# Best Criterion DVD? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 20, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323 "2004-03-20T01:00:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/1 "2004-03-20T01:00:41Z")
Which one has been the best so far? Purely in terms of the effort put into producing it, I think I’d pick [Brazil](http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=51) in all its 3 disc glory. What are everyone else’s picks? ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/2 "2004-03-20T01:14:45Z")
I don’t know the Brazil disks, but the Beasty Boys double disk set was quite interesting (seriously over produced in my opinion, but …) ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/3 "2004-03-20T01:24:56Z")
I’m with you on the _Brazil_ set. Another good one is the 2-disc _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas_ package. A few good deleted scenes, some “behind the scenes” stuff with Hunter, Gilliam, and Depp and three different commentary tracks from Gilliam, Depp & Del Torro, and Hunter. The movie obviously isn’t for everyone, but I think fans would enjoy the extras in the Criterion edition. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/4 "2004-03-20T01:54:42Z")
_Brazil_ all the way, though I wouldn’t give up _any_ of my Criterion discs. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/5 "2004-03-20T02:36:53Z")
Can someone clue me in as to what’s so special about Criterion discs? I only have a few, but near as I can tell, they aren’t particularly spectacular as compared to other major releases. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/6 "2004-03-20T06:01:19Z")
When Criterion first started, in the era of Laserdiscs and crappy pan and scan VCR tapes, they made a name for themselves producing spiffy letterboxed LD’s of classic and foreign films, minus the crackling soundtracks and visible rips in the film. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/7 "2004-03-20T07:45:49Z")
I just popped in to scream _Brazil!_ I see that I’m a bit late. Never mind limiting the field to Criterion releases – I think the Criterion release of _Brazil_ stands out as the best DVD release _ever_. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/8 "2004-03-20T08:04:21Z")
I don’t own any Criterion DVDs because of the price point, but the only one I really REALLY want is Brazil. I’ve only seen it once, and it was an old VHS rental copy, so I desperately want to see Gilliam’s intended cut of the movie, and of course all the extras that people rave about so much. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/9 "2004-03-20T12:32:39Z")
Well… _Brazil_. But to keep things from getting bogged down, I’d also like to say a word or two in favor of Criterion’s _Rebecca_, which has some great extras: informative critical commentary, screen tests for actresses up for the main role, and 3 radio plays of the story (one with Orson Welles, another with Ronald Coleman and Ida Lupino, and a third with Olivier and Vivian Leigh). ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/10 "2004-03-21T03:54:13Z")
**The Third Man** is also an amazing version. The film itself is impeccable. With so much shadow, it’s remarkable how well the image was made to look every scene. The specials are perhaps not the greatest Criterion has done, but having the alternate opening to the movie is much appreciated (and results in a completely different spin to the story), and some of the radio play stuff is wonderful. The Bogdanavich interview is worth a look, as is an opportunity to actually see Karas playing that [(insipid?)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=245114) zither. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/11 "2004-03-21T05:05:50Z")
Well, I was going to say _Brazil_ until I opened this thread. But now, just to be different, I’ll say the Criterion edition of _Carnival of Souls_ is topnotch as well. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/12 "2004-03-21T05:48:42Z")
I was going to say Carnival of Souls. I went to KU and our soundstage is the Herk Harvey stage (Herk directed CoS). There is an extra on the Criterion of our departmental building when it was still Harvey’s studio done with a fish eye lens. It’s very cool, especially if you’ve been there or, as I did for two years, practically lived there. ---
**Author:** ![Nanook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nanook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanook)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2004, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/13 "2004-03-21T05:52:51Z")
Great Expectations Richard III (Olivier) The Seventh Seal ``` Wonderful releases of far more important films than Brazil. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/14 "2004-03-24T00:37:36Z")
How can those films be more or less important than Brazil? I can see a film being important if it had an effect on history and society but I don’t see any of those films or Brazil having such an effect. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/15 "2004-03-24T02:26:26Z")
I think a film’s “importance” can be judged on the influence that it has on the art of filmmaking. _Brazil_ is a very important film – it changed all the _rules_, and and has been a profound influence for many many filmmakers. According to the IMDB, _The Seventh Seal_ has been referenced in 24 films since its release in 1957, while _Brazil_ has been referenced in 47 films since its release in 1985. So by that measure, _Brazil_ has had much more influence. (Interestingly, the short subject _Mr. Murakami’s Garden_ references _The Seventh Seal_ and _Brazil_ – and no other films. So I guess at least one filmmaker rates Gilliam and Bergman as equals. 😃 Far be it from me to cast aspersions on Bergman – He’s one of my favourite directors, and one of the few whose autobiographies occupy space on my bookshelf. That being said, I think _Brazil_ is a much better film that _The Seventh Seal_, for my money. I’ve seen _The Seventh Seal_ maybe three times, and I think I’m done. (I can’t count how many times I’ve screened _Through A Glass Darkly_, on the other hand…) _Brazil_ is a film that you can keep going back to and getting more from. Anyway… that’s a bit of a hijack. We’re talking about great DVD releases of films – not DVD releases of great films. The Criterion releases of _The Seventh Seal_ and _Great Expectations_ can’t really compare with the CC _Brazil_ – sure, they’re great transfers, and much easier on the eye than earlier releases. Doesn’t really compare with two versions of the film, two documentaries, the half a dozen most important artists involved with the production giving their perspectives on the film, storyboards for unshot material, and more. The first time I saw the _Criterion_ release of _Brazil_, I just about fell over. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-criterion-dvd/235323/16 "2004-03-24T02:34:33Z")
I’d have to vote for _Brazil_ as well, though the Criterion _Life of Brian_ is also very good. On the other end of the spectrum, Criterion’s release of _Time Bandits_ is mediocre at best, and was blown away completely by the new special edition (non-Criterion) just released.