I saw Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence a long time ago. I remember it as being pretty good. Stars David Bowie as a WW2 prisoner of war. Never saw Insignificance and not familiar with the Wilder.
Here’s an entire list of unofficially announced releases eventually coming to Criterion, via criterionforums.org
http://www.criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23
Some that I’m most interested in…
The Human Condition
The Short Films of Martin Scorsese
Red Desert (on blu-ray, please)
and Pasolini’s Trilogy of Life
Wim Wender’s Wings of Desire was also just officially announced through their newsletter, so expect that come May or June. There’s also the possibility of it being part of a Wender’s box-set, along with Paris, Texas and Alice in the Cities
Tom Conti is great in Mr Lawrence…. David B is passable….. great score.
@Jake
I have a copy of Insignificance. I’ll let you know how it is, after I watch it.
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence I remember being very good, it has been a while. Hopefully they’ll get deeper into Oshima. The score was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, who also co-stars; Sakamoto was in the Japanese electro/art rock group Yellow Magic Orchestra in the late 70s and early 80s, and since has scored many films for DePalma, Almodovar, Oshima, Bertolucci (he shared the Oscar for the score for Last Emperor), and the Derrida documentary, along with a number of varied albums (David Sylvian, Iggy Pop, Bootsy Collins and Robbie Robertson have popped up on various of his albums). He also recorded some interesting homages to Satie…
I’m really eager for the Human Condition and the Scorsese shorts. I’ve seen some of the Scorsese things – Italianamerican is really outstanding. I’ve seen part of Human Condition, and it was excellent, though it’s been a few years, and what I saw was a poor quality VHS copy, so I’m eager to see it improved. Red Desert I have not seen, but I’m a fan of the trilogy that precedes it, so I’m looking foreward.
All these “rumors” of future Criterion release is exasperating, especially about “Red Desert”, so it better be for real this time. I’m quite happy with my old set of “Human Condition” on vhs so I’ll believe it only when I see the dvd released. And if it’s true, Oshima’s “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” would be an excellent release. Sure, great performances by Sakamoto, Conti and Bowie but don’t forget another familiar face – a young ‘Beat’ Takeshi Kitano, as a Japanese soldier-turned prisoner.
http://www.criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23
they usually update, but as of a month ago no new films have been added.
>>People On Sunday ; 1929 German silent film written by Billy Wilder.<<
And featuring the participation of both the Siodmaks and Edgar Ulmer, if I recall correctly.
I’m a little miffed about the Alice in the Cities release since I just bought the Axiom release, but I do like to have my DVDs in region 1 so I’ll probably get this. Also, seeing as CC has said Wim’s WOD will get a release this summer, it may be safe to assume that the other films will come shortly afterward.
It would be amazing if CC could get the rights to Godard’s Histoire(s) du cinéma, but for now the AE release is fine, and I hear Madman is also doing a release, so…
I’ve been desperately waiting for an Oshima eclipse and La Notte release, but all within good time I suppose…
red desert will be most welcome of the criterion treatment.
I wish they’d hurry up and remaster ANDREI RUBLEV.
If they did happen to release 1991: The Year Punk Broke, I would pre-order it. It would be a dream come-true for me.
And of course I would pick up The Human Condition.
To Tom,
Is the criterion transfer available now, in need of restoration?
I saw the Andrei Rublev transfer out now, and it could use a restoration.
They’ve been teasing us with Rublev for years. Hopefully they were just waiting for some kind of magical format to come into existence that would allow them to blow us all away with a brain-melting transfer and hours upon hours of supplements.
A format called blu-ray.
Any news on My Life To Live?
I hope it’s the Godard release for 2009 :)
I read that there’s still no set date for the My Life to Live release. I think they are re-releasing two Fullers, Shock Corridor and Naked Kiss, maybe with more bonus extras. They’re also supposed to be releasing the Koyaanisqatsi trilogy some time in the next two years. And Bresson’s “A Man Escaped.”
Yeah! Insignificance is a great film. Now all they have to do is release Eureka, and the trilogy will be complete (along with Bad Timing, already released). Eureka is admittedly nowhere near as good as the other two films, but would need to be released regardless. Jim O’Rourke released a trilogy of brilliant albums based on these films.
On another note, I can remember being rather unimpressed by Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, but they seem to be on an Oshima kick lately, so I guess they’re just keeping the momentum going. I think there are far more important Oshima films in desperate need of the Criterion treatment, such as Death by Hanging, or Diary of a Shinjuku Burglar.
Jake Howell
Coming not too soon from Criterion:
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence ; yet another Oshima film.
People On Sunday ; 1929 German silent film written by Billy Wilder.
Insignificance ; 1985 Nicholas Roeg dramady.
I know next to nothing about any of these, so if anyone does know anything please say something.