I just received my review copy of Ingmar Bergman‘s Pesona (3/25) today so I’m a little high on Criterion love at the moment and only minutes after receiving that in the mail I received today’s announcement listing the films coming to the Collection in June.
I’m sure many will be excited to see Peter Weir‘s Picnic at Hanging Rock getting the Blu-ray upgrade. The remastered release includes a new piece on the making of the film, a new introduction by film scholar David Thomson as well as Weir’s 1971 black comedy Homesdale among other additional features. The disc will hit shelves on June 17.
The title I’m most looking forward to is Michelangelo Antonioni‘s L’eclisse the third film in his informal trilogy that includes L’avventura and La notte. This is the only one of those three I haven’t yet seen and what a cast as it tells the story of a young woman (Monica Vitti) who leaves one lover (Francisco Rabal) and drifts into a relationship with another (Alain Delon). It will street on June 10.
Beatlemania arrives to Criterion on June 24 as the release of A Hard Day’s Night marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Beatles’ beloved musical comedy. The release includes a new 4K digital restoration, a newly remixed 5.1 surround soundtrack and hours of supplements including an audio commentary featuring various members of the film’s cast and crew.
Following the recent Criterion release of Georges Franju‘s Eyes Without a Face, Criterion will now release his 1963 crime caper Judex. I’ve never seen this one, but I am really interested in exploring of what Franju has to offer. Here’s the description of the release per Criterion:
This effortlessly cool crime caper, directed by Georges Franju (Eyes Without a Face), is a marvel of dexterous plotting and visual invention. Conceived as an homage to Louis Feuillade’s 1916 cult silent serial of the same name, Judex kicks off with the mysterious kidnapping of a corrupt banker by a shadowy crime fighter (American magician Channing Pollock) and spins out into a thrillingly complex web of deceptions. Combining stylish sixties modernism with silent-cinema touches and even a few unexpected sci-fi accents, Judex is a delightful bit of pulp fiction and a testament to the art of illusion.
Judex will be released on June 17.
Also coming in June is Douglas Sirk‘s All That Heaven Allows starring Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson telling the love story of a well-off suburban widow and her love affair with a handsome and earthy younger gardener. That one arrives on June 10.
Finally, on June 17, Criterion will release Peter Davis‘s 1974 documentary Hearts and Minds, which confronts the United States’ involvement in Vietnam at the height of the foment that surrounded it. The release includes an audio commentary featuring Davis and hours of outtakes.
