What are some good Criterion DVDs to get? (1 Viewer)

[DanaA]

If you like all genres from all periods, my picks if you'd like to expand your horizons (not in any particular order)
1. Sullivan's Travels (a great comedy and commentary on the film industry and its impact on the public)
2. The Passion of Joan of Arc (silent, but totally absorbing about the interogation of Joan of Arc)
3. Gimme Shelter - The love and peace generation comes to a startling crash at the Stone's Altamont concert
4. Andrei Rublev - had a harder time getting into this, but, when I did, it was a revelation
5. The 39 Steps (Hitchcock's pre-American stage and my favorite of all of his movies.
6. The Seventh Seal - My favorite of the Bergman movies I've seen with a knight challenging Death himself.
7. The Lady Eve - Not as good a Stuges as Sullivan's Travels in my opinion, but great Sturges nonetheless.
8. The Red Shoes One of the most spectacularly filmed ballet scenes ever put on film

 

[LawrenceK]

Do The Right Thing, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Gimme Shelter, Spartacus, Life of Brian.

 

[Travis Olson]

Most of the films that Criterion does are too artsy for my tastes. So having said that, I only own the following.

Robocop
Armageddon
The Rock
The Silence of the Lambs
Rushmore
The Royal Tenenbaums
Chasing Amy

And the only other ones I want are Traffic and Brazil. I wish they could get the rights to more mainstream titles as they do the best job of any of the studios.

 

[KyleK]

The Orphic trilogy by the poet Jean Cocteau
The Blood of a Poet (aka Le Sang d'un Poète) - One of the strangest, most inexplicable films I've ever seen, but its good and stick with you a while after viewing.
Orpheus (aka Orphée) - Greek myth updated to 1940's. Not as strange as The Blood.
Testament of Orpheus (aka Le Testament d'Orphée) - What was this guy on?
Weird as they may be, I highly recommend them.

 

[Veli-Matti Reitti]

-Spartacus
-Life of Brian
-Brazil
-Time Bandits
-Royal Tenenbaums

I also recommend all OOP Criterion discs you can find:

-Silence of the lambs
-400 Blows
-Salo
-Unbearable lightness of being
-Dead Ringers
-Charade

 

[Scott Weinberg]

I read the initial post and then scanned down to respond, so it's unlikely that any of these will be 'unique' picks, but here are the ones I'd recommend most highly (including ones you already own!):
Brazil - The Crown Jewel of my DVD collection.
Rushmore - Just great.
The Royal Tenenbaums - See above.
Beastie Boys Anthology - Love it!
Robocop - I still got one! Wonder how much it's goin' for these days?
Armageddon - Nyeah to all of you. I dig this flick.
This is Spinal Tap - Good luck! No, I ain't got one... :frowning:

 

[Andrew Chong]

I'll second the "Beastie Boys Anthology" edit: over 100 video angles and audio tracks including commentaries and dozens of remixes!

 

[Julie K]

Fishing With John. An absolutely hilarious fishing 'documentary'. Tom Waits puts a fish in his pants and seagulls make cow and pig sounds. Can I have a bite of your sandwich?
Hopscotch. A favorite of mine and I can't wait until it comes out.
And another for Brazil - a must-see for everyone.

 

[Steve_Ch]

>>For extras, you can't go wrong with Brazil or Spartacus.

 

[BarryS]

I recommend Criterion's Monty Python's Life of Brian. One of my favorites. It's anamorphic widescreen with two commentary tracks, a bunch of deleted scenes and a documentary. The Anchor Bay Life of Brian DVD is completely bare bones, I believe, and I doubt if it's anamorphic.

Does anyone have the Criterion Spartacus? I'm interested in getting that one, but it's very expensive. Anyone ever found it under $35?

 

[Jon Robertson]

I have some obscene number of Criterions - 75 or so, including a couple of boxsets - but that's after collecting them for over four years. In my worthless opinion, they're as good as a college film course - landmark and underappreciated films given (generally) beautiful transfers allowing for studying the images and soundtrack in minute detail and extras that genuinely enhance your understanding and appreciation of the movie and its makers, unlike most dire commentaries and pedestrian retrospective documentaries.

Once I start recommending titles, I'll never stop, so I'll just recommend weaning yourself onto some titles that are slightly off the beaten track. One good thing about Criterion is that their artwork and cover blurb almost always gives an extremely accurate summing-up of the film, so even picking one with a cover you like might not be such a bad idea.

Getting into Criterions is not a cheap hobby, but it is extremely rewarding.

 

[David Dennison]

My Criterions include:

Rebecca
Notorious
The Third Man
The Rock

All of which I highly recommend. I love Criterions (have seen more than just the 4 I own), but I am also cheap and have trouble forking over the cash for them very often.

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

Some of the smaller, lesser known Criterions, but that shouldn't be missed:
The Night Porter
Alphaville
That Obscure Object of Desire
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
Loves of a Blonde
Day of Wrath
Branded to Kill
Bruce

 

[Lew Crippen]

Anyone ever found it under $35?

It's listed at DVDPlanet for $32.47, plus shipping (so it will be aboutr $35).

 

[steve blake]

anyone got henry v? you can it cheapish on region 2 but i was wondering if it is worth paying the extra for the criterion.

 

[Jon Robertson]

Yes, it is definitely worth paying the extra - the R2 print is absolutely dire.

 

[Brian Kidd]

I just watched THE HORSE'S MOUTH the other night. A great Alec Guinness film from the late 50's. It was Guinness' only screenwriting credit and was nominated for an Oscar. It's a fascinating comedy and character piece about an eccentric artist and the havoc he wreaks wherever he goes. Absolute brilliance!

 

[BarryS]

I bought Criterion's Charade today, which is now out of print. I love it! A commentary with director Stanley Donen and writer Peter Stone as well as a beautiful, pristine widescreen transfer. I love this movie. Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn are wonderful together and the film finds just the right mix of mystery and comedy. I don't know why Criterion saw fight to take this disc out of production. The only other choice available is the Madacy Charade DVD, but I've been warned about Madacy. Thank god for Criterion.

 

[Kevin M]

What are some good Criterion DVDs to get?

.....as many as you can.

 

[Dean L]

Tokyo Drifter!