Criterion Coming Soon and Discussion Redux

Criterion only cares about the 1%

Industry-wide, blu-ray sales were up 19% in 2011 from 2010, while DVD sales were down 20% during the same period. So they can’t really just do BD as an afterthought anymore, especially since it’s a company marketing its product as “editions that offer the highest technical quality.”

I’m rather sorry Criterion is bothering with that dreadful 1940s version of THE GOLD RUSH — the original 1925 version is so much better.

Since Criterion is releasing Chaplin’s films on Blu-Ray, I’m wondering how they’re going to be handling the short films, or even if they’re going to be releasing the short films at all. Kino did such a lovely job with Keaton’s short films, I’m hoping that Criterion will do something similar with Chaplin’s Mutual short films, to my mind the best things he did.

Wait will they have both versions of the film or just the 40s version?

Rock — the page for the release indicates both versions, sorry if I wasn’t clear. I wouldn’t bother if it didn’t have the original version.

Oh, good. I was a little worried there for a second, but in the back of my mind I knew that Criterion wouldn’t really do that.

They just put up the cover art up for the Samurai Trilogy. Looks pretty nice.

^ Looks kind of amateurish to me:

I like cartoon-y covers as much as the next 20-something, but this one just doesn’t look that interesting to me…

Also, it’s weird that they aren’t showing or won’t have individual covers for the discs… and that three films are gonna be on two blu-rays.

Yeah, when I see it in a bigger size it doesn’t look as good, however, I do like that its not sharply contrasted or highly pronounced like the other “Criterion Cartoons”. I like their other covers but most of their cartoon ones seem to have exactly the same art style, and its nice to have something a little different looking. However, I don’t have any big plans to buy this, so I don’t have a strong opinion.

It takes inspiration from real Japanese art guys…………..

GOOD GOD.

^ Honestly, I’m not crazy about “real Japanese art” or the imitation of it.

GOOD GOD.

You guys are such assholes.

I kid, but seriously it the films that count……..

Lol but the whole reason I love this thread is because I can usually express all my consumerist excitement completely unchecked! There’s a time and a place to discuss films, and there’s a time and a place to discuss how pretty the covers are… and this is the latter. Note the OP: “keep off in-depth discussions of the films to keep this thread from falling apart and straying from its point, which is just generate excitement about the releases and fuel the beast.” :D

I like the cover and you can all kiss my backside.

But will I have the money to but it…………

Criterion has no plans to re-issue the three films as individual releases, which makes sense as they all tell one story. There’s no conceivable reason why someone would only want any one of the three. Same rationale as why they released The Human Condition in that format. The main difference is that Criterion hadn’t fully developed their Spine Number discipline back in 1998 when #s 14, 15 and 16 were assigned to the three titles. It wasn’t until later that they even came in one slipcased box.

I’m positive about the new art, even though I liked the orange sunset prototype from the third film (final scene) that was brief circulation after the recent announcement. It looks like Criterion just doesn’t have much supplemental material available to include in the package (hence only two discs), but a gallery of Musashi Miyamoto art or some clips from other adaptations of his story would be relatively easy to develop, seems to me. I hope they include more illustrations along these lines in the booklet. But in any case, a solid blu-ray transfer is most welcome, long overdue and will hopefully help these films find an appreciative audience. They deserve it!

“I’m rather sorry Criterion is bothering with that dreadful 1940s version of THE GOLD RUSH — the original 1925 version is so much better.”

why have they gone with the 40’s version then?

Are the bonus materials on the Chaplin discs Criterion has released so far good? Because the bonus material included with the old Chaplin Collection were very good.

Both versions of the Gold Rush will be on the new disc. Obviously, the 1925 original is the definitive one. Look at the 1940’s version as an extra.

Matt,

I’ve enjoyed them immensely…some of the best supplements Criterion has produced IMO. I can’t compare them to the older DVDs, though, as the only Chaplin DVD I have is City Lights.

Thanks.

I find it slightly alarming that Criterion still haven’t added any new special features to the Samurai Trilogy box set. I first assumed that it was merely a preliminary listing, and that further features would be added in the coming days, along with the artwork. But now, nearly two weeks after it was first announced, and with the artwork for the release already posted, it’s still rather scant. And why do the separate films all bear the same cover design? Perhaps the packaging has yet to be finalized. Certainly the films are the most important part of the set, and the original release was in desperate need of an upgrade, but Criterion has always striven to track down illuminating special features. I find it hard to believe that a hugely popular, Oscar-winning film trilogy would be so difficult to supplement. It’s rather troublesome, as I was looking forward to this set.

“And why do the separate films all bear the same cover design?”

It’s called a “box set” on the website, which to me means individually cased discs packaged together in a slipcover. I believe however, that with these, the discs are actually packaged together in a single fold-out, as many of their single-film, multi-disc releases are:

I realize this may be rather trivial, but with the three individual films all possessing spine numbers, while the box set does not, I suppose they will have to print three separate numbers on the spine of the box set. If they do choose to release the films in one foldout digipak, there won’t be anywhere else to put them.

Art, the Criterion Cast tumblr page has a preview of the cover and box, showing three spine numbers listed on the case:

http://blog.criterioncast.com/post/19713037928/a-3d-look-at-the-samurai-trilogy-release-due-this

Thanks, Criterionrefs.

I contacted Jon Mulvaney at Criterion a few months ago and asked him why the DVD version of THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VÉRONIQUE was now being sold in a jewel case rather than the digipak it was first issued in, and he told me that Criterion were phasing out the digipak DVD releases that have since been issued on single-disc bluray, and will in the future only feature digipaks on titles available in multi-disc bluray format. This packaging for The Samurai Trilogy seems to be a result of that same initiative, bringing the DVD packaging in line with the bluray packaging. It should be noted, however, that The Samurai Trilogy is available in multi-disc bluray format, meaning that this may very well be issued as a digipak, which would make more sense for the DVD release. How else would they fit three discs and a booklet inside a jewel case?

Art, you may be correct in anticipating a digipak for the final blu-ray release, but the Science Is Fiction: 23 Films by Jean Painleve shows how they can fit 3 DVDs and a booklet in a standard case that looks identical on the shelf to single disc cases. One disc on the inside front cover and two overlapping on the other side, and a booklet held in place with the usual side clips.

How else would they fit three discs and a booklet inside a jewel case?

They did for Science is Fiction! One disc was behind the booklet, and then the two others were were they are normally for two-disc dvd’s.

I’m sad that they won’t be releasing dvd’s as digipacks, but I guess I’m a convert to blu-ray now, so it doesn’t really matter. Does he mean that in the future they’ll only do digipacks for 2-disc blu-rays? Cause _Godzilla_’s only one disc, but they put that in a digipack… or is the dvd version of Godzilla in a jewel case?

http://www.criterion.com/films/1286-science-is-fiction-23-films-by-jean-painleve Like this?

Well, in that case, Criterion Cast may be on point after all.

@DFFOO: I believe the overlying point is that DVD and bluray packaging will now be uniform. While there may still be the odd exception to the rule, that exception will apply to both DVD and bluray editions of that particular release––as is the case with Godzilla, which was issued in a digipak on both formats.

Lol I love that three of us crossposted to point out to Art that Science is Fiction has three discs in a single-disc jewel case! I guess this is where you go to get Criterion Collection trivia like that! I disgust myself…

Anyway, I’m sad that they say they’re phasing out digipacks… are they just too expensive, or what?