Criterion Blu-ray titles! (1 Viewer)

[Brandon Conway]

I believe The Last Emperor is now 1/6/09.

 

[ccfixx]

. What title(s) were moved back more than a month?

Yes, "The Last Emporer"... now to January 2009.
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[ManW_TheUncool]

I wish TLE would be moved back waaaaay more than just 1/2009 -- w/ the wishful thinking that maybe, just maybe, Criterion will relent and give it to us in OAR regardless of what Storraro wants. But unfortunately, I'm sure that's not gonna happen. :rolleyes
_Man_

 

[Darth Lavender]

Well, the Last Emperor OAR issue isn't QUITE as bad as it sounds.
While Storaro is, I assume, insane now (re: 2.00:1) I do think there's a lot of credibility to the 2.20:1 argument, and if the film is supposed to be seen 2.2:1, then 2.0:1 becomes slightly easier to stomach.
(Not sure if this has been covered in the thread, but basically Bertolluci has said, in defense of Storaro, that the composition was deliberate loose on the assumption that the ideal way for audiences to see this film would be in the larger cinemas that could show 70mm (2.2:1) prints.
While we're on wishful thinking, my idea of an 'ideal' presentation for Last Emperor would be the theatrical cut in a thinner ratio (2.20:1, but 2.0:1 is still almost acceptable) and the 'extended cut' in a completely unmatted presentation (2.35:1, I assume) given that the extended cut is intended as more of a 'see everything that got cut' curiosity while the theatrical cut should adhere to the director's intent (which I believe is 2.2:1)
Moving away from wishful thinking now, into the realm of reasonable expectations, I would hope that Criterion will use this as an opportunity to include all the DVD extras (the missing essays and the Man Who Fell novel)
They don't have to be printed (blu-ray disks cost a few extra cents each to produce, so if Criterion can make up those cents with less printed materials, great

) but I would hope that Criterion is going to at least present those missing extras in some format (pdf files, or even just on their website (for the essays))
The missing novel in 'Man Who Fell To Earth' is a darn big problem already, but even the missing essays present a problematic precedent (and I'm not even a fan of essays) What happens if Criterion releases (unlikely) The King of Kings or (more likely) The Bicycle Thieves, both of which have most of their extras in books and booklets which would, presumably, be dropped for blu-ray.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

Just got the notice from Amazon about MWFTE being pushed back the Dec 23, which I actually don't mind, since I don't have a player yet.
I too would hope that the books would be included, but I think this is a logistical problem that will affect every Criterion title that had a book of some kind, since the case size for BD is smaller (if I'm not mistaken... I've never seen a BD in person).

 

[Pete Lee]

I wish TLE would be moved back waaaaay more than just 1/2009 -- w/ the wishful thinking that maybe, just maybe, Criterion will relent and give it to us in OAR regardless of what Storraro wants. But unfortunately, I'm sure that's not gonna happen. :rolleyes
_Man_

I agree, I don't think there's any way to avoid Criterion releasing a butchered version of The Last Emperor. It's like you can see the lights of the train coming but there's nothing you can do to get off the tracks.
I think it's time to dump the term OAR because the concept is too limited. It is unable to deal with artists who don't care for the original version or change their minds, sometimes decades after the movies have been released. It's fine if artists want to recut or rebuild their movies but the Original Theatrical Release should always be preserved and available. For me, this revised Last Emperor will sit in the Hall of Shame alongside the Star Wars trilogy. I personally won't buy or rent it.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Well, the Last Emperor OAR issue isn't QUITE as bad as it sounds.
While Storaro is, I assume, insane now (re: 2.00:1) I do think there's a lot of credibility to the 2.20:1 argument, and if the film is supposed to be seen 2.2:1, then 2.0:1 becomes slightly easier to stomach.
(Not sure if this has been covered in the thread, but basically Bertolluci has said, in defense of Storaro, that the composition was deliberate loose on the assumption that the ideal way for audiences to see this film would be in the larger cinemas that could show 70mm (2.2:1) prints.

Have you done any actual comparisons at all to come to that conclusion?
Admittedly, I have not compared for the entire film, but I've tried comparing a handful of scenes (not just a couple screenshots easily found at places like DVD Beaver). And yes, I have serious doubts about the 2.2:1 theory being true based on what I found in my own (albeit limited) comparisons.
Yes, I might agree that 2.2:1 *might* be *acceptable*, but I really doubt that's the ideal framing. And 2.0:1 would definitely necessitate some panning and scanning of the original frame for anything acceptable and *will* w/out a doubt alter the composition. Also, it's pretty clear that at least some shots on the new 2.0:1 DVD have the framing a bit off to boot, not just cropped in the best way possible, eg. shots that used to be centered are now noticeably off center.
For some details on what I mean, see the following post (and various other comments in that thread):
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...ml#post3324046
Also, can you provide a link to the quote that Bertollucci actually claims it was ideally framed for 2.2:1, instead of something wider? I have not seen such a thing. All I've ever seen is that Bertollucci merely defered the matter to Storraro w/out any definitive (and convincing) explanation for the 2.0:1 crop. Such a link would be much appreciated.
_Man_

 

[Mike Frezon]

Ditto. Thanks, Man.
I have wearied on this issue.

 

[ccfixx]

Forget shopping... there's a review up for Criterion's "The Third Man" now!

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[PaulDA]

Anyone think The Spy Who Came in from the Cold will be a Criterion BD? One of my all-time favourites and I would double-dip for the Criterion one in a second if it wasn't for the existence of BD.

 

[Med]

That's a great review and the best news of all for those of us outside the US is that, according to the review, The Third Man is 'Region Free'!

 

[ccfixx]

That's a great review and the best news of all for those of us outside the US is that, according to the review, The Third Man is 'Region Free'!

Actually, if you read the last lines of the Video portion of the review, it's stated that "The Third Man" is Region A only, which is unfortunate.
"(Note: This is a Region-A encoded Blu-ray disc which you will not be able to playback on your Region-B only hardware. You will need Region-Free hardware in order to view its content)."
Also, I just contacted the reviewer of "The Third Man" to make a correction under the Playback at the top of the review, which currently and incorrectly lists the disc as Region Free.
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[Med]

Actually, if you read the last lines of the Video portion of the review, it's stated that "The Third Man" is Region A only, which is unfortunate.
"(Note: This is a Region-A encoded Blu-ray disc which you will not be able to playback on your Region-B only hardware. You will need Region-Free hardware in order to view its content)."
Also, I just contacted the reviewer of "The Third Man" to make a correction under the Playback at the top of the review, which currently and incorrectly lists the disc as Region Free.
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Oops...missed that bit and just noticed the 'Playback' part! Too much wishful thinking on my part there I think.
A shame for those of us who would love to import some Crit BD's.

 

[Michel_Hafner]

Oops...missed that bit and just noticed the 'Playback' part! Too much wishful thinking on my part there I think.
A shame for those of us who would love to import some Crit BD's.

Import a US player. Problem solved.

 

[ccfixx]

A review for Criterion's "The Man Who Fell To Earth" is up now.
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[Matt Hough]

A review for Criterion's "The Man Who Fell To Earth" is up now.
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Mine will be up tomorrow.

 

[Med]

Import a US player. Problem solved.

Added expense plus lack of space in the A/V rack prevents this at the moment I'm afraid.
I'm thinking that early in the new year I may get my Panny player modded for both Region A/B playback.
It's a shame that region coding is still insisted upon by a few of the major companies, although I notice that Fox have begun to release a number of titles - mainly TV series - Region free.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Criterion does their region coding for the simple reason that their right to distribute the films they release is usually limited to North America.

 

[ccfixx]

A member over on blu-ray.com has posted images of the packaging for "The Third Man," "The Man Who Fell To Earth," and "Bottle Rocket"... plus, side-by-side comparison with standard blu-ray cases. Good stuff, indeed!
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[Mike Frezon]

Hmmm. So Criterion is eschewing the traditional blue plastic Blu-ray case for something more along the lines of Warner's cardboard book-style cases.
That's too bad as it looks like there's a reasonable height difference between these cases and the standard Blus.
I also wish I had a Blu copy of The Dark Knight on my bookshelf tonight...