My friend Huy told me about a sale that Barnes and Noble is having on discs in the Criterion Collection. Still deciding if I overdid it.
I've only seen a few of these movies before. It's unusual that I buy films that I've never watched. It's like my first viewing is an audition to determine whether that film or show deserves a permanent place in my collection. This 50% off sale was tough to resist though. So I broke my pattern a little bit.
Whether DVD, blu-ray or download, I usually only buy things that I've seen.
Exception: if I'm reaaaaally sure I'm going to like the item in question...The Walking Dead, anyone?
Even if it's a favorite, I may not buy it on disc. Whether or not I do, that's decided by the special features that add to the core material. I mean, if the movie's close to my heart, a high-quality digital version might be fine if I need to add it to my collection. Even if I rent a movie to see the disk's special features, if they aren't persuasive I'll pass on the disk itself. Owning the physical media is necessary though when the special features are so good that I'll be regularly consuming them, and having them any other way isn't feasible.
I walked into B&N having decided I was only going to consider blu-rays. (More on my feelings about blu-ray will come in a future post.) While there were many that caught my eye, I broke any ties by considering the re-watchability and the special features of the films in question. I wish there weren't ties, but my budget is limited. The lovely thing about the Criterion Collection is that they are film releases for the film buff. The quality of the presentation and the special features are above average. But even in the cream of the crop there are some stand-outs.
What did I go home with, then?
Already Seen
The Gold Rush -- Love Chaplin's physical humor. The Criterion blu-ray is loaded with great special features, too: 2 versions of the film, a couple of commentaries and documentaries.
The 3 Colors Series by Kieslowski -- My preference is for Blue first, then Red, and finally White. The entire trilogy is beautifully shot and subtly performed. Features include interviews, commentaries, and 4 of Kieslowski's short films.
Hitchcock's The 39 Steps -- There have been several adaptations made of the original novel. I quite enjoyed the 2008 BBC version, but this first film version is the most respected. Easy to see why. The 39 Steps sports a suspenseful story filmed with Hitchcock's aplomb, and dry crackling wit between the two leads. They're like a British Nick and Nora Charles. I'm a bit of a Hitchcock nut, so the special features on this disk will be fun; commentaries, documentaries and interviews. Oh my! Of particular note: this disk includes a recording of a 1937 radio theatre adaptation.
First-time Watch
Yojimbo and Seven Samurai -- I've always wanted to dig further into Kurosawa's films, and these are the two I'm going to start off with. I've been working backwards to watching Yojimbo; I'm already a fan of A Fistful of Dollars and Last Man Standing. Seven Samurai is one of those films that I feel like one has to see if one is going to claim to be a film fan. And I think of myself that way, despite my interest in the baser genres and my feelings about certain other classic movies. It was tough during the shopping, though. Criterion has a box set of the Samurai Trilogy that looks great; 3 films based on the life of Miyamoto Musashi. But I had to draw the line somewhere, or else samurai flicks would have overwhelmed my shopping bag. So Kurosawa won out. As for features, I'm looking forward to the documentaries that are included in these releases. I know I'll also appreciate the commentaries by Japanese film experts. Lord knows I could use some help to get the cultural subtext included in Kurosawa's work.
Kiss Me Deadly and The Night of the Hunter -- Robert Mitchum's tattoo'd knuckles have become iconic, and I'm looking forward to finally understanding why. I've always though that Hunter was a film noir like Deadly, but the text on the box calls the former a horror film. I love both film noir and quality horror movies, so lets bring 'em on. Special features include documentaries and commentaries galore, and a "controversial alternate ending" for Deadly. Oooo!
Roman Polanski's Repulsion -- I've liked some Polanski more than others; Frantic and The Ghost Writer were much better than The Ninth Gate. I'm hopeful for this thriller, though. Anything with Catherine Deneuve deserves a chance (Belle De Jour almost came home with me). The stand-out special feature on this blu-ray is commentary featuring both the director and Ms. Deneuve. "Reclusive" might be an overstatement when used to describe those two, but I don't think they often indulge in analysis of their work after the fact. Eager to hear what they have to say.
And finally...
For All Mankind -- I listened to--and quite enjoyed--the audiobook of Craig Nelson's Rocket Men, and spent some quality time with an iPad app called Man in Space. This documentary should be more of the same: chock full of archival details and first-hand footage of the golden age of our manned space program. (As an aside, my favorite part of Rocket Men? When an Apollo launch engineer described how he planned to use a wrench to brain to death anyone who endangered their colleagues on the rocket gantry. That's dedication.)
I'm eager to begin the process of making it through this pile. I'll update the blog on my progress.
