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Criterion releases for April 2009

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Criterion releases for April 2009

Old 01-15-09, 06:36 PM
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Criterion releases for April 2009



The Hit

Terence Stamp is Willie, a gangster’s henchman turned “supergrass” (informer) trying to live in peaceful hiding in a remote Spanish village. Sun-dappled bliss turns to nerve-racking suspense, however, when two hit men—played by a soulless John Hurt and a youthful, loose-cannon Tim Roth—come a-calling to bring Willie back for execution. This stylish early gem from Stephen Frears boasts terrific performances from a roster of England’s best hard-boiled actors and ravishing photography of its desolate Spanish locations—a splendid backdrop for a rather sordid story.

-New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director of photography Mike Molloy
-Commentary featuring director Stephen Frears and actors John Hurt and Tim Roth
-Parkinson One-to-One: “Terence Stamp,” a 1988 television interview with the actor
-Original theatrical trailer
-PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film critic Graham Fuller



In the Realm of the Senses

Still censored in its own country, In the Realm of the Senses (Ai no corrida), by Japanese director Nagisa Oshima, remains one of the most controversial films of all time. A graphic portrayal of insatiable sexual desire, Oshima’s film, set in 1936 and based on a true incident, depicts a man and a woman (Tatsuya Fuji and Eiko Matsuda) consumed by a transcendent, destructive love while living in an era of ever escalating imperialism and governmental control. Less a work of pornography than of politics, In the Realm of the Senses is a brave, taboo-breaking milestone.

-New, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
-New audio commentary with film scholar Tony Rayns
-New interview with actor Tatsuya Fuji
-A 1976 interview with director Nagisa Oshima and actors Fuji and Eiko Matsuda, and a 2003 program featuring interviews with consulting producer Hayao Shibata, line producer, Koji Wakamatsu, assistant director Yoichi Sai, and film distributor Yoko Asakura
-Deleted footage
-U.S. trailer
-New and improved English subtitle translation
-PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by Japanese film scholar Donald Richie and a reprinted interview with Oshima



Empire of Passion


With an arresting mix of eroticism and horror, Oshima plunges the viewer into a nightmarish tale of guilt and retribution in Empire of Passion (Ai no borei). Set in a Japanese village at the end of the nineteenth century, the film details the emotional and physical downfall of a married woman (Kazuko Yoshiyuki) and her younger lover (Tatsuya Fuji) following their decision to murder her husband and dump his body in a well. Empire of Passion was Oshima’s only true kaidan (Japanese ghost story), and the film, a savage, unrelenting experience, earned him the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival.

-New, restored high-definition digital transfer
-New video essay by film historian and critic Catherine Russell
-New interview with actors Kazuo Yoshiyuki and Tatsuya Fuji
-An interview program from 2003 featuring production consultant Koji Wakamatsu and assistant directors Yusuke Narita and Yoici Sai
-New and improved English subtitle translation
-PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film critic Tony Rayns and a reprinted interview with Nagisa Oshima



Science is Fiction: 23 Films by Jean Painleve


Jean Painlevé was a film director, critic, theorist, and animator, yet his interests and studies also extended to mathematics, medicine, and zoology. Amazingly, all these disparate strands came together in a groundbreaking, decades-spanning artistic career. Operating under the credo “Science is fiction,” Painlevé forged his own unique cinematic path, creating countless short films for both the viewing public and the scientific community. Moreover, he was also one of the first filmmakers to take his camera underwater. Surreal, otherworldly documents of marine life, these films transformed sea horses, octopi, and mollusks into delicate dancers in their own floating ballets. This anthology features twenty-three of Painlevé’s shorts in their original form, as well as Yo La Tengo’s ninety-minute original score The Sounds of Science, written in 2001 to accompany eight of the director’s films.

-New, restored digital transfers
-The Sounds of Science, an original score by Yo La Tengo to Jean Painlevé’s films, plus an interview with the band
-More than two hours of interviews with the filmmaker, drawn from the eight-part television series Jean Painlevé au fils de ses films, directed by Denis Derrien and Hélène Hazera
-New and improved English subtitle translations
-PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Scott MacDonald and notes on all the films by Painlevé

Last edited by Sondheim; 01-17-09 at 12:18 AM.
Old 01-15-09, 06:41 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Apparently In the Realm of the Senses will also receive a Blu-ray edition, as will Wages of Fear. Hopefully Criterion will include Yo La Tengo's soundtrack CD for Science is Fiction, as the BFI did in their superb set. Glad to see The Hit finally confirmed.
Old 01-15-09, 07:00 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Awesome to see The Hit. I will definitely give that one a blnd-buy. The Oshima's sound interesting as well and will prob. give those two a rent.
Hope we get some good extras.
Old 01-15-09, 07:04 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Originally Posted by me12321
The Hit
Hell Yeah!!!!
Old 01-15-09, 07:25 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Huh ..... I remember seeing THE HIT several years ago on cable, and really disliking it from beginning to end, which surprised me since I like the director and the cast.

This is the first month in quite a while when none of the releases jump up and demand my immediate pruchase.
Old 01-15-09, 07:46 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Blu-Ray releases in April:



21 Apr 2009
Blu-Ray
1 Disc
SRP: $39.95



28 Apr 2009
Blu-Ray
1 Disc
SRP: $39.95

Last edited by NoirFan; 01-15-09 at 07:50 PM.
Old 01-15-09, 08:07 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Originally Posted by NoirFan
Hopefully Criterion will include Yo La Tengo's soundtrack CD for Science is Fiction, as the BFI did in their superb set.
The Criterion set is 3 discs, so I would assume the third disc is the CD. The BFI set has only 14 films, so the Criterion will be 9 up on it. Extras, synopsis, and specs for the four releases are up at Criterion's website here, but I'll leave it up to the OP to post them in this thread.
Old 01-15-09, 08:32 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Very excited about In The Realm of the Senses. I previously only could find the English dubbed version.
Old 01-15-09, 09:08 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

A very rare month where I'll probably be picking up all four. I've been waiting on the Hit since the day it was mentioned as being accquired by Image; such a fantastic movie.

Originally Posted by NoirFan
The Criterion set is 3 discs, so I would assume the third disc is the CD.
The soundtrack is mentioned in the features list on Criterion's site.
Old 01-15-09, 09:13 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Huh. Nothing for me in April. Oh well.
Old 01-16-09, 04:36 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

I've been waiting ages for The Hit. Thanks for the news!
Old 01-16-09, 06:46 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

YES, YES, YES! The Hit! Finally. Awesome film.
Old 01-16-09, 10:38 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

I'll be picking up the Blu-rays, and Science is Fiction sounds awesome, will probably get that too.
Old 01-16-09, 10:47 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

I've never seen any of these releases but I'm really interested in The Hit. It sounds like a film I would really enjoy.

The Hit will most likely be a blind-buy for me.
Old 01-16-09, 12:06 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

The Hit & Wages of Fear are must-buys for me.
Old 01-16-09, 12:09 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Im not big on blind buying criterion flicks, but The Hit looks pretty good.
Old 01-16-09, 01:30 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Science Is Fiction is the only must-have for me. One of Criterion's most unusual, and from the looks of it, wonderful releases since by Brakhage. A pity the website does not have a list of the films included.

Also a pity that it doesn't look like we'll be getting an Eclipse set.
Old 01-16-09, 01:49 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

The Hit and Science is Fiction for me.
Old 01-16-09, 03:38 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Very, very psyched about The Hit (since Stamp is one of my all-time favs), but majorly bummed that it doesn't get a Blu-release.

Disspointed in the Blus overall for April, a months worth of releases & no interest in either film.
Old 01-16-09, 06:11 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Here's the Empire of Passion cover:


Last edited by NoirFan; 02-12-09 at 06:00 PM.
Old 01-16-09, 06:18 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

The cover art for Empire of Passion is absolutely great! I might be picking up In the Realm of the Senses... been wanting to see this for years.
Old 01-16-09, 08:32 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Looks like I'll be getting The Hit, and both Oshima's
Old 01-17-09, 12:07 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Empire of Passion is a must buy... great ghost story.
Old 01-17-09, 07:52 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

The Hit sounds like it could be a blind buy for me.
Old 01-17-09, 08:10 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for April 2009

Originally Posted by me12321


The Hit

Terence Stamp is Willie, a gangster’s henchman turned “supergrass” (informer) trying to live in peaceful hiding in a remote Spanish village. Sun-dappled bliss turns to nerve-racking suspense, however, when two hit men—played by a soulless John Hurt and a youthful, loose-cannon Tim Roth—come a-calling to bring Willie back for execution. This stylish early gem from Stephen Frears boasts terrific performances from a roster of England’s best hard-boiled actors and ravishing photography of its desolate Spanish locations—a splendid backdrop for a rather sordid story.

-New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director of photography Mike Molloy
-Commentary featuring director Stephen Frears and actors John Hurt and Tim Roth
-Parkinson One-to-One: “Terence Stamp,” a 1988 television interview with the actor
-Original theatrical trailer
-PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film critic Graham Fuller
Awesome.

Man that's cool Criterion is doing this film.

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