Criterion Collection

[Ben]

Rand and I already got all excited for Daniel Webster (kind of a shame they’re going for the AKA, and that "also known as" on the cover is really clunky), and he teased me about To Die For, but it’s a smart comedy-thriller and I’d be tempted in the next CC sale. I have the Network BD and it might do me seeing as there are few new extras here, but it might make up the numbers on a future batch.

[Randall]

For some reason, it really surprised me that Network put out To Die For. They mostly put out UK-produced fare. (There was a UK aspect to the production, and Canada too, but I think most would see it as an American film.)

And I never meant to imply that To Die For wasn't worthy. It's a smart film. But I also knew it wasn't the one you were most excited to see coming from Criterion this month.

For me this month, I'll just be needing The Devil and Daniel Webster. I sold off the DVD version a few years ago, once I heard of the restoration, and it's nice to see it come to fruition.

[Ben]

Onetime UK giant Rank was one of the companies behind this, even before Columbia, I think, hence why Network ended up with UK rights, since they handled a lot of the legacy Rank titles before StudioCanal essentially took all (most) ownership. So although it was an "American" film, it was British-produced and, I’d guess, as a big title that had a lot of recognition factor and Kidman on the cover, Network were pleased to find they had rights and could put it out, even if it didn’t seem to "fit" with their usual Britcom-centric titles. But, yeah, it was a Rank film, same as Weekend At Bernie's that they also put out, and a good few other titles that Rank co-financed as a way to sustain or increase their international footprint back in the day. In the end all these libraries got sold off and absorbed into other companies, most of which have now ended up with StudioCanal. I’m not expecting it, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the SC logo pop up on this one now too.

[Daniel]

April titles:

Picnic at Hanging Rock: (1975)
NEW 4K RESTORATION, supervised and approved by director Peter Weir and director of photography Russell Boyd, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
HDR PRESENTAITON OF THE FILM
Program on the making of the film, featuring interviews with executive producer Patricia Lovell, producers Hal McElroy and Jim McElroy, and cast members
Introduction by film scholar David Thomson, author of The New Biographical Dictionary of Film
On-set documentary hosted by Lovell and featuring interviews with Weir, actor Rachel Roberts, and source-novel author Joan Lindsay
Homesdale (1971), a black comedy by Weir
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: An essay by author Megan Abbott and an excerpt from film scholar Marek Haltof's 1996 book Peter Weir: When Cultures Collide

La Haine: (1995)
NEW 4K RESTORATION, supervised by director of photography Pierre Aïm and approved by director Mathieu Kassovitz, with 2.0 and 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Audio commentary by Kassovitz
Introduction by actor Jodie Foster
Ten Years of "La haine," a documentary featuring cast and crew members
Featurette on the film's banlieue setting
Production footage
Deleted and extended scenes, with an afterword by Kassovitz
Behind-the-scenes photos
Trailers
PLUS: An essay by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau and a 2006 appreciation by filmmaker Costa-Gavras

Werckmeister Harmonies: (2000)
NEW 4K RESTORATION, supervised and approved by director Béla Tarr, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Family Nest (1979), Tarr's first feature film
New interview with Tarr by film critic Scott Foundas
New English subtitle translation
PLUS: An essay by film programmer and critic Dennis Lim

I Am Cuba: (1964)
NEW 4K RESTORATION, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
"I Am Cuba," the Siberian Mammoth, a 2004 documentary on the making of the film featuring key participants
Interview from 2003 with filmmaker Martin Scorsese
New appreciation of the film by cinematographer Bradford Young
Trailer
Alternate Russian-dubbed soundtrack
New English subtitle translation
PLUS: An essay by film critic Juan Antonio García Borrero

Dogfight: (1991)
NEW 2K RESTORATION, supervised by director Nancy Savoca, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
Audio commentary featuring Savoca and producer Richard Guay
New interview with Savoca and actor Lili Taylor conducted by filmmaker Mary Harron
New interviews with cinematographer Bobby Bukowski, production designer Lester Cohen, script supervisor Mary Cybulski, music supervisor Jeff Kimball, supervising sound editor Tim Squyres, and editor John Tintori
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: An essay by film critic Christina Newland

[Ben]

Safe for another month…

[Randall]

Me too. Absolutely nothing I need this month.

[Ben]

I’m half-tempted by Panic Rock, but there’s the nice UK edition to consider too. Then again, it’s not really a repeater once seen, and I only saw it again fairly recently on TPTV.

Speaking of, CBS just did a segment on this great little channel that I’ve often referred to in this thread and elsewhere. They’ve really taken off here as the home for vintage films and series, and there’s always some curio or other pops up every week that saves me a blind buy disc — or spurs me on to pick one up if the film is that good!

Recently, their showing of Devil Girl From Mars proved to me that I don’t need the new release, and they had Panic Rock on again just this past week. It’s such a random selection from many licensees and eras, and not just classic Britfilm either — the 1966 Batman movie played Saturday! Since they’re also Hertfordshire based like me, I’m actually in contact with them about a potential segment/series idea, and they’re such nice people too.

Here’s the CBS piece:

[Daniel]

May titles:

Peeping Tom (1960)
NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
Two audio commentaries, one featuring film scholar Laura Mulvey and one featuring film historian Ian Christie
Introduction by filmmaker Martin Scorsese
Interview with editor Thelma Schoonmaker
Documentary about the film's history, featuring interviews with Schoonmaker, Scorsese, and actor Carl Boehm
Documentary about screenwriter Leo Marks
Program on the film's restoration
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: An essay by author Megan Abbott

A Story of Floating Weeds / Floating Weeds (1934-1959)
4K MASTER OF FLOATING WEEDS, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
High-definition digital master of A Story of Floating Weeds, featuring a score by composer Donald Sosin, presented in 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray
Audio commentary for A Story of Floating Weeds by Japanese-film historian Donald Richie and for Floating Weeds by film critic Roger Ebert
Trailer
English subtitle translation by Richie for Floating Weeds
PLUS: An essay by Richie

Anatomy of a Fall: (2023)
2K MASTER, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
New interview with director Justine Triet
Deleted and alternate scenes with commentary by Triet
Audition footage of actors Milo Machado Graner and Antoine Reinartz and rehearsal footage of Machado Graner and actor Sandra Hüller
Trailer
PLUS: An essay by critic Alexandra Schwartz

Girlfight: (2000)
NEW 4K RESTORAITON, supervised by director Karyn Kusama and director of photography Patrick Cady, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
Audio commentary featuring Kusama
New interviews with Kusama, editor Plummy Tucker, and composer Theodore Shapiro
Trailer
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
PLUS: An essay by author Carmen María Machado

Three Revolutionary Films by Ousmane Sembène: Emitaï, Xala, Ceddo (1971-1977)
NEW 4K RESTORATIONS of all three films, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks
New conversation between Mahen Bonetti, founder and executive director of the African Film Festival, and film writer Amy Sall
The Making of "Ceddo," a 1981 documentary by Paulin Soumanou Vieyra
New English subtitle translations
PLUS: An essay by film scholar Yasmina Price

[Ben]

Just got the StudioCanal Tom, a film I love, but will see the comparisons on DVD Beaver to see if I need the CC too, for any alternate extras (doesn’t look too different at a glance). Nothing else for me, though I do need to see Fall.

[Randall]

I was always curious about Peeping Tom, given its pedigree, but figured I'd find it uncomfortable. Interesting that Ben loves it, though.

[Ben]

Oh, it’s very, very uncomfortable!

[Randall]

I abhor discomfort.

[Ben]

Then you don't need to see Peeping Tom! There’s a reason that it pretty much finished off Powell's career, in the UK at least…