The Criterion Collection

[ilya]

::drool:: (http://www.criterionco.com/asp/browse.asp?sort=spine)

If you could only get 20 movies on this list, which ones would you choose?

What are the 3 most under-appreciated movies on this list?

[Macdaddy Warsaw]

I'm in a film class and sometimes I get lazy and buy the movie instead of going to the screening. I despise the Criterion Collection because they are expensive, although, I admit, they are complete.

[pryor15]

Scenes from a Marriage

[Macdaddy Warsaw]

Oh, also, I'm not going to look for 20 or 3, but I'm in love with Renoir's work since seeing the Grand Illusion and Rules of the Game, so I'm gonne go with Grand Illusion since it's at the very top, but I like Rules of the Game more.

Also, I love The Royal Tenenbaums. And after writing a paper on Tokyo Story, I appreciate it far more than I did originally.

[Thythe]

I don't claim to be a film critic and know very little about most movies before 1985. That being said, my favorite movie of all time is The Royal Tenenbaums. Silence of the Lambs is also classic.

[Blarg]

Really? I like Grand Illusion more. I'm a Renoir fan too, but I think he's a specialized taste.

I love the Criterion collection sometimes, but they've recently started putting out editions on just the latest big sellers, like 12 Monkeys or whatever. Also, their prints aren't always the best I've seen, and while their bonus material is sometimes great, sometimes it's surprisingly indifferent, or unfortunately non-existent. I'm really glad that they put out movies others don't sell, though. Although they could lower their prices a tad.

One of the most underrated films in their collection I can think of(not that I've looked at their collection list in a long time) is Nights of Cabiria. It's Fellini so it's not super underrated, but I think it's nowhere near as well known as it should be. It has one of the best endings of any movie I've seen.

L'Atalante is one on there that is extremely highly regarded, but pretty much unknown outside film nut circles. I wish that one were better known.

Oh, and I'm still waiting for Renoir's Boudu Saved from Drowning. That's such a great, funny film, and I can't believe they haven't put that one out yet.

[Jeff W]

[ QUOTE ]
What are the 3 most under-appreciated movies on this list?

[/ QUOTE ]

That I have seen:
Hoop Dreams
Umberto D.
Yojimbo

I'm sure there are many more underappreciated films on the list that I haven't seen yet. It's too bad they will remain that way because Criterion limits their distribution with exhorbitant prices.

[ilya]

Nights of Cabiria is a masterpiece. If I remember correctly the ending sort of loops back to the beginning...Masina's just gotten conned again and she's walking down a country road, tears streaming down her face...the camera is panning around and around her, and slowly her expression changes until it's back to that kind, naive smile. Man I haven't seen that movie in like 6 years but just thinking about that scene sends chills down my arms and brings tears to my eyes.

On a side note, don't hate on 12 Monkeys. If nothing else it's got excellent set design and a terrifically chilling, if predictable, denouement. I think the plot's predictability works to the movie's advantage, strangely enough...just like the characters in the story can't change the future no matter how hard they try, you can do nothing to avert the horrifying twist you see coming far in advance. I think it deserves to be in the Collection.

[raisins]

I'm a big fan of Anrdei Rublev. It's a slow movie that takes patience but it is very beautiful. It also has the greatest shot in a battle scene of any movie. It's perhaps to be avoided if you're strong on animal rights. In the scene I'm talking about they kill a horse and I think they kill another in a different shot. PETA doesn't have too much influence in Russian film making.

The Sword of Doom is the best samurai movie I've seen. Two other great samurai movies not on this list are the Yagyu Conspiracy and Samurai Assassin.

General Idi Amin Dada is my third choice. Unbelievable in the sense that it feels like some sort of alternate reality. Funny but very dark if you have any familiarity with the politics or history of the region.

A couple more comments, the Battle of Algiers has been talked about before here, and I'm going to mention it as well. It's a good movie and very timely, in the last few years it has been studied by everyone from the Pentagon to Al Quaida. Samuel Fuller's movies are interesting; noir and unconventional, hard to predict narratives. Shock Corridor is my favorite. Most people have heard of Man Bites Dog but if you haven't seen it and like black humor it's one of the funniest movies out.

regards,

raisins

[Cyrus]

From the discussions in the Politics Page one would never tell!

But maybe it's just the spring.

Criterion (http://www.criterionco.com/asp/browse.asp?sort=spine)

[ilya]

[ QUOTE ]
From the discussions in the Politics Page one would never tell!

But maybe it's just the spring.

Criterion (http://www.criterionco.com/asp/browse.asp?sort=spine)

[/ QUOTE ]

What can I say...

I'm like John Stockton, I don't even need to score/
I just make the game better by being out there on the floor

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What are the 3 most under-appreciated movies on this list?

[/ QUOTE ]

That I have seen:
Hoop Dreams
Umberto D.
Yojimbo

I'm sure there are many more underappreciated films on the list that I haven't seen yet. It's too bad they will remain that way because Criterion limits their distribution with exhorbitant prices.

[/ QUOTE ]

I love Yojimbo, and Sanjuro too. I think I remember hearing that it's Kurosawa's most popular one in Japan, even though critics societies cite Seven Samurai as his best. I just saw The Hidden Fortress last night, and enjoyed that one, though the ending did feel a little quick, almost cut short. I wanted some more resonance or something there somehow. But the constant tension of the movie was great.

I've never seen Umberto D, but it's on my list. Hoop Dreams I've heard is great, but it's not at the top of my list.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm a big fan of Anrdei Rublev. It's a slow movie that takes patience but it is very beautiful. It also has the greatest shot in a battle scene of any movie. It's perhaps to be avoided if you're strong on animal rights. In the scene I'm talking about they kill a horse and I think they kill another in a different shot. PETA doesn't have too much influence in Russian film making.

The Sword of Doom is the best samurai movie I've seen. Two other great samurai movies not on this list are the Yagyu Conspiracy and Samurai Assassin.

General Idi Amin Dada is my third choice. Unbelievable in the sense that it feels like some sort of alternate reality. Funny but very dark if you have any familiarity with the politics or history of the region.

A couple more comments, the Battle of Algiers has been talked about before here, and I'm going to mention it as well. It's a good movie and very timely, in the last few years it has been studied by everyone from the Pentagon to Al Quaida. Samuel Fuller's movies are interesting; noir and unconventional, hard to predict narratives. Shock Corridor is my favorite. Most people have heard of Man Bites Dog but if you haven't seen it and like black humor it's one of the funniest movies out.

regards,

raisins

[/ QUOTE ]

I just put Battle of Algiers in my Netflix queue last night. I've been loading up on documentaries lately.

[ilya]

I like Kurosawa's samurai movies but my favorite is actually Ikiru. Takashi Shimura is so good. Can't watch that movie very often though.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
Nights of Cabiria is a masterpiece. If I remember correctly the ending sort of loops back to the beginning...Masina's just gotten conned again and she's walking down a country road, tears streaming down her face...the camera is panning around and around her, and slowly her expression changes until it's back to that kind, naive smile. Man I haven't seen that movie in like 6 years but just thinking about that scene sends chills down my arms and brings tears to my eyes.

On a side note, don't hate on 12 Monkeys. If nothing else it's got excellent set design and a terrifically chilling, if predictable, denouement. I think the plot's predictability works to the movie's advantage, strangely enough...just like the characters in the story can't change the future no matter how hard they try, you can do nothing to avert the horrifying twist you see coming far in advance. I think it deserves to be in the Collection.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dude, I cried at the ending of Nights of Cabiria too. I worship Giuletta Masina's performance in that ending. The camera was on her for so long, and she did so damn much, and the movie completely depended on it -- and holy hell, did she pull it off. But not in a flashy, actor-y way ... totally believably. That last scene was like a revelation, and is easily one of my favorite scenes in movies, maybe my favorite. It's astonishing.

Always nice to see another fan of something that really matters to you.

That one was well worth the typical Critierion inflated price.