Fredo
Whats with the Criterion obsession? I think you should do box sets in one section, and organize your other dvds by director’s last name.
Antonioni, Bergman, Cuaron, Bunuel, etc, I think that is the best way to go.
I know – why don’t you just dump all the covers and boxes, gets some dvd wallets and pop them all in there alphabetically by title ;o)
Alphabetical
—by director’s mother’s maiden name.
Fredo
DO NOT LISTEN TO RUMPLESINK. He is mad. He is also know for ripping the covers… of books.
Ooh – that’s a terrible accusation Berjuan – I would never rip a book cover! Sacrilege!
Do most people really organize their DVDS alphabetically or by director? I personally like seeing the evolution of cinema on my shelf and it’s also an easy trick to memorize the years of films. Anytime someone asks me, what year was Chinatown or whatever, I just visualize where it sits on my shelf and I can say, 1974 because it’s right next to The Godfather Part 2!
Plus, organizing alphabetically means you’re constantly shifting DVDs to make room for new additions. If you arrange chronologically and buy a lot of new releases, you just add them to the end!
I organize mine by director.
Mine are sorted into five sections: Criterion new spines, Criterion old spines, non-Criterions, Blu-ray, television.
Within each section I sort them by country, then by director in chronological order of original release.
Interesting. Yes – I can see that would be handy but I’d be willing to bet a lot of the dvds you buy Fredo are not 2009 vintage, so you’ll have to do your fair share of shifting I suspect. Of course if you put yourself in my position just imagine what I have to do when I buy a dvd. I arrange my films alphabetically in wallets, and I have to predict ahead of time how many gaps to leave according to the popularity of the letters vis a vis film titles. If I didn’t do this I’d have to remove all the dvds and put them all back again one at a time!
so, is it wrong that I just put them on the shelf?
I have 3 wallets for English language films, each with 300 capacity (A-G, H-O, and P-Z). I have another 300 capacity TV folder wallet (I no longer buy TV dvds as the good stuff is always repeated on cable endlessly and they’re too expensive. Also too many discs per season). I have another 300 capacity foreign film wallet, which is arranged alphabetically by title. I’ve also separated out my favourite directors into their own 300 wallet – this is arranged alphabetically by director and each director’s films are arranged chronologically.
Wow – it sounds weirder when I see it written down!
“Anytime someone asks me, what year was Chinatown or whatever, I just visualize where it sits on my shelf and I can say, 1974 because it’s right next to The Godfather Part 2”
Sounds to me like ur still doing too much thinking… Chinatown—-Polansky so its in the P section. Simple. Once you have all Polankys or Finchers or whaever then you can order them by year. Believe me, once you see a directors section close to complition you will feel my point. Just think how Le Samurain and Army of Shadows and Le Cirle Rouge will look next to each other. Do you think they would want to be separated in different sections, in different years, different alphabetical order by title? Go by the director, trust me on this one.
Christopher – Jesus, that’s some serious business you got going on over there. Criterion old and new spine? I thought I was OCD!
Rumplesink – Yeah, how do you manage that since they’re in wallets? You must have a lot of gaps for future purchases!
And what do you people who arrange by director do if it’s directed by two people? For instance, where does The Lost Honor of Katherina Blum go? Under Schlondorff or Von Trotta?
I only recently segregated my Criterions. I like keeping things simple so having all my DVDs such simply on the shelf chronologically used to be my MO. But since getting so many Criterions lately, I like seeing them on my shelf quarantined from the rest.
That one would go under S.
I go by director and organize their films chronologically. :D
Director and chronological.
I have a 2,000 + DVD collection stored in various cabinets. I organize them by director, but not in alphabetical order.
Top row, cabinet #1 starts off with 26 Kurosawa titles, chronologically by release date. Kurosawa is followed by Mizoguchi (13 titles), next comes Coppola (9 titles), and so one. I’m constantly having to shift directors from one cabinet to another to make room for new purchases.
In my computer I have a master list of my DVDs organized in alphabetical order, with pertinent details,
sample entries :
2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)
Stanley Kubrick. USA-UK. In English and Russian. Widescreen (2.20)
Warner Bros. : 65539.
An Autumn Afternoon (1962)
Yasujiro Ozu. Japan. In Japanese. Academy (1.33)
Criterion Collection : CC-1768D.
Cache (2005)
Michael Haneke. France-Austria-Germany-Italy. In French. Widescreen (1.78)
Sony : 16471.
Cries And Whispers (1972)
Ingmar Bergman. Sweden. In Swedish. Widescreen (1.66)
Criterion Collection : CRI-070.
Hero (2002)
Zhang Yimou. China-Hong Kong. In Mandarin. Widescreen (2.35)
Alliance Atlantis : 20667.
The Lost Honour Of Katharina Blum (Schlondoff, von Trotta) I file under Schlondoff. New York Stories (Scorses, Coppola, Allen) I file under Scorsese.
Akira: Which Coppola films do you own? If you don’t mind me asking.
I used to go by Director, starting with the ones of whom I had most films (Richard Linklater); it worked its way down until I got to the directors who had only one film that I owned, and then it went into films by directors I couldn’t remember the neames of, and then it went to superhero films. Really Random.
Now, though, my list starts with alphabetical Blurays, and then alphabetical DVDs (all non-criterion); then, since my shelf is rather small, right next to it, I have all of my criterions lined up by spine number (It used to be by the size of the case, but that got old, so I changed it the other day).
Savvy
By director alphabetically by last name, and then chronological within director. I sort my Blu Rays and VHS the same way but they are separated.
When a film is directed by two people I go by the first person. Powell and Pressberger=Powell. Also with a set like The Godfather Collection I go by the first film so The Conversation comes after the collection despite it being made between 1 and 2.
I place the collections by more than 3 directors at the end. For example my “Chilling” 20 horror movie set is placed at the end.
@Josh S.
“Akira: Which Coppola films do you own?”
These titles :
The Godfather I. II, III ( I have the 5 DVD “Coppola Restoration” box set)
The Conversation
Apocalypse Now (the 2 DVD set that includes the original 1979 theatrical cut, and the 2001 “Redux” cut)
One from the Heart
The Cotton Club
The Rainmaker
Youth Without Youth
Akira: I’ve been interested in seeing Youth Without Youth, what did you like about it?
I bet you’re mad you got Youth Without Youth. I would be.
Um, Fredo, this here site is the Auteurs, not the Chronologicals :) By Director it must be!
I order them however they may fall in the dresser drawer where I keep them. The only ones that are organized are the Ozus, and Kurosawas.
Now how are we supposed to convince the naysayers that this newfangled medium is gonna last and is just as good as them books if we just shove ‘em into drawers and store ’em chronological? (I have no idea why I’m writing like this)
“I’ve been interested in seeing Youth Without Youth, what did you like about it?”
Not Coppola’s finest hour. Beautiful visually, but empty. I’ve been disappointed with every film Coppola has made since Apocalypse Now, but I keep seeing them/buying the DVDs anyway.
If I ever get the chance to catch it, I hope I’ll like it anyway. I’ve only seen Apocalypse so far of his work, but I’m more curious to see some of his films after that than The Godfather series or The Conversation. Are there any post-AP films that you’d recommend?
I think film as an artistic medium will convince naysayers, not where I put my DVD’s.
Fredo
Ok I found an old thread with this topic but it wasn’t bumping up so I’m creating a new one.
I have all my DVDs organized in chronological order however I also have seperate sections for Criterion, Blu-Ray, box sets, and TV.
The difficulty I am finding, is what to do with Criterion Blu-Ray or Criterion Box Sets. I only own one Criterion box set and it’s the Cassavetes box set, which I have with my other box sets (and not with my Criterions). But I just ordered the Criterion Louis Malle box set and I have no more room in my box set section that I’m thinking about putting it with my other Criterions. But then what do I do with Cassavetes? Do I move it to the Criterion section? The more my Criterion section grows, the more I am inclined to keep them all in one place. And I only recently created this Criterion section. I used to just keep my Criterions with all my other DVDs, arranged chronoligically. But I’ve since set my Criterions aside and given them their own little home, which I enjoy.
I also have two Criterion Blu-Ray and I’m really apprehensive about moving those from the Blu-Ray section to the Criterion section because I like having all my BD in one place.
Oh I just don’t know what to do with myself!