Dersu Uzala’s exclusion is unfathomable. It’s Kurosawa’s late masterpiece. His wisest, most beautiful, most human film. Here Criterion has the chance to live up to their claims and preserve an important work.
We have to make this happen. Send them an email suggesting it. suggestions@criterion.com
Gummo could only have been made by somebody who knows cinema’s history and figured out where to take it.
One part of art is unifying all the disconnected ideas around you. Another is removing all the needless conventions of the time period. You’re looking for new territory.
Why is Gummo a great and important film?
a) It completely strips itself of hollywood narrative yet remains captivating.
b) It operates outside the definitions of ‘narrative’ or ‘documentary’ film.
c) It’s a real American film – completely removed from the commercial, escapist fantasy of hollywood.
d) It puts 35mm, 8mm, cheap and expensive digital, Polaroids and stills together on a level playing field. As they are to this generation in everyday life when we watch classic films, watch new films, make videos and take photos.
e) It deliberately combines High and Low Art influence as popular culture unknowingly does.
f) It attempts to tell the unglamorous truth about the world, but does so in a compassionate, lighthearted, human way.
g) It’s cathartic in it’s parody and destruction of conservative ideas, racism, homophobia, human body image, the average American.. Most importantly television and Hollywoody film-making.
h) It does something NEW and it does something REAL.
There are more, but those are key.
It shows a new way for film-making. It continues and expands upon the foundations layed by Vertov, Godard, Herzog, Cassavetes and more. It’s a truthful, original work in a commercial world which void of originality and truth.
It should be Dersu Uzala. What might be Kurosawa’s greatest film is currently rotting in a Russian archive. Criterion claims to be about preserving great films but in this case they just don’t seem to care. It makes even less sense when you consider the number of lesser Kurosawa films and films that already had good dvd releases they’ve then re-released.
If anyone can be bothered dropping Criterion a brief line (suggestions@criterion.com) about Dersu Uzala I’d really appreciate it. I’m sure they’ll do it eventually – hopefully it’s not too late.
Film still of a classic ‘damsel in distress’ scene with train tracks. The source of this image says it is from The Perils of Pauline (1914), but this is not true.
DERSU UZALA NEEDS TO BE IN THE CRITERION COLLECTION! over 2 years ago
Dersu Uzala’s exclusion is unfathomable. It’s Kurosawa’s late masterpiece. His wisest, most beautiful, most human film. Here Criterion has the chance to live up to their claims and preserve an important work.
We have to make this happen. Send them an email suggesting it. suggestions@criterion.com
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PEOPLE THAT RESPECT AND DEFEND HARMONY KORINE'S WORK, SHOW YOURSELF! over 2 years ago
Gummo could only have been made by somebody who knows cinema’s history and figured out where to take it.
One part of art is unifying all the disconnected ideas around you. Another is removing all the needless conventions of the time period. You’re looking for new territory.
Why is Gummo a great and important film?
a) It completely strips itself of hollywood narrative yet remains captivating.
b) It operates outside the definitions of ‘narrative’ or ‘documentary’ film.
c) It’s a real American film – completely removed from the commercial, escapist fantasy of hollywood.
d) It puts 35mm, 8mm, cheap and expensive digital, Polaroids and stills together on a level playing field. As they are to this generation in everyday life when we watch classic films, watch new films, make videos and take photos.
e) It deliberately combines High and Low Art influence as popular culture unknowingly does.
f) It attempts to tell the unglamorous truth about the world, but does so in a compassionate, lighthearted, human way.
g) It’s cathartic in it’s parody and destruction of conservative ideas, racism, homophobia, human body image, the average American.. Most importantly television and Hollywoody film-making.
h) It does something NEW and it does something REAL.
There are more, but those are key.
It shows a new way for film-making. It continues and expands upon the foundations layed by Vertov, Godard, Herzog, Cassavetes and more. It’s a truthful, original work in a commercial world which void of originality and truth.
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3 most visually pleasing films you've ever seen over 2 years ago
All the films on this list. Certainly everything in the top 30.
http://www.theauteurs.com/lists/4590
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Criterion Coming Soon and Discussion Redux over 1 year ago
It should be Dersu Uzala. What might be Kurosawa’s greatest film is currently rotting in a Russian archive. Criterion claims to be about preserving great films but in this case they just don’t seem to care. It makes even less sense when you consider the number of lesser Kurosawa films and films that already had good dvd releases they’ve then re-released.
If anyone can be bothered dropping Criterion a brief line (suggestions@criterion.com) about Dersu Uzala I’d really appreciate it. I’m sure they’ll do it eventually – hopefully it’s not too late.
Go to Comment
Can anyone identify this film still? 8 months ago
Film still of a classic ‘damsel in distress’ scene with train tracks. The source of this image says it is from The Perils of Pauline (1914), but this is not true.
Anyone know which film it is?
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9286/traintracksy.jpg
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