Criterion Additions

And because they can - they've got the name and the identity to hook in film geeks, where else are you going to turn, New Yorker?

I haven't seen it, but supposedly it was aimed at the special effects mavens out there. Also I recall reading an interview with one of the Criterion folks who said that the revenues from the Armageddon allowed them to fund a lot of other less-popular titles.

Here's just the start of the relevant section:

Specifically, with "Armageddon": You'd be silly to overlook blockbusters as a genre and leave them out of a film library. They drive so much. They drive tastes and shooting styles and visual references that appear all over the world in commercials and on TV as well as on movie screens. They're part of a huge cultural cross-pollination. And special effects are one of the most important aspects of a certain kind of contemporary filmmaking.

Is The Rock Criterion still in print? I'd much rather have that than Armageddon.

Those were the days when you actually got your $140 million dollars worth out of your production budget.

I miss the days when a budget topping $80mln was big news and a reason to go see the film. Now that barely buys you a romantic comedy.

it depends on how you look at it. it my mind, there's no need for it to necessarily become somethi@5{te the suggestion that short films/music videos/avant-garde & experimental work are just a "warm-up" for a feature length narrative. it's kind of absurd to but a limitation of film that it has to be 90-180 minutes long with actors, dialogue & a plot. at least 50% of my favorite cinematic works don't fit into the categorization, and whenever i hear about people complaining about a lack of innovation in film, it's usually because all they watch are feature length narratives.

but as for the idea of the innovation in these works not "catching on" in the mainstream, you simply have to look around you to see their influence: magazines, billboards, popular films and music, even architecture. it's everywhere, and most of the good, innovative feature filmmakers will be the first to admit that they've been influenced by someone like michel gondry, spike jonze, jem cohen, etc.

two words: HOLY SHIT.

so rejoice, damn you.

12 Angry Men Lumet, Sidney 1957 27
2001: A Space Odyssey (CAV) Kubrick, Stanley 1968 60
2001: A Space Odyssey (CLV) Kubrick, Stanley 1968 60A
The 3 Penny Opera Pabst, G.W. 1931 39
The 39 Steps Hitchcock, Alfred 1935 3
400 Blows Truffaut, François 1959 173
49th Parallel Powell, Michael Pressburger 1941 130
8 1/2 Fellini, Federico 1963 71
Adam's Rib Cukor, George 1949 47
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Gilliam, Terry 1989 144
The Adventures of Robin Hood (CAV) Curtiz, Michael 1989 66
The Adventures of Robin Hood (CLV) Curtiz, Michael 1938 66A
Akira (CAV) Otomo, Katsuhiro 1988 151
Akira (CLV) Otomo, Katsuhiro 1988 283
Alphaville Godard, Jean-Luc 1965 274
Amarcord Fellini, Federico 1974 270
Andrei Rublev Tarkovsky, Andrei 1969 222
Annie Hall Allen, Woody 1977 93
Armageddon Bay, Michael 1998 384
Arsenic and Old Lace Capra, Frank 1944 136
Ashes & Diamonds Wajda, Andrzej 1958 242
The Asphalt Jungle Huston, John 1950 26
Atomic Cafe Rafferty, Kevin 1982 285
Autumn Sonata Bergman, Ingmar 1978 255
L' Avventura (CAV) Antonioni, Michelangelo 1960 62
L' Avventura (CLV) Antonioni, Michelangelo 1960 228
Bad Day at Black Rock Sturges, John 1955 133
Bad Sleep Well Kurosawa, Akira 1960 371
Beauty and the Beast (CAV) Cocteau, Jean 1946 128
Belle de Jour Bunuel, Luis 1967 290
The Big Chill Kasdan, Lawrence 1983 123
Big Deal on Madonna Street Monicelli, Mario 1958 321
Black Narcissus Powell, Michael Pressburger 1947 38
Black Orpheus (CAV) Camus, Marcel 1959 13
Black Orpheus (CLV) Camus, Marcel 1959 13A
Blackmail Hitchcock, Alfred 1929 154
Blade Runner (CAV) Scott, Ridley 1982 19
Blade Runner (CLV) Scott, Ridley 1982 69
The Blob Yeaworth, Irvin 1958 65
Blood for Dracula Morrissey, Paul 1974 287
Blood of a Poet Cocteau, Jean 1930 289
Blow Up Antonioni, Michelangelo 1966 48
Rest, and Motion Bodies Steinberg, Michael 1993 216
Boogie Nights Anderson, Paul Thomas 1997 366
Boyz N the Hood Singleton, John 1991 150
Branded to Kill Suzuki, Seijun 1967 361
Brazil (CAV) Gilliam, Terry 1985 196
Brazil (CLV) Gilliam, Terry 1985 373
Breaker Morant Beresford, Bruce 1980 355
Breaking the Waves von Trier, Lars 1996 343
Breathless Godard, Jean-Luc 1960 153
Brief Encounter Lean, David 1946 248
Burmese Harp Ichikawa, Kon 1956 171
Burn! Pontecorvo, Gillo 1969 99
La Cage Aux Folles Molinaro, Edouard 1978 96
Carnal Knowledge Nichols, Mike 1971 140
Carrie (CAV) De Palma, Brian 1976 141
Carrie (CLV) De Palma, Brian 1976 141A
Casablanca (CAV) Curtiz, Michael 1942 73
Casablanca (CLV) Curtiz, Michael 1942 73A
Cat People Lewton, Val 1942 233
Chasing Amy Smith, Kevin 1997 360
Children of Paradise Carne, Marcel 1945 84
Chungking Express Kar-Wai, Wong 1994 N/A
Citizen Kane (CAV) Welles, Orson 1941 1
Citizen Kane (CLV) Welles, Orson 1941 1A
Citizen Kane: 50th Anniversay Edition (CAV) Welles, Orson 1941 142
Citizen Kane: 50th Anniversay Edition (CLV) Welles, Orson 1941 142A
Cleo from 5 to 7 Varda, Agnes 1962 364
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (CAV) Spielberg, Steven 1977 125
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (CLV) Spielberg, Steven 1977 125A
Confidentally Yours Truffaut, François 1983 187
Confidential Report A.K.A Mr. Arkadin Welles, Orson 1955 121
Coup de Torchon Tavernier, Bertrand 1981 275
Crash Cronenberg, David 1996 349
Cries & Whispers Bergman, Ingmar 1972 207
Crimes and Misdemeanors Allen, Woody 1989 323
Damage Malle, Louis 1992 182
Darling Schlesinger, John 1965 55
David Holtzman’s Diary McBride, Jim 1968 244
Dead Presidents Hughes, Albert and Allen 1995 301
Dead Ringers (CAV) Cronenberg, David 1988 305
Dead Ringers (CLV) Cronenberg, David 1988 372
Dersu Uzala Kurosawa, Akira 1974 256
The Devil and Daniel Webster Dieterle, William 1941 126
Diabolique Clouzot, Henri 1955 138
Diva Beineix, Jean-Jacques 1981 309
Do the Right Thing Lee, Spike 1989 266
Dodes’ ka-den Kurosawa, Akira 1970 291
Double Suicide Shinoda, Masahiro 1969 367
Dr. No (CAV) Young, Terence 1962 124
Dr. No (CLV) Young, Terence 1962 124A
Dr. Strangelove Kubrick, Stanley 1964 143
Bram Stoker’s Dracula Coppola, Francis Ford 1992 183
Early Summer Ozu, Yasujiro 1951 332
Earrings of Madame de... Ophuls, Max 1953 302
Edward II Jarman, Derek 1991 189
El Cid Mann, Anthony 1961 304
Emperor Jones Murphy, Dudley 1933 202
The English Patient Minghella, Anthony 1996 336
The Entertainer Richardson, Tony 1960 312
Evergreen Saville, Victor 1934 204
Evita Parker, Alan 1996 337
F for Fake Welles, Orson 1975 260
Fallen Idol Reed, Carol 1948 164
Fellini Satryricon (CAV) Fellini, Federico 1969 35
Fellini Satyricon (CLV) Fellini, Federico 1969 230
Fires on the Plain Ichikawa, Kon 1959 276
Fisher King Gilliam, Terry 1991 149
Five Corners Bill, Tony 1987 346
Five Easy Pieces Rafelson, Bob 1970 81
Flesh for Frankenstein Morrissey, Paul 1974 288
Floating Weeds Ozu, Yasujiro 1959 76
Forbidden Games Clement, Rene 1952 30
Forbidden Planet Wilcox, Fred 1956 53
French Can Can Renoir, Jean 1955 163
From Russia with Love (CAV) Young, Terence 1963 131
From Russia with Love (CLV) Young, Terence 1963 131A
The Game Fincher, David 1997 365
Get out your Handkerchiefs Blier, Bertrand 1978 203
Ghostbusters (CAV) Reitman, Ivan 1984 75
Ghostbusters (CLV) Reitman, Ivan 1984 75A
The Golden Coach Renoir, Jean 1952 162
Goldfinger (CAV) Hamilton, Guy 1964 132
Goldfinger (CLV) Hamilton, Guy 1964 132A
Good Morning Ozu, Yasujiro 1959 368
The Graduate (CAV) Nichols, Mike 1967 17
The Graduate (CLV) Nichols, Mike 1967 68
Grand Illusion (CAV) Renoir, Jean 1937 25
Grand Illusion (CLV) Renoir, Jean 1937 25A
The Great Escape Sturges, John 1963 95
Great Expectations Lean, David 1946 262
Green for Danger Gilliat, Sidney 1946 170
Halloween (CAV) Carpenter, John 1978 247
Halloween (CLV) Carpenter, John 1978 310
Hamlet Olivier, Laurence 1948 296
Hard Boiled (CAV) Woo, John 1992 245
Hard Boiled (CLV) Woo, John 1992 308
A Hard Day's Night (CAV) Lester, Richard 1964 20
A Hard Day's Night (CLV) Lester, Richard 1964 20A
The Harder They Come Henzell, Perry 1973 147
Help! (CAV) Lester, Richard 1965 16
Help! (CLV) Lester, Richard 1965 16A
Henry V Olivier, Laurence 1944 258
Here Comes Mr. Jordan Hall, Alexander 1941 135
Hidden Fortress (CAV) Kurosawa, Akira 1958 11
Hidden Fortress (CLV) Kurosawa, Akira 1958 232
High and Low Kurosawa, Akira 1963 382
High Noon (CAV) Zinnemann, Fred 1952 7
High Noon (CLV) Zinnemann, Fred 1952 7A
Hobson’s Choice Lean, David 1954 259
The Horse's Mouth (CAV) Neame, Ronald 1958 42
The Horse's Mouth (CLV) Neame, Ronald 1958 292
How to Get Ahead in Advertising Robinson, Bruce 1989 340
I am Cuba Kalatozov, Mikhail 1964 295
I Know Where I’m Going Powell, Michael Pressburger 1945 237
Ikiru Kurosawa, Akira 1952 114
Importance of Being Earnest Asquith, Anthony 1952 265
In Which We Serve Coward, Noel 1942 263
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (CAV) Siegel, Don 1956 8
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (CLV) Siegel, Don 1956 8A
It's a Wonderful Life Capra, Frank 1946 18
Jason and the Argonauts Chaffey, Don 1963 160
Jour de Fete Tati, Jacques 1948 94
Jules and Jim Truffaut, François 1961 165
The Killer (CAV) Woo, John 1989 211
The Killer (CLV) Woo, John 1989 284
The Killing Kubrick, Stanley 1956 64
King Kong (CAV) Cooper, Merian 1933 2
King Kong (CLV) Cooper, Merian 1933 2A
King of Hearts de Broca, Philippe 1966 115
King of Kings De Mille, Cecil B. 1927 152
Knife in the Water Polanski, Roman 1962 134
Kwaidan Kobayashi, Masaki 1964 119
The Lacemaker Goretta, Claude 1977 112
Lady for a Day Capra, Frank 1933 137
The Lady Vanishes Hitchcock, Alfred 1938 4
The Last Laugh Murnau, F.W. 1924 226
The Last Metro Truffaut, François 1980 158
Last Picture Show Bogdanovich, Peter 1971 139
Last Tango in Paris Bertolucci, Bernardo 1972 122
Last Temptation of Christ Scorsese, Martin 1988 352
Lawrence of Arabia (CAV) Lean, David 1962 78
Lawrence of Arabia (CLV) Lean, David 1962 78A
League of Gentlemen Dearden, Basil 1959 318
Letter from an Unknown Woman Ophuls, Max 1948 151
Life and Death of Colonel Blimp Powell, Michael Pressburger 1943 37
Life of Brian Jones, Terry 1979 353
Life of Oharu Mizoguchi, Kenji 1979 329
Lola Montes (CAV) Ophuls, Max 1955 12
Lola Montes (CLV) Ophuls, Max 1955 12A
Lolita (CLV) Kubrick, Stanley 1962 103
Long Good Friday Mackenzie, John 1980 331
Lord of the Flies Brook, Peter 1963 185
M Lang, Fritz 1931 356
The Magic Flute Bergman, Ingmar 1975 273
The Magician Bergman, Ingmar 1958 303
The Magnificent Ambersons (CAV) Welles, Orson 1942 9
The Magnificent Ambersons (CLV) Welles, Orson 1942 9A
Makioka Sisters Ichikawa, Kon 1983 195
Man Bites Dog Belvaux, Remy Bonzel 1992 215
The Man Who Fell to Earth Roeg, Nicolas 1976 169
Menace II Society Hughes, Albert and Allen 1993 219
Midnight Cowboy Schlesinger, John 1969 146
Miracle in Milan De Sica, Vittorio 1951 83
Mon Oncle Tati, Jacques 1958 101
Mona Lisa Jordan, Neil 1986 347
Montenegro Makavejev, Dusan 1981 317
Monterey Pop (CLV) Pennebaker, D.A. 1969 43
Monty Python and the Holy Grail Gilliam, Terry Jones 1975 168
Mr. Hulot's Holiday Tati, Jacques 1953 21
Naked Leigh, Mike 1993 234
The Naked Kiss Fuller, Sam 1964 77
A Night at the Opera (CAV) Wood, Sam 1935 31
A Night at the Opera (CLV) Wood, Sam 1935 31A
The Night of the Hunter Laughton, Charles 1955 28
Night Porter Cavani, Liliana 1974 359
A Night To Remember Baker, Roy 1958 250
North by Northwest (CAV) Hitchcock, Alfred 1959 45
North by Northwest (CLV) Hitchcock, Alfred 1959 45A
Nostalghia Tarkovsky, Andrei 1983 344
Notorious (CAV) Hitchcock, Alfred 1946 100
Notorious (CLV) Hitchcock, Alfred 1946 100A
Odd Man Out Reed, Carol 1947 280
Oliver Twist Lean, David 1948 267
Olympia I &II Riefenstahl, Leni 1938 338
Once Were Warriors Tamahori, Lee 1994 282
Onibaba Shindo, Kaneto 1964 369
Osaka Elegy Mizoguchi, Kenji 1936 221
Othello Welles, Orson 1952 220
Parade Tati, Jacques 1974 129
Paths of Glory Kubrick, Stanley 1957 57
Peeping Tom Powell, Michael 1960 156
Personal Journey w/ Martin Scorsese Through American Movies Scorsese, Martin 1995 326
Picnic at Hanging Rock Weir, Peter 1975 383
Pink Flamingos Waters, John 1972 341
The Player Altman, Robert 1992 175
Polyester Waters, John 1981 210
Prince Of Tides Streisand, Barbara 1991 227
Princess Bride (CAV) Reiner, Rob 1987 320
The Princess Bride (CAV) Reiner, Rob 1987 40
The Princess Bride (CLV) Reiner, Rob 1987 40A
The Producers Brooks, Mel 1968 36
Pulp Fiction Tarantino, Quentin 1994 271
Purple Noon Clement, Rene 1960 324
Pygmalion Howard, Leslie Asquith 1938 33
Raging Bull (CAV) Scorsese, Martin 1980 120
Raging Bull (CLV) Scorsese, Martin 1980 120A
Rashomon Kurosawa, Akira 1950 49
Rebecca (CAV) Hitchcock, Alfred 1940 98
Rebecca (CLV) Hitchcock, Alfred 1940 98A
Red Balloon and White Mane Lamorisse, Albert 1952 N/A
Red Beard Kurosawa, Akira 1965 82
The Red Shoes Powell, Michael Pressburger 1948 249
Replusion Polanski, Roman 1965 212
Return of Martin Guerre Vigne, Daniel 1982 315
Richard III Olivier, Laurence 1954 190
The River Renoir, Jean 1951 70
Robinson Crusoe on Mars Haskin, Byron 1964 184
Robocop (CAV) Verhoeven, Paul 1987 198
Robocop (CLV) Verhoeven, Paul 1987 311
The Rock Bay, Michael 1996 334
Rome: Open City Rossellini, Roberto 1946 257
La Ronde Ophuls, Max 1950 264
The Rules of the Game (CAV) Renoir, Jean 1939 50
The Rules of the Game (CLV) Renoir, Jean 1939 50A
Sabotage Hitchcock, Alfred 1936 22
Saló Pasolini, Pier Paolo 1975 209
Salt of the Earth Biberman, Herbert 1954 213
Samurai Trilogy part 1 Inasaki, Hiroshi 1954 176
Samurai Trilogy part 2 Inasaki, Hiroshi 1955 177
Samurai Trilogy part 3 Inasaki, Hiroshi 1956 178
Sanjuro Kurosawa, Akira 1962 218
Sansho the Bailiff Mizoguchi, Kenji 1954 223
Scaramouche (CAV) Sidney, George 1952 32
Scaramouche (CLV) Sidney, George 1952 32A
Scenes from a Marriage Bergman, Ingmar 1973 293
Secret Agent Hitchcock, Alfred 1936 23
Secret Honor Altman, Robert 1984 161
Seven Fincher, David 1995 298
Seven Samurai (CAV) Kurosawa, Akira 1954 67
Seven Samurai (CLV) Kurosawa, Akira 1954 67A
The Seventh Seal (CAV) Bergman, Ingmar 1957 10
The Seventh Seal (CLV) Bergman, Ingmar 1957 10A
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (CAV) Soderbergh, Steven 1989 108
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (CLV) Soderbergh, Steven 1989 108A
Shampoo Ashby, Hal 1975 79
She’s Gotta Have It Lee, Spike 1986 229
Shine Hicks, Scott 1996 335
Shock Corridor Fuller, Sam 1963 15
Shoot the Piano Player Truffaut, François 1960 43
Short Cuts Altman, Robert 1993 231
Show Boat (CAV) Sidney, George 1936 44
Show Boat (CLV) Sidney, George 1936 44A
Sid & Nancy Cox, Alex 1986 241
Silence of the Lambs (CAV) Demme, Jonathan 1991 192
Silence of the Lambs (CLV) Demme, Jonathan 1991 314
The Silence Bergman, Ingmar 1963 166
Silverado (CAV) Kasdan, Lawrence 1985 118
Silverado (CLV) Kasdan, Lawrence 1985 118A
Singin' in the Rain (CAV) Kelly, Gene Donen 1952 52
Singin' in the Rain (CLV) Kelly, Gene Donen 1952 52A
Slingblade Thornton, Billy Bob 1996 350
Smiles of a Summer Night Bergman, Ingmar 1955 86
Soft Skin Truffaut, François 1964 243
Some Like It Hot (CAV) Wilder, Billy 1959 74
Some Like It Hot (CLV) Wilder, Billy 1959 74A
Sonatine Kitano, Takeshi 1993 N/A
Spartacus Kubrick, Stanley 1960 155
La Strada Fellini, Federico 1954 29
Stranger than Paradise Jarmusch, Jim 1984 307
Stray Dog Kurosawa, Akira 1949 370
Summertime Lean, David 1955 116
Bloody Sunday Sunday Schlesinger, John 1971 148
Supercop Tong, Stanley 1992 327
Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassssss Song Van Peebles, Melvin 1971 316
Swept Away Wertmuller, Lina 1975 313
Swing Time (CAV) Stevens, George 1936 6
Swing Time (CLV) Stevens, George 1936 6A
Switchblade Sisters Hill, Jack 1975 N/A
Sword of Doom Okamoto, Kihashi 1966 294
Tales of Hoffman Powell, Michael Pressburger 1951 157
Taxi Driver (CAV) Scorsese, Martin 1976 109
Taxi Driver (CLV) Scorsese, Martin 1976 109A
That Obscure Object of Desire Bunuel, Luis 1977 113
The Third Man Reed, Carol 1949 5
This is Spinal Tap (CAV) Reiner, Rob 1984 238
This is Spinal Tap (CLV) Reiner, Rob 1984 319
This Sporting Life Anderson, Lindsay 1963 306
Three Cases of Murder Eady, David 1955 261
Throne of Blood (CAV) Kurosawa, Akira 1957 106
Throne of Blood (CLV) Kurosawa, Akira 1957 239
Through A Glass Darkly Bergman, Ingmar 1961 246
Time Bandits Gilliam, Terry 1981 354
Tokyo Drifter Suzuki, Seijun 1966 362
Tokyo Olympiad Ichikawa, Kon 1965 117
Tootsie (CAV) Pollack, Sydney 1982 145
Tootsie (CLV) Pollack, Sydney 1982 145A
Trainspotting Boyle, Danny 1996 325
Tristana Buneul, Luis 1970 299
Tunes of Glory (CLV) Neame, Ronald 1960 41
Two English Girls Truffaut, François 1971 225
Ugetsu Mitzoguchi, Kenji 1953 174
Umberto D. De Sica, Vittorio 1952 107
Umbrellas of Cherbourg Demy, Jacques 1964 328
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Kaufman, Philip 1988 357
Vagabond Varda, Agnes 1985 363
Variety Lights Fellini, Federico 1950 279
Vengeance Is Mine Imamura, Shohei 1979 34
Victim Dearden, Basil 1961 358
Virgin Spring Bergman, Ingmar 1960 277
Vivre Sa Vie Godard, Jean-Luc 1962 345
Wages of Fear Clouzot, Henri 1953 127
Walkabout Roeg, Nicolas 1971 351
Waltz of the Torreadors Guillermin, John 1962 300
West Side Story (CAV) Wise, Robert 1961 72
West Side Story (CLV) Wise, Robert 1961 72A
Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left For the East? Yong-kyun, Bae 1989 286
Wild Strawberries Bergman, Ingmar 1957 85
Winter Light Bergman, Ingmar 1963 254
Withnail & I Robinson, Bruce 1987 339
The Wizard of Oz LeRoy, Mervyn 1939 59
Woman Next Door Truffaut, François 1981 236
Women on the Verge of A Nervous Breakdown Almodovar, Pedro 1988 348
Yojimbo Kurosawa, Akira 1961 105
Young and Innocent Hitchcock, Alfred 1937 24
Zulu Endfield, Cy 1964 54

Still so many that haven't been released on DVD....

yeah, i'm pretty sure those are the same (as facets distributes a number of polart titles)

there's a whole, whole lot of stuff on that list that would be great on a criterion dvd, but by the looks of it they've gotten to more than i realized (discounting those titles that are already out through warner, etc.)

I would love to see "David Holtzman's Diary" given proper treatment, as well as some of the John Waters' films.

A Chris Marker set (as mentioned above) would be fantastic, and I wish Criterion would take over the Kenneth Anger project that Fantoma failed to get off the ground. And it's still at least a year away, but I can't wait for Brakhage vol. 2.

Is this an actuality?

dunno about chimes, but on the a_film_by list a couple of weeks ago, j. rosenbaum mentioned he was recording a commentary track for a criterion version of mr. arkadin/confidential report, so that one's in the pipeline...

i would also love to hear more about a potential brakhage 2 - know anything else, jay? if it does come to pass, i really, really hope to see anticipation of the night on there (my fave brakhage).

The following, which was originally posted on Frameworks a couple months back, is some interesting news for Brakhage fans--

Howdy folks,

A number of you already know that I do film
preservation work at the Academy Film Archive in L.A.
I have an announcement.

Especially in light of all the Brakhage-related
discussion on the list lately, it seemed incredibly
silly and artificial for me to wait any longer to
bring this up. I’ve been waiting for what was
intended to be an official press release, but in the
process of the publicity department and the Archive
creating one that would be comprehensive enough to
answer the many possible questions, it has gotten
dangerously close now to the “blackout period” during
which the Academy prefers to limit press releases to
issues relating to the Oscars ceremony in February. I
enjoy and respect this important community (with
Frameworks as its inclusive, de facto
gathering-place), and don’t see the point in
withholding this information any longer, especially if
it means waiting until March.

I’d like to informally announce that a few months ago,
56 boxes containing Stan Brakhage’s original film
materials were transported from a commercial storage
facility in Kansas to the Academy Film Archive in Los
Angeles. The intention is to conserve and
preserve/restore all of Stan’s films.

This collection was deposited at Academy by Marilyn
Brakhage. The collection basically comprises the
edited originals for nearly all of Stan’s work.

It would be ridiculous for me to try to describe the
honor with which we’ll be overseeing this collection
and the inventory, inspection, care and preservation
of these films. I have already begun this work (about
a month ago), and have closely inspected and
catalogued the originals for about 25 films, including
The Wonder Ring, Black Vision, “He was born, he
suffered, he died.”, Thigh Line Lyre Triangular,
Anticipation of the Night, The Weir-Falcon Saga, Agnus
Dei Kinder Synapse, Fox Fire Child Watch, Window Water
Baby Moving... There is an enormous amount of
material to go through. Additionally, some
interesting discoveries have already been made, and
with Marilyn’s blessings, I eagerly look forward to
sharing this information with everyone, and hope that
disseminating it periodically through Frameworks won’t
be an annoyance to folks on the list.

The reasons I am announcing this informally to this
list... As I said, I enjoy and respect the community
represented here, and I know many of you are intensely
passionate about and interested in Stan’s work. Many
of you were students, admirers, friends, loved ones of
Stan, and care dearly about him, his films, and his
legacy.

Another reason is that I look forward to the potential
assistance from folks in this community who I am sure
will prove a caring and valuable resource in this
endeavor. Having already begun work, it’s important
for me to know that there’s a channel of communication
open. For instance, I hope we can count on folks out
there who may oversee personal or public collections
including prints of Stan’s work to potentially be able
to provide loan access to original reversal prints of
Stan’s work of the 1980s and earlier, where available.
These reversal prints will prove invaluable to the
faithful preservation of these films... Anecdotal
information and stories about the making or showing of
these films will also be requested and appreciated,
and will prove a valuable contribution to this
project.

I can’t think of anything further to specifically
mention right now, other than to welcome anybody’s
thoughts, questions, suggestions, ideas, concerns,
etc. about what I’ve written here. You can reach me
at either fiddybop@yahoo.com (personal) or
mtoscano@oscars.org (work).

Mark Toscano

p.s. the restoration/preservation route taken with
Stan’s films will be a photochemical one, not a
digital one, in case some of you were wondering.

p.p.s.
1. Window Water Baby Moving was shot on Ansco reversal
film
2. Black Vision is a radical revision of a film Stan
made for KRMA-TV around 1962 called ‘Sartre’s Nausea’,
the originals for which exist intact.
3. A large number of the cuts in The Act of Seeing
With One’s Own Eyes are actually in-camera edits.
4. The *original* 35mm source rolls for Garden of
Earthly Delights still exist, and they smell amazing.

Janus Contemporaries March: Lynch/Oz

this has been on the criterion channel, I tried watching it and got about 5 minutes in before turning it off, it was way too silly

same

APRIL: Dogfight; I Am Cuba*; Werckmeister Harmonies*; and 4Ks of Picnic At Hanging Rock & La haine

*4K available

I would loooove to see Soy Cuba (possibly bundled with the documentary they did about it)

― Stevie D, Tuesday, July 17, 2007 2:24 PM (sixteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

Your wish is their command (sixteen years later)

For I Am Cuba and Werckmeister alone, a massive month

Following up one blockbuster month with another:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/product_images/2052-ba01382dd60c8332caec522da182b732/csDyqiAqrOJgCze9HjJXZR4sJdi6yF_large.jpg https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/films/5a8c7056b0f3173cd6706471109661e8/wZy6NE9NhmiEDTecl0IXwz1aRFQcT3_large.jpg https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/films/280357fa3290d829c99fcaa1a690aebb/CJVEzgYz3BhNckBy7sMdptZfJsTRhX_large.jpg

Plus a pair (trio?) of major upgrades:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/films/6724d7a97aa8fc2e8dd892f07c4d4c4f/unzQLMlUZtZU0z52W0WcCVJeek4NCO_large.jpg https://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/product_images/2055-c9812d001708a6e844bc16be4b7c5d16/DcMM1I3Mce4WYCzldIxjVA8JxwJudD_large.jpg

(Peeping Tom is the only one being given a 4K, interestingly)

LOL, oops

I love the later Weeds so much. But I already have the BFI BD.

Girlfight was a nice surprise, i thought.
No 4K on Anatomy is a little surprising but i hear that's because it wasn't sourced in 4K? Or maybe they just didn't think it was worth the expense (which seems doubtful considering the recent clearly uncommercial stuff they've given 4K)

Planning a double dip maybe. It's such a great film.

Criterion Channel subscribers just got their $10 GC codes emailed to them, which means that sometime next week is probably going to be flash sale day

did I ever say that I got the towel? It's a nice towel!

Janus Contemporaries May: All That Breathes

JUNE: The Underground Railroad; Victims of Sin; Bound*; Querelle; and 4Ks of Blue Velvet & Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas.

*4K available

Dear god, this is the best cover they've had in awhile.

Victims of Sin looks pretty awesome

An interesting angle for Criterion--usually this sort of title comes from Flicker Alley and the Film Noir Foundation. But I look forward to seeing this.

My brother has noted that Fassbinder bookended his career with "Be gay, do crimes" films: One subtext ("Love is Colder Than Death) and one all text (Querelle).

TIL Film Twitter hates the Querelle cover. Sounds about right

Think that's partly due to the dude who made it being an AI guy (though he says AI was not involved in this cover).

Will say that Criterion has fallen off hard in terms of bonus features over the years.

Yes, it's gotten quite bad on that front

Honestly, when I saw that cover, the first thing I did was to check the hands as it looked very "AI" to me

In a weird coincidence I saw Victims of Sin on the big screen in the past weeks and although I liked it just fine there are a couple of real failings imo. The song and dance (dance in particular) are unsurprisingly (too) heavily featured and there are some huge plot jumps particularly toward the end that are very jarring. But it's great high melodrama when it hits the spot and very funny in places.

The song and dance (dance in particular) are unsurprisingly (too) heavily featured

This criticism does not compute

Maybe it's just me but it's really unbalanced and the dance scenes are overly long for what they are, seemingly just to accommodate Ninon Sevilla's other fame. One of Rita Montaner's songs is particularly gratuitous as well, not plot related in the slightest.

Mind you, Santiago having a mariachi band follow him around just to accompany him as he picks up prostitutes is certainly an idea we can all relate to.

Janus Contemporaries June: Orlando, My Political Biography

JULY: Risky Business*; Farewell My Concubine*; Black God, White Devil; Perfect Days*; Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid*; and a 4K of Le samourai.

*4K available

Bummed the title I'm most interested in picking up there isn't in 4K

Can't imagine 4K really doing that much for a film as rough looking (complimentary) as BGWD

I saw a print of BGWD like 15+ years ago, and honestly a VHS transfer would be an improvement over what I saw then.