Although I adore Satyajit Ray a lot, I can never forget the moment when I watched Ritwik Ghatak's "The Cloud-capped Star". It is my favourite Indian movie, and inarguably one of the most important works in cinema history. Thanks a lot for the review, there's so much more to learn from you!!!!
Thank you so much for your kind words and your wonderful enthusiasm for this brilliant film. It resonates with me so strongly even now, and so reading your comment really made me happy my friend.
Of the strong films released this year, a number of which I have bought, among the most satisfying for me was My Brilliant Career, worthy of it's top 3 selection. What a magnificent film this is. I hadn't seen it for years and was bowled over by it afresh. The menace to Sybylla in this excruciatingly polite and repressive society policed by grande dames is pregnant throughout the film - "Loneliness is a terrible price to pay for independence". Against this is the indomitable spirit of the main character seeing the distant gleam of freedom in the works of Henry Lawson (once slighted as 'the city bushman') among others whose works are heard in the bush school scene and who inspire the bush memoir seen at the beginning of the film. At the same time she is distracted by her first experience of romantic love. (Author Miles Franklin refers to her novel as an anti-romance). I find myself re-assessing my long held preference for Picnic at Hanging Rock as my favourite Australian film - etheriality the strength of one, densely textured dramatic argument the strength of the other. Perhaps I am swayed by the stella performance of Judy Davis In My Brilliant Career. By the way, if ever a Criterion film was accompanied by the novel on which the film is based, it should be My Brilliant Career by (Stella) Miles Franklin (the masculine name ensured her publication). She was an early feminist whose bequest has created Australia's premier literary award. Her novel was very much the inspiration for the movie, not just a 'property'. Novel and film, independently, are ornaments of Australian arts.
I am reading and rereading your brilliant comment, and it is such a well-stated, and strong and excellent one about a film that I too care deeply about. I didn't realize it at all until you had mentioned it in your great comment, but what you say about having the novel included in the Criterion release (much like Picnic at Hanging Rock or Red River, etc.) would have been the most brilliant move (and you are also right to point out the masculine-sounding name of the author Miles Franklin; in one of the Criterion supplements, a similar comment is made regarding how the director's name Gillian Armstrong appears as "Gill Armstrong" in the opening credits)
@@DaisukeBeppu Thanks for your generous reply. I haven't got to the commentary or the supplements yet but it's my next step in reconnecting to this great film. By the way it is one thing for Criterion to produce these great packages, but it needs film lovers like yourself to inspire others. You are the new era's film correspondents and critics. I have never been more creatively focused on film than I have been since subscribing to your excellent channel which has provided a structure, through such things as the film club and the lists which direct to different elements of a film and its packaging and not least to your knowledge of films under treatment. I spent 30 years in a town with no cinema teaching students with little film culture. It is channels like yours that enrich the idea of a film culture.
Hello and I am very happy to hear that! I hope you enjoy the release (it is really excellent). Cheers and please let me know what you think of the work!
Godzilla was my first foreign film although I saw it on TV with dubbed English. It made me a Godzilla and SF fan. I've seen a few of these: Blue Velvet, Where is the Friend's House, Notorious, and very recently, Diamonds in the Night, which I enjoyed. I enjoyed all of those on some level. The rest I hope to watch later. A good selection of films, Daisuke.
As I said earlier, I’ve not collected many films from criterion that actually released this year. But there we’re many that piqued my interest. This may have been a huge year for Criterion in quite sometime. Thank you Daisuke, I enjoy this sort of series that you do every so often. Hope you are doing well.
2019 was a very strong year for criterion. Wanda may be my absolute favorite of the year, just beating out Polyester and the Koker Trilogy. Great videos wrapping up the year, Daisuke!
I like Notorious a lot and it's certainly amongst my favourite Hitchcocks. Incidentally it probably says something about my focus that it never occurred to me for a moment that Notorious might be an "early American film" or indeed that is was "early Hitchcock". That isn't a reflection on Daisuke's comments but more an indication that I am probably, like Jethro Tull, Living in the Past. I even get uneasy at the idea of anything post 1959 being described as a "classic" let alone old. Basically if I was able to see a film at the cinema on my own when it came out it's pretty much still modern if not exactly new!
I don’t like the Eclipse series because they are generally DVD only and they give you no special features. The raison d’etre of the Criterion Collection is to have high resolution video with great sound and with special features. What we need more of are blu-ray box sets in the book format like Godzilla and Ingmar Bergman Cinema and Zatoichi.
But they also supply films which are otherwise often difficult to obtain and do so at a budget price. As such they may well fulfil a slightly different mission from the mainstream of Criterion releases but that doesn't reflect upon the quality of the film or, frankly, all that much on the general experience. For me at least there are more important things than the best possible resolution, sound or even extras. So although I would of course prefer those things to be in evidence I am perfectly prepared to make some trade offs and not allow near perfection of presentation to be the enemy of the merely marvellous.
That is a fair approach I think regarding Eclipse. I too acknowledge that perhaps Eclipse has been "replaced" by the availability of films on the Criterion Channel. Still, I have a great affinity for the Eclipse series because of the availability of films that are hard to get or that would not otherwise have fallen on my radar so to speak. And it was so good for me in particular as I do not have a subscription to the Criterion Channel. And I think that the Criterion Collection is versatile enough such that there is room for both Eclipse and more box sets as you very rightly suggest. And in fact, I think that we will see a lot more big box sets soon (a Fellini set is heavily rumored as being a possible big set a la the Bergman box).
Eclipse isn’t the same as the main Criterion releases. It’s more about getting the rare films that you can’t really find otherwise. The goal is entirely separate.
The Koker Trilogy absolutely demands repeated viewing IMHO. I am very, very bad at devoting the time for that. But it will have to be done - which will be useful training for me! However even from the first run through it was self-evident that the set is a considerable achievement.
Although I adore Satyajit Ray a lot, I can never forget the moment when I watched Ritwik Ghatak's "The Cloud-capped Star". It is my favourite Indian movie, and inarguably one of the most important works in cinema history.
Thanks a lot for the review, there's so much more to learn from you!!!!
Thank you so much for your kind words and your wonderful enthusiasm for this brilliant film. It resonates with me so strongly even now, and so reading your comment really made me happy my friend.
Of the strong films released this year, a number of which I have bought, among the most satisfying for me was My Brilliant Career, worthy of it's top 3 selection.
What a magnificent film this is. I hadn't seen it for years and was bowled over by it afresh. The menace to Sybylla in this excruciatingly polite and repressive society policed by grande dames is pregnant throughout the film - "Loneliness is a terrible price to pay for independence". Against this is the indomitable spirit of the main character seeing the distant gleam of freedom in the works of Henry Lawson (once slighted as 'the city bushman') among others whose works are heard in the bush school scene and who inspire the bush memoir seen at the beginning of the film. At the same time she is distracted by her first experience of romantic love. (Author Miles Franklin refers to her novel as an anti-romance).
I find myself re-assessing my long held preference for Picnic at Hanging Rock as my favourite Australian film - etheriality the strength of one, densely textured dramatic argument the strength of the other. Perhaps I am swayed by the stella performance of Judy Davis In My Brilliant Career.
By the way, if ever a Criterion film was accompanied by the novel on which the film is based, it should be My Brilliant Career by (Stella) Miles Franklin (the masculine name ensured her publication). She was an early feminist whose bequest has created Australia's premier literary award. Her novel was very much the inspiration for the movie, not just a 'property'.
Novel and film, independently, are ornaments of Australian arts.
I am reading and rereading your brilliant comment, and it is such a well-stated, and strong and excellent one about a film that I too care deeply about. I didn't realize it at all until you had mentioned it in your great comment, but what you say about having the novel included in the Criterion release (much like Picnic at Hanging Rock or Red River, etc.) would have been the most brilliant move (and you are also right to point out the masculine-sounding name of the author Miles Franklin; in one of the Criterion supplements, a similar comment is made regarding how the director's name Gillian Armstrong appears as "Gill Armstrong" in the opening credits)
@@DaisukeBeppu Thanks for your generous reply. I haven't got to the commentary or the supplements yet but it's my next step in reconnecting to this great film.
By the way it is one thing for Criterion to produce these great packages, but it needs film lovers like yourself to inspire others. You are the new era's film correspondents and critics.
I have never been more creatively focused on film than I have been since subscribing to your excellent channel which has provided a structure, through such things as the film club and the lists which direct to different elements of a film and its packaging and not least to your knowledge of films under treatment.
I spent 30 years in a town with no cinema teaching students with little film culture. It is channels like yours that enrich the idea of a film culture.
@@DaisukeBeppu
Thank you for the recommendation of War and Peace. I just got it for my birthday and can't wait to start watching it.
Hello and I am very happy to hear that! I hope you enjoy the release (it is really excellent). Cheers and please let me know what you think of the work!
@@DaisukeBeppu I will let you know as soon as I'm finished. It's probably going to take some time though 😁
Godzilla was my first foreign film although I saw it on TV with dubbed English. It made me a Godzilla and SF fan. I've seen a few of these: Blue Velvet, Where is the Friend's House, Notorious, and very recently, Diamonds in the Night, which I enjoyed. I enjoyed all of those on some level. The rest I hope to watch later. A good selection of films, Daisuke.
Hello and thank you so much for this comment! This is so kind of you. 2019 was really another great year for Criterion.
great choices daisuke, 2019 was a year with many great releases from the collection. now on to 2020!
Hello lincoln gogo and thank you so much for your kind comment. Happy new year!
As I said earlier, I’ve not collected many films from criterion that actually released this year. But there we’re many that piqued my interest. This may have been a huge year for Criterion in quite sometime. Thank you Daisuke, I enjoy this sort of series that you do every so often. Hope you are doing well.
Thank you very much! Yes, I am well. It is a bit cold here in Tokyo though.
2019 was a very strong year for criterion. Wanda may be my absolute favorite of the year, just beating out Polyester and the Koker Trilogy. Great videos wrapping up the year, Daisuke!
Thank you so much, and I am happy that you mentioned Wanda like that. It is a really brilliant film.
All superb films; Notorious remains my favorite Hitchcock film, Criterion does it justice.
I like Notorious a lot and it's certainly amongst my favourite Hitchcocks. Incidentally it probably says something about my focus that it never occurred to me for a moment that Notorious might be an "early American film" or indeed that is was "early Hitchcock". That isn't a reflection on Daisuke's comments but more an indication that I am probably, like Jethro Tull, Living in the Past. I even get uneasy at the idea of anything post 1959 being described as a "classic" let alone old. Basically if I was able to see a film at the cinema on my own when it came out it's pretty much still modern if not exactly new!
That is a great choice for a favorite Hitchcock film, my friend.
I don’t like the Eclipse series because they are generally DVD only and they give you no special features. The raison d’etre of the Criterion Collection is to have high resolution video with great sound and with special features. What we need more of are blu-ray box sets in the book format like Godzilla and Ingmar Bergman Cinema and Zatoichi.
But they also supply films which are otherwise often difficult to obtain and do so at a budget price. As such they may well fulfil a slightly different mission from the mainstream of Criterion releases but that doesn't reflect upon the quality of the film or, frankly, all that much on the general experience. For me at least there are more important things than the best possible resolution, sound or even extras. So although I would of course prefer those things to be in evidence I am perfectly prepared to make some trade offs and not allow near perfection of presentation to be the enemy of the merely marvellous.
That is a fair approach I think regarding Eclipse. I too acknowledge that perhaps Eclipse has been "replaced" by the availability of films on the Criterion Channel. Still, I have a great affinity for the Eclipse series because of the availability of films that are hard to get or that would not otherwise have fallen on my radar so to speak. And it was so good for me in particular as I do not have a subscription to the Criterion Channel. And I think that the Criterion Collection is versatile enough such that there is room for both Eclipse and more box sets as you very rightly suggest. And in fact, I think that we will see a lot more big box sets soon (a Fellini set is heavily rumored as being a possible big set a la the Bergman box).
Daisuke Beppu All good points Daisuke.
Eclipse isn’t the same as the main Criterion releases. It’s more about getting the rare films that you can’t really find otherwise. The goal is entirely separate.
xfritz5375 I agree! Well said 😃
The Koker Trilogy absolutely demands repeated viewing IMHO. I am very, very bad at devoting the time for that. But it will have to be done - which will be useful training for me! However even from the first run through it was self-evident that the set is a considerable achievement.
I completely agree with you about the Koker Trilogy. Repeat viewing rewards so much.
Hi Daisuke. I guess you do not want a copy of Unfinished Film. That is ok, at least I offered. See you in Tokyo.
Thank you so much. I think that I am OK, but thank you all the same and I really really appreciate it, my friend.