• Last Year at Marienbad will be released on Blu-ray (and DVD) "this Spring."

Here it is.

Good news since I sold my DVD last year for $270.

If Criterion did use BD-50 for the movie w/ commentary and added a second SD DVD to hold the special features and used the same booklets for BD that they use for the DVD, and improved their case designs for the BD, and charged a few dollars more for it, would you guys pay for it or would you prefer the current model?
I, for one, would pay a few bucks more to get a better product.

I'd have no problem right now paying $30 for any of Criterion's blu-ray releases if I were to get exactly what I wanted from them, which is pretty much what you are talking about.

CC

Its been shoved in our faces numerous times that Blu-ray is a PREMIUM product and I have no qualms paying a bit extra if Criterion takes that extra step. But making the DVD superior to the Blu-ray in terms of Special Features is just wrong in so many ways. We've dealt with this crap with Fox, Universal, Sony before.

has there been any rumours if the upcoming 'Trilogy of Life' Pasolini films will be released on both standard DVD and HiDef, since 'Salo' was DVD only - don't necesarilly want to preorder the BFI blurays (yes, I know they will be region B locked), only to hear that Criterion does plan on a dual release.

I emailed Jon Mulvaney about the Ran BD and got the same response as posted above. I emailed him again for added clarification.

yeah!



shape up Criterion!

I figured I'd write to Mulvaney as well, as I do find a couple things about Criterion's approach to be pretty concerning.

Here's my email. Feel free to borrow, cut and paste, whatever... but I do think Criterion should know some people are taking issue with some of their current decisions.

________

To Whom It May Concern:

I'm potentially worried about Criterion's present approach to blu-ray, which I understand to be as "We won't put anything on blu-ray which is not on the corresponding DVD."

This pledge to current DVD customers is surely appreciated from your (admittedly large) camp of customers who have yet to adapt, or do not plan to adapt, blu-ray. However, from a technological (i.e. film experience) standpoint, that same pledge seems foolhardy. Is your promise not analogous to the following? "Don't worry customers. We won't put anything on DVD which is not on the corresponding VHS." With a little perspective, it is clear how silly the statement is.

I find Criterion's stance to mean, essentially, "Outside of 1080p video, we will not take advantage of the technological abilities that blu-ray offers, so as to appease our loyal DVD enthusiasts."

I understand that blu-ray is still in its infancy (hopefully), but -- if Criterion's goal is truly to support and promote the best presentation of a film through audio, video and supplemental excellence (while remaining true to the creator's/creators' intentions) -- then Criterion is defeating their own mission by failing to promote the technological capabilities that blu-ray offers.

I hope that in the future, as blu-ray continues to gain momentum, Criterion can find its way into effectively using and pushing the medium to new limits. For now, I am disappointed that Criterion is not already at the forefront of discovering the possibilities of blu.

(It should go without saying that the blu-ray should include at least the features/extras that are/were included on the DVD -- with exceptions for rights issues. What is going on with the Ran disc and its special features??)

I will say, however, that I am extremely pleased of Criterion's early endorsement of blu-ray at all, and that seeing these films in 1080p is extremely exciting.

I look forward to any comment or response you feel is appropriate.

Sincerely,

/./

Thanks for that great letter! I totally agree.

Is there any Blu-ray other than The Last Emperor that doesn't have the extras from the DVD?

Actually, I believe Last Emporer has all the extras. It does not have the TV version of the film, which isn't really an "extra".

Ran is missing 1 extra. And several are missing essays in the booklets, which are instead being made available for free online.

And a response. I think it is a reassuring response without getting into any of the nuts and bolts of present releases. Anyway, Mr. Becker does seem to understand the point of my letter, and some of the other general concerns that have been aired here.

Oh boy...we get bookmarks and a time menu. Woo hoo...

Hey man, those achievements are stretching Blu-ray to their limit!

Is the on-screen menu that big of a pain in the ass? HD DVD (yeah, yeah) could do this from Day 1 and it never seemed like it was that important since most players have the ability to tell you not only how long you have watched into a movie, but the time left (via the display and the TIME button on the remote). I know Sony calls it the "Blu-meter", but it seems like it would be very easy to implement.

I still have never figured out how to bookmark a movie and go back to it later...never felt the need to. And rarely do I touch the color buttons on my remote.

I never use the color buttons on my player. That's some real weak shit, telling us that a timeline and semi-transparent on-screen menu is a technological achievement of some merit. Nothing new, so Becker needs to stop playing up a weak hand. Too bad he can't just shoot straight. Notice how he didn't even acknowledge the Ran question.

I'm sorry I don't get all the fuss with Criterion. Are you expecting Monica Vitti to give you a blowjob?

I don't get what other studios have achieved that Criterion hasn't implemented. BD-Live is a big freakin' joke. Disney has included some games, which are actually pretty entertaining but I haven't seen anything else that really Wow-ed me.

I don't really understand why anyone would be upset over extra features not being in HD. Criterion's featurettes by and large consist of simple video interviews or clips from 30-year-old television interviews, and occasional archival footage. Hardly the sort of things that need to be reworked to be enjoyed. I can understand a bit more if there's a substantial documentary feature included, but honestly, would you rather Criterion spend the time and money required to transfer them into HD or use those resources on putting out more films? I know which I'd choose...

We're not arguing that the special features need to be in 1080p (at least I'm not arguing that). The argument is to make sure that not only is Criterion porting over all the special features from the DVD, but also that they're taking advantage of Blu-ray as a format by adding in things that can only be done on Blu-ray, such as PiP or BD-Live.

Yes, I think mainly PiP commentaries, etc., are what is being discussed. It took several years to figure out what "good" DVD extras actually were. How to use the new format? Criterion's earlier statements have seemed to indicate that they are opting out of that exploration ("Don't worry, DVD fans! You won't be left behind."), which is the part I was disappointed in.

If blu-ray is to succeed as a new format, DVD (or at least considerations of the DVD crowd when producing a blu-ray and its features) has to eventually be left behind.

I don't want to get into any argument about whether blu will supplement or replace DVD, etc.; I'm just explaining what the qualms with Criterion are about.

I am going to add a +1 here. Not having the extras in 1080p doesn't bother me at all. But what is the point of upgrading if my DVD has more features? There should be no reason (text stuff aside...I can always read my DVD one if needed) why they can't port it all over.

Last Year At Marienbad - to be announced tonight.

Pro-B