Criterion in November

Criterion have announced the following titles for 16th November 2004...

Short Cuts - $39.95 - The work of two great American artists merge in Short Cuts, maverick director Robert Altman’s kaleidoscopic adaptation of the stories of renowned author Raymond Carver. Epic in scale yet meticulously observed, the film interweaves the stories of twenty-two characters struggling to find solace and meaning in contemporary Los Angeles. The extraordinary ensemble cast includes Tim Robbins, Julianne Moore, Robert Downey, Jr., Jack Lemmon, and Jennifer Jason Leigh—all giving fearless performances in one of Altman’s most compassionate creations.

Features on this director-approved special edition double-disc set include:

• New high-definition digital transfer, with restored image and sound, and enhanced for widescreen televisions, supervised by editor Geraldine Peroni and approved by director Robert Altman
• New Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
• Isolated music track
• Reflections on Short Cuts, a new 25-minute videotaped conversation with Robert Altman and Tim RobbinsLuck, Trust, and Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country, a 90-minute documentary on the making of Short Cuts
• Segment from BBC television’s Moving Pictures tracing the development of Raymond Carver’s short story “Jerry and Molly and Sam” for the film
• A 50-minute audio interview with Raymond Carver
• Deleted scenes
• A look inside the marketing of Short Cuts, featuring trailers and more than sixty print advertising campaigns
• English subtitles for the deaf and hearing-impaired
• Special reprint of Short Cuts, the Vintage Books companion collection of Raymond Carver short stories
• An essay by film critic Michael Wilmington and a guide to the music
• More!

Fanny & Alexander 5-Disc Box Set - $59.95 - Through the eyes of ten-year-old Alexander (Bertil Guve), we witness the great delights and conflicts of the Ekdahl family—a sprawling, convivial bourgeois clan living in turn-of-the-century Sweden. Intended as Ingmar Bergman’s swan song, Fanny and Alexander (Fanny och Alexander) is the legendary filmmaker’s warmest and most autobiographical film, a triumph that combines his trademark melancholy and emotional rigor with immense joyfulness and sensuality. The Criterion Collection is proud to present not only the theatrical version—winner of the 1984 Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film—but also, for the first time on home video in the U.S., the original five-hour television version, together in a single boxed set. Also included is Bergman’s own feature-length documentary The Making of Fanny and Alexander (Dokument Fanny och Alexander), offering a unique glimpse into his creative process.

The Theatrical Version - Also available separately priced at $29.95, features include:

• New high-definition digital transfer, with restored image and sound, enhanced for widescreen televisions
• Audio commentary by film scholar Peter Cowie
• New and improved English subtitle translation
• A new essay by novelist Rick Moody (The Ice Storm, Purple America, Demonology)
• The individual release of Fanny and Alexander—The Theatrical Version includes a bonus disc featuring new introductions by director Ingmar Bergman to eleven of his films, as well as a selection of theatrical trailers. This disc is included as disc five of the Fanny and Alexander box set

The Television Version - Ingmar Bergman has described Fanny and Alexander as “the sum total of my life as a filmmaker.” In this, the full-length 312-minute version of his valedictory triumph, the breadth and majesty of the great director’s vision is fully expressed. Originally broadcast on Swedish television, the television version of Fanny and Alexander is the Bergman’s preferred rendition, featuring a generous helping of magical and gripping material expurgated from the theatrical release. The Criterion Collection is proud to present the complete, uncut Fanny and Alexander for the first time on home video in the U.S.

Features include:

• New high-definition digital transfer, with restored image and sound, enhanced for widescreen televisionsA Bergman Tapestry: Fanny and Alexander, a new documentary featuring exclusive interviews with cast and crew
• New and improved English subtitle translation

The Making of Fanny & Alexander - Directed by Ingmar Bergman himself, this feature-length documentary chronicles the methods of one of cinema’s true luminaries as he labors to realize his crowning production. Featuring Bergman at work with many of his longtime collaborators—including cinematographer Sven Nykvist and actors Erland Josephson, Gunnar Björnstrand, and Harriet Andersson—The Making of Fanny and Alexander is a witty and revealing portrait of a virtuoso filmmaker.

Features include:

• New restored high-definition digital transfer
• Ingmar Bergman Bids Farewell to Film, a 60-minute conversation between Bergman and Nils Petter Sundgren made for Swedish television in 1984
• Costume sketches
• Video footage of the film’s set models
• Stills gallery
• Rare introductions by Bergman to eleven of his films
• A selection of Bergman theatrical trailers
• New and improved English subtitle translation