Criterion and Paramount

News on Criterion and Janus Films.
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ianungstad
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2005 9:20 pm

Re: Criterion and Paramount

#701 Post by ianungstad » Tue Jul 30, 2013 1:52 am

I wouldn't be surprised if Bugsy Malone is on the list of titles licensed from Paramount. It has a strong cult following (especially in the UK) but has never been released in North America. They also worked with Alan Parker before on Evita.

Stefan Andersson
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#702 Post by Stefan Andersson » Tue Jul 30, 2013 2:01 am

I´d like The Assassination Bureau on Blu!

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JamesF
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#703 Post by JamesF » Thu Aug 01, 2013 12:23 pm

I haven't gone through the whole thread so not sure if the answer is elsewhere, but does anyone know why all the Criterion/Paramount titles I have so far (which admittedly is limited to Days Of Heaven, Harold & Maude and Rosemary's Baby) are missing those films' trailers? As a big fan of trailers, it's a big annoyance that keeps each disc from being definitive for me - not least in the case of Harold & Maude, where one of the trailers pretty much entirely consists of alternate takes/footage cut out of the film.

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dwk
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#704 Post by dwk » Thu Aug 01, 2013 12:32 pm

For some unknown reason, Paramount will not let them include the trailers.

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med
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#705 Post by med » Thu Aug 01, 2013 12:42 pm

Medium Cool includes the trailer.

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Matt
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm

Re: Criterion and Paramount

#706 Post by Matt » Thu Aug 01, 2013 12:52 pm

dwk wrote:For some unknown reason, Paramount will not let them include the trailers.
Maybe Paramount doesn't want to incur the expense of doing an HD scan of something for which most people YouTube is good enough.

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dwk
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2010 6:10 pm

Re: Criterion and Paramount

#707 Post by dwk » Thu Aug 01, 2013 1:52 pm

med I didn't know that Medium Cool had the trailer, maybe Paramount has come to its senses.
Matt wrote:Maybe Paramount doesn't want to incur the expense of doing an HD scan of something for which most people YouTube is good enough.
That could be, but I think people would be fine with the trailers in standard def if that was the only way that they could be included.

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Dylan
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#708 Post by Dylan » Thu Aug 01, 2013 2:09 pm

does anyone know why all the Criterion/Paramount titles I have so far (which admittedly is limited to Days Of Heaven, Harold & Maude and Rosemary's Baby) are missing those films' trailers?
Another Paramount/Criterion, Seconds, is also missing the trailer.

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Harmonov
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#709 Post by Harmonov » Thu Aug 01, 2013 11:30 pm

ianungstad wrote:I wouldn't be surprised if Bugsy Malone is on the list of titles licensed from Paramount. It has a strong cult following (especially in the UK) but has never been released in North America. They also worked with Alan Parker before on Evita.
This would be an absolute dream come true. This is one of my all-time favorite films and I'm really tired of watching my Japanese import of it. It's coming up on it's 40th anniversary (40th!?!?!) in 2016. There is a multi-part where-are-they-now doc on YouTube that could be a fun inclusion on any edition they put out. Damn, Ian, you have me salivating...

criterion10

Re: Criterion and Paramount

#710 Post by criterion10 » Thu Aug 01, 2013 11:35 pm

Harmonov wrote:
ianungstad wrote:I wouldn't be surprised if Bugsy Malone is on the list of titles licensed from Paramount. It has a strong cult following (especially in the UK) but has never been released in North America. They also worked with Alan Parker before on Evita.
This would be an absolute dream come true. This is one of my all-time favorite films and I'm really tired of watching my Japanese import of it. It's coming up on it's 40th anniversary (40th!?!?!) in 2016. There is a multi-part where-are-they-now doc on YouTube that could be a fun inclusion on any edition they put out. Damn, Ian, you have me salivating...
I believe there is a UK Blu-Ray of Bugsy Malone... It's region free too.

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Harmonov
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#711 Post by Harmonov » Fri Aug 02, 2013 1:48 pm

criterion10 wrote:
Harmonov wrote:
ianungstad wrote:I wouldn't be surprised if Bugsy Malone is on the list of titles licensed from Paramount. It has a strong cult following (especially in the UK) but has never been released in North America. They also worked with Alan Parker before on Evita.
This would be an absolute dream come true. This is one of my all-time favorite films and I'm really tired of watching my Japanese import of it. It's coming up on it's 40th anniversary (40th!?!?!) in 2016. There is a multi-part where-are-they-now doc on YouTube that could be a fun inclusion on any edition they put out. Damn, Ian, you have me salivating...
I believe there is a UK Blu-Ray of Bugsy Malone... It's region free too.
I didn't know this was available. Thanks for the heads up. I would still love to see it enshrined in the Collection, though.

britcom68

Re: Criterion and Paramount

#712 Post by britcom68 » Sat Aug 03, 2013 1:16 pm

After recently sitting through a one-night showing of "The Kid Stays In the Picture" at my undergrad alma mater, I am curious as to why there has not been much chatter about Evans as a key person that got so many of the US New Wave/anti-establishment films made at Paramount. Last year we saw Harold and Maude, Medium Cool, Rosemary's Baby. These firms are not his in terms of copyright ownership or even necessarily direct production oversight, still, without Evans tenure at Paramount, it would have been much harder to see these films released as they were. Does anyone else wonder why Criterion keeps Evans at a distance? It just seems odd that Evans was such a showman and constantly promoting Paramount during his tenure there and yet now his involvement is minimal with regard to these recent Criterion Paramount acquisitions.

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warren oates
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:16 pm

Re: Criterion and Paramount

#713 Post by warren oates » Sat Aug 03, 2013 1:30 pm

Wait, you're telling us that you've seen The Kid Stays in the Picture and you're aware of the kind of hell Criterion deliberately puts itself through to appease directors like Michael Cimino but yet you're still confused about why an egomaniacal producer like Robert Evans isn't way more involved in their releases?

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chatterjees
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#714 Post by chatterjees » Sat Aug 03, 2013 2:52 pm

I hope I am not the only Bob Dylan fan here and this could be the only thread, where I can ask about it. I wonder if there is any chance that Paramount will lease Scorsese's No Direction Home (2005) to CC. Criterion does release documentary films on music, why not this one. It seems that Paramount is not really interested to upgrade this film. I would love to have a blu-ray of this film loaded with extras!

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hearthesilence
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#715 Post by hearthesilence » Sat Aug 03, 2013 6:53 pm

I second that. It would be great to see all that archival material in HD too, and hell, they've already done HD releases of D. A. Pennebaker's films, so I imagine it wouldn't be difficult for them to get a hold of the film elements for the '66 tour and do a fresh scan in high-def if it hasn't already been done.

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mfunk9786
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#716 Post by mfunk9786 » Sat Aug 03, 2013 8:24 pm

chatterjees wrote:I hope I am not the only Bob Dylan fan here and this could be the only thread, where I can ask about it.
There's a Bob Dylan thread, you know

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chatterjees
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#717 Post by chatterjees » Sat Aug 03, 2013 10:04 pm

mfunk9786 wrote:
chatterjees wrote:I hope I am not the only Bob Dylan fan here and this could be the only thread, where I can ask about it.
There's a Bob Dylan thread, you know
Wow, glad to see a whole thread on him, thanks mfunk9786, I really appreciate the information!

stroszeck
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2005 10:42 pm

Re: Criterion and Paramount

#718 Post by stroszeck » Fri Aug 23, 2013 2:49 am

I heard today that Paramount had released Samson and Delilah a couple months ago in a restored 4k copy but apparently after checking Amazon and every other retailer I could only locate a DVD and not Blu ray. Does anyone know what the story is or am I just searching in the wrong area?

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fdm
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:25 pm

Re: Criterion and Paramount

#719 Post by fdm » Fri Aug 23, 2013 3:46 am

Samson and Delilah will be having blu-ray releases in several (other) countries in September and October. Cannot say whether they are restored 4k. (Checked blu-ray.com) Maybe this is something WB will eventually get to here?

BillWatkins
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#720 Post by BillWatkins » Fri Aug 23, 2013 8:39 pm

For reasons unknown, Paramount decided to only release the 4K restoration on DVD in the US. They were criticized heavily for that decision when it was released back in March.

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zedz
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#721 Post by zedz » Sun Aug 25, 2013 4:51 pm

captveg wrote:An update for the first post:

Miracle of Morgan's Creek getting re-issued on DVD by Warner Archive, so scratch that one from Criterion's "maybe list.
Oof. I only just noticed this. A film that's arguably the greatest American comedy ever made, and Warners can't figure out how to sell it?

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domino harvey
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#722 Post by domino harvey » Sun Aug 25, 2013 4:56 pm

Don't worry zedz, they ARE keeping Soapdish on pressed disc, so clearly things will be okay

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cdnchris
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#723 Post by cdnchris » Sun Aug 25, 2013 5:15 pm

I think you have to know that world.

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Moe Dickstein
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2012 11:19 pm

Re: Criterion and Paramount

#724 Post by Moe Dickstein » Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:26 pm

I was hoping Soapdish might get licensed to Criterion, it's really an undiscovered classic.

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domino harvey
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Re: Criterion and Paramount

#725 Post by domino harvey » Sun Aug 25, 2013 7:29 pm

I was just name-checking a rando Paramount title that just got re-released as a budget $5.97 list price pressed title rather than a $19.99 DVD-R by Warners. I haven't seen it (Yet I still own it somewhere thanks to a certain failed web venture)

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