles are only available in a box, but that's what netflix is for.

 

[zackscott5]

Oh I am totally buying this box set as they are all fantastic films and that I have been campainging for "Head for quite a while. I even put it on my top ten list of american films that I would like Criterion to release on my web show Laserdisc Memories!!!

 

[Eric Peterson]

Interesting. This has been posted as being a Sony release several times in the SD forum from Mike Schlesinger (at Sony). I wonder if this has been in the works the whole time, or if this licensing deal is fairly recent?

 

[Worth]

.

Has anything been said regarding blu-ray releases for these titles? Or are they DVD only?

 

[BethHarrison]

Originally Posted by Worth
Has anything been said regarding blu-ray releases for these titles? Or are they DVD only?

Rumour is Criterion will be releasing both a DVD and Blu-ray set. I wasn't going to bother getting these films again on DVD, but I'll get the Blu-ray set for sure.

 

[ccfixx]

More Criterion titles going OOP June 30th...

Dear Criterion collectors,
The following titles are going out of print effective June 30:

Billy Liar
Bob le flambeur
Diary of A Chambermaid
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Kind Hearts and Coronets
The Man Who Fell to Earth (DVD and Blu-ray editions)
The Milky Way
The Phantom of Liberty
That Obscure Object of Desire
Touchez pas au grisbi
A Woman Is a Woman

We will be selling copies only while supplies last, so order yours soon. As ever, we will try to relicense the films so that they can rejoin the collection sometime in the future.

CC

 

[Brandon Conway]

StudioCanal strikes again, and to the top of the Netflix they go (at least, the 7 I haven't seen).

 

[Derrick King]

Just in case anyone cares, the remaining In Print StudioCanal titles are:
113 Big Deal on Madonna Street
163 Hopscotch
218 Le Cercle Rouge
244 Elena And Her Men (Part of Stage and Spectacle Box Set)
373 The Proud Valley & Native Land (Part of Paul Robeson: Portraits of an Artist Box Set)
381 La Haine (Licensed from Universal)
385 Army of Shadows
424 Mafioso
447 Le doulos
478 Last Year at Marienbad

Last Year at Marienbad is the only one on Blu-ray.

 

[Brandon Conway]

I'm pretty sure Last Year at Marienbad and Army of Shadows are licensed from Rialto, not StudioCanal.

 

[Derrick King]

Originally Posted by Brandon Conway
I'm pretty sure Last Year at Marienbad and Army of Shadows are licensed from Rialto, not StudioCanal.

So were a number of the 11 that are going OOP at the end of the month. StudioCanal licensed the titles to Rialto, who sub-licensed them to Criterion. (Look at the copyright info on the back of the packaging.)

 

[Brandon Conway]

And then there are some that StudioCanal licensed from Rialto, such as Breathless. I'm 99% sure that's the case with Last Year at Marienbad and Army of Shadows.