I was about to order Bunuel's Belle De Jour but somehow I have this nagging feeling that it was rumoured to be on the future release list for Criterion....and I recall some not-so-savory opinions of the transfer - which is not anamorphic as the cover says....and the promised interview with Deneuve is also absent if I recall...

So basically i'm curious to hear some opinions about the disc itself and rumoured rereleases, if any....does Criterion plan to release this in the future?

I have been hopeful that Criterion would release this, my favorite Buñuel film, but I think it's a long shot. (At one point the BV edition went OOP, which fueled the specualtion, but it was merely re-released at a lower price point.) The current BV edition is non-anamorphic. The transfer is soft, but serviceable. The commentary track is quite good. I'm happy to own it, but I'd upgrade to an new anamorphic transfer in a heartbeat.

Personally, I wouldn't hold out for a CC release. They have at least 2 or 3 unreleased Buñuel films (The Milky Way, The Phantom of Liberty, Tristana) that I expect to see long before they'd attack Belle de jour.

According to the specs on the amazon.com site the DVD is anamorphic?

what gives?

Nope. They've also listed a Catherine Deneuve interview on this DVD on certain sites, but it ain't there (I think BV is guilty of false advertising on both counts--but I could be wrong.).

Review from DVD Beaver

Pretty much my opinion, also.

Transfer's not very good. If I remember right, it is quite dirty as well. Wouldn't hold my breath on a Criterion edition.

Dan

It's unlikely that BV would license this to Criterion - they did let them put out Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, as well as Chasing Amy - but those titles are few and far between.

It's possible, but even if it happens it won't happen for a long long time.

In the meantime, the current disc is less than $10. May as well pick it up - you could sell it for close to that on Half.com once the new one comes out (IF a new one comes out).

it's not less than $10 anywhere i can find...$15 is the cheapest price on line....

Huh. Weird. I got it for $9.46 at DDD. It's $13.80 there now (still not a bad price, though, and less than $15).