Rented this week- Double Indemnity and Dead Man
Will rent this week- The Grand Illusion and A Man Escaped
Will eventually rent- Strike, Straw Dogs, Easy Rider and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Not sure about renting- The Outlaw Josey Wales and Eraserhead
I used to be able to do this, since my library in Indianapolis had many, many criterions (although, as far as I was concerned, it didn’t have Slacker). Then, though, I moved, and now I think the only Criterion I was able to find down here was The Seven Samurai. I was kind of pissed when I walked into the library and saw how small their film selection was.
Savvy
I’ve just got out- Contempt, Strike, The Battle of Algiers and Band of Outsiders. I will eventually watch Dead Man and I will try to rent out Breathless and The Grand Illusion. Also, I will try to get to my arthouse cinema to watch Let the Right One In.
Full week this week!
i too first saw Contempt, Band of Outsiders, & Dead Man, via the library.
Oh man, what a wonderful resource! Better selection than all the other video stores around here. Just rented Stalker, Cleo from 5 to 7, and Me You and Everyone We Know, all for free! And there were many other wonderful selection. They had a big selection of criterion, as well as some magnificent VHS. Can’t wait to have seen all the great films there!
In some cities you can even get 16mm prints and projectors to take home! Neat!
i’m going to have to look into that projection bit.
Great info Franscisco, Thank You!! :)
My college library can bite me. They don’t let you check anything out, instead you have to sit in front of one of their crappy TVs with the sun glaring across the screen and wear big bulky headphones. If I can’t even enjoy the film comfortably, then what’s the point? Luckily there is a public library close by that has almost the entire CC, and the best section of noirs I’ve ever seen. My local library at home ain’t half bad either, and between that, Netflix, and the stuff I can record off channels like TCM and IFC I can keep myself stocked pretty well.
If you live in a town with a decent library system, and are a film lover, you have to use it. Your wallet will thank you. Living in Charlotte, NC, and then Chicago, I’ve managed to see hundreds (thousands) of movies for free. Those two systems let you order anything from any branch and it will be shipped to your nearest branch. I can’t even imagine how much money I would have spent to see those films. The library has also proved to be a valuable resource for films not yet released on DVD. I may not have yet seen great movies like “Shoeshine”, “Sanshiro Sugata”, “The Crowd”, and “Wagon Master” if it weren’t for these amazing library systems.
I’ve just got out The Gospel According to St. Matthew The Grapes of Wrath and 8 1/2. I’ll eventually get out Breathless and The Grand Illusion.
But my university’s film library is fairly small compared to another university’s film library, where I could’ve gone to film school to.
This is how I “introduced myself” to Criterion editions…my college alma mater library has a number of titles that I checked out. I would also recommend using the WorldCat website: http://www.worldcat.org/. You can search for any title, plus if you enter your zip code, the site automatically locates the library nearest you that has the title. It even has links to the libary’s own website for that item’s information, such as the call number. WorldCat is too cool. You can also create a free account and devise “favorite” libraries, book lists, DVD lists, etc.
sometime earlier this year i library’d two Josephine Baker films, separately…
Princess Tam Tam i enjoyed thoroughly, a wonderful 1930’s film,
her silent film Siren of the Tropics however, not so much.
speaking of Depression Era film,
has anyone ever seen Stage Door?
there’s a brilliant 1930’s film for ya.
i bet your local library has it.
More Godard films. Weekend and 2 or 3 Things I don’t know about her.
I can’t believe I have never thought of this. I’m a fucking idiot. I am going there the first opportunity I get and going through, it’s not the biggest library but we should have some of the films I’ve hunted for for years.
Thank you.
I’ve been waiting for Let The Right One In from the public library for 3 months. They ordered it from another library somewhere across the country…I just found out I’m # 126 on the waiting list or something. But seriously the library is the greatest resource for renting obscure or foreign films.
you can check-out screenplays by directors like
Ingmar Bergman, Woody Allen, Alain Resnais,
Kevin Smith, PT Anderson, & many other unexpected writer/directors
at many libraries across the country.
HHH, yeah, i can understand the frustration of the library system taking weeks & then months until you eventually get an item.
when you notice that happens bring it to the attention of a librarian & they can see if the copy of the book/movie you requested has been marked “lost”, “damaged”, or ’in transit".
example: just this past week (May 09) i noticed that a book of the play Orpheus Descending that i requested months ago (Autumn 08) arrived as a brand new copy, with Four Plays as the title instead.
so the more people that request & bring to the attention of the librarians of delayed material, the quicker they will invest in a replacement copy.
libraries > netflix.
Libaries > Netflix + Blockbuster + Borders&Noble + MusicStores
¿internet > libraries?
Also, good for books on film theory and history.
AMEN. My Library System has an incredable bank of films
this thread could be bad for sales of criterion releases.
i’ve rented Bergman’s The Silence like 7 times from my library.
really, anytime i’ve felt like rewatching it over the last couple years i
casually & legally exploited the fact that the closest branch to me has it.
i mean the library does have to buy the initial copy…
still, at some level it feels wrong.
i do plan to buy it eventually,
…but i buy everything used online?
what a guilt-trip capitalism is.
‘know what i’m sayin’ ?
i put in my 2 week notice of resignation at the library today.
the future takes shape as summer lathers itself.
I don’t know what library you guys use, but all the libraries in my neck of the woods charge $1-$2 to check out DVDs. No different than Netflix if you ask me.
That sucks Lester. Hard.
I’ve stopped renting from my library, really. I just put holds on everything, or get an interlibrary loan, or watch the DVD’s with my friend (who does the exact same thing), but I’ve seen almost all of the DVD’s I want to see at my local branch.
Yeah, one’s local branch can get pretty dim & uneventful.
When i used to check stuff out through the county system,
i got used to seeing the same stuff & that’s what spurred me
to peruse the internet database & have the good stuff sent over.
Whereas the city library system around here has a ‘rotating collection’,
so there’s always some surprise waiting up the street on the shelf,
not that i still don’t request stuff from other branches all the time…
Yep, Library is the best thing, if you don’t have the time or money to build up your own collection, and if you don’t know many movie freaks to rent films from. Forget the video store!!! Go to the library. And yes, guess what? They also have books about film there!!
I think the library is responsible for 50% of my knowledge and enthusiasm in films.
NE1
Brittan, i am very happy to hear that :)
i’m in the business of changing peoples lives, you know.
genuinely,
Nathan Earl House.