Any movie aficionado worth his or her salt knows at least something about the Criterion Collection. But if you consider yourself someone who wants to take your film fandom to the next level, then just head on over to the Criterion website - here's the link.
Criterion started out in 1984 as a distributor of films on home video that are critically acclaimed and/or important to the advancement of the medium. Their releases were originally on laserdisc, then moved on to the next great discovery, DVDs, and now Blu-rays. Those are the physical media, anyway. Most recently, the company has launched The Criterion Channel, a streaming service that provides many of their catalogue titles plus brand new releases. I haven't jumped to that service yet, but I frequently consider making the leap. Someday.
Criterion has a reputation of having high, high standards, consulting with filmmakers and scholars in order to restore exisiting prints to their highest possible quality, while presenting something as close as possible to what the filmmaker would want on home video media. Plus their creative team develops attractive packaging, inside and out, and booklets, if included. Often, brand new artwork graces Criterion titles... everything about these deluxe releases is worthy of display.
I first learned of Criterion through an old friend who had some DVDs bearing the company's logo. The picture and audio were pristine, and the extensive supplements (alternate versions of the movie, behind the scenes featurettes, interviews, documentaries, production notes, essays, and more) were mindblowing for the cinema fan who is hungry for more, more, more.
To give you an idea of what Criterion is all about, I will quote The Criterion Collection's mission statement:
Since 1984, the Criterion Collection has been dedicated to publishing important classic and contemporary films from around the world in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements. No matter the medium—from laserdisc to DVD and Blu-ray to streaming—Criterion has maintained its pioneering commitment to presenting each film as its maker would want it seen, in state-of-the-art restorations with special features designed to encourage repeated watching and deepen the viewer’s appreciation of the art of film.
I think the first Criterion edition of a movie I ever bought was Rififi, a very entertaining and highly influential French heist film from 1955. Next up was The Small Back Room (1949), a moody and intimate character study of an alcoholic scientist and bomb-disposal expert. These films alone are so re-watchable, because with every viewing, another layer or detail is revealed. It's gripping, of course, on first watch, taking in the big picture. But with subsequent viewings, you notice the nuances and subtleties that really make these pictures something special.
But I could go on forever about each one of my Criterion home videos. So I won't. Instead, I'll list my "modest" collection, and if something is of interest, you can explore the Criterion website for more information. Consider that there are over one thousand movies in the Criterion Collection. I've only got a tiny, tiny percentage of that. I've been very selective since these editions aren't cheap. But you do get what you pay for... spend a bit (or a lot) more, and you get a lot more for your money. It just depends on your priorities and how deep your interest (and wallet) is.
When I started picking up the odd Criterion edition, I had no real goal in mind. Just titles that felt essential to me. In more recent years, I have sort of narrowed down my focus to the westerns, but am not really pursuing that so fervently these days. It's always nice when the Criterion website, or American bookstore Barnes and Noble, or the Canadian niche site Unobstructed View have their Criterion sales. Then I'm more likely to pick up a little something.
So without any further ado, here are my Criterion Collection home videos:
On DVD:
Rififi
The Small Back Room
Ingmar Bergman: Four Masterworks
On Blu-ray:
3:10 to Yuma
The Before Trilogy
The Double Life of Veronique
Dragon Inn
Fanny & Alexander
Godzilla (1954)
A Hard Day's Night
Heaven's Gate
The Innocents
Jubal
McCabe & Mrs Miller
Mulholland Dr.
My Darling Clementine
Robinson Crusoe on Mars
The Spy Who Came In From the Cold
Stagecoach
The Uninvited
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