Criterion Blu-ray in May: Brakhage, M, Stagecoach, Walkabout

Posted February 13, 2010 05:17 AM by Juan Calonge

In May, Criterion will take Blu-ray viewers on wild rides—way out west with John Wayne, to the Australian outback with an aboriginal guide, to the darkest corners of the outlaw mind and the outermost regions of experimental film. On May 11, the studio will release Fritz Lang's psychological thriller M. A week later, Nicolas Roeg's spellbinding Walkabout will hit store shelves. Finally, on May 25, Criterion will release By Brakhage: An Anthology, Volumes One and Two and John Ford's seminal western Stagecoach.

Special features are as follows:

By Brakhage: An Anthology, Volumes One and Two

Brakhage on Brakhage, a collection of video encounters with the filmmaker
Audio remarks on selected films by Stan Brakhage
For Stan, a short film by Marilyn Brakhage
Excerpts from a 1990 interview with Brakhage
Footage from Brakhage's salon at the University of Colorado
Audio recordings of two lectures by Brakhage
A booklet featuring a foreword and program notes by Marilyn Brakhage, as well as write-ups of the films and an essay by Brakhage expert Fred Camper

Audio commentary by German film scholars Anton Kaes and Eric Rentschler
The long-lost English-language version of M
Documentary on the physical history of M, from production to distribution to digital restoration
Conversation with Fritz Lang, a fifty-minute film by William Friedkin
Claude Chabrol's short film M le maudit, plus a video interview with Chabrol
Classroom audiotapes of editor Paul Falkenberg discussing M and its history, set to clips from the film
Video interview with Harold Nebenzal, son of M producer Seymour Nebenzal
Stills gallery, with behind-the-scenes photos and production sketches
A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Stanley Kauffmann, a 1963 interview with director Fritz Lang, the script for a missing scene, and contemporaneous newspaper articles

Stagecoach

Audio commentary by noted western authority Jim Kitses
Bucking Broadway (1917), a fifty-four-minute silent western by John Ford, with new music by Donald Sosin
Extensive video interview with Ford from 1968
New video interview with Dan Ford, biographer and grandson of the director, about Ford's home movies
New video interview with filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich
New video essay by writer Tag Gallagher
New video feature about Monument Valley
New video interview with stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong about Stagecoach's stuntman Yakima Canutt
Radio dramatization of Stagecoach from 1949
Theatrical trailer
A booklet featuring an essay by David Cairns and the short story that inspired the film

Walkabout

Audio commentary featuring director Nicolas Roeg and actress Jenny Agutter
Video interviews with Agutter and actor Luc Roeg
Gulpilil—One Red Blood (2002), an hour-long documentary on the life and career of actor David Gulpilil
Theatrical trailer
A booklet featuring an essay by author Paul Ryan

Source: Blu-ray.com | Permalink |

News comments (32 comments)

Top reviewer

joenostalgia23

Feb 13, 2010

Top contributor

-jonny-

Feb 13, 2010

Beauuutiful!

Top reviewer

bhampton

Feb 13, 2010

Will get Walkabout.

DFS61

Feb 13, 2010

FINALLY!!! Walkabout is a MUST-have...!

rmainhammer

Feb 13, 2010

All great. Can't wait for May!

penguin

Feb 13, 2010

What about Z on Blu ray!

Top reviewer

Arkadin

Feb 13, 2010

great news!
so tired of hearing all the excuses about the money needed to restore old classics, etc. etc.
if small label Criterion can release all these films in pristine versions, we know the major studios could do a much better job with their older classic movies.
they just don't care--simple as that.

Jimmy W

Feb 13, 2010

Terrific news about STAGECOACH on Blu-ray!

Top contributor

repete66211

Feb 13, 2010

Woohoo, M!!!! What a great movie. Stagecoach is solid, as is Walkabout.

Strange to see experimental film make its first appearance on Blu-ray. Most of what I've seen from Brakhage is interesting from an academic perspective, but not something I would need to see more than once. Interesting decision by Criterion.

jcstucke

Feb 13, 2010

'By Brakhage' is a definite day 1, with a bullet, buy.

JHas

Feb 13, 2010

I wonder how "Bucking Broadway" will look?

Top contributor

bboisvert

Feb 13, 2010

Walkabout is fantastic news. Talk about a movie desperately needed in a better quality version!

That and M are both day 1 purchases.

vegasranger

Feb 13, 2010

Very disappointing. Will only get M. My Blu Criterion isn't going to amount to much at this rate !!!

Top contributor

TTC1984

Feb 13, 2010

Finally, M! I've been waiting for this one for very long time now.

Alkaline

Feb 13, 2010

It's all about the Walkabout...

deafwoof

Feb 13, 2010

Hello:

Have you noticed something truly distressing about the Criterion releases lately?

DAYS OF HEAVEN on DVD has English subtitles for the Deaf and hard of hearing. But as far as I can tell, DAYS OF HEAVEN on Blu-Ray does *NOT* have English subtitles. And BIGGER THAN LIFE on BD doesn't seem to have English subtitles at all!

This is rather shocking for several reasons.

1. The DVD has subtitles. Can't they be transferred over to the BD?

2. There are approximately 25 million Americans with hearing loss, and that number is sure to rise when more and more of the baby boomers lose more of their hearing.

3. Many Criterion DVDs have English subtitles, but for some inexplicable reason (money?), they seem to have stopped with providing subtitles on their English-speaking BDs. Given how Criterion has always traditionally charge premium prices for their titles, I find this rather inexcusable. I have paid a lot of money for their titles since their laserdisc days (mid-1990s). The lack of subtitles has made their BDs far less of a value at their premium prices (typically $40 full retail). Never mind the fact that so many of their extras are rarely subtitled in the first place.

On February 7, 2010, I've emailed Jon Mulvaney at Criterion about this. I have not gotten a response.

Please do yourselves a favor. Email Mr. Mulvaney about this situation directly at mulvaney@criterion.com. Please be nice about this, but I think he should need to hear from you about how subtitles have helped you even if you have normal hearing.

And please email me off-list if you'd like to help me in highlighting the fact that Criterion hasn't said anything about providing subtitles elsewhere online. I'm at eod2eod2@gmail.com.

Thank you so much.

Raymond

Top contributor

TTC1984

Feb 13, 2010

Glad to hear about M, now when are we going to get Man Bites Dog and Spartacus?

Top reviewer

nathanp

Feb 13, 2010

As usual, I'll be getting them all. Thanks Criterion, Love ya!

dmarvin

Feb 13, 2010

Criterion got the rights to Stagecoach??? That is mind-blowingly AWESOME! Yes!!!

Top contributor

badblokebob

Feb 13, 2010

M on Blu-ray!

Oh, but... what's this in my hand? Ah yes, it's M, on Blu-ray, from Masters of Cinema. Think I'll go watch that right now then.

Top contributor

TTC1984

Feb 13, 2010

I wanted that Masters of Cinema M, but it wasn't region-free. Oh well, looks like I only have to wait a few months for a Blu version of it I can play!

Top HT gallery

OhDamaso

Feb 13, 2010

I knew getting into the Criterions was going to be expensive, lol.

moverob

Feb 13, 2010

"Stagecoach"??? Wow, thanks, Criterion. Not just a great western, but a classic piece of film work and history.

And "M" is definitely going into my collection, too. I love Peter Lorre.

Can't wait...

Top reviewer

bluskies

Feb 13, 2010

deafwoof, an excellent post and one I agree 100% with.

Top contributor

bboisvert

Feb 13, 2010

"I wanted that Masters of Cinema M, but it wasn't region-free."

And I think this is the exact reason for that...

Top contributor

merch!

Feb 14, 2010

deafwoof, what are you basing this theory on? The Criterion site doesn't list subtitles for any of their English releases, as far as I can tell. If the Days of Heaven DVD has subs, you can pretty much guarantee the BD will, as well. Same with Bigger Than Life. They probably don't consider it a "feature" that is worthy of advertising, which is the opposite of a lot of early DVDs that would have such awesome features as Interactive Menus! and Widescreen Version! (or, how Reservoir Dogs had its running time listed in the special features box).

goforwand123

Feb 14, 2010

All well and good, but we need more Ingmar Bergman films!

Top reviewer

indiephantom

Feb 14, 2010

Thanks Criterion, been waiting for WALKABOUT on BD forever.

ShellOilJunior

Feb 14, 2010

Great month! I want them all!

Goforwand123,

I'd love to see more Bergman as well. I'd be tickled if they somehow got the rights to PERSONA (which is my favorite Bergman) but I think something like Fannie and Alexander wouldn't be far off on their BR schedule.

Franklinstein

Feb 14, 2010

Very excited about Walkabout and Brakhage! Will probably have to pick up M as well.

Top contributor

bseivxx

Feb 14, 2010

Very excited about M and Stagecoach. Way to go Criterion
Will be preordering all 4 from amazon as soon as the preorders are up

Born2BeBlu

Feb 15, 2010

Phenomenal news about STAGECOACH!! I should point out, though - if you already have the 2-disc Warner Brother's DVD from a few years ago, KEEP IT!!!!! There is A LOT of great supplemental content that will not be on this Criterion BD, including a wonderful "appreciation" featurette and a great feature length documentary about Ford and Wayne's collaborations!!

WB must not have been willing to give those up - maybe they have their own upcoming BD release of this film planned for the future?