I've told this tale before, but it bears repeating here, I think. A few years back I had lunch with a veteran distributor who was starting a new DVD label. Excited about his plans, he stated his ambition plainly: "I want it to be Criterion with attitude." Now as it happened, the label did not achieve anything like that description, and at the moment has a smallish catalog of interesting titles, many of which are of really poor (e.g., cheaply produced, with lousy PAL-to-NTSC conversion) quality. Maybe that's actually what he meant by the "with attitude" part—that attitude to the consumer is "Fuck you, sucker!"
I don't think that was what he meant, though that's the way it pretty much worked out. On the very much other hand, his phrase (and maybe what he meant to mean by it) does sometimes spring to mind when I consider the output of the Eureka!/Masters of Cinema label, an outgrowth of the excellent Masters of Cinema website—which has, I notice, entirely subsumed said website. It's pretty plain to any cinephile that the label absolutely is to Region 2 PAL what Criterion is to Region 1 NTSC (granted, the BFI's DVD output is becoming pretty astonishing as well), but collectors of both series will notice a slight difference in approach. Criterion's presentations are by and large pretty straightforwardly curatorial, which isn't at all a bad thing. But Eureka!/MOC takes a more, let's say, activist stance with some of its releases. It's easily summarized by the "Notes on Viewing" that appear on the final page of the booklets of the more recent releases from the label. Displaying some frames in the incorrect aspect ratio, an accompanying text states, "The above images are a distortion and corruption of the original artwork, which travesty the integrity of both the human form and cinematographic space." If that's not laying down the law, I don't know what is.
Similarly, the epic 81-page booklet that accompanies the label's new release of Godard's Une Femme Marieé is something wholly other than a collection of standard prose appreciations of the work. It's a thorough inquiry into cinematographic method and, in some senses, a challenge to cinephilic complacency. Edited and with contributions by Craig Keller, a provocative film writer (and a friend) who's a longtime member of the MOC team, it's a genuine and unique contribution to the literature of Godard.
There are all sorts of other things to praise about the label—its non-hierarchical stance when it comes to animation, for instance, as reflected in its releases of the likes of Fantastic Planet, Gandahar, and more. But this month I'm most grateful to the label for its refusal to leave what some people (some ill-informed people, I should emphasize) consider "well enough" alone. The label's recent painstaking efforts to present Resnais' essential Muriel in its proper aspect ratio, for example. Or its most welcome clean-up of Antonioni's Il Grido, a particularly tough picture because it's so enshrouded in mist. (That's Steve Cochran, in the back of a truck driving through the mist, at the top of the post.) Still. The below comparison, of the old Kino disc and the new Eureka!/MOC release ought to tell you everything you need to know. And why this label is one of the best reasons for a United States-based cinephile to own a multi-region DVD player.
Seriously, it's like watching the film—and it's a great one, I believe—for the first time. Below the fold, a couple of more images, for the heck of it.
I'm going to guess that the "Criterion with attitude" label was the aptly-christened "No Shame."
Posted by: rcareaga | June 05, 2009 at 12:31 PM
Nope. That label had its problems, mostly in the area of PAL-to-NTSC transfers. But they put out some stuff I still treasure, and not all that badly. I'm with DVD Beaver, for instance, on the No Shame disc of Antonioni's "Cronaca di un amore:"
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/FILM/DVDReviews15/story_of_a_love_affair_dvd_review.htm
Posted by: Glenn Kenny | June 05, 2009 at 12:42 PM
I really need to get myself a Region Free DVD player--- so much great stuff isn't available in this country. I tend to rely on the internet for stuff that isn't available here, but I'm starting to feel bad about that.
What I would love is a Region Free-Upconverting-DVDR. Do they even make those?
Posted by: Ryan Kelly | June 05, 2009 at 01:17 PM
How does one go about making an 81-page booklet?
Posted by: Aaron Aradillas | June 05, 2009 at 01:45 PM
@AA: Rather carefully, I would imagine.
Posted by: Glenn Kenny | June 05, 2009 at 01:48 PM
Aaron, haven't you ever heard of "a poem in heroic couplets, of nine hundred ninety-nine lines"?
In all seriousness, the book is either 78 pages, or 80, depending on whether or not you count the front and back covers (which we tend to do, since they usually contain some sort of content that wouldn't necessarily be out of place, say, on the inside of the book/let[s]).
Posted by: craig keller. | June 05, 2009 at 02:06 PM
Damnit Craig, I'm an English major, not a literary expert.
Posted by: Aaron Aradillas | June 05, 2009 at 02:12 PM
Multi-region would murder my wallet. Honestly, I've got a forty-movie backlog of stuff I OWN, and "Last Year at Marienbad" is finally hitting from Criterion this month too. Plus Netflix. Plus Netflix On Demand. Oof!
Posted by: Dan | June 05, 2009 at 02:13 PM
I say this as someone who has at least a little self-control when it comes to p2p and the like - why would anyone shell out big coin for a region-free player when so many models are so easily, deliciously hackable? A few easy steps on your remote and you're off to the races.
Posted by: Jim Gabriel | June 05, 2009 at 04:09 PM
Problem is, Jim, some of those hacks aren't perfect. I had one that only played about half the Region 2 discs I tried. And if you have a Panasonic you're shit out of luck as there are supposedly no codes.
I found a new region-free Philips player on eBay for $50 including shipping, and it also has a USB jack to so I can hook up portable drives to play media. That's not really a lot to spend.
As for Eureka, I only have Fritz Lang's Spies but it's a very nice disc. Glenn is also correct that BFI has been putting out some damn good releases, though the R2 company Second Run should be mentioned as well. Among other things, they have a good selection of Czech films, including Marketa Irglova and Vera Chytilova's Daisies, the latter of which just came out last week and is ESSENTIAL viewing.
Posted by: lazarus | June 05, 2009 at 09:49 PM
A closed Kenny thread! Is this a first? Anyway, I want to know who won, and I'd like to post here what was going to be my only input on the thread (aside from encouraging that Josh's table/penis comment be chosen):
To don & the other one who got upset about this - though some of the captions are indeed a bit nasty I think mostly it's in a spirit of good fun. I've enjoyed the exercise and I don't despise Swanberg at all - in fact I quite liked LOL. I have some doubts about how much of his work will hold up and how much derives its interest from the freshness of his approach and the interest around a new film movement (qualities which he actively cultivates - see his SXSW trailers for "Hannah Takes the Stairs"). However - and here's a point which should definitively separate me from Glenn! - I think Swanberg's got a great screen presence and his cameo in Quiet City was one of the highlights of that film for me.
Point being, I enjoyed this thread without hating Swanberg, so I think it's possible (and if that's not evidence enough, Tom pitched in with his own dig and we all know how he feels about Joe).
As for mumblecore proper, I'm intrigued but not entirely overwhelmed...except by Bujalski, who I think is a major filmmaker, possibly the best to emerge in the past 10 years. At least this is my first impression after initial viewings of Funny Ha Ha and Mutual Appreciation. These are the only two films I've seen which transcend the "movement." And don't get me started on the loathsome Guatemalan Handshake (sorry, filmbrain) which was for some reason listed as "mumblecore" on wikipedia. Unfortunately, this led me to rent it. I made it about 45 minutes, for which I think I deserve some sort of medal.
OK, continue with the grain discussion.
Posted by: MovieMan0283 | June 06, 2009 at 08:51 PM
Er, make that Eureka!/Masters of Cinema discussion (thought I posted this on the other thread - now it has even less of a chance at hitting its mark...)
Posted by: MovieMan0283 | June 06, 2009 at 09:07 PM
"(and if that's not evidence enough, Tom pitched in with his own dig and we all know how he feels about Joe)"
The lure of free Criterion was just too much for this former Criterion-Junkie to resist. I unfortunately haven't purchased a Criterion since The Life Aquatic due to the meager state of my finances at that time (and that one only because it was only $25); since said finances have steadily gotten worse, I don't see such a purchase in the near future. So a free Criterion, and ANDRE to boot-- well, we all have our price and I guess that's mine. I don't expect mine to win but, hey, I had to try.
To lean more to the topic under discussion, Masters of Cinema look to be absolutely gorgeous and compelling and I'm going to order a whole bunch of them and a multi-Region player to play them on...
... when I can start buying Criterions again. :-(
Posted by: Tom Russell | June 06, 2009 at 10:12 PM
I'm always stunned at the amount of cool shit available on R2 discs.
Posted by: Christian | June 07, 2009 at 02:45 PM