Criterion...whats the big deal?!?

[~phunk~]

Ok...this may seem kinda stupid, but what the hell does Criterion mean. I see criterion DVD's going for some stupid prices...why are they so special and why are people willing to pay so much for them?!?

[Michael Brooke]

It’s partly canny marketing - a Criterion disc is roughly analogous to a Rolls-Royce in car terms, and their policy of prominent spine numbers means that out of print discs are much sought after as people try to complete the collection – but it’s also an acknowledgement that their discs are amongst the best out there.

What I particularly like about their discs is that they rate quality over quantity – so the extras are usually intelligently-chosen and genuinely add to your appreciation of the film, and even a massive multiple-disc blowout like <I>Spartacus</I> or <I>Brazil</I> has remarkably little padding or pointless filler.

And even when there are few or indeed no extras, the presentation is still usually top-notch – especially as their catalogue contains dozens of films that few other distributors would even consider releasing. I’m not sad or anal enough to want to collect the whole series (not least because in a few cases Criterion discs aren’t the best versions of certain titles), but the fact that the number I own is in the high double figures speaks volumes!

[~phunk~]

A perfect explanation...thanks a lot!

So really Criterion DVD's are the true collectors editions, because it seems that every single DVD released these days is either a collectors edition or special edition even though the extra's aren't worth the time or effort for viewing.

Also...it seems as though a lot of people are only buying them, waiting for them to become out of print and then selling them on for profit, which i'm not against...so the question is, do they still release Criterion DVD's and is it worth collecting them from a purely money making point of view?!?

[Cirrus888]

Originally posted by ~phunk~
A perfect explanation...thanks a lot!

So really Criterion DVD's are the true collectors editions ...

No they are not but they once were, todays releases by other companies often supercede in quality and extras at half the cost.

[Hernster]

Aha, this is as good place to ask as any:

I quite fancy getting "Grand Illusion", the running time on the Crit is 114, whereas Maltins Guide lists it as 117.

Who is right? Either way I still fancy buying the Crit, anybody else bought this?

[TimJBart]

they are probably both right, maybe 2 slightly different edits of the film

[Michael Brooke]

There are a few different versions floating around – but since the Criterion was sourced from the original camera negative (which turned up in an archive in Toulouse a few years ago after having been missing since the war), it’s an obvious first choice.

Trust me on this – you’re never going to get a better DVD of this film. Just look at the restoration documentary to see how much work Criterion put into their frame-by-frame cleanup and ask yourself who else would go to that amount of effort!

[Hernster]

I think I read about the Restoration in DVDReview.
Possibly...

Hell, Im sold! Thank God I've just been paid! Ha ha.

[Xenole]

A lot of the time it's due to people on these forums saying how great a disc is, and then loads of other people suddenly want to see this disc, thus pushing demand and prices up......

[Hernster]

Ok, we'll be very quiet about it ok?

Thinking now, your post seems a bit strange...

Have you bought a Crit, and then realised you could get it cheaper elsewhere?

[Michael Brooke]

I disagree – loads of other discs get praised on these forums without the same knock-on effect. And the Criterions that go for the highest prices - <I>Salo</I>, for instance – are often their earliest, most mediocre efforts.