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Criterion releases for July 2010

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Criterion releases for July 2010

Old 04-15-10, 10:23 AM
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Criterion releases for July 2010



The Red Shoes - Spine 44

The Red Shoes, the singular fantasia from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, is cinema’s quintessential backstage drama, as well as one of the most glorious Technicolor visual feasts ever concocted for the screen. Moira Shearer is a rising star ballerina romantically torn between an idealistic composer and a ruthless impresario intent on perfection. Featuring outstanding performances, blazingly beautiful cinematography by Jack Cardiff, Oscar-winning sets and music, and an unforgettable, hallucinatory central dance sequence, this beloved classic, now dazzlingly restored, stands as an enthralling tribute to the life of the artist.

Disc Features

* New, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
* Audio commentary by film historian Ian Christie, featuring interviews with stars Marius Goring and Moira Shearer, cinematographer Jack Cardiff, composer Brian Easdale, and filmmaker Martin Scorsese
* Introductory restoration demonstration with Scorsese
* Profile of “The Red Shoes” (2000), a twenty-five-minute documentary
* Video interview with Thelma Schoonmaker Powell, Michael Powell’s widow
* Gallery from Scorsese’s collection of The Red Shoes memorabilia
* The “Red Shoes” Sketches, an animated film made from Hein Heckroth’s painted storyboards
* Readings by actor Jeremy Irons of excerpts from Powell and Pressburger’s novelization of The Red Shoes and the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale
* Theatrical trailer
* PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by Christie



Black Narcissus - Spine 93

This explosive work about the conflict between the spirit and the flesh is the epitome of the sensuous style of filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. A group of nuns—played by some of Britain’s best actresses, including Deborah Kerr, Flora Robson, and Jean Simmons—struggles to establish a convent in the snowcapped Himalayas; isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad. A darkly grand film that won Oscars for its set design and for its cinematography by Jack Cardiff, Black Narcissus is one of the greatest achievements by two of cinema’s true visionaries.

Disc Features

* New, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
* Video introduction by French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier
* Audio commentary featuring the late director Michael Powell and filmmaker Martin Scorsese
* The Audacious Adventurer, a 2006 video piece in which Tavernier discusses Black Narcissus and Powell
* Profile of “Black Narcissus” (2000), a twenty-five-minute documentary
* Painting with Light, a twenty-seven-minute documentary about Jack Cardiff’s Oscar-winning cinematography on Black Narcissus
* Original theatrical trailer
* PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Kent Jones



The Secret of the Grain - Spine 526

Winner of four César awards, including best picture and director, Abdellatif Kechiche’s The Secret of the Grain is a stirring drama about the daily joys and struggles of a bustling French-Arab family. It has the texture of a documentary but a classic, almost Shakespearean structure: when patriarch Slimane acts on his wish to open a port-side restaurant specializing in his ex-wife’s fish couscous, the extended clan’s passions and problems explode in riveting drama, leading to an engrossing, suspenseful climax. With sensitivity and grit, The Secret of the Grain celebrates the role food plays in family life and gets to the core of contemporary immigrant experience.

Disc Features

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION

* New high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Abdellatif Kechiche (with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
* New video interview with Kechiche
* Sueur, Kechiche’s captivating extended version of the film’s climactic belly dancing sequence, featuring a new introduction by the director
* New video interview with film scholar Ludovic Cortade
* Excerpt from a 20 heures television interview with Kechiche and actress Hafsia Herzi
* Video interviews with Herzi, actress Bouraouïa Marzouk, and the film’s musicians
* Theatrical trailer
* New and improved English subtitle translation
* PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film critic Wesley Morris



The Only Son/There Was a Father: Two Films by Yasujiro Ozu - Spines 524-525

These rare early films from Yasujiro Ozu are considered by many to be two of the Japanese director’s finest works, paving the way for a career among the most sensitive and significant in film history. The Only Son and There Was a Father make a graceful pair, bookending a crucial period in Japanese history. In the former, Ozu’s first sound film, made during a time of intense economic crisis, a mother sacrifices her own happiness for her son’s education; the latter, released in the midst of World War II, stars Ozu stalwart Chishu Ryu as a widowed schoolteacher trying to raise a son despite financial hardship. Criterion proudly presents these nearly lost treasures for the first time on home video.

Collector's set includes



The Only Son
Yasujiro Ozu, 1936

Yasujiro Ozu’s first “talkie,” the uncommonly poignant The Only Son is among the Japanese director’s greatest works, a simple story about a good-natured mother who gives up everything to ensure her son’s education and future.


There Was a Father
Yasujiro Ozu, 1942

Yasujiro Ozu’s frequent leading man, the graceful Chishu Ryu, is riveting as Shuhei, a widowed high school teacher who finds that the more he tries to do what’s best for his son’s future, the further they’re separated.

Disc Features

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DVD SET

* New high-definition digital transfers
* New video interviews with Japanese film scholar Tadao Sato and film scholars David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson
* New and improved English subtitle translations
* PLUS: Booklets featuring essays by film scholar Tony Rayns and reprints of pieces by actor Chishu Ryu and scholar Donald Richie



Presenting Sacha Guitry - Eclipse Series 22

Sacha Guitry was once a household name. Something of a Gallic counterpart to Nöel Coward, this disarming, multitalented artist served up some of 1930s French cinema’s tastiest dishes. The son of a beloved theater actor, Guitry was devoted to the footlights, first turning to the silver screen as a way of bringing his plays to a wider audience. His films were anything but stage-bound, however: often the director, writer, and star of his popular movies, Guitry brought a witty inventiveness to the cinema and deployed radical tactics with such aplomb and control that he’s considered one of the medium’s first “complete auteurs.” With these four films, American audiences can finally sample Guitry’s creative, comic confections.

Collector's set includes:

The Story of a Cheat
Sacha Guitry, 1936

Considered Sacha Guitry’s masterpiece, this fleet, witty picaresque about a gambler and petty thief is a whimsical delight. Guitry himself stars as the “tricheur” looking back fondly on a life of crime, which he narrates with an effervescence matched by his clever editing and cinematography.

The Pearls of the Crown
Sacha Guitry, 1937

Sacha Guitry plays four roles in this multilingual whirlwind of pageantry that investigates the fate of three pearls missing from the royal crown of England. Pearls rockets through four centuries of European history with imaginative, winking irreverence.

Désiré
Sacha Guitry, 1937

Sacha Guitry exchanges his usual top hat for a uniform in Désiré, in which he plays a cavalier valet embroiled in an awkward flirtation with his new employer, played by the actor-director’s real-life wife, Jacqueline Delubac.

Quadrille
Sacha Guitry, 1938

A sparkling four-way affair overflowing with dialogue that showcases writer-director Sacha Guitry’s wit, Quadrille stars Guitry as a magazine editor whose longtime girlfriend (whom he hopes to make his fiancée) is uncontrollably drawn to a handsome American movie star.

-

"The Red Shoes", "Black Narcissus", and "The Secret of the Grain" will also be available on Blu-ray.

Last edited by Sondheim; 04-15-10 at 10:56 AM.
Old 04-15-10, 10:49 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

2 reissues that were quite necessary, 2 Ozus, 1 contemporary, and an Eclipse set to reintroduce a forgotten director? Criterion as usual, do it right.
Old 04-15-10, 11:09 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

In for Ozu.
Old 04-15-10, 11:31 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

Secret of the Grain is a rental for sure; but if the film is good enough, the specs would justify a purchase. I'm instantly sold on everything else.
Old 04-15-10, 11:39 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

Black Narcissus Saw it for the first time during the Criterion challenge we had. Loved it a lot and it's a good thing I didn't buy the previous copy immediately.
Old 04-15-10, 05:00 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

I've already got the ITV Blu-ray and the Network DVD of Black Narcissus, so I'll pass on that, but I'm certainly in for more Ozu, Guitry, and, of course, The Red Shoes. I went ahead and canceled the BFI Late Spring/My Only Son Blu-ray/DVD combo, since My Only Son will be receiving a presumably stacked DVD, and a (hopefully) eventual Criterion Late Spring Blu-ray would certainly have extras, unlike the bare-bones BFI discs. Then again, I already have the Late Spring SD release, and it's doubtful any new extras would be included, not to mention the BFI pre-order price is quite cheap. Then again, I don't even have a region-free Blu-ray player yet. Decisions, decisions....

EDIT: No commentaries on the Ozu titles, pity. Donald Richie's thoughts would have been welcomed, as always.

Last edited by NoirFan; 04-15-10 at 05:09 PM.
Old 04-15-10, 07:00 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

Already have the UK-Import of BN on Blu-Ray, but will have to double dip for the extras. Those are two phenomenal Blu-Ray releases, can't wait for them.

As for the DVD releases that Guitry set looks really good, a definite blind-buy.
Old 04-15-10, 10:20 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

I'm definitely in for the two Powell & Pressburgers on Blu...
Old 04-15-10, 10:47 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

So excited about Red Shoes and Black Narcissus
Old 04-15-10, 11:09 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

Originally Posted by asianxcore
So excited about Red Shoes and Black Narcissus
I agree. Two visual treats. And "Black Narcissus" seems to get more fascinating every time I watch it, which I think is about five times now.
Old 04-16-10, 02:39 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

another banner month....these blu re-releases are going to force me into getting a weekend job or something to get them all. The May/June/July gauntlet is going to get very very pricey.

I thought B&N was supposed to have another 50% off sale this spring? they need to get on it so I can catch up!
Old 04-16-10, 03:24 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

intrigued by the Ozus, anyone seen them?

The rest I'm in for.
Old 04-16-10, 09:48 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

Just the re-issues for me.
Old 04-16-10, 10:07 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

Originally Posted by asianxcore
So excited about Red Shoes and Black Narcissus

Those covers are great. They would make nice posters.
Old 04-16-10, 10:55 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

Originally Posted by jdslater1
Those covers are great. They would make nice posters.
Really? I was about to make a post how about how ugly I think they are and if anyone agreed with me, haha. They look like they were made in Microsoft Paint!

Last edited by TheDuke; 04-16-10 at 10:57 AM.
Old 04-16-10, 02:10 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

Meh, pretty consistently disappointed by Criterion's releases so far this year. Not that these aren't probably very worthwhile films, but there is a lot of possible/rumored stuff I would anticipate much more... Two English Girls, The Magician, Los Olvidados, Weekend, just off the top of my head.

As for reissues, the two Powell/Pressburgers are great films, but would much rather see much needed upgrades for Andrei Rublev and Picnic at Hanging Rock. In fact, most of the reissues this year have struck me as less than necessary when there are still lots of good things as yet unreleased that Criterion could be doing. Well, at least it saves me some money for when they (hopefully) get around to releasing stuff I really want.
Old 04-16-10, 08:01 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

I really like the Ozu covers. I've never seen any Ozu films, and I think I may own Good Morning...
Old 04-16-10, 10:38 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

I'm in for the Sacha Guitry set, actually. My dad actually named me after him, he once told me (Sacha is my middle name), but his films were unavailable, so I never had a chance to see what inspired him so much to take that name and stick on my birth certificate (I never used it much as it was so weird a name in the U.S., in the 70s, when I grew up-- spelled different from the more common Sasha, which was given to girls mostly). My dad was of a different generation that appreciated Guitry in pre-WWII Germany. A lot had changed since then, so he was forgotten.
Old 04-17-10, 02:17 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

Originally Posted by Sex Fiend
Meh, pretty consistently disappointed by Criterion's releases so far this year. Not that these aren't probably very worthwhile films, but there is a lot of possible/rumored stuff I would anticipate much more... Two English Girls, The Magician, Los Olvidados, Weekend, just off the top of my head.

As for reissues, the two Powell/Pressburgers are great films, but would much rather see much needed upgrades for Andrei Rublev and Picnic at Hanging Rock. In fact, most of the reissues this year have struck me as less than necessary when there are still lots of good things as yet unreleased that Criterion could be doing. Well, at least it saves me some money for when they (hopefully) get around to releasing stuff I really want.
I'd say the three reissues that have been announced so far (excluding those that are simply being upgraded to BD, like "8 1/2" and "M") have each been well-deserving of the upgrade - possibly moreso than "Picnic at Hanging Rock" (though that, too, is certainly deserving of a good Blu-ray reissue.) Both P&P films have already been reissued in other parts of the world and apparently they put the previous releases to shame - the restoration of "The Red Shoes", in particular, is supposed to be a revelation.

Overall, in fact, I've been consistently more excited by their release schedule this year than I have for the past several years. The modern titles have been generally excellent ("Summer Hours", "Revanche", and "Everlasting Moments" are masterpieces, in my opinion) as have the Eclipse sets. And it's been great to finally see releases of long-rumored titles like "Lola Montes" and "Make Way for Tomorrow" and "Vivre sa vie" and "Red Desert" and "Bigger Than Life" and, most exciting for me, "Close-up" and the Rossellini set.

I am, however, completely with you on "Andrei Rublev" - though I've heard that they're having some problems finding a good enough print for it. And I too would love to see the Truffaut and Bergman and Bunuel and Godard (and Satyajit Ray and Dreyer and Fellini and Stroheim) sometime soon - but I can't say I'm disappointed with what we're getting so far this year.
Old 04-17-10, 11:38 AM
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Originally Posted by TheDuke
Really? I was about to make a post how about how ugly I think they are and if anyone agreed with me, haha. They look like they were made in Microsoft Paint!
You know I was referring to the first 2 only? I don't really like the others either.
Old 06-23-10, 09:44 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

DVD Beaver on The Only Son/There Was a Father: Two Films by Yasujiro Ozu
Old 06-23-10, 09:59 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

Originally Posted by jdslater1
You know I was referring to the first 2 only? I don't really like the others either.
Yeah, I know. I especially don't like the one for Red Shoes. Just seems strange to me.
Old 07-21-10, 12:11 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

DVD Beaver on Guitry
Old 07-26-10, 10:55 AM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

Black Narciussus looks so much better that the old Criterion DVD. In hindsight, its amazing that I watched the film with such washed out colors for so long. New disc is vibrant and wonderful. I love it.
Old 07-26-10, 01:01 PM
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Re: Criterion releases for July 2010

Originally Posted by Joe Buck
Black Narciussus looks so much better that the old Criterion DVD. In hindsight, its amazing that I watched the film with such washed out colors for so long. New disc is vibrant and wonderful. I love it.
Along with The Red Shoes easily the best restorations of the year.

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