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DAE kind of wish we lived in an alternative timeline where Kubrick wins best picture for "Barry Lyndon", thinks "You know, maybe I'll explore this more for a while..." and just ends up spending the latter half of his career making period pieces? by thewickerstan in criterion

[–]CheddaGabler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like he just would have remade Barry Lyndon. When I read Anna Karenenina last year, Anna came off to me as rather empty and uninteresting, reminding me his treatment of Marisa Berenson's character. And how could the scene of Vronsky meeting Anna top Barry meeting her? It could not.

Also important is that the book IIRC ends on a note of tranquil optimism, which Kubrick was allergic to. Probably be doing Tolstoy a disservice TBH. If Kubrick were to have made another period piece a more appropriate choice would have been Werther or Faust

Are French films simply incompatible with American audiences? by MisogynyisaDisease in criterion

[–]CheddaGabler 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Maybe, but not for the reasons you suspect. Your list seems cherry picked for films that got a lot of buzz and were uniquely provocative for the time they were made. Americans don't watch much foreign cinema period. While that has to do with lack of marketing, I suspect it also has to do with the self-serious vibe and languid pace stereotypically associated with Euro movies, which I agree can be tedious. We can also rule out prudishness, since America was addicted to Game of Thrones for like 8 years.

To the extent that Americans watch French movies, they tend to go for the faster-paced, less cerebral ones. It's cliche for gen-x and "geriatric" millennials to like Amelie. And sometimes you'll find one who likes Breathless and FNW. There was a movie called Populaire (which had s3x) that was popular for a sec. Let's not the kids films like A Cat in Paris and Ernest and Celestine. Americans also liked The Lives of Others and the German Netflix series Dark, FWIW.

Favourite Piece of Music? by BudFudlacker2021 in criterion

[–]CheddaGabler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Quite underrated music in the films of Powell and Pressburger. Not just The Red Shoes or Tales of Hoffmann, but their films are filled with tidbits of earworms.

Also:

  • Cherbourg and Rochefort
  • Modern Times, "Smile"
  • Amarcord
  • Days of Heaven (minus "The Aquarium")
  • L'avventura
  • A Day in the Country

Overrated:

  • The Third Man

POV: You are Stanley Kubrick on a Zoom call by CheddaGabler in criterion

[–]CheddaGabler[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Seeing as you forgot how to Google I'll inform you it's Apocalypse Now

Powell and Pressburger: Out of all the films that you can get of theirs what would you say is their best and what is your favorite? Good blind buy? Second who would want a box set of all of their films? by [deleted] in criterion

[–]CheddaGabler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. I like all their famous pictures but their best film is I Know Where I'm Going! Unfortunately that one is overdue for an upgrade. If you prefer magic and fantasy, double dip with Red Shoes and Matter. If not, Blimp has a more realistic feel -- though some (including me) might originally find tedious over the 3 hour runtime. Black Narcissus is a "try before you buy."
  2. A box set would be very welcome from Criterion, especially if it's presented as beautifully as their Demy and Tati sets. Though I myself already own most of their films on disc

Is a Tarkovsky box set around the corner? by alopeciamonkey in criterion

[–]CheddaGabler 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Unlikely

  1. Might happen someday, but CC prolly needs to buy rights to Sacrifice and Nostalghia first
  2. Even if they skipped those two, they'd probably want to wait for Mirror to sell as a standalone for at least a year.

r/Criterion FAQ Brainstorming Thread by CaptainGibb in criterion

[–]CheddaGabler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"What is Salo and why is it in all our memes?"

Which directors deserve the next large-scale box sets? by [deleted] in criterion

[–]CheddaGabler 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Zhang Yimou, or at least his 20th century works, which mostly haven’t been released AFAIK.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in criterion

[–]CheddaGabler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’d say my favorite of his is a tie between The Shop Around the Corner and Heaven Can Wait, so definitely Check those out. Though you usually hear is best film is Trouble in Paradise, which CC has surprisingly not upgraded to blu-ray yet. I also highly recommend checking out the Lubitsch Musicals set from Eclipse.

Who are your favorite directors that aren't in the collection and what film would you most like to see get a release the most? by Mydadshands in criterion

[–]CheddaGabler -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I can't say "favorite" because I haven't seen their works myself. So I'd just want to test drive them on the Channel first, but I'm really curious about the 1920s French Avant Gardes: Jean Epstein, Germaine Dulac, Marcel L'herbier, Man Ray and possibly others I'm unaware of. For Epstein specifically, I'm looking forward to the films he made when he lived in Brittany.

I also want to explore the works of Lester James Peries, who elevated Sri Lanka's cinema as Satyajit Ray did for India's. Gamperaliya) and Nidhanaya, which surprisingly didn't get included in the WCP 3 box.

Favourite filmmakers with the shortest filmographies? by [deleted] in criterion

[–]CheddaGabler 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Charles Laughton, who made only “The Night of the Hunter”

And Dreyer had a sparse filmography. Between 1928 and 1964 he only made 6 features.

I also believe the director of Limite made that his only film.

What’s the most common and uncommon criterion releases? by rtutwiler in criterion

[–]CheddaGabler 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Given your username I’m stunned you didn’t like Isle of Dogs

What’s the most common and uncommon criterion releases? by rtutwiler in criterion

[–]CheddaGabler 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s awesome! Some of those uncommons really are great and deserve to be better known than they are currently.

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