Homepage Archives: September-December 2008
by Brian Eggert
November 19th, 2008: Criterion's February discs announced!
Due in February, The Criterion Collection will add three new standard discs to their catalog, with apparently no new Eclipse or Blu-ray releases planned. But before getting to that, fans of Criterion DVDs should head to their site right away: Through November 24th, they’re running a 40% off sale to empty their current warehouse, because on the 25th, Criterion will launch their new website, complete with a new extensive stock. The sale exists on a “while supplies last” basis on items currently in their old depot; no preorders or backorders. So, take this opportunity to buy some seriously discounted DVDs, as well as Criterion-themed shirts, mugs, movie posters, and so forth.
It's also worth noting that in this month's Criterion Newsletter, they hinted that Peter Yates' The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) is planned for release.
Hobson's Choice (1954)
In this charming comedy from David Lean (The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia), Charles Laughton plays the selfish widower Henry Hobson, a mulish boot shop owner at wits end with his three daughters. Clinging to them to retain their dowries and help in the shop, he struggles foremost with daughter Maggie (Brenda De Banzie), who hopes to marry and break away. Lean’s lightest work next to Summertime, Laughton is wonderful as the cartoonishly obstinate father, making Hobson’s Choice an easy purchase recommendation. Fans of Laughton will be overjoyed to find that Criterion’s single-disc edition includes the BBC documentary The Hollywood Greats: Charles Laughton, as well as commentary by Lean scholars Alain Silver and James Ursini. Preorder this disc, available February 24th, at The Criterion Store for $29.95.
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Criterion’s long-rumored release of Luis Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel has finally arrived in an impressive two-disc special edition. In perhaps his best film, Buñuel takes another shot at the bourgeoisie, focusing on a posh dinner party whose guests are mysteriously and suddenly unable to leave. Days pass, and the erudite gathering becomes a horrifying commentary on the illusion of high society as hunger drives them to murder and starvation. Along with several interviews and an essay by Marsha Kinder, this release includes the 2008 documentary The Last Script: Remembering Luis Buñuel. Preorder this set, available February 17th, at The Criterion Store for $39.95.
Simon of the Desert (1969)
Another Buñuel release, Simon of the Desert runs a mere 45-minutes, so it’s curious this wasn’t included as an added feature to The Exterminating Angel. But no matter. Claudio Brook plays abstinent Saint Simeon Stylites, who for 6 years, 6 months, and 6 days subjects himself to dissoluteness atop a pillar to demonstrate his loyalty to God. Silvia Pinal plays one of the short-film’s incarnations of Satan, attempting to lure him down. Directed with Buñuel’s penchants for dreamlike imagery and critical causticity, the short is certainly worth your time (though perhaps not worth your money). Presented with the 50-minute documentary A Mexican Buñuel and an essay by Michael Wood, you can preorder this set, available February 17th, at The Criterion Store for $24.95.
(Note: Also due in February are a single-disc edition of Shadows (1959) and a double-disc set of Faces (1968), both previously available in Criterion’s eight-disc boxed set John Cassavetes: Five Films.)
October 17th, 2008: Criterion's first announcement of 2009 discs
Intending to start the year out with a bang, The Criterion Collection has announced its slate for January 2009. As they’re beginning anew with Blu-ray releases, the company is testing waters and not releasing everything on the high-definition format. Instead, they’re taking baby-steps, which is fine by me (and my pocketbook). Only one of the titles announced below is coming to Blu-ray, though this month’s Criterion Newsletter hinted that Henri-Georges Clouzot’s The Wages of Fear is coming to the format in the near future.
Magnificent Obsession (1954)
Having visited the career of director Douglas Sirk some time ago, Criterion released superb editions of All That Heaven Allows (1955) and Written on the Wind (1956). Help welcome another of Sirk’s powerful and lurid melodramas to DVD with Magnificent Obsession, the first in a series of collaborations between Sirk and actor Rock Hudson (expect Written on the Wind to enter The Definitives in Janurary, in celebration of this release). Infused with glorious Technicolor (back when that meant something), this colorful and twisting picture places Hudson alongside actress Jane Wyman for a romance wrought with tragedy and troubles galore. The 2-disc set features the 1935 film version of the Lloyd C. Douglas novel by director John M. Stahl, a full-length German documentary on Sirk, and Criterion’s usual sprinkling of interviews and essays. Preorder this set, available January 22nd, at The Criterion Store for $39.95.
El Norte (1983)
Gregory Nava’s El Norte (The North) treats the voyage over United States’ borders from Mexico like John Ford once idealized westward expansion in his iconic series of Westerns. A brother and sister leave Guatemala for a more promising landscape, but they find themselves inside a greater drama, dripping with social commentary and picturesque cinematography by James Glennon (HBO’s Deadwood). This “director-approved” 2-disc set features commentary by Nava, several short documentaries, and a collection of writings on the film, including an essay by author Héctor Tobar and Roger Ebert’s glowing review of the film. Also available on Blu-ray, preorder this set, available January 15th, at The Criterion Store for $39.95.
The Taking of Power by Louis XIV (1966)
Pursuing realistic historicity in a number of films, Roberto Rossellini’s The Taking of Power by Louis XIV reigns over the rest of his work with its grandiose French vistas, extravagant costumes, and gaudy mannerisms of the court lifestyle. The Italian filmmaker recreates every facet with scholarly mise-en-scène, going through the processions of the aristocracy without relying on Hollywood's overt dramatization to make it “interesting.” For those unfamiliar with the director, Criterion’s disc offers the documentary entitled The Last Utopia about Rossellini, a “multimedia essay” by Rossellini scholar Tag Gallager, and several more interviews and essays to inform his background. History aficionados won’t find a more accurate or meticulous motion picture director. Preorder this single disc set, available January 29th, at The Criterion Store for $29.99.
Eclipse Series 14:
Rossellini's History Films: Renaissance and Enlightenment
Speaking of Rossellini and his late-career pursuit for films with historical relevancy, Criterion’s Eclipse line offers three more set in the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment. Frustrated with commercial film, Rossellini saw an opportunity to inform, instead of just entertain, by producing works with equal parts entertainment, historical, and educational value. And so, the pictures selected by Eclipse each color history with a striking use of painter’s trompe l'oei detail. Blaise Pascal (1972) is a biopic of the title's figure, a realist and scientist preaching reason in the seventeenth century’s dogmatic sense of knowledge (aka religion and mysticism). The Age of the Medici (1973) brings the era of Michelangelo and Raphael to life by focusing on the family that controlled everything from art to politics: The Medicis. Finally, Cartesius (1974) sketches a portrait of philosopher René Descartes, and contains every bit of progressive philosophy associated with the thinker. Preorder this lovely 4-disc set, available January 29th, for $59.99 at The Criterion Store.
...As always, all dates and prices are subject to change.
September 18th, 2008: Criterion's last two DVD releases of 2008
The Criterion Collection’s December release schedules always run a little light, typically offering one, maybe two releases to tide aficionados over until the New Year. After all, who has the time to enjoy not only a movie but hours upon hours of DVD supplements during the holidays? This year is no exception. Criterion has planned two fine releases, saving any further Eclipse or Blu-ray released to be announced next month for 2009. Details for the December titles are below
White Dog (1982)
Samuel Fuller’s brand of cinema crackles off the screen, birthed from a situational fire and therein blazing harsh commentary. White Dog may be the most extreme case, as the controversial and notoriously misread film was banned upon its release in 1982, and since then has been largely unseen by audiences. Criterion, having produced six Fuller classics for DVD (including The Naked Kiss and Pickup on South Street), would like to change that. The story involves a young woman who adopts a stray German shepherd and quickly learns its former master trained the animal to attack only black people. She turns the dog over to an animal trainer, played by Paul Winfield, who attempts to treat its rage. The single-disc edition includes an interview with co-writer Curtis Hanson (later director of L.A. Confidential) and appreciations written by J. Hoberman and Armond White. Preorder this single-disc edition, available December 2nd, at The Criterion Store for $23.96.
Europa (1991)
I confess, Danish director Lars von Trier has never struck my fancy. His conceptual narratives range from overly artsy to downright pretentious, and don’t cover too much ground in between. He seems to forget that being a great filmmaker is not solely about being an artist; it’s also about combining artistry with entertainment. His frequent and deliberately irregular structure offers Europa, a moody and transparently symbolic dreamscape of WWII, in pieces disassembled and rearranged for an admittedly striking visual result. (At Cannes the year of its release, Von Trier flipped the judges the bird when the Palme d'Or went to the Coen Brothers’ Barton Fink instead of his own film.) Criterion’s release features interviews with the director, three documentaries, and even the short film Europa—The Faecal Location. Preorder this 2-disc edition, available December 9th, at The Criterion Store for $31.96.
...As always, all dates and prices are subject to change.
(Note: This month’s Criterion Newsletter suggested Luis Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel will arrive in February 2009.)
September 5 th, 2008: Batman's Future, Speculation, the Fate of Two-Face
Warning: The following divulges key plot points to The Dark Knight. If you’re one of the four people in the world who hasn’t yet seen the film, please don’t read on, and if you do read on, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Just after The Dark Knight’s release, people (myself included) talked at length about the film’s somewhat ambiguous ending, asking, “Is Two-Face really dead?” I recall, just after the release of Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan saying that he intended to make two more Batman films, making it a trilogy. He explained the second would feature The Joker, wherein around the climax Harvey Dent would become Two-Face; for the third, the duplicitous villain would carry-over and guide that narrative. Alas, Nolan must have made some alterations to his intended dramatic outline for a trilogy, because it’s official, Two-Face is dead.
Aaron Eckhart has been out promoting his new film Towelhead, due in limited release on September 12th, and recently spoke with the folks at ComingSoon.net about the chances of returning as, arguably, Batman’s most sympathetic villain: “I asked Chris [Nolan] that question and he goes, ‘You're dead’ before I could even get the question out of my mouth. ‘Hey Chris, am I…?’ ‘You're dead!’ Alright, cool.” No more reading into the fact that no one in the film actually says, “Harvey Dent is dead.” No more wondering, If Maroni survived such a high fall, why wouldn’t Two-Face? And no more analysis of the “good side” of his two-sided coin landing face up. So that’s that.
With Two-Face having fallen to his now-confirmed death, and Heath Ledger unable to return as The Joker, speculation seems to be the word of the day. Rumors are a nasty, shameful business that most media outlets deal in almost exclusively, especially when wishful thinking-like gossip is reported as fact. Alleged “sources” are all saying the same thing: Angelina Jolie is the favorite for The Catwoman and Johnny Depp is a shoe-in for The Riddler. And while both performers have expressed interest, their awareness and curiosity in said roles came about only after hearing the rumor themselves. Take statements like “in talks” with a grain of salt; there’s no truth to the buzz until it’s officially announced.
This is pipe-dream reporting at its worst, not only because Jolie is too mainstream (not to mention she doesn’t have the talent) to disappear into the iconic villainess role, but she would no doubt make the performance more about Angelina Jolie than the character. Don’t get me wrong, I love to speculate about who the next Batman villain should be, and then daydream about which actor would amply fill the imaginary role. But news reports and conjecture are two different courses entirely.
Furthermore, director Christopher Nolan hasn’t yet signed-on to a third Batman film. Verification probably won’t come for about a year. After making Batman Begins, for example, Nolan took a “break” to film The Prestige (a welcomed interlude in his career). Nolan is currently on vacation resting from the exhausting filmmaking and promotional schedule he’s endured for the last couple years making The Dark Knight. And for the moment, Warner Bros. has not yet confirmed if Nolan will return for a third entry into the revisionist series—they’re probably busy with plans to tap into their many DC Comics franchises after their latest success (among them a new, darker, much-anticipated reimagining of Superman).
What does this mean? Could the situation be a mirror of what happened between Marvel and Jon Favreau after Iron Man’s release—a couple months of waiting, followed by the inevitable confirmation that, yes, indeed, the director is returning? I hope so, because without Nolan we can expect the Batman franchise to take a dreaded nosedive (think Joel Schumacher). Then again, Nolan may want to end his foray into the superhero genre on a high note—because really, how can he top The Dark Knight? Leaving Batman on the run from Gotham authorities in the end suggests a distinct tonal change for the eventual third sequel, perhaps opening the doors to another filmmaker entirely. And yet, the changes between Nolan’s first and second Batman film are vast, leading me to believe he could easily create another dramatic, thrilling, but altogether unique film in pitch.
But I digress from my own speculation... Suffice it to say the future of the Batman franchise is unclear. This is especially surprising given The Dark Knight’s still-enduring run at the box-office (it’s earned more that $500 million to date, making it the second biggest moneymaker ever, after Titanic). In the coming year or so, light will undoubtedly be shed on the subjects, both confirming whether or not Nolan will return, and announcing the character and respective actor behind the Caped Crusader’s next villain(s). And until an official announcement is made, please speculate in the comfort of your own homes.