re: Onibaba and Vengeance - better, how so?

For one thing, the MoC Onibaba boasts a full-lenth commentary by director Shindo (in addition to pretty much the same extra features on the Criterion), so you get more bang for your buck. Also, even with the poor exchange rate, it's slightly cheaper than the Criterion. The MoC is slightly sharper and slightly less cropped than the Criterion, though these differences are almost not worth mentioning.

As for Vengeance, to my eyes, MoC's colors are more accurate. This seems to be the consensus over at the Criterion Forum, too. Plus, if you're into extras, the MoC has a scholarly commentary, whereas the Criterion doesn't (though the Criterion does have a video interview with Imamura, which is lacking on the MoC).

I've read alot of the discussion on "Vengeance" and have found absolutely nothing to support the notion that MOC's color correction is, well, "correct". There's this general meme out there that "asian cinema should be green-tinted", and the only source for this notion I can find relates to Wong Kar-Wai's films, and certain criticisms by his former D.P., Christopher Doyle, that most Western DVDs have rendered those films in too natural a color scheme when they should tend toward the green. Hence, you have recommended DVDs for "2046" that maintain the correct green tint.

However, people seem to have extrapolated from this the notion that all Asian cinema (not just certain WKW films, but all Hong Kong films, as well as Japanese, Korean, etc.) should bear the green tint. This is, I think you'll agree, preposterous.

That said, I own the MoC "Vengeance is Mine" DVD, and recommend it on the basis of Tony Rayns' commentary, which is not found on Criterions. I also prefer MoC's artwork. But I'll eventually pick up Criterion's disc, as the transfer is exceptionally more detailed, almost as though veils had been lifted or grunge scrubbed away (and, yes, I've even read some contentions that the "grunge" must be intended given the "grungy" subject matter of the film).

But I'm open to being convinced that a grungy, greenish look was intended.

Fair enough. But I wasn't basing my opinion entirely on the "general meme" you mention. To me, there are two issues that clinch it for me:

1.) I find the color of skin tones in the MoC to be much more accurate/pleasing to me. There's a garishness to Criterion's colors that just don't seem quite right to me, but the ruddiness of the actors' faces in particular seem out-and-out wrong in comparison to what they look like in the MoC.

2.) I'm already a little wary of Criterion's color transfers for Japanese color films. Everybody is probably aware of how much they've fiddled with some of Melville's color films, but just take a look at their release of Ozu's Good Morning. It's truly awful -- possibly one of their worst treatments of color. And it features the same tell-tale ruddiness of flesh tones that bothers me so much in Vengeance.

At the same time, I'm not blind to instances where Criterion is clearly superior to MoC. Although I don't have Criterion's boxset yet, their Teshigahara films are markedly sharper and cleaner than MoC's, based on DVD Beaver's sceen captures. (Shame about Criterion's continued and misguided commitment to pictureboxing, though.)

So, of the Criterion/MOC overlaps; are Onibaba, Vengeance is Mine, and Kwaidan the only ones that the MOC versions are better?

MoC's 'Kwaidan' definately cause it's the longer complete version of the film - I haven't heard any news if Criterion has any plans to rerelease the film to it's original running time of 182 running time.

^^ I had read that and will most definitely pick up their version of Kwaidan.

I've recently fallen in love with the Masters of Cinema series. I particularly enjoy all the silent films they have released and the fact that they have even included an animated film in their series. The booklets that accompany each DVD are very informative as well. All this from a company that is more than likely less than half the size of Criterion.

Rather than make a separate thread announcing new movies, I'll try and update them here. Here are some new announcements:

Vampyr (1932) Carl Dreyer


Edvard Munch (1974) Peter Watkins


Der Letzte Mann aka The Last Laugh (1924) F.W. Murnau