The Godfather of high falutin’ movie distributors is finally coming to the UK! (But without The Godfather, sorry if that sounded like a tease).
First a little recap: The Criterion Collection is a US based film distributor, that takes the very best classic and contemporary movies, polishes them up all nice, packages them with tonnes of amazing extras and beautiful artwork and sells them to a very passionate and loyal fanbase. Each is numbered too (I believe they’re somewhere near 800 now) which only adds to their collectibility.
I’ve been buying these things since I was a teenager, back in the time before DVDs and Blu-rays, back when I had a Laserdisc player. Yeah that’s right, I think I was the only human being in Shropshire with a frigging Laserdisc player (or willing to spend all of their Christmas money on an 8-disc Se7en box-set).
Finally after decades of spending a fortune on expensive American imports, my wildest dreams have come true… The Criterion Collection is set to launch on Blu-ray in the UK on April 18, following a multi-year home entertainment distribution pact with Sony.
Each film, previously available in the US, will carry exactly the same supplemental material along with the same artwork.
And here’s what you’re really waiting for, the first wave of films will include…
Grey Gardens (1976) – Albert and David Maysles’ seminal documentary
It Happened One Night (1934) – Frank Capra’s super romantic road movie
Macbeth (1971) – Roman Polanski’s unflinchingly violent Shakespeare adaptation
Only Angels Have Wings (1939) – Howard Hawks’ mystery-adventure classic starring Cary Grant
Speedy (1928) – the last silent feature to star Harold Lloyd
Tootsie (1982) – Dustin Hoffman’s breakout comedy about sexual identity
No word on pricing yet, but just be safe in the knowledge that now you won’t get stung by customs charges or the realisation that Watership Down is terrifying and you’ve changed your mind about owning it but you have no way of returning the damn thing.
Christ, why would you buy Watership Down?
UPDATE: They’re retailing for £17.99, and you can pre-order them here.
