General Discussion The Criterion Channel Streaming Service (Official Thread) (1 Viewer)

[SD_Brian]

The point being that Friedkin alerts his audience when he does make changes… and those changes are for aesthetic purposes. Unless he’s going a little soft in the head, he would not have approved the cut in The French Connection as it currently exists. Half of a shot is gone… it’s almost as jarring as a bad splice in a damaged print.

I confess I've not seen the version that is now streaming, so I can't comment on how seamless the change is/isn't. When I want to watch The French Connection, I just pull my Blu-ray copy of the unaltered version off my shelf and stick it in the player. Viva physical media!

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

This goes well beyond the tired, old streaming vs. physical media debate. Theatrical showings are also the edited version, meaning this is now the version of the movie going forward.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

This goes well beyond the tired, old streaming vs. physical media debate. Theatrical showings are also the edited version, meaning this is now the version of the movie going forward.

True enough... though they certainly can't change physical media we already bought unlike w/ streaming. It's fair to draw the (nuanced) distinctions more accurately so everyone can decide/act accordingly.

FWIW, I generally love TCC service (and own plenty of digitals... as well as discs), so I'm certainly not against streaming at all... but definitely glad I (still) on this film (amongst many others) on BD even though storage space is scarce (and expensive) here...

_Man_

 

[WilliamMcK]

I confess I've not seen the version that is now streaming, so I can't comment on how seamless the change is/isn't. When I want to watch The French Connection, I just pull my Blu-ray copy of the unaltered version off my shelf and stick it in the player. Viva physical media!

I own the blu-ray too... What happens if the title is upgraded to 4k? What happens when it's shown in theaters? What happens when it happens to more movies... perhaps ones that are not available on physical media?

 

[Robert Crawford]

I own the blu-ray too... What happens if the title is upgraded to 4k? What happens when it's shown in theaters? What happens when it happens to more movies... perhaps ones that are not available on physical media?

What happens is until Disney changes its policy, you will get the censored version of the movie. I don't think anyone here in this thread is arguing that point and why it sucks.

 

[SD_Brian]

What happens is until Disney changes its policy, you will get the censored version of the movie. I don't think anyone here in this thread is arguing that point and why it sucks.

Has there been any actual confirmation that this change was made at Disney's direction? I've searched the internet, but all I've found is a bunch of speculation. If they truly wanted to censor The French Connection, Disney could have simply pulled it from distribution and locked it in their vault next to Song of the South. It's not like that scene was the only part of TFC that wasn't PC, so it seems bizarre that Disney would have gone out of their way to remove it.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Has there been any actual confirmation that this change was made at Disney's direction? I've searched the internet, but all I've found is a bunch of speculation. If they truly wanted to censor The French Connection, Disney could have simply pulled it from distribution and locked it in their vault next to Song of the South. It's not like that scene was the only part of TFC that wasn't PC, so it seems bizarre that Disney would have gone out of their way to remove it.

Hey, it's their product now! Whether they did the censoring or not, it's up to them whether to release it as such.

 

[SD_Brian]

Hey, it's their product now! Whether they did the censoring or not, it's up to them whether to release it as such.

True, but it would still be nice to know who actually made the change. If it turns out the change was made at Friedkin's behest (I've not heard of him weighing in, one way or the other), and that's how he now wants the film to be seen, Disney should extend to him the same courtesy they extend to George Lucas.

 

[Robert Crawford]

True, but it would still be nice to know who actually made the change. If it turns out the change was made at Friedkin's behest (I've not heard of him weighing in, one way or the other), and that's how he now wants the film to be seen, Disney should extend to him the same courtesy they extend to George Lucas.

After viewing that censored sequence, I can't believe that Friedkin would approve such a change because it wasn't fluid and is very noticeable that an edit took place.

 

[Al (alweho)]

Could Disney have accidently made available an airline - or some such version - of the film?

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Could Disney have accidently made available an airline - or some such version - of the film?

IF something like that's actually what happened, I suppose they might suddenly, quietly reverse that change across most/all the various platforms probably w/out ever acknowledging anything (as seems to be many big companies' MO)...

_Man_

 

[Mark-P]

Since it’s been a week and there has been no statement from Disney, I suspect there won’t be and it’s going to be the same situation as a couple of years ago when they pulled a Golden Girls episode from streaming services where Rose and Blanche wore mud facials. There wasn’t a peep from Disney then either, and after the fervor died down, they quietly reinstated the episode.

 

[questrider]

I'm surprised Friedkin hasn't commented yet. His silence could mean he was unaware of it and is now trying to rectify it behind the scenes.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

FWIW, I just recently watched Suzie Templeton's 2008 Oscar winning (stop-)animated short, Prokofiev's Peter & the Wolf (2006), on TCC (mainly because it caught my attention as part of this month's titles about to leave the channel).

Very good, interesting (more grown-up), different take/spin on this classic... though the PQ on TCC seems rather wanting (more so than usual). I found that it's (long been) available in HD on iTunes for just $2.99, so I might just go ahead and get that... though I'm ever-so-slightly tempted to go for the (import?) BD released by Arthaus Musik available from Presto Music, RareWaves, et al -- never shopped at Presto Music before, but maybe I should for such music-oriented genre/fare instead of my usual... although seems pretty expensive for shipping (presumably from the UK).

$30-plus (after tax and/or shipping) for a single short film on BD feels like a non-starter though, no matter how good it is, even though it's over 30min (including credits) and comes w/ what seems like fairly significant extras -- wish those extras were included on the iTunes HD digital (or at least currently available on TCC). There also seems a somewhat less expensive French import on Amazon, but no idea what that release includes.

Too bad it's not bundled into some collection more like this one for say 90-120min plus some modest extras perhaps -- interestingly, that collection includes various Oscar winners from several years surrounding this winner, but skips this one...

_Man_

 

[Robert Crawford]

Criterion Channel's lineup in July:

The Criterion Channel’s July 2023 Lineup

Our latest slate of programs dives into one of science fiction’s favorite themes, the film career of one of rock and roll’s greatest icons, and midcentury pulp from across the Atlantic.

www.criterion.com

 

[SultanOfWhat]

Has anyone else had audio/video sync issues lately with Criterion Channel streaming?

I had to stop watching The Naked Spur a few weeks ago because there was about a half second delay, which seemed to get worse as the film progressed.

Also had issues on The Daytrippers.

I sent a message to Criterion about it, but haven't heard back.

Other streaming services are not having this issue for me.

 

[Tino]

Criterion Channel's lineup in July:

The Criterion Channel’s July 2023 Lineup

Our latest slate of programs dives into one of science fiction’s favorite themes, the film career of one of rock and roll’s greatest icons, and midcentury pulp from across the Atlantic.

www.criterion.com

Apologies as I haven’t read this entire thread but is this channel worth $99 a year? Do they stream in 4K? Atmos? Debating subscribing.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Apologies as I haven’t read this entire thread but is this channel worth $99 a year? Do they stream in 4K? Atmos? Debating subscribing.

First off, they don't stream in 4K/Dolby Atmos. I'm a charter subscriber to that channel, but I have to admit that I don't use it as much as I should watch it. My usage is perhaps 1-2 times a month which really doesn't justify the subscription fee. However, I won't drop it like I could do so with Peacock or even Paramount. It's an excellent channel to stream Criterion titles, particularly, if you're into foreign films.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

Do they stream in 4K? Atmos?

2.0 stereo only.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Right, 2.0 stereo only... but not like that many films on there would ever really need more though.

I'm also a charter subscriber (so it's $90/year for me). It's probably my most used streaming service, and I'll probably never cancel it... even though I actually don't watch Criterion's own titles on it that often -- I tend to watch all the other stuff instead... mainly based on what's leaving the service each month before I watch any Criterion-specific titles.

I'm not sure if they actually do the same for non-charter subscribers or those just on monthly deal, but (at least annual charter) subscribers have been receiving $10 GCs from them roughly 2x a year to use at their store, so I just save them for the 50% flash sales, especially since they seem timed to be sent just before each flash sale (almost like clockwork).

It's probably a great way to help figure out if you really wanna buy particular Criterion titles you've never seen before... although not everything's actually on there all the time.

_Man_