Von Sternberg silents in August?

[gordonovitch]

In this morning's NYTimes, in a full page article announcing summer DVDs, Charles Taylor casually mentioned Criterion releasing "a collection of Josef von Sternberg silents, including 'The Last Command' and 'Underworld'" on August 10.

This is the first I've heard of a street date for this...

Gordon Thomas

[CoffeeDan]

Criterion doesn't announce its street dates more than three months in advance, so if this is true, we should hear an official announcement from them sometime in the next week or two.

I knew Criterion had previously announced UNDERWORLD and THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK among their 2010 releases, but this is the first time I have heard about THE LAST COMMAND. Sounds like an Eclipse set -- I wonder if a fourth von Sternberg feature will be included, and what it might be.

But anyway, hooray for more Paramount silents on DVD!

[Gagman 66]

Good news. I hope THE LAST COMMAND will be included. Would make no sense to leave it out as the three films are almost like a trilogy. All excellent films.

Blast. I was so hoping for CHILDREN OF DIVORCE which was not credited to Von Sternberg, but He completed the picture. The names Gary Cooper and Clara Bow would have sold 3-4 times as many copies as any of the other three titles will in my view. I know many people who have been waiting to see this movie for years and years.

I've seen UNDERWORLD, THE DOCKS OF NEW YORK, and THE LAST COMMAND several times. I'm happy that these will be getting an official release. I'll certainly buy the collection. What do we have to do to get CHILDREN OF DIVORCE? Stand on our heads while playing the Star Spangled Banner? I don't understand why apart from THE WINNING OF BARBARA WORTH none of Coop's Silents have ever been issued on DVD before? Yeah, I know that apart from LILAC TIME they are all Paramount, But so are the Von Sternberg's!

At least this release marks a significant step forward in getting a few Paramount Silents on DVD at long last. So that is encouraging. What about the claim that Von Stroheim's THE WEDDING MARCH was leased to Criterion as well? Has this been confirmed? And if so, than why not WINGS? Maybe another chance for CHILDREN OF DIVORCE since each film both have Clara and Coop? Who knows?

[CoffeeDan]

Jeff, don't ask for the moon when you've got the stars . . . especially stars like George Bancroft, Evelyn Brent, Clive Brook, Betty Compson, Emil Jannings, and William Powell, who are all at their best in these movies.

[kndy]

Image to the upcoming release:

[img]http://criterion_production.s3.amazonaws.com/release_images/2794/528_box_348x490.jpg[/img]

As for the angry comments of the release not on Blu-ray, Criterion has replied with:

Sorry, we don't have the rights for the Sternbergs on Blu...

[Arndt]

I may need surgery to get the smile off my face. These films are so worthy of a Criterion release. Keep 'em coming, Criterion!

[rogerskarsten]

This is very cool, and I for one am glad they're on DVD and not "Blu-ray only."

~Roger

[Danny Burk]

And all with 2 scores to choose from, including one for each by Robert Israel. Excellent news indeed!

[myrnaloyisdope]

Outstanding. Love the cover too!

[Gagman 66]

Justin,

I have to disagree. The cover is silly, as it tells us nothing about the films? Just sticking his head on there is rather odd approach. Besides it looks just like Richard Dryfuss!

Three musical scores, including one for each feature by Robert Israel is a huge surprise! Robert told me back in March after the premier of THE MAGICIAN on TCM, that He was busy scoring another project, but didn't give any details. This is big, and completely unexpected!

I wonder if there is any chance for CHILDREN OF DIVORCE being included with WINGS? I'm not sure that Criterion has been leased the rights to either film though? Anyone have more info? It would be fabulous if they could land the rights to BEAU GESTE.

[buskeat]

Justin,

I have to disagree. The cover is silly, as it tells us nothing about the films? Just sticking his head on there is rather odd approach.

Three musical scores, including one for each feature by Robert Israel is a huge surprise! Robert told me back in March after the premier of THE MAGICIAN on TCM, that He was busy scoring another project, but didn't give any details. This is big, and completely unexpected!

I wonder if there is any chance for CHILDREN OF DIVORCE being included with WINGS? I'm not sure that Criterion has been leased the rights to either film though? Anyone have more info? It would be fabulous if they could land the rights to BEAU GESTE.

The only other Paramount silent that I've heard Criterion has licensed is THE WEDDING MARCH.

[dr.giraud]

I may need surgery to get the smile off my face. These films are so worthy of a Criterion release. Keep 'em coming, Criterion!

Me too. Robert Israel AND Alloy? Excellent. I would have been happy with an Eclipse set, but the full Criterion treatment?

[Penfold]

Me, I was hoping for The Salvation Hunters rather than Children of Divorce.....however, I'm not complaining; three of the very best Silents there.

[Gagman 66]

Penfold,

SALVATION HUNTERS is a Clunker. I have seen it. I think you would have been pretty disappointed in the film.

[Christopher Jacobs]

The cover is silly, as it tells us nothing about the films? Just sticking his head on there is rather odd approach. Besides it looks just like Richard Dryfuss!

Actually, the cover is exactly what one would expect from a Criterion set of films by von Sternberg -- a picture of von Sternberg with a clean, elegent graphic layout design. There is certainly no need to tell anything about the films on the cover of a Criterion release, as anyone who would buy a Criterion release either already knows what the films are or has enough trust in Criterion's reputation to take a chance with a blind buy because they know they'll be interesting and worth seeing, and high-quality transfers, even if they'll never be favorite films and had never even heard of the titles, actors, or directors before -- just as with Eureka's Masters of Cinema series in Britain. Average DVD purchasers also tend to balk at Criterion prices in favor of PD dollar discs of some of the same titles. These were never meant to be mainstream mass market DVDs on the shelves of Kmart (although oddly Kmart currently has an eclectic selection of Columbia classics from the 30s through the 70s for some reason).

Although I'd naturally prefer a BluRay edition, I'd trust sight unseen any Criterion DVD release over a Lionsgate BluRay of the same title (notably Lionsgate's miserably disappointing transfer of CONTEMPT).

--Christopher Jacobs
http://hpr1.com/film
http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs

[moviepas]

I received an order page from Classicflix this morning for this box set but I could find nothing on Amazon or DeepDiscount yet. I am certainly am happy that I signed for e-mails alerts from them and wished I had done sooner as I knew of their existence from many adverts in Classic Images over a period of time. I have ordered some material from them that is yet to dispatch. They sometimes have a three day window on some new releases with considerable dollars off of a pre-release after that time it goes to a higher pre-release price. They, off course, hire out titles to American customers like Netflix. Thus they have all the WB Archive material available in that rental but no re-sale(at least not yet).

It would have been nice to have the Blu Ray of the Sternbergs but the DVDs will do for now. One wonders if the information that they don't have the Blu ray rights is true, that is, that they feel that the Blu rays would not recoup their money???

I would certainly like to see The Wedding March if they have it in their projected releases. Pity that the other part was destroyed in a fire in France but then I could be argued that it should have relieved of that storage area by LOC or someone long before and restored. I guess we can't have everything.

[kndy]

Jeff of CriterionForum.org explains why there isn't a Blu-ray release of this title:

"These are new high-definition transfers, so that's not the issue. They licensed these from Paramount back in 2007, when Blu-ray wasn't really a consideration, and they currently have DVD rights only. They didn't get the Blu-ray rights for any of the 14 titles they licensed from Paramount. So far, the only title that Criterion has gone back to Paramount about and renegotiated for the Blu-ray rights was Days of Heaven, and I understand that took some convincing. Obviously the legendary cinematography on that particular film makes it a special case worth spending extra time and money on. I'd like to see a Blu-ray Sternberg set (as well as Ace in the Hole, The Naked Prey, and other Paramount titles), but right now it just ain't in the cards."

http://criterionforum.org/forum/view...10659&start=25

[Gagman 66]

That's great. But what are the remaining 12 titles that they leased from Paramount that He didn't mention at all??? Well, at least 10 more excluding THE WEDDING MARCH anyway. is there a list?

[Nick_M]

Three years from license to disc? That seems a long time. Is that a normal time frame?

[moviepas]

Blackhawk Films were smart under the original management and when they got a hold on the Hal Roach L&H etc they also ask for video rights even though video for the home like Beta & VHS were'nt on anybodies mind way back then. What they made of those rights later I don't know but they did it. was an Australian representative of theres at the time but this excluded the Hal Roach stuff as they only had North American rights to these films. They had Fox Movietone but did not do much with it. They did a few compilations from the newsreels. They may not have sold well, I don't know.

HD & Blu Ray were certainly on the arguing table in 2007 and remember Image, who were Laserdiscs masters after time spent in the porn arena, weren't going to go into DVD, no way their catalogue/magazine editor said but they sure did go into it in quick order. 2007 might well have been the time to try & get rights for new technology in advance of the accepted system that we got. The logical negotiations should have been along the lines:

A contract to produce DVDs & any future home video system for titles A B C etc for the duration of the said contract.

So long as both parties agree then this would be the way to go & benefit both sides, surely. Such an agreement should have a clause protecting the likes of Criterion in the event of an ownership change of the rights holder which is always on the cards.

[missdupont]

I saw SALVATION HUNTERS last year at UCLA during their Festival of Preservation and, while slow, it is a beautifully shot film with excellent performances. Thanks to George K. Arthur for helping to fund it!

[dr.giraud]

That's great. But what are the remaining 12 titles that they leased from Paramount that He didn't mention at all??? Well, at least 10 more excluding THE WEDDING MARCH anyway. is there a list?

Off the top of my head (and with a little Googling) . . .

If
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
Ace in the Hole
The Naked Prey
White Dog
Robinson Crusoe on Mars
Days of Heaven
The Furies
Downhill Racer
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

[dr.giraud]

Actually, the cover is exactly what one would expect from a Criterion set of films by von Sternberg -- a picture of von Sternberg with a clean, elegent graphic layout design. There is certainly no need to tell anything about the films on the cover of a Criterion release, as anyone who would buy a Criterion release either already knows what the films are or has enough trust in Criterion's reputation to take a chance with a blind buy because they know they'll be interesting and worth seeing, and high-quality transfers, even if they'll never be favorite films and had never even heard of the titles, actors, or directors before -- just as with Eureka's Masters of Cinema series in Britain. Average DVD purchasers also tend to balk at Criterion prices in favor of PD dollar discs of some of the same titles. These were never meant to be mainstream mass market DVDs on the shelves of Kmart (although oddly Kmart currently has an eclectic selection of Columbia classics from the 30s through the 70s for some reason).

Although I'd naturally prefer a BluRay edition, I'd trust sight unseen any Criterion DVD release over a Lionsgate BluRay of the same title (notably Lionsgate's miserably disappointing transfer of CONTEMPT).

--Christopher Jacobs
http://hpr1.com/film
http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs

Exactly. Best Buy has pretty much stopped stocking any DVD box sets or off-beat titles. And most of the rest of the chains have done the same.

[35MM]

Info is now up on Criterions site:

http://www.criterion.com/boxsets/744-th ... -sternberg

Release date is August 24th, 2010.

Nice extras:

New, restored high-definition digital transfers
Six scores: one by Robert Israel for each film; two by the Alloy Orchestra, for Underworld and The Last Command; and a piano and voice piece by Donald Sosin for The Docks of New York
Two new visual essays: one by UCLA film professor Janet Bergstrom and the other by film scholar Tag Gallagher
1968 Swedish television interview with director Josef von Sternberg, covering his entire career
PLUS: A ninety-six-page booklet featuring essays by film critic Geoffrey O’Brien, film scholar Anton Kaes, and author Luc Sante; the original film treatment for Underworld by Ben Hecht; and an excerpt from Sternberg’s autobiography, Fun in a Chinese Laundry, on Emil Jannings


Also around that date is a book (reprint?) on Josef von Sternberg:

http://www.amazon.com/Sternberg-Screen- ... 100&sr=1-2

[Penfold]

Penfold,

SALVATION HUNTERS is a Clunker. I have seen it. I think you would have been pretty disappointed in the film.

I've seen it, and Children of Divorce, with the other silent Sternbergs at Bologna a couple of years back. FWIW, I preferred Salvation Hunters to Children of Divorce.....make of that what you will.

[Gagman 66]

Evelyn Brent in THE LAST COMMAND

[Gagman 66]

[Harold Aherne]

Here's Criterion's press release for the Sternberg set, and it appears that each film will have its own case and artwork. From the gaps in Criterion's numbering for upcoming releases, it *looks* like the box set and each film will have its own spine number as well, but that probably remains to be seen.

-Harold

[moviepas]

Amazon have now revised the pre-release price of this Criterion set by c$16.00 from $55.99 to $71.99(You save $7.94). Not found on DeepDiscount yet.

[Mike Gebert]

Got these today.

Each has its own number, and is in a cardboard jacket within the box.

Now that the most important question is out of the way...

One thing really mattered to me about this set-- that Docks of New York look fantastic.

It does. The gauzy foggy chiaroscuro gorgeousness of the film looks as breathtakingly beautiful and romantic as any silent on DVD. Three-dimensional detail.

Underworld and Last Command look good, but not this good. Less contrast, less roundness of detail. But certainly very good.

I think I like Underworld the best as a movie, but Docks of New York in a great DVD will be a treasure on its own.

More to come, I'm sure, but that's what five minutes' review reveals.