The Criterion Collection: Difference between revisions
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[[File:The Criterion Collection logo.png|right|250px]] | [[File:The Criterion Collection logo.png|right|250px]] | ||
'''The Criterion Collection''', often shortened to just '''Criterion''', is an American home video distribution company specializing in prestige releases of significant films past and present. Founded in 1984, its innovations include letterboxing widescreen films, audio commentaries, and special features in general. Despite the genre's often dim reputation in the West, Criterion has licensed many kaiju films, including every entry in the [[Showa era|Showa]] ''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' series. | '''The Criterion Collection''', often shortened to just '''Criterion''', is an [[United States|American]] home video distribution company specializing in prestige releases of significant films past and present. Founded in 1984, its innovations include letterboxing widescreen films, audio commentaries, and special features in general. Many of Criterion's releases are localized in the United Kingdom through [[Sony]]. Despite the genre's often dim reputation in the West, Criterion has licensed many kaiju films, including every entry in the [[Showa era|Showa]] ''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' series. | ||
==Selected Home Video Releases== | ==Selected Home Video Releases== | ||
*''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' (1933) - LaserDisc (1987) | *''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' (1933) - LaserDisc (1987) | ||
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*''[[Princess from the Moon]]'' (1987) [Japanese] | *''[[Princess from the Moon]]'' (1987) [Japanese] | ||
*''[[Jellyfish Eyes]]'' (2013) [Japanese] | *''[[Jellyfish Eyes]]'' (2013) [Japanese] | ||
==Revival Screenings== | ==Revival Screenings== | ||
In 2019, Criterion business partner Janus Films began facilitating revival screenings of the Godzilla films it owned the rights to, including ''[[Godzilla vs. Gigan]]'' and ''[[Godzilla vs. Hedorah]]'', both currently unavailable on The Criterion Channel.<ref name="DOLA">[https://dola.com/events/2019/7/14/godzilla-vs-hedorah-the-smog-monster-at-the-vista-los-feliz Do LA - GODZILLA VS HEDORAH (THE SMOG MONSTER) in Los Angeles at Vista]</ref><ref name="Brite">[https://web.archive.org/save/https://www.eventbrite.com/e/35mm-godzilla-vs-gigan-at-the-vista-los-feliz-tickets-62342026680 EventBrite - 35mm GODZILLA VS GIGAN at the Vista, Los Feliz]</ref> | In 2019, Criterion business partner Janus Films began facilitating revival screenings of the Godzilla films it owned the rights to, including ''[[Godzilla vs. Gigan]]'' and ''[[Godzilla vs. Hedorah]]'', both currently unavailable on The Criterion Channel.<ref name="DOLA">[https://dola.com/events/2019/7/14/godzilla-vs-hedorah-the-smog-monster-at-the-vista-los-feliz Do LA - GODZILLA VS HEDORAH (THE SMOG MONSTER) in Los Angeles at Vista]</ref><ref name="Brite">[https://web.archive.org/save/https://www.eventbrite.com/e/35mm-godzilla-vs-gigan-at-the-vista-los-feliz-tickets-62342026680 EventBrite - 35mm GODZILLA VS GIGAN at the Vista, Los Feliz]</ref> | ||
==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
*Criterion's 1987 LaserDisc release of ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' contains the first audio commentary for any film.<ref name="Crooked Scoreboard">[http://crookedscoreboard.com/the-unbearable-sadness-of-the-audio-commentary-track/ The Unbearable Sadness of the Audio Commentary Track]</ref> | *Criterion's 1987 LaserDisc release of ''[[King Kong (1933 film)|King Kong]]'' contains the first audio commentary for any film.<ref name="Crooked Scoreboard">[http://crookedscoreboard.com/the-unbearable-sadness-of-the-audio-commentary-track/ The Unbearable Sadness of the Audio Commentary Track]</ref> | ||
*Criterion published an ad in the April [[1998]] issue of ''Image Previews'' for LaserDiscs of the original ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'', ''Godzilla, King of the Monsters!'', ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'', ''[[Invasion of Astro-Monster|Godzilla vs. Monster Zero]]'', ''[[All Monsters Attack|Godzilla's Revenge]]'', and ''[[Terror of Mechagodzilla]]''.<ref name="FB">[https://www.facebook.com/mcandmmtfcoih/photos/a.527644127357018/1037571869697572/?type=3&permPage=1&ifg=1EventBrite July 21, 2016 post by Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men - The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda on Facebook]</ref> The discs were ultimately never released, and the Japanese cut of the original ''Godzilla'' would | *Criterion published an ad in the April [[1998]] issue of ''Image Previews'' for LaserDiscs of the original ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'', ''Godzilla, King of the Monsters!'', ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'', ''[[Invasion of Astro-Monster|Godzilla vs. Monster Zero]]'', ''[[All Monsters Attack|Godzilla's Revenge]]'', and ''[[Terror of Mechagodzilla]]''.<ref name="FB">[https://www.facebook.com/mcandmmtfcoih/photos/a.527644127357018/1037571869697572/?type=3&permPage=1&ifg=1EventBrite July 21, 2016 post by Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men - The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda on Facebook]</ref> The discs were ultimately never released, and the Japanese cut of the original ''Godzilla'' would not see a home video release in the West until [[2006]]. | ||
*Criterion's ''Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975'' Blu-ray box set will contain the first | *Criterion's ''Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975'' Blu-ray box set will contain the first official home video release of the Japanese version of ''[[King Kong vs. Godzilla]]'' in the United States. | ||
*''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]'' and ''[[Godzilla vs. Megalon]]'' are the first two Criterion films to be featured on the movie-mocking show ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''. | |||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
*[https://www.criterion.com Official site] | *[https://www.criterion.com Official site] |
Revision as of 14:40, 23 August 2019
The Criterion Collection, often shortened to just Criterion, is an American home video distribution company specializing in prestige releases of significant films past and present. Founded in 1984, its innovations include letterboxing widescreen films, audio commentaries, and special features in general. Many of Criterion's releases are localized in the United Kingdom through Sony. Despite the genre's often dim reputation in the West, Criterion has licensed many kaiju films, including every entry in the Showa Godzilla series.
Selected Home Video Releases
- King Kong (1933) - LaserDisc (1987)
- Godzilla (1954) - DVD and Blu-ray (2012)
- The X from Outer Space (1967), Goké, Body Snatcher from Hell (1968), The Living Skeleton (1968), and Genocide (1968) - DVD set titled Eclipse Series 37: When Horror Came to Shochiku (2012)
- Jellyfish Eyes (2013) - DVD and Blu-ray (2015)
- All Godzilla films from Godzilla (1954) to Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) - Blu-ray set titled Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 (2019)
The Criterion Channel
Criterion also operates a streaming service in the U.S. and Canada called The Criterion Channel, which it launched in 2019. Previously, select Criterion titles were only available on Hulu, then FilmStruck.
The following kaiju films are available on The Criterion Channel. All Toho films except Godzilla use Toho's 2008 HD transfers, while titles dubbed into English twice use their international export dubs:
- Godzilla (1954) [Japanese and English]
- Godzilla Raids Again (1955) [Japanese]
- Rodan (1956) [Japanese]
- Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) [Japanese]
- Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) [Japanese]
- Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) [English]
- The War of the Gargantuas (1966) [English]
- The X from Outer Space (1967) [Japanese]
- Son of Godzilla (1967) [Japanese and English]
- Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell (1968) [Japanese]
- Destroy All Monsters (1968) [Japanese and English]
- All Monsters Attack (1969) [Japanese]
- Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) [English]
- Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) [English]
- Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) [English]
- Princess from the Moon (1987) [Japanese]
- Jellyfish Eyes (2013) [Japanese]
Revival Screenings
In 2019, Criterion business partner Janus Films began facilitating revival screenings of the Godzilla films it owned the rights to, including Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. Hedorah, both currently unavailable on The Criterion Channel.[1][2]
Trivia
- Criterion's 1987 LaserDisc release of King Kong contains the first audio commentary for any film.[3]
- Criterion published an ad in the April 1998 issue of Image Previews for LaserDiscs of the original Godzilla, Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, Godzilla vs. Mothra, Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, Godzilla's Revenge, and Terror of Mechagodzilla.[4] The discs were ultimately never released, and the Japanese cut of the original Godzilla would not see a home video release in the West until 2006.
- Criterion's Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 Blu-ray box set will contain the first official home video release of the Japanese version of King Kong vs. Godzilla in the United States.
- Ebirah, Horror of the Deep and Godzilla vs. Megalon are the first two Criterion films to be featured on the movie-mocking show Mystery Science Theater 3000.
External Links
References
This is a list of references for The Criterion Collection. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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