BuckNaked2k

I had 3 of 4 "new account" orders shipped. The first one I placed is the only one showing a delay. I called CS just to see if they had more info, and they did confirm the item is OOS, and expected back in the warehouse soon.

To the guy who had his orders canceled: I would call CS and attempt to get an explanation. If they can't provide one, I would ask they they place the orders again with you on the phone, and with the original discounts applied to each order. If they give you guff about the coupons no longer applying, I'd tell them that's their problem, figure it out, you want the items at the price they originally confirmed.

Brian T

Not that I could attend, but hearing things like this always piques my interest . . . What's the focus?

Dining Dead

I'm a bit ashamed to say that I've yet to see an Ingmar Bergman film. I am familiar with what his best films are, but am unsure of where to start. I picked up Wild Strawberries yesterday because I heard it was a good introduction to Bergman. However, I want to get more of his titles during this sale.

I've always been a huge fan of Woody Allen's dramas, which I've read owe a heavy debt to Bergman.

Any suggestions of what I should get next? I'd like to hear other opinions outside of critic's reviews.

devinjc

blind bought blu

Gomorrah
Revanche
Repulsion
Last Year at Marienbad

Dining Dead

Also, I'm on the fence about getting Stagecoach. I know this is considered an important and classic Western, but how entertaining is it?

Is it more of a film where you can watch and say, "I can really see how influential and important this film is, but it really isn't that entertaining."

I'm a fan of Westerns, but only those that are classics. My favorite would have to be Rio Bravo, followed by The Wild Bunch or The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Willh51

Excellent trip for me.

1. Ride with the Devil CC Blu-ray
2. Stagecoach CC Blu-ray
3. Chungking Express CC Blu-ray in Digipack
4. Night Train to Munich CC
5. Life Aquatic 2-Disc CC with slipcover
5. Royal Tenenbaums 2-Disc CC with slipcover

Undeadcow

I enjoyed Seventh Seal which had some great atmosphere. There's a middle segment which seemed to get a little too "slapstick" for me but otherwise well put together. I haven't worked through all the special features yet but found the commentary to be bland seeming to narrate what was happening on-screen rather than giving analysis or background.

Gobear

Wild Strawberries is an excellent start; I find I relate to it more and more every year that passes. You must also see The Seventh Seal; it's one of the hallmarks of arthouse cinema. After that, check out Cries and Whispers The Virgin Spring, and Persona.

CardiffGiant

Bergman is my favorite director and I'd start with The Seventh Seal.

Fanny and Alexander may be my favorite Bergman film, but it isn't easy to pop in and watch, rather, most people will need two days to view it (because of length).

I would add the Bergman Film Trilogy to the list (all three films are great, IMO) and I would round out the (Criterion) recommendations with Smiles of a Summer Night and The Virgin Spring.

I disagree with many critics and fans on Cries and Whispers. Most seem to love the film, but it is likely my least favorite Bergman film (that I've seen).

Overall, I think that The Seventh Seal is a good starting point (and, as you mentioned, Wild Strawberries) for those getting into Bergman. I think "bang for your buck" with the current sale, the Bergman Film Trilogy could be a good direction to head in.

JoeStSteven

My orders:

Jigoku / Rossellini War Trilogy - shipped yesterday
Ikiru / Pickpocket / Sisters - arrived today
Red Desert / Paris Texas - both backordered

anybody else notice Children are Watching Us was not offered in the sale? It is still in stock at Amazon but DVD Empire has it listed as 'discontinued by studio'. Anybody know anything about this?

Anyway .. nice stuff. I didn't realize Pickpocket was not anamorphic but .. oh well.

JoeStSteven

hey Dead , I would reccomend, if you have the funds, diving into some good 70s Ingmar Bergman dramas. I would suggest : Autumn Sonata, Cries and Whispers, Fanny and Alexander.

also , whoever asked about WR, it's really a very cool movie. If you are a 'counter culture' type I am sure you will like it a lot. However, it's not for everybody. Anybody check out the Makavejev (sp?) Eclipse boxset yet?

Mike UFC

Another vote for Seventh Seal. It's a movie I went into with high expectations and they were exceeded. It's definitely one of my favorite Criterions.

CardiffGiant

I'm not a huge Western fan (I like the basics like The Man with No Name Trilogy, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Searchers, etc.)

I recently watched Stagecoach on Netflix streaming and I found it to be an entertaining film. While we have retroactively called it an "important" and "influential" film, I think it still has a good amount of entertainment value and is suspenseful.

Dining Dead

Wow, thanks for all of the quick responses. I think I'm going to get The Seventh Seal and then Fanny and Alexander. I assume the extended cut of Fanny is the only way to go? Seems like I once ran across a quote from Bergman himself denouncing the shorter cut as "rubbish."

Dining Dead

Oh, and one final question to help me decide on something. If you had to choose between The Lady Eve and Sullivan's Travels, which would you go with? I've read Ebert's "Great Movies" entry on Eve but was surprised to not see an entry on Sullivan's.

I always thought the general consensus was that Sullivan's was easily Sturges' best work. Then again, Ebert does often go against the grain, which is why he is my favorite and my trusted critic.

Gobear

I prefer The Lady Eve myself. If you don't need the extras, it would be more cost-effective to buy the Preston Sturges box set from Amazon which has both films as well as 5 other of his classics.

John Hodson

Stagecoach is hugely entertaining; Ford pretty much invented the language of the western and Stagecoach is THE classic western. The Criterion is a gem; go get it pilgrim.

obscurelabel

The first half of The Lady Eve is one of my favorite "partial movies." I won't give away anything about the second half except to say that it was quite different in several ways, and that I didn't like it nearly as much. That may be exactly what Sturges intended of course ... it becomes more intruiging than amusing (I should have mentioned it in the "Single movies that feel like two" thread). If choosing between the two I probably would vote for Sullivan's Travels as more accessible and consistently enjoyable. I own both

Dining Dead

Your post was read in my mind using the voice of John Wayne.

CardiffGiant

Good choices; those two are my favorites.

Yes, the television version is the way to go. I own the box set, but I've only ever watched the television version. While that might seem to disqualify my perspective on the issue, after watching the full version, I simply can't watch a film that's had two hours edited from it.

While it is a long film, I think the time flies by.

Mr. Cinema

Bigger Than Life and Che are on their way from BN.com. I also was able to buy the lone copies of Monsters & Madmen and Fiend Without a Face in all of the Raleigh/Durham BN stores.

jrsl76

All my orders show as pending on my bank account and the orders on the site show the full coupons. 2 of them shipped (Paris, Tx Blu, Stagecoach Blu), 2 have ship dates of today (Revanche Blu, Wings Of Desire Blu), but the 1st thing I ordered (and on the night of July 12th) which is the Yojimbo/Sanjuro Box shows a ship date of 8/2. I hope everything goes through ok.

Paul_SD

Got shot down at a third location with the $5 off coupon.
AS soon as I pulled it out he said they couldn't accept it because it states "with a CURRENT price of $20 or more". I was trying to use it on Night Train To Munich.
I'm 0 for 3 on these this time.


Dining Dead- good choices on the Bergman titles. You should know after those two whether you'll want to explore more of his stuff.

I would also second the rec to pick up the Universal Sturges set if you are interested in those films. In the past I've seen it go for $25 new. If you wait, and keep your eyes open, another deal on it will come around eventually.

Jon Hertzberg

The problem is I ordered each using a different email--nearly 10 in all--and thru the Boeing site so it ends up being very time consuming over the phone with all of their security questions. I was told they could reapply the 20% B & N coupon, but not the shipping / 7% discount from Boeing. I had ordered online originally to avoid the hassle of haggling to use coupons in store. Now, I guess I will try the in-store route after all.

Laser Movies

The store I visited yesterday initially gave me some resistance with the $20 stipulation but I was able to talk him into accepting the two coupons I had with me. First I showed him a copy of a email printout of a DVD I reserved online that had a $20 price right on the email, then brought up the fine print saying the price was before all discounts. He had no problems honoring the coupon after that.