Author Topic: The Criterion Collection (Read 9113 times)

Chedney Honks · « **Reply #90 on:** March 23, 2021, 08:45:34 PM »

Quote from: An tSaoi on March 23, 2021, 08:12:12 PM

I'm interested in getting Come and See on Criterion Blu-ray, but I'm getting mixed messages about the region encoding.

It's a weird one but supposedly a Region A&B release, only released in Region A for BBFC reasons.

Info here direct from Criterion:

https://i.redd.it/a9w2sej79n751.png

An tSaoi · « **Reply #91 on:** March 23, 2021, 08:53:52 PM »

Yes, I've seen that, but I'm concerned about some reviews which say it doesn't work in their players.

Does anyone have first hand experience?

Chedney Honks · « **Reply #92 on:** March 23, 2021, 09:08:59 PM »

Some Region B players can play some Region A discs with a bit of menu button trickery, but it differs depending on brand and model, so 'first hand experience' is meaningless unless you have the exact same player.

Criterion have said it's encoded for Region A&B.

Blu-ray.com have said it's Region A&B:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Come-and-See-Blu-ray/188975/

If that's no good to you, all the best.

Edited out a comment which you may have misread.

greenman · « **Reply #93 on:** March 24, 2021, 05:24:03 AM »

I wouldn't trust Amazon, they basically list any US import as region locked automatically whether it is or not.

Criterion sale on again at HMV now, some stuff like Husbands and Five Easy Pieces in it for the first time.

kaprisky · « **Reply #94 on:** March 24, 2021, 10:53:24 AM »

Quote from: Chedney Honks on March 23, 2021, 08:45:34 PM

It's a weird one but supposedly a Region A&B release, only released in Region A for BBFC reasons.

Info here direct from Criterion:

https://i.redd.it/a9w2sej79n751.png

Come and See has never been cut by the BBFC (there is no evidence that Criterion have even submitted it). Andrei Rublev, I believe, has never been fully uncut in this country anyway. Criterion were never going to get through a longer cut with the offending scene (something to do with a horse I think). The BBFC have always taken a strong stance against animal cruelty, but they do change decisions over time - if anything they are more lenient now than they ever were!

I haven't seen Come and See despite it being on Channel 4 a couple of times in the 1990s but I was curious enough to dig up some newspaper reviews from its original release in 1987. Richard Mayne's review from the Sunday Telegraph (22/03/87) contains this:

Quote

The film is relentlessly harrowing: "15" seems a lenient certificate. Mud and blood are the least of its horrors. The corpses are fake, but realistic; some of the animals' deaths look real. The Oradour-style incineration flares and crackles; tracer fire scours the landscape; an on-screen title tells of 628 Byelorussian villages similarly burned.

If it were good enough for the BBFC to pass in the 1980s and subsequent DVD releases on Nouveaux (2006) and Artificial Eye (2011) then why not now? There is a suggestion online that the UK arm of Criterion do not do their research regarding titles for the UK market, hence the mix up with Rublev and Come and See.

An tSaoi · « **Reply #95 on:** March 24, 2021, 12:56:46 PM »

Thanks everyone. I'll take a chance.

If it doesn't work I'm shoving the disc up all your holes.

Chedney Honks · « **Reply #96 on:** March 25, 2021, 06:13:24 AM »

2 for £25 on Criterion Collection Blu-rays at Amazon, HMV and Zavvi right now.

I picked up Solaris, Cat People, 3:10 to Yuma and The Lady Eve. All blind buys but heard very good things.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/page/16FAF792-5CF6-45EE-9913-E88A79E52DC5

If I had to recommend what I've seen, Sword of Doom and Yi Yi are both fantastic. The UK Criterion range is a lot thinner than the US catalogue but I reckon there are several belters here for everyone.

greenman · « **Reply #97 on:** March 25, 2021, 07:51:46 AM »

I do prefer the UK situation though were Criterion mostly have the rights to established stuff from Janus films especially so even if you haven't seen a specific film previously its not really "blind" buying say Hal Ashby or Bresson.

Artificial Eye/Curzon having the rights to a lot of modern arthouse I think worked well when it was possible to pick up there stuff for £4-6 on DVD/Bluray, made a lot of blind buying in the mid 2010's easier for me. They actually seem to be dying off now though with far fewer releases and lots of smaller labels taking over.

Chedney Honks · « **Reply #98 on:** March 25, 2021, 09:13:27 AM »

Yeah, I'm not really dunking on Criterion UK stuff, I've been so happy with everything I've picked up but there is also quite a lot I've had to import, like Seven Samurai, Chungking Express and Night of the Hunter, among a few others. I do really appreciate that Eureka and Arrow Academy have quite a few titles released on CC US, which are often better in some respects.

I suppose my 'gripe', and that's too strong a word, is that quite a lot of the UK catalogue which is regularly on sale does nothing for me - Wes Anderson, for example.

greenman · « **Reply #99 on:** March 25, 2021, 10:56:13 AM »

The UK versions of a lot of stuff on Criterion aren't automatically worse, some are actually better.

An tSaoi · « **Reply #100 on:** March 25, 2021, 11:56:46 AM »

How does Seven Samurai compare to the BFI version?

Chedney Honks · « **Reply #101 on:** March 25, 2021, 12:33:43 PM »

Quote from: greenman on March 25, 2021, 10:56:13 AM

The UK versions of a lot of stuff on Criterion aren't automatically worse, some are actually better.

Yeah, if you mean Eureka, etc. Unless you're suggesting the UK CC are better than the US releases? Would be keen to hear which ones if so.

Quote from: An tSaoi on March 25, 2021, 11:56:46 AM

How does Seven Samurai compare to the BFI version?

Better picture quality but not extraordinarily so. The BFI is already 'really good', CC is 'very good'. Better extras and obviously artwork etc. I got it because it's one of my favourite films but I wouldn't say it's 'worth it' otherwise for the relative cost. The BFI Kurosawa Samurai Collection is a great deal.

Criterion release is Region A locked, for info.

An tSaoi · « **Reply #102 on:** March 25, 2021, 01:53:46 PM »

Fucking regions. It's the single worst decision they ever made when the came up with DVDs and blu-rays. You never got that bullshit with CDs.

I consider it a form of racism.

El Unicornio, mang · « **Reply #103 on:** March 25, 2021, 02:15:36 PM »

I understood why they did it back in the day when films were released a lot earlier in the US for example, but seems a bit pointless these days when the difference is usually just a week or two, or often the same day. And of course the whole region hacking thing was done right from the start anyway which made it redundant. Actually kind of miss the excitement of getting Region 1 US releases of films long before they came out in the UK.

notjosh · « **Reply #104 on:** March 25, 2021, 02:59:29 PM »

Quote from: Chedney Honks on March 25, 2021, 06:13:24 AM

2 for £25 on Criterion Collection Blu-rays at Amazon, HMV and Zavvi right now.

Is this a regular thing, or are they likely to get any cheaper at a later date? I've been wanting to start a blu-ray collection for years after giving up on DVDs a few years back, but still don't have a player. Would rather wait until they're cheaper in general, but don't want to wait too long and find out that everything I want is an out-of-print collectable.

Chedney Honks · « **Reply #105 on:** March 25, 2021, 03:07:18 PM »

Quote from: notjosh on March 25, 2021, 02:59:29 PM

Is this a regular thing, or are they likely to get any cheaper at a later date?

Semi-regular but never seen CC much cheaper. You might get 3 for £30 on a more reduced selection of the shitters.

There's an Arrow Video sale coming on Tuesday which will be a belter.

greenman · « **Reply #106 on:** March 25, 2021, 04:00:18 PM »

You will rarely get Criterion stuff for cheaper than 2 for £25, maybe the odd less popular release might get reduced a little below that sometimes but I'd say you can be pretty confident that sale as it good as your likely to get in the near future. The slipcase releases(generally the £20+) ones which aren't reduced in this do sometimes get their own sales or individual reductions, Night of the Living Dead is a bit cheaper than normal last time I checked.

If your looking at Tarkovsky I would say Stalker is the one to get on Criterion when it comes to quality of the main feature, the other Artificial Eye releases are up their with Criterion in quality and generally cheaper but their version of Stalker is far worse.

Quote from: An tSaoi on March 25, 2021, 01:53:46 PM

Fucking regions. It's the single worst decision they ever made when the came up with DVDs and blu-rays. You never got that bullshit with CDs.

I consider it a form of racism.

UHD is region free as standard finally although besides Criterion you do get other 3rd part lables that do region free releases even on bluray.

Bluray.com is pretty good for checking that.

joaquin closet · « **Reply #107 on:** March 25, 2021, 06:28:29 PM »

Apparently Wong has George Lucas'd up his films for the Criterion Boxset... and a bit of chitchat I've seen suggests Chris Doyle is not happy...

holyzombiejesus · « **Reply #108 on:** March 25, 2021, 07:10:41 PM »

Quote from: notjosh on March 25, 2021, 02:59:29 PM

Is this a regular thing, or are they likely to get any cheaper at a later date? I've been wanting to start a blu-ray collection for years after giving up on DVDs a few years back, but still don't have a player. Would rather wait until they're cheaper in general, but don't want to wait too long and find out that everything I want is an out-of-print collectable.

Think Fopp do a 2 for 20 although that was just in store.

Chedney Honks · « **Reply #109 on:** March 25, 2021, 07:33:55 PM »

Quote from: joaquin closet on March 25, 2021, 06:28:29 PM

Apparently Wong has George Lucas'd up his films for the Criterion Boxset... and a bit of chitchat I've seen suggests Chris Doyle is not happy...

Yeah, the WKW restorations have already been available via stream in the US so there's been a lot of talk about the grading and reframing certain shots. I understand that they have the typical L'Immagine Ritrovata yellow tint, for one. Not surprised Christopher Doyle isn't happy, for a range of reasons, but it's ostensibly not an attempt to rerelease the original films.

WKW addresses all this in the notes on the set, apparently, and also in more detail here:

https://www.indiewire.com/2021/03/wong-kar-wai-interview-restorations-1234625897/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Personally, I'm really looking forward to seeing these new versions. I was absolutely delighted to get hold of the Criterion Chungking Express recently in fantastic nick, and if I don't like the new version as much, I'll watch the original. Same goes for ITMFL, ATGB, and Fallen Angels. My experience of DOBW and 2046 is from a knock off DVD5 fifteen years ago, so whatever image I have in my head would have been overwritten regardless.

My only criticism, really, is that I assume it would have been possible to do two versions of each, original and redux, and it's a decision not to do that. I would have preferred a different decision.