Criterion Random Speculation Vol.4

News on Criterion and Janus Films.
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HerrSchreck
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:46 am

#1001 Post by HerrSchreck » Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:31 pm

Isn't MGM distrib by Fox?

Fucking confusing, shit changes every week it seems...

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What A Disgrace
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#1002 Post by What A Disgrace » Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:37 pm

This is how I came to understand it. I could be quite wrong.

- Sony bought MGM, but MGM still has some authority over its affairs.
- MGM was not happy with Sony's distribution and technical treatment of their back catalogue.
- So MGM tried letting Fox have a try at it, and Fox seem to be more up to it.

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miless
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#1003 Post by miless » Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:47 pm

What A Disgrace wrote:Sony bought MGM, but MGM still has some authority over its affairs.
Sony was just hired to put out MGM's back catalog of titles, until the stock-holders decided they didn't like what Sony was doing and they (MGM) signed a new distribution deal with Fox.

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HerrSchreck
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#1004 Post by HerrSchreck » Sat Jul 12, 2008 2:05 pm

The whole thing is nerve wracking, as there's some great UA stuff in there, not to mention the genuine mgm titles, and of course well-beloved Midnite Movies too. I'm always afraid the next piece of catalog whoredom is going to come down with "Due to low sales and margins, the Midnite Movies line will be discontinued. We thank our loyal consumers for their support over the years, and we hope to have better news for you in the future. Our apologies-- and ponds of tears-- but..."

Thankfully Fox have stepped up. They've actually been getting down righteously... Witchfinder General, Man of the West, not to mention the Fox line on its own, Big Trail, Ford @ Fox, coming Borzaage... they've been diddling up quite a nice mambo lately. They keep it up they're going to zap by WB, which is seriously pissing me off w the silents-- lies lies lies.

MGM is in good hands now, it seems. At least for the time being.

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Jeff
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#1005 Post by Jeff » Sat Jul 12, 2008 2:31 pm

justeleblanc wrote:I still dont understand the relationship between MGM and Sony. Aren't they now the same company?
From Jameson281, our own inside man at MGM:
MGM is owned by a consortium made up of Sony, Comcast and various companies that put up financing to buy it. When MGM was unhappy with Sony's distribution of its product, it dumped them as distributor and talked to various companies to take over that work. Fox made the best offer. So they are distributor only; they "own" no part of MGM.

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justeleblanc
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#1006 Post by justeleblanc » Sat Jul 12, 2008 2:44 pm

Does that make both of these Wenders titles Fox titles, and thus possibilities for an Eclipse set?

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CSM126
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#1007 Post by CSM126 » Sat Jul 12, 2008 2:56 pm

justeleblanc wrote:Does that make both of these Wenders titles Fox titles, and thus possibilities for an Eclipse set?
Why would Criterion (or anyone else) do something as dumb as snatch up the rights to two movies that used to be available in special editions just to downgrade them to barebones editions?

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Jeff
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#1008 Post by Jeff » Sat Jul 12, 2008 2:58 pm

justeleblanc wrote:Does that make both of these Wenders titles Fox titles, and thus possibilities for an Eclipse set?
I don't think so. I'm pretty sure that Fox can't license MGM product, since they are a third-party distributor themselves. I'm betting that MGM and Fox's distribution rights to the two Wenders titles have just expired and reverted back to his own production company. Maybe Jameson can step in and set us straight.

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fdm
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#1009 Post by fdm » Sat Jul 12, 2008 3:28 pm

A couple of other Wenders titles that were supposed to be put out by Anchor Bay eons ago, that didn't subsequently make it into their box either (far as I know), were The Goalie's Fear Of The Penalty [1971] and State Of Things [1982]. Perhaps these could make it into a Criterion/Eclipse box of some sort.

(They were also going to put out Subeila's Man Facing Southeast in early 2003, supposedly).

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What A Disgrace
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#1010 Post by What A Disgrace » Sat Jul 12, 2008 4:52 pm

CSM126 wrote:
justeleblanc wrote:Does that make both of these Wenders titles Fox titles, and thus possibilities for an Eclipse set?
Why would Criterion (or anyone else) do something as dumb as snatch up the rights to two movies that used to be available in special editions just to downgrade them to barebones editions?
Amen.

Eclipse is going to our brains, man.

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domino harvey
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#1011 Post by domino harvey » Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:56 pm

If Criterion did get those Wenders titles, they'd have him record new commentaries, add supplemental interviews, and then package them with a third unavailable movie and make it a Wenders box. Big "if" there, but that's how I'd imagine it going down.

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Tommaso
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#1012 Post by Tommaso » Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:58 am

Problem (or not) is that Wenders has already recorded excellent audio commentaries to nearly all his films, and most of them in both English and German. There are also excellent interviews with him (in German) on the arthaus Wenders discs, which would only need subtitling probably. So apart from these new discs being entirely English friendly, I doubt there will be any improvement over the Wenders-approved arthaus discs and transfers. Unless they go BluRay, of course.

Dr. Mabuse
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#1013 Post by Dr. Mabuse » Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:55 am

Tommaso wrote:Unless they go BluRay, of course.
That was my first thought, also. Exciting news, anyway

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Antoine Doinel
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#1014 Post by Antoine Doinel » Sun Jul 13, 2008 9:39 am

domino harvey wrote:If Criterion did get those Wenders titles, they'd have him record new commentaries, add supplemental interviews, and then package them with a third unavailable movie and make it a Wenders box. Big "if" there, but that's how I'd imagine it going down.
How about this for a box title: Wenders Of Desire :P

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Cronenfly
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#1015 Post by Cronenfly » Sun Jul 13, 2008 1:48 pm

I can't see them boxing these two titles together, seeing as they have nothing to do with each other beyond being released one after the other. As well, any other titles (even Faraway, So Close) would sit very oddly together indeed.

My guess is that the rights have reverted for both these titles to Wenders' Road Movies, and he's licensing these titles to Criterion same as he did all the ones Anchor Bay has released.

I'm with Jeff that Criterion releasing these two titles isn't really worth their time, but I'm sure some people thought that about Mishima too (although the old R1 DVD of that had more issues [burnt-in subs, lacking the Scheider V/O most notably] than the old R1 DVDs of Wings/Paris, and I think Mishima had more room for new, worthwhile supplements than either of these will). It doesn't help that I'm not the biggest fan of either film/Wenders in general, but I really can't see the point in Criterion releasing these (beyond putting them back in print in R1 [which I suppose is reason enough, as there was no way the old editions would stay in print now that the rights have reverted back to Wenders], Criterion being interested only in Wenders' more popular titles as opposed to the more marginal ones actually in need of a R1/any release, etc). I would much rather see them release the DC of Until the End of the World (thanks for dropping the ball on that one, Anchor Bay) or Kings of the Road, say, if they're going to release some Wenders, but alas and alack...

However, I look forward to the new supplements if they involve Peter Falk or Harry Dean Stanton in any capacity...maybe Criterion should release it as a boxset, with Crazy Old Man-themed supplements (and a Swimminghorses cover, of course). Stanton and Falk could interview each other, box perhaps, exchange life philosophies...all (cruel) joking aside, it would take something like that to get me to upgrade on these titles (though others' mileage may vary).
Last edited by Cronenfly on Sun Jul 13, 2008 8:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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domino harvey
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#1016 Post by domino harvey » Sun Jul 13, 2008 2:54 pm

Perhaps they would just do a two spines in a row for the films, or maybe not even release them at the same time-- both films are as popular as Days of Heaven and their release would be noticed by the press and consumers, regardless of the quality of the past release.

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Cronenfly
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#1017 Post by Cronenfly » Sun Jul 13, 2008 4:19 pm

domino harvey wrote:Perhaps they would just do a two spines in a row for the films, or maybe not even release them at the same time-- both films are as popular as Days of Heaven and their release would be noticed by the press and consumers, regardless of the quality of the past release.
A paired release seems very likely to me given how often Criterion does this (e.g. The Fire Within/The Lovers, Fires on the Plain/The Burmese Harp, Thieves' Highway/Night and the City, etc), but you're right domino that these two titles are big enough to stand on their own (and you're also right that the clout of the films in the marketplace, especially as Criterion titles, probably overshadows the lack of the need for Criterion to re-release them, especially taking into account how relatively low-key the past releases were).

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Tom Hagen
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#1018 Post by Tom Hagen » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:56 am

My bet for tomorrow is that Bottle Rocket gets spine 450.

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Cinephrenic
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:58 pm
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#1019 Post by Cinephrenic » Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:26 am

That sure in hell would be nice, but hate to dissapoint you, but we all know that spine numbers mean nothing anymore:

spine#50 And the Ship Sails On
spine#100 Beastie Boys Video Anthology
spine#200 The Honeymoon Killers
spine#300 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
spine#400 Stranger Than Paradise

Not that i'm aluding that these films are not important or anything, just nothing spectacular.

Queiroz
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:28 am

#1020 Post by Queiroz » Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:25 pm

I'm guessing Human Condition Trilogy will show up, along with People On Sunday and Scorsese shorts.

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aox
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#1021 Post by aox » Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:33 pm

Queiroz wrote:I'm guessing Human Condition Trilogy will show up
I am guessing this as well, since it was just remastered with a new 35mm print and the trilogy is showing for a few weeks here in NYC in July and August.

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HelenLawson
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#1022 Post by HelenLawson » Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:00 pm

Isn't it about time for Last Year in Marienbad to appear?

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psufootball07
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#1023 Post by psufootball07 » Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:06 pm

Didn't 2 or 3 I know about Her make its way around the country with a Janus logo a while back?

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domino harvey
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#1024 Post by domino harvey » Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:22 pm

psufootball07 wrote:Didn't 2 or 3 I know about Her make its way around the country with a Janus logo a while back?
About a year and a half ago I think. We've been expecting that one forever! But now that Criterion likely has rights to Made in USA, they'll probably hold off on releasing it until they can do both back to back, as they're sister films.

Haggai
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#1025 Post by Haggai » Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:25 pm

Yes, re: Two or Three Things having been in theaters in the last couple of years. I saw one of the screenings.

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