The first entry into my “Best Movies” section was Federico Fellini‘s La Dolce Vita (read my essay here) and after rights to the film were finally decided I speculated as to whether or not Criterion will finally get their hands on the absolute classics. The answer is a resounding YES as the Blu-ray release of the film has just been announced for October 21 with the following features:
- New 4K digital restoration by the Film Foundation, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
- New visual essay by : : kogonada
- New interview with filmmaker Lina Wertmüller, who worked as assistant director on the film
- Scholar David Forgacs discusses the period in Italy’s history when the film was made
- New interview with Italian film journalist Antonello Sarno about the outlandish fashions seen in the film
- Audio interview with actor Marcello Mastroianni from the early 1960s, conducted by film historian Gideon Bachmann
- Felliniana, a presentation of ephemera related to La dolce vita from the collection of Don Young
- PLUS: An essay by critic Gary Giddins
However, as exciting as that is, there is a lot more to look forward to in October, beginning with George Sluizer‘s 1988 thriller The Vanishing, which I wrote about a couple years ago after my first viewing. The film is excellent and the Blu-ray comes with a new 2K digital restoration, new interview with Sluizer and an interview with actress Johanna ter Steege. The Vanishing arrives on October 28.
Next is an even more impressive package, that being The Complete Jacques Tati, also on October 28, including Jour de fête, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Mon oncle, PlayTime, Trafic and Parade as well as seven “Tati-related” short films. Here’s the complete feature listing:
- New digital restorations of all six feature films, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-rays of Jour de fête, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Mon oncle, Trafic, and Parade and uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray of PlayTime
- New digital restorations of all seven short films: On demande une brute (1934), Gai dimanche (1935), Soigne ton gauche (1936), L’école des facteurs (1946), Cours du soir (1967), Forza Bastia (1978), and Dégustation maison (1978)
- Two alternate versions of Jour de fête, a partly colorized 1964 version and the full-color 1994 rerelease version
- Original 1953 theatrical release version of Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday
- My Uncle, the version of Mon oncle that director Jacques Tati created for English-language audiences
- Introductions by actor and comedian Terry Jones to Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Mon oncle, and PlayTime
- Archival interviews with Tati
- In the Footsteps of Monsieur Hulot, a 1989 documentary about Tati’s beloved alter ego
- Five visual essays by Tati expert Stéphane Goudet
- New interview with film scholar Michel Chion on the sound design of Tati’s films
- “Jour de fête”: In Search of the Lost Color, a 1988 documentary on the process of realizing Tati’s original color vision for that film
- Once Upon a Time . . . “Mon oncle,” a 2008 documentary about the making of that film
- Everything Is Beautiful, a 2005 piece on the fashion, furniture, and architecture of Mon oncle
- Selected-scene commentaries on PlayTime by Goudet, theater director Jérôme Deschamps, and critic Philip Kemp
- Tativille, a documentary shot on the set of PlayTime
- Beyond “PlayTime,” a short 2002 documentary featuring on-set footage
- An Homage to Jacques Tati, a 1982 French TV program featuring Tati friend and set designer Jacques Lagrange
- Audio interview with Tati from the U.S. premiere of PlayTime at the 1972 San Francisco International Film Festival
- Interview with PlayTime script supervisor Sylvette Baudrot from 2006
- Tati Story, a short biographical film from 2002
- Professor Goudet’s Lessons, a 2013 classroom lecture by Goudet on Tati’s films
- Alternate English-language soundtracks for Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday and PlayTime
- New English subtitle translations
- PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by critics David Cairns, James Quandt, Jonathan Rosenbaum, and Kristin Ross and new covers by David Merveille
On October 14 come the Blu-ray release of John Ford‘s telling of the story of Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda) and Doc Holliday (Victor Mature), My Darling Clementine complete with a neww 4K digital restoration of the theatrical release version of the film as well as a high-definition presentation of the 103-minute prerelease version. John Ford biographer Joseph McBride provides an audio commentary and much, much more.
Finally, Criterion is upgrading Orson Welles‘ F for Fake documentary on October 21.
All in all, October may be the best month for Criterion so far this year as this is one hell of a line-up. I hope you haven’t spent all your money at the Barnes & Noble Criterion sale, because there’s a lot more to buy.
