Since when did Criterion get Studio Canal stuff back?

Someone post a hint about it that Criterion apparently posed on their Instagram a page or two back. I'm just wondering if it's smoke and mirrors or the real thing.

There have been inklings that Criterion and Studio Canal might be working together again. They recently instagrammed a photo of the artwork for Grand Illusion, as well as the book from The Man Who Fell to Earth. I'm sure that whoever is is in charge of Criterion's social media knows exactly what the implications are by posting such things. Unless they're just a bunch of dicks, I would assume that there's something brewing with those two titles at the very least. When you throw in Criterion getting the Tati films back (although that may or may not have been due to the Tati estate's involvement) and the fact that they seem to be offering up replacements for damaged copies of the oop Pierrot le fou, the outlook seems positive.

That said, none of the above should be interpreted to mean that The Third Man is coming back in print tomorrow or at all. It's just speculation at this point.

Obama's Presidency?

Criterion had their annual Wexner Center panel discussion last night. They always reveal lots of new info at these things. Here's some of the highlights:

- That instagram of the Grand Illusion artwork (and the photo they posted yesterday) were pages from the new Criterion art coffee table book that's coming out this fall. Kind of of a bummer given that we had hopes that it meant the Studio Canal titles were coming back. That said...

- When asked about the SC titles, Kim Hendrickson's response was "I can't announce today that is happening." One could easily read a lot into this statement. It sounds like it might be being talked about, but the deal is not done yet.

- Apparently they are working with WB to get some more titles, which would be huge since historically WB does not license out titles. In particular they said Terrence Malick has another he wants to do with Criterion. That title would have to be The New World, which would be great, especially if they get Malick's preferred cut.

- They said more Lynch, Wes Anderson, Passolini, Erice and Kieslowski are on the way in 2015. One would assume that means Mulholland Dr. and Moonrise Kingdom for sure. I'm not familiar enough with Passolini or Erice to know what they might be. Kieslowski would most likely be Blind Chance, which had a new restoration done last year. It's definitely not The Decalogue, although they mentioned that the rights to it are out there.

- They confirmed Ray's Apu Trilogy, Kirostami's Koker Trilogy, Edward Yang's Brighter Summer Day, Truffaut's The Soft Skin and a Sullivan's Travels upgrade for 2015.

There was probably more, but those were the ones that stood out to me. Definitely some cool stuff on the horizon. The potential WB deal is probably the biggest news.

Would pick up Mulholland Dr. and Moonrise Kingdom without hesitation.

Hmmmm how about a Ken Russell box set?

I've been waiting on Moonrise Kingdom (and Budapest Hotel now as well). I assume that Wes Anderson knows his fans are going to wait for the Criterion versions.

If they can get the rest of the Water bearer titles that would be great.

Accatone
The Hawks and the Sparrows
The Gospel According to Saint Matthew
Oedipus Rex
Porcile
Love Meetings

Same here.

I wonder what WB titles they would put out.

Besides the Malick, they specifically mentioned pre-code. They also said that even if they only got half of the films on the list that's been circulating through the office, that it'd be a big deal. So, who knows.

A Mulholland Dr. and Lost Highway 2-set would be killer. Yes, I know LH was not mentioned or suggested. One can hope.

A Mulholland Dr Blu Ray without blurry privates would be nice. Not even just on a perv level -- it's seriously distracting.

Both American releases on DVD were put out by Universal.

Assuming Lynch is involved (and I see no reason to think he wouldn't be), I would be very surprised if the blurring wasn't there. It shouldn't matter anyway. If your brightness is set properly you shouldn't be able to see the blurring.

While I agree with Decker's sentiment for the sake of having the film untouched, this is very true. I have the UK Blu-ray of the film and (mostly) proper settings on my PJ, and I can't see the blurs at all.

The digital blurring in that (one) shot during Mulholland Drive was mandated in Laura Harring's contract. It's a permanent part of the film. It's not going anywhere.

As mentioned, it should not be visible with proper brightness settings.

David Lynch doesn't have any films with Warner Bros. except Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, which was originally produced by New Line but is currently under license to CBS Films and Paramount for the "Entire Mystery" box set. The hint that more Lynch films are coming has to be separate from the Warner announcement.

Eraserhead - Currently out by Criterion
The Elephant Man - Paramount
Dune - Universal
Blue Velvet - MGM
Wild at Heart - MGM (currently licensed to Twilight Time)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me - Originally New Line, on Blu-ray from CBS/Paramount
Lost Highway - Universal
The Straight Story - Disney
Mulholland Drive - Universal
Inland Empire - Absurda (Lynch's own label), last distributed on DVD by Rhino

(All of these are the domestic distribution arrangements. Some of these movies are distributed by different studios overseas, but that would have no bearing on Criterion.)

I wouldn't expect WB to open the floodgates on their titles. They might be able to swipe a few titles from them but I have to believe that it's going to be at a high cost and it will probably be more director-focused. It would be nice to get Kurosawa's Dreams in HD from Criterion.

I don't think anyone was implying that the Lynch thing and the WB deal were related. I think inri222 was just pointing out that if Mulholland Dr. is coming (via Universal), then it stands to reason that Lost Highway could be a possibility as well.

Based on Josh's list, I'm betting that the title we get next is Inland Empire...

Warner has less problem licensing out films with alternate cuts handled by the director. Their home video department does not like saying no to a working director in the industry, if asked.

I don't know. At this point Mulholland Dr. has all but been confirmed. I don't usually get worked up about what Criterion does and doesn't release. I just sort of take them as they come. But if Inland Empire gets an announcement before Mulholland Dr. (or even Lost Highway for that matter), I might hurt someone.