Criterion's Straw Dogs now a 2-disc set! (1 Viewer)

[Jon Robertson]

Oscar - I got mine from CD-Wow for the entirely reasonable sum of £21.99.

It's an absolutely terrific set. The transfer improves on the R2 with a far higher bitrate and digital restoration on some nasty instances of frame damage. The extras are thorough and are essential if one is to get the most out of the film, with Stephen Prince's commentary being among the most fascinating I've heard in a while, deconstructing the film while given us facts and trivia about its making. The documentary on Sam Peckinpah (and the interview in the booklet) are essential to go some way in understanding the man himself, and the interviews with Dustin Hoffman, Susan George and Daniel Melnick are hugely revealing and highly interesting. The correspondence is perhaps less exciting than I'd hoped, with only four responses, but it's a nice addition.

All in all, another fabulous package from Criterion, and a must for anyone who has in the past labelled the film "misogynistic" or, in one famous instance, "fascist".

 

[Anthony Thorne]

Very solid set, with an amazing transfer and good extras. Though I might someday check out the R2 edition and peruse the additional extras on that release, I'm pretty happy with this Criterion edition.

 

[Kevin M]

I just received mine and it does indeed look great, though I have to admit that on side by side comparison the Anchor Bay R1 version stands up reasonably well....for an early Anchor Bay title next to a Criterion title that is, Criterion is much clearer & cleaner.
The sound is 1.1 DD and it is pretty good but does anyone get any action out of the LFE channel at all? Is there a point behind the 1.1 LFE channel because personally I would have been happy with a higher bit rate 2.0 DD...(or PCM..Shh...Shh...)
The Extras are very good especially the period interview with Dustin, very interesting. I have to say that although I appreciate the legal issues I really wish there was a way for the cut footage to have been included in the Man of Iron docu...for anyone who is a fan of this bio it's loss is noticeable and to a small degree IMO effects the impact that the original version had. Still well worth watching of course.
All in all a very fine Criterion title that for any film fan needs to be gotten while the gettings good.

 

[Lee_eel]

Jon, i was talking about money off from Anchor Bay not Criterion. They have produced a transfer that is littered with compression artefacts and consumers have shelled out good money for this edition. The fact that a version is released several months later sporting a lovely transfer is taking the p*** regardless of which company is involved.

 

[Jon Robertson]

With the greatest possible respect, your request is still totally bonkers. Anchor Bay have nothing to do with Criterion, aside from licensing them movies every once in a while, and Criterion licensed Straw Dogs from ABC Enterprises, not Anchor Bay (as stated on the case).
Besides, Anchor Bay's DVD was released in January 1999 - four years before Criterion's edition, not a matter of months, and it was only around $15 street retail, far less than Criterion's $40! If it was Anchor Bay released a non-anamorphic edition, then six months later put it out again in a new anamorphic version with an extra trailer, then I might be more sympathetic, but this is far from the case. DVD distribution rights often change like the tides.
Admittedly it's a pain having to repurchase a title, but no company owes you anything. Just flog it on Ebay and buy the Criterion.
If you're unhappy about re-releases, then I'd best give you head up that MGM will be releasing their own version of the film in about a year, so you'd better be sure that the Criterion is the version you really want (and of course it is)! Of course then there is the R2 edition with all the correspondence, stills, and two extra commentaries that the Criterion lacks. Oh, what to do?

 

[oscar_merkx]

Jon
thank for the repply and I have always thought that CD-WoW are a superb etailer.
cheers

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Just got done devouring this set and I enjoyed every second of it. The movie is absolutely fantastic, the audio commentary by Stephen Prince sheds a lot of fascinating light onto the film's history, the Peckinpah doc is one of the best I've ever seen on a DVD, and the rest of the extras are very cool - particularly all the interview footage with Hoffman on set.
I gotta get a review together for this one and rest assured it will be all raves.
I remember liking the film from back in my teenage years but this time around Straw Dogs had me absolutely hypnotized. Brilliant film and a typically excellent release from CC.
Now I gotta get my hands on that R2 edition.

 

[Felix Martinez]

I remember liking the film from back in my teenage years but this time around Straw Dogs had me absolutely hypnotized. Brilliant film and a typically excellent release from CC.

I totally agree. Watching the film again, all these years later as a (relatively) mature adult, I must say this is Peckinpah's masterpiece. I adore Wild Bunch, but there's something incredibly efficient and determined about his approach toward aggression and violence here. Less fireworks and more sub-text...
My Straw Dogs review, FYI...
http://www.dvdangle.com/reviews/review.php?Id=3049
Cheers!

 

[BarryS]

I'm resurrecting an old thread here, but I really need to know if Criterion's Straw Dogs contains English subtitles. The DVDFile review says that it does not have them, however Criterion's website says it does. Can someone who owns the disc clear this up?

 

[Jon Robertson]

It does have indeed English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired - I own the disc and have checked. They aren't accessible from the menus (like all English-language Criterion DVDs), but you can get at them by using your remote. The subtitles do not extend to any of the supplements, unfortunately.

 

[BarryS]

Thank you! I avoided the previous DVD because of the lack of subtitles, now I'm glad I did. The Criterion disc sounds too great pass up.

 

[oscar_merkx]

this time I am reviving the thread as I just received the set and watching the 82 min docu as we speak
as the docu opens, it is mentioned that footage has been removed as it infringes copyright issues.
Anybody know more about this ?

 

[Damin J Toell]

as the docu opens, it is mentioned that footage has been removed as it infringes copyright issues.

Anybody know more about this ?

They removed clips from other films.

DJ

 

[oscar_merkx]

which movies then ?

 

[Damin J Toell]

which movies then ?

Don't know, though the film's distributors say that it has clips from "key films." The clips must add up to around 10 minutes, since the version on the Criterion set runs about 82 minutes while the full version runs 92 minutes.
DJ

 

[oscar_merkx]

Thanks for the link to the article

 

[Jon Robertson]

Criterion have smoothed over the edits by using stills from each film in their place, so it all flows very nicely indeed. The original clips used were fuzzy pan-and-scan, so hardly gave one a sense of Peckinpah's artistry anyway.

 

[oscar_merkx]

that is what I thought as well and a great job I might as well.

I thought Susan George's Interview was well done as well.

Just out of curiosity, what else has she done ?