One of my favorite films is coming to the Criterion Collection in April, along with a couple of other awesome blu-ray titles.
First, let's assume that perhaps you are not familiar with the Criterion Collection. I'm not sure when I became aware of Criterion, but it's been a while. The company specializes in restoring classic, cult and largely forgotten films, and its origins date back to the laserdisc era. A quick count of my personal collection reveals about 59 titles, or "spines," as Criterion geeks would put it (Criterion numbers each title sequentially and prints the number on the disc case's spine).
The Collection includes titles by Kurosawa, Fellini, Godard, Truffaut, among many other directors. These names originally formed the backbone of their catalog. Of course, over the course of time, it has expanded to include many lesser-known directors and titles. A deal with IFC films last year has led to the release of several new arthouse titles (Gomorrah, A Christmas Tale), creating some controversy among fans whether these titles have any place sitting alongside such titles as Breathless, 8 1/2 or The Seventh Seal. Notoriously, many years ago Michael Bay's Armageddon inexplicably was added to the Collection. More recently, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was released under the Criterion banner, prompting howls of derision. If you want to see just how deeply these debates rage among the faithful, I'll refer you to the Criterion Forum message boards (I'm a lurker but not a poster).
Ang Lee's Ride With The Devil will be released on Criterion on April 27, and that film has about as much respect on the Forum as Armageddon. Understandably, there is some skepticism about anything starring Tobey "Spiderman" Maguire and Jewel (yes, THAT Jewel) Kilcher. I read some comments a while back calling this release another commercial sellout, which is a bit of joke since I doubt many filmgoers have even seen this Civil War drama. I recall that upon its release, it played a single theater in Houston for exactly one week, and I was one of about three people in the theater. This title has more to do with Ang Lee (making his second Criterion appearance after The Ice Storm) and probably also with screenwriter/producer James Schamus, who I believe now runs Focus Features and is a fan of the Criterion Collection. And actor Jeffrey Wright is simply amazing in the film.
Anyway, I've written my critique of Ride With The Devil elsewhere, and I realize that a rather serious period drama is not up the alley of the average Ozu fan (though Kurosawa fans might want to give it a look). Though the extras are a bit skimpy for this edition, I'll take 13 minutes of restored footage, two commentaries and a audio/visual upgrade any day.
Also due for release on blu-ray in April are the extremely well-received 2009 release Summer Hours, which was Reverse Shot's #1 film of 2009 and even landed on their Best of the Decade list. Jean-Luc Godard's Vivre Sa Vie rounds out a spectacular month of releases. I've not seen it, but I'm a pretty dedicated fan of Godard on Criterion.
As far as I'm concerned, April will be one of best Criterion months since, well, this month, which has seen the release of Fellini's 8 1/2 on blu-ray, followed by Steven Soderbergh's Che next week and Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas on January 26.
(Interview with novelist Daniel Woodrell, author of Woe To Live On from which Ride With The Devil was very faithfully adapted.)
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