Criterion, if you ever read this forum, please consider the World’s Greatest Sinner (Timothy Carey), the Apu Trilogy, the Rainbow Thief (Jodorosky), My Winnipeg (Maddin), Matouqin Nocturne (Kimura) the Little Fugitive (Engel) and anything from Harry Langdon. Eclipse should release some sets from George Kuchar or Jack Smith, and if one may think those are “too odd” for the general public, take into account the fact that Criterion releases eccentric masterpieces from Pasolini, Suzuki and Cronenberg. Some other great films that need releasing are Black Moon (Malle), the House of Usher (Epstein), Baryfly (Schroeder), Honey Baby (Mika Kaurismaki) and Tusk (Jodorowsky). But please, please, please, please, please look into Timothy Carey’s masterpiece the World’s Greatest Sinner. I know a lot of people who would pay a lot to see that movie. It’s on tcm twice a year, but it’s the 3 hour edition. I have seen the 6 hour edition and it is marvelous as well. As far as I know Timothy’s son Romeo still has the original 35mm prints in his possession. Thank you.
Norman Mailer’s Maidstone
I think Criterion would do a great job with “Jazz On A Summer’s Day.” It could use some cleaning up…
Jazz on a Summer’s Day is indeed a terrific film. I am not convince though that Criterion, or anyone else would be able to do much with the visual and/or aural quality. The aural quality is, in general very good and the visual quality is more than acceptable.
There are many films in need of Criterion “quality” releases. To cite just one example, among the N that I might cite (please excuse: “N” is a mathematician’s manner to refer to a very large positive whole number), Les Amants de Teruel (= The Lovers of Teruel), directed by Raymond Rouleau and certainly the greatest dance film that exists (I am explicitly asserting that it is better than The Red Shoes in its restored version, Singing in the Rain, …). It is obvious that, had it not been for the New York City newspaper strike at the time of its initial American release, it would today be regarded as the classic that it is. The mutilated version released many years ago on video cassette is, to put it mildly, a travesty.
Jazz on a Summer’s Day is indeed a terrific film. I am not convince though that Criterion, or anyone else would be able to do much with the visual and/or aural quality. The aural quality is, in general very good and the visual quality is more than acceptable.
There are many films in need of Criterion “quality” releases. To cite just one example, among the N that I might cite (please excuse: “N” is a mathematician’s manner to refer to a very large positive whole number), Les Amants de Teruel (= The Lovers of Teruel), directed by Raymond Rouleau and certainly the greatest dance film that exists (I am explicitly asserting that it is better than The Red Shoes in its restored version, Singing in the Rain, …). It is obvious that, had it not been for the New York City newspaper strike at the time of its initial American release, it would today be regarded as the classic that it is. The mutilated version released many years ago on video cassette is, to put it mildly, a travesty.
The Mother and the Whore by Jean Eustache.
“The Thin Blue Line” – The bare-bones DVD is out of print and I think Rainbow Media/IFC has the rights, so here’s hoping it can get the deluxe treatment. Yes, I’m aware it’s streaming on Netflix.
“Peking Opera Blues” or “Shanghai Blues” – Until the stars align and I get a region-free player and enough scratch to import to my heart’s content, there aren’t many chances to see these early Tsui Hark films. David Bordwell posted a nice appreciation of “Shanghai” on his blog last April when discussing the Film Workshop’s 25th anniversary.
Roman Polanski-Macbeth
To me the greatest Shakespeare adaptation in cinema
Ferrara. Anything Ferrara did in the mid ninties.
Bad Lieutenant
Dangerous Game
The Addiction (especially this)
The Funeral
Also:
Pasolini’s Mythic Quartet should have a box set (Oedipus Rex, Teorema, Porcile, Medea), this also goes for the Trilogy of Life (Decameron, Caterbury Tales, Arabian Nights) the last two are in dire need of new transfers. It would also be good to have a commentary on at least one of Pasolini’s films.
Antichrist (Von Trier)
Stalker (Tarkovsky) New transfer and a commentary would be sufficient and cheap.
Warriors (Walter Hill) New transfer and no comic book effects. For some reason Hill ruined his amazing movie so preferrably the non-directors cut.
City of Women (Fellini)
“Providence” by Alain Resnais
The Devils – Ken Russell
Someone needs to release the uncut version of this.
I agree about The Devils.
im sure some people may have mentioned these as well:
Los Olividados
The Worlds Greatest Sinner
Santa Sangre
mainly because they need a solid DVD release
Kiss Me Deadly and The Trial are two more that come to mind
The Fugitive – John Ford
Apocalypse Now, in its original aspect ratio, preferably in a box set with the Redux version and Hearts of Darkness. The movie was shot in 2.35, but has been released by Paramount Home Video in a 2.0 pan and scan version because Vittorio Storaro has since decided that all film and video should be 2.0.
I recently wrote to Warner Bros. about the future availability of the Chaplin Collection and got a stock “we cannot comment on the availability of specific titles and please sign up for our newsletter” response. Then today I heard the rumours about Criterion releasing some or all of his features. I would buy them all.
Six titles that immediately spring to mind:
- Despair (Rainer Werner Fassbinder)
- The Keep (Michael Mann) – a longer version supposedly exists. There’s also an alternate ending which I’ve seen on YouTube.
- Sorcerer (William Friedkin)
- The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty Kick (Wim Wenders)
- The Beaver Trilogy (Trent Harris)
- Possession (Andrzej Zulawski)
One movie : Ken Russell’s The Devils !
N . O . W.
Get to work… NOW!
anything by Fellini
Lost Highway (i have the PAL version UK , it can still be improved in my opinion)
Blue Velvet
The Devils
Kubrick:
Killer’s Kiss
The Killing
Paths of Glory
Lolita
Barry Lyndon
Cronenberg:
Shivers
The Brood
Crash
Eastern Promises
The Celebration is the first one that comes to mind, if only for the fact that it is just so dark and twisted.
4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days, if only for the fact that I rank it in the top 10 of the past decade.
The White Ribbon(hell, most of Haneke’s films deserve to be on the list)
Blue Velvet
Happiness and Storytelling. The latter of which would have some fascinating bonus features, such as segments Todd Solondz edited out of the movie, there are quite a few.
Diabolique needs a definite reworking. The DVD is full Criterion price but is so skimpy on extra features that it is just so far behind the other films.
I would give up both of my testicles to see a Criterion release of Bratya Karamazovy (Kirill Lavrov/Ivan Pyryev, 1969). I have a thing for Russian film adaptations of Dostoevsky novels, and this one is hard to find with English subtitles. It is also supposed to be quite good.
LOVE EXPUSURE needs to be released by Criterion.
punch drunk love and there will be blood
gus van sant’s death trilogy (elephant, last days, gerry)
Blow Out (Brian De Palma 1981)
Heavens Gate (Michael Cimino 1980)
Images,H.E.A.L.T.H (Robert Altman 1972,1979)
The Long Riders (Walter Hill 1980)
The Cotton Club ,The Conversation (Francis Coppola 1984.1974)
Sorcerer (William Freidkin 1978)
I’d love to see:
The Whole Wide World (Dan Ireland, 1996)
Der Untergang aka Downfall (Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2004)
Le pacte des loups aka Brotherhood of the Wolf (Christophe Gans, 2001)
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper, Eleanor Coppola, 1991)
12 Monkeys (Terry Gilliam, 1995)
To Kill A Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962)
What do you guys think of these two Anne Bancroft films being added to the collection?
Sydney Pollack’s “The Slender Thread”
John Ford’s “7 women”
Roma Open City
The White Ribbon & Un prophète when they are released
There is a lot of very important cinema missing from Criterion (although it is a fine collection).
I’d love to see:
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
The Falls
Santa Sangre
Blue Velvet
Eraserhead
Barry Lyndon
Full Metal Jacket
Satantango
Damnation
Werkmeister Harmonies
The Emotional Glaciation Trilogy
Stalker
Passolini’s Mythic Quartet & Trilogy Of Life
Beyond The Clouds
Kurosawa’s Dreams
But most importantly they need to release The Lovers Of Teurel – This movie is so hard to find that it almost doesn’t exist. I have a VHS copy and it is terrible quality and yet it is one of greatest cinematic achievements.
Also, The Exorcist would be a sweet addition. Not that it needs a new transfer, but it definitely deserves to be among the collection.
Godard’s WEEKEND.
broken flowers
Art Vandelay
They really ought to gather all the early Hitchcock titles into an Eclipse set, seeing as most of them are in the public domain.