Criterion Press Release: Dressed To Kill (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[nyguy2046]

I'm just gonna say that the original statement made by Criterion would not invalidate anything Mr. Harris said in his post. The follow-up statement seems to these eyes to be an attempt at damage control of the first statement.

Not quite. A lot of folks on this board said, in effect, "Despite Criterion's statement, this looks wrong" and Mr. Harris shut that down. All due respect - but turns out he was wrong.

 

[Ruz-El]

Not quite. A lot of folks on this board said, in effect, "Despite Criterion's statement, this looks wrong" and Mr. Harris shut that down. All due respect - but turns out he was wrong.

I believe he said we should wait to hear from Criterion and the Director, which is more level headed than wrong.

 

[nyguy2046]

I believe he said we should wait to hear from Criterion and the Director, which is more level headed than wrong.

Mmm not quite. You can re-read the post. Anyway, it's water under the bridge.

 

[monkeytree5]

I believe he said we should wait to hear from Criterion and the Director, which is more level headed than wrong.

Nope, he said "My take is that this is the way the filmmaker wanted it. Period. Whether major changes have been made, either color or technical, is irrelevant. You're viewing the filmmaker's vision. "

 

[Ruz-El]

This bit put's it in context:

While I have no horse in this race, the obvious question must be asked before the release is branded technically problematic.

What if this is the way the filmmaker desired the film to be seen?

Based on the info at the time, he's not wrong, and wasn't wrong. Hell, it's unclear if De Palma want's it un-squished, so Mr. Harris might still be right and we're now getting a non-Director approved blu-ray.

 

[monkeytree5]

This bit put's it in context:




Based on the info at the time, he's not wrong, and wasn't wrong. Hell, it's unclear if De Palma want's it un-squished, so Mr. Harris might still be right and we're now getting a non-Director approved blu-ray.

"Whether major changes have been made, either color or technical, is irrelevant." is a statement so wrong, that to deny it would be to deny the good that has come out of this early investigating. It has turned out to be EXTREMELY relevant.


Namely:


From Criterion "Update, 8/6/15: Good news, everyone. The Dressed to Kill street date is moving to September 8. Thanks to the concerns of our customers and the efforts of reviewers at websites like DVDBeaver.com who helped point out the problems with the release early, we were able to make the fix before the bulk of orders had shipped. We will, of course, replace any faulty copies that may find their way into circulation, but we are working to ensure that all customers, including those who have placed preorders, and all major retailers will have corrected product in time for the new street date. To be certain that you have the correct version, look for the words “Second printing” on the back of the package and on the disc."

 

[Will Krupp]

Thanks for the Criterion statement!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

"Whether major changes have been made, either color or technical, is irrelevant." is a statement so wrong, that to deny it would be to deny the good that has come out of this early investigating. It has turned out to be EXTREMELY relevant.


Namely:


From Criterion "Update, 8/6/15: Good news, everyone. The Dressed to Kill street date is moving to September 8. Thanks to the concerns of our customers and the efforts of reviewers at websites like DVDBeaver.com who helped point out the problems with the release early, we were able to make the fix before the bulk of orders had shipped. We will, of course, replace any faulty copies that may find their way into circulation, but we are working to ensure that all customers, including those who have placed preorders, and all major retailers will have corrected product in time for the new street date. To be certain that you have the correct version, look for the words “Second printing” on the back of the package and on the disc."

Things are moving fast and furious at Criterion! Just this afternoon, their PR rep told me 8/18 remained street date!

 

[haineshisway]

This bit put's it in context:




Based on the info at the time, he's not wrong, and wasn't wrong. Hell, it's unclear if De Palma want's it un-squished, so Mr. Harris might still be right and we're now getting a non-Director approved blu-ray.

Well, this is the point. If this was De Palma's wish in the first place, which is what the first statement absolutely implied or inferred, then that is where the blame goes. Criterion, in honoring his wishes, perhaps against their better judgment, got the flack and decided to either have a conversation with the director, who was probably not thrilled at having been called out, hence the second statement, or, because the director would not have had final say on anything, since he is not the licensor, decided to appease those who were unhappy with what were Mr. De Palma's wishes. He's also seventy-four years old - not that old these days, but still up there. Of course EVERYTHING is supposition as none of us were in the room with De Palma and the transfer engineer.

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

"Excuse me," interrupts Captain Kirk, "but what does Brian De Palma need with a starship?"

 

[ROclockCK]

I also have the disc in hand.

IMG_3978.JPG

Well, I'd hang onto it Neil. Considering how few of these sets got out before Criterion's announcement, I smell a likely 'future collectible'.


* Pssssst...while we're on the subject of framing, you do realize that the unfortunate positions of those dark objects on your shelf sorta give you Mickey Mouse ears???

 

[cineMANIAC]

Nope, he said "My take is that this is the way the filmmaker wanted it. Period. Whether major changes have been made, either color or technical, is irrelevant. You're viewing the filmmaker's vision. "

I want the filmmakers's original 1980 vision, not his "older, wiser" 2015 edition. Criterion wants to release director's approved versions of films? Fine, just make them "Dual Format" - original version and Newly "Fixed"/Revised/Re-envisioned. This revisionism is ruining films. This director-approved stuff is overrated anyway. What about what WE, the consumers, want?

 

[DalekFlay]

I think the color timing looks fine. It looks a lot like Blow Out, which I was very happy with from Criterion. Comparing caps on Beaver and elsewhere I notice a lot of added detail and film-like look from the new scan. Now that the squeeze issue is being taken care of I am very excited about the disc.


My Amazon pre-order still shows August 18th, but I guess they're changing them slowly.

 

[nyguy2046]

Well, this is the point. If this was De Palma's wish in the first place, which is what the first statement absolutely implied or inferred, then that is where the blame goes. Criterion, in honoring his wishes, perhaps against their better judgment, got the flack and decided to either have a conversation with the director, who was probably not thrilled at having been called out, hence the second statement, or, because the director would not have had final say on anything, since he is not the licensor, decided to appease those who were unhappy with what were Mr. De Palma's wishes. He's also seventy-four years old - not that old these days, but still up there. Of course EVERYTHING is supposition as none of us were in the room with De Palma and the transfer engineer.

Let's move on, shall we?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Please note that the street date for Criterion's Blu-ray and DVD editions of Brian De Palma's DRESSED TO KILL has changed from August 18 to September 8. Full info on the release is below.


DRESSED TO KILL – Blu-ray & DVD Editions
Brian De Palma (Carrie) ascended to the highest ranks of American suspense filmmaking with this virtuoso, explicit erotic thriller. At once tongue-in-cheek and scary as hell, Dressed to Kill revolves around the grisly murder of a woman in Manhattan, and what happens when her psychiatrist, her brainiac teenage son, and the prostitute who witnessed the crime try to piece together what happened while the killer remains at large. With its masterfully executed scenes of horror, voluptuous camera work, and passionate score, Dressed to Kill is a veritable symphony of terror, enhanced by vivid performances by Angie Dickinson (Rio Bravo), Michael Caine (Alfie), and Nancy Allen (Blow Out).

1980 • 105 minutes • Color • Monaural • 2.35:1 aspect ratio

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
• New, restored 4K digital transfer of director Brian De Palma’s preferred unrated version, approved by the director, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• New interviews with actor Nancy Allen, producer George Litto, composer Pino Donaggio, shower-scene body double Victoria Lynn Johnson, and poster photographic art director Stephen Sayadian
• The Making of “Dressed to Kill,” a 2001 documentary featuring De Palma
• New profile of cinematographer Ralf Bode, featuring filmmaker Michael Apted
• Interview with actor-director Keith Gordon from 2001
• Video pieces from 2001 about the different versions of the film and the cuts made to avoid an X rating
• Gallery of storyboards by De Palma
• Trailer
• PLUS: An essay by critic Michael Koresky

TITLE: DRESSED TO KILL (BLU-RAY EDITION)
SRP $39.95
STREET 9/8/15
CAT. NO. CC2523BD
ISBN 1-68143-036-3
UPC 7-15515-15441-3

TITLE: DRESSED TO KILL (2-DVD EDITION)
SRP $29.95
STREET 9/8/15
CAT. NO. CC2524DDVD
ISBN 1-68143-037-1
UPC 7-15515-15451-2

 

[haineshisway]

Let's move on, shall we?

I don't know, shall we? You've responded to many posts in this thread. So have I.

 

[Robert Harris]

So will you concede that your "take" was wrong? Period?
That whatever changes made were NOT irrelevant?
That we were not viewing the filmmaker's vision?
That a sticker saying "director approved" is not enough to go on?
And that it might just take the due dillegence of film-fans to help right a wrong?

Why would I change my position?

A filmmaker's vision is neither right nor wrong. It simply is.

And has nothing to do with the desires, or perceptions of the public, inclusive if cinephiles.

As I see it, Criterion is correcting nothing, but rather, merely offering a different take, to better please some buyers.

RAH

 

[Tom Logan]

As I see it, Criterion is correcting nothing, but rather, merely offering a different take, to better please some buyers.

If this is true, wouldn't it be unprecedented for a blu-ray provider to overrule a director in favor of online reviewers in deciding what a director's blu-ray should look like?


My reading of Criterion's original correction statement was that De Palma had approved a new vision/version, but that in implementing that new version, an error had been made somewhere downstream in the workflow, post De Palma approval.


So Criterion is now correcting that error, and the corrected versions will still be, correctly, labeled "director approved."


But I could easily be misunderstanding something. Correct me at will!

 

[CraigF]

^ FWIW, I agree with your perception.


I don't feel I need to "defend" round objects looking round.


But I understand RAH's position too, in that if it's what the director intended, then who are we to question it. I think something got misinterpreted along the way, now it's cleared up, and all's right in the Dressed To Kill world. For a month.

 

[Cine_Capsulas]

Edited.