Criterion Blu-ray in January: Tarkovsky, Hitchcock, Schlöndorff, Wenders, Hellman
Posted October 15, 2012 03:20 PM by Webmaster
The Criterion Collection has announced five titles for Blu-ray release in January. On January 8th, the studio will release Two-Lane Blacktop (Monte Hellman, 1971). A week later, it will release The Tin Drum (Volker Schlöndorff, 1979) and The Man Who Knew Too Much (Alfred Hitchcock, 1934). On January 22, it will release Ivan's Childhood (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1962) and Pina (Win Wenders, 2011).
Technical specs and special features include:
Two-Lane Blacktop
Drag racing east from L.A. in a souped-up '55 Chevy are the wayward Driver and Mechanic (singer/songwriter James Taylor and the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson, in their only acting roles), accompanied by a tagalong Girl (Laurie Bird). Along the way, they meet Warren Oates's Pontiac GTO–driving wanderer and challenge him to a cross-country race—the prize: their cars' pink slips. But no summary can do justice to the existential punch of Two-Lane Blacktop. With its gorgeous widescreen compositions and sophisticated look at American male obsession, this stripped-down narrative from maverick director Monte Hellman is one of the artistic high points of 1970s cinema, and possibly the greatest road movie ever made.
Special Features:
Restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director Monte Hellman, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, supervised by Hellman, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition
Two audio commentaries: one by Hellman and filmmaker Allison Anders and one by screenwriter Rudolph Wurlitzer and author David N. Meyer
Interviews with Hellman, actor James Taylor, musician Kris Kristofferson, producer Michael Laughlin, and production manager Walter Coblenz
Screen test outtakes
Performance and Image, a look at the restoration of a '55 Chevy used in the movie and the film's locations today
Color Me Gone, photos and publicity from Two-Lane Blacktop
Trailer
PLUS: Rudy Wurlitzer's screenplay, reprinted specially for this release; new essay by Kent Jones, appreciations by Richard Linklater and Tom Waits; and a reprint of the 1970 Rolling Stone article "On Route 66, Filming Two-Lane Blacktop"; ; the DVD edition also features Wurlitzer's screenplay.
The Tin Drum
Oskar is born in Germany in 1924 with an advanced intellect. Repulsed by the hypocrisy of adults and the irresponsibility of society, he refuses to grow older after his third birthday. While the chaotic world around him careers toward the madness and folly of World War II, Oskar pounds incessantly on his beloved tin drum and perfects his uncannily piercing shrieks. The Tin Drum, which earned the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for best foreign-language film, is a visionary adaptation from Volker Schlöndorff of Nobel laureate Günter Grass's acclaimed novel, characterized by surreal imagery, arresting eroticism, and clear-eyed satire.
Special Features:
New, restored high-definition digital transfer of the complete version, approved by director Volker Schlöndorff
Newly remastered 5.1 surround soundtrack, approved by Schlöndorff and presented in DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition
New interview with Schlöndorff about the making of The Tin Drum and the creation of the 2010 restored, complete version
New interview with film scholar Timothy Corrigan
German audio recording from 1987 of author Günter Grass reading an excerpt from his novel The Tin Drum with musical accompaniment, illustrated with the corresponding scene from the film
Television interview excerpts featuring Schlöndorff, Grass, actors David Bennent and Mario Adorf, and cowriter Jean-Claude Carrière reflecting on their experiences making the film
Trailer
New English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Atkinson and 1978 statements by Grass about the adaptation of his novel.
The Man Who Knew Too Much
An ordinary British couple vacationing in Switzerland suddenly find themselves embroiled in a case of international intrigue when their daughter is kidnapped by spies plotting a political assassination. This fleet and gripping early thriller from the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, was the first film the director made after signing to the Gaumont-British Picture Corporation. Besides affirming Hitchcock's brilliance, it gave the brilliant Peter Lorre his first English-speaking role, as a slithery villain. With its tension and gallows humor, it's pure Hitchcock, and it set the tone for films like The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes.
Special Features:
New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
New audio commentary featuring film historian Philip Kemp
New interview with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro
The Illustrated Hitchcock, an extensive interview with director Alfred Hitchcock from 1972, conducted by journalist Pia Lindstrom and film historian William Everson
Audio excerpts from filmmaker François Truffaut's legendary 1962 interviews with Hitchcock
Restoration demonstration
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme.
Ivan's Childhood
The debut feature by the great Andrei Tarkovsky, Ivan's Childhood is a poetic journey through the shards and shadows of one boy's war-ravaged youth. Moving back and forth between the traumatic realities of World War II and serene moments of family life before the conflict began, Tarkovsky's film remains one of the most jarring and unforgettable depictions of the impact of war on children.
Special Features:
High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
Appreciation of filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky and Ivan's Childhood featuring Vida T. Johnson, coauthor of The Films of Andrei Tarkovsky: A Visual Fugue
Interviews with cinematographer Vadim Yusov and actor Nikolai Burlyaev
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Dina Iordanova; "Between Two Films," Tarkovsky's essay on Ivan's Childhood; and "Ivan's Willow," a poem by the director's father, Arseny Tarkovsky.
Pina
The boundless imagination and physical marvels of the work of the German modern-dance pioneer Pina Bausch leap off the screen in this exuberant tribute by Wim Wenders. A long-planned film collaboration between the director and the choreographer was in preproduction when Bausch died in 2009. Two years later, Wenders decided to go ahead with the project, reconceiving it as an homage to his late friend. The result, shot in stunning 3D, is a remarkable visual experience and a vivid representation of Bausch's art, enacted by a group of staggeringly talented dancers from her company, the Tanztheater Wuppertal. Pina is an adventurous work of cinema that highlights the bold legacy of one of the world's true creative visionaries.
Special Features:
High-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Wim Wenders, presented in a Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray combo, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
Audio commentary featuring Wenders
The Making of "Pina" (available in 3D)
Deleted scenes with commentary by Wenders (available in 3D)
Behind-the-scenes footage
Interview with Wenders
Trailer
English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring a piece by novelist and essayist Siri Hustvedt; reprinted pieces by Wenders and choreographer Pina Bausch; information on the dances featured in the film; and portraits of the dancers.
I submitted a change, but need to get The Man Who Knew Too Much switched to the right version in the Db, its currently Master Movie Id'd to the 56 version.
Great line-up, two of the titles have been out for a while in the UK, and CC may find that they sell fewer units. It would probably be a good idea to acknowledge future plans when titles are announced/released in the UK.
YES! Been waiting for TLB for ages. Got impatient and watched my old Anchor Bay DVD the other day and it looked so lousy - my eyes have been trained for high-def now. Glad that I'll also be able to see the original MWKTM in a decent form instead of a public domain POS.
OMG I can't believe they didn't release ________ and __________! The rumor mill said they would. And I'm so disappointed they haven't given the Criterion treatment to __________.
In for TMWKTM and Ivans Childhood which has my favorite bit of cinematography ever (for those that have seen it, the tracking shots in the forest following the courtship of Masha).
Will wait for comparison reviews of Tin Drum and Two Lane Blacktop, I suspect at least the former might be superior given that Arrow put both cuts on one disc.
Tarkovsky definately been one of my huge gaps in cinema (along with most Russian/Soviet films) so keen to pick this up, although Solaris probably will come first.
Looks like Tin Drum is only including the restored version without the original commentary. The arrow version seems a lot more comprehensive still - will be interesting to see a comparison before buying.
Now the mystery of why Sony pictures never put out a domestic blu-ray has been revealed with the January release of PINA by the Criterion folks. I own the Region 2 dvd of said film but now can't wait to see this finally on blu-ray.
Interesting to see Criterion put out a 3D film, although I've suspected that they would be releasing it, and it was natively shot that way, so I'm not really surprised.
I'm also definitely thrilled to upgrade my copy of Two-Lane Blacktop, and to add another Hitchcock to my collection.
Odd that Universal chose to license The Man Who Knew Too Much to Criterion since it's a part of the Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection they are releasing in two weeks. Not sure if I'll get the Criterion for it or not then.
I'm always fascinated by how often Criterion and Masters of Cinema release the same titles. I've never seen Two-Lane Blacktop, it's nice to have the choice... but difficult to make the choice.
When are we going to get some studio system 30s-50s Hollywood out of Criterion again? I feel like it's been ages... some Garbo, Mae West, Robert Taylor, Crawford, Clark Gable!
who is making these decisions at Criterion? Are they just using a dart board or did they hire someone from France? These choices are lame. Criterion has acknowledged classic masters in their catalogue like Robert Altman's "Short Cuts" and G.W.Pabst's "Pandora's Box" or Peter Weir's "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and they pick "Two-Lane Blacktop"?
Very happy about The Man Who Knew Too Much. It's great that both versions are going to be on Blu now.
Surprised about Pina, and may be tempted to pick it up. I wasn't as moved by the film as my friends, but I completely agree with digestion that the 3D made a huge difference in the level of enjoying the film and it was the first movie I've seen in 3D where it didn't feel like a gimmick.
Two-Lane Blacktop and the Tarkovsky will at least be rentals for me. Very happy with this month's announcement's!
Andrie Rublev and Stalker are way more in need of upgrades. How long until we see another Tarkovsky release after this one? I'll stick with my DVD version of Ivan's Childhood.
FINALLY! A 3-D Blu-ray that's not some head-scratching Marvel comic treatment, poorly-conceived action/adventure Greek-myth dirge, or some Pixar/Disney kids' flick!!! WOW, I can't wait for "Pina"...!!! The other pics are pretty exciting, as well, save for the Hitchcock film -- "The Birds" and (maybe) "Psycho" are the only Hitchcock films that I find great.... Of course, that's just my opin....
@DFS61 - FINALLY! A 3-D Blu-ray that's not some head-scratching Marvel comic treatment, poorly-conceived action/adventure Greek-myth dirge, or some Pixar/Disney kids' flick!!! WOW, I can't wait for "Pina"...!!!
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If you subscribe to that trope, you DESERVE to watch Pina.
(I'm still supportive of Criterion supporting 3-D, though, even if Warner got to "Dial M For Murder" first.)
I’m very excited about the new Hitchcock release and am excited to own The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) on Blu. I am even more excited about bringing some 1920-1930s Hitch to Blu or even decent transfers for that matter.
Outside of 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes, very few, in any, high quality discs have been made for pre-USA Hitch. Most of them haven’t even seen a good DVD release.
I would be very excited about a restored release of Young and Innocent (1937) on Blu Ray. I think this is Hitchcock’s most undervalued film – a true hidden gem (it’s one of my favorites of Hitch).
A few other good Hitchcocks from pre-1940 are Sabotage and Secret Agent (with Peter Lorre). Blackmail (1929) is pretty good too.
I hope some more of these early films get a proper release down the road.
I've been waiting about 25 years for a watchable/listenable version of "Man Who Knew Too Much ('34)". Hope it comes with good subtitles, because between the tinny sound (on all the PD versions I've seen) and those 1930s British accents, I've always had a difficult time understanding any of the dialog.
Two other road films made in the same year as 'TLB' (1971) -- 'Vanishing Point' and 'Duel', are much more memorable & deserving of praise & restorative efforts ...
Definitely in for Pina!! Also, Tin Drum and Ivan's Childhood!! 
