The Criterion Collection Complete

KUROSAWA, Akira (Japan) The Hidden Fortress [1958] Spine #116 Blu-ray A grand-scale adventure as only Akira Kurosawa could make one,  The Hidden Fortress  stars the inimitable Toshiro Mifune as a general charged with guarding his defeated clan's princess (a fierce Misa Uehara) as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. Accompanying them are a pair of bumbling, conniving peasants who may or may not be their friends. This rip-roaring ride is among the director's most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas's Star Wars . The Hidden Fortress  delivers Kurosawa's trademark deft blend of wry humor, breathtaking action, and compassionate humanity. 139 minutes Black & White Monaural in Japanese 2:39:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2014 Director/Writer Akira Kurosawa was 48 when he directed  The Hidden Fortress. Screenplay  by Ryûzô Kikushima ,  Hideo Oguni ,  Shinobu Hashimoto , and Kuro...

COCTEAU, Jean (France) THE ORPHIC TRILOGY: Testament of Orpheus [1959] Spine #69 DVD OOP In his last film, legendary writer/artist/filmmaker Jean Cocteau portrays an 18th-century poet who travels through time on a quest for divine wisdom. In a mysterious wasteland, he meets several symbolic phantoms that bring about his death and resurrection. With an eclectic cast that includes Pablo Picasso, Jean-Pierre Leáud, Jean Marais and Yul Brynner, Testament of Orpheus (Le Testament de Orphée)  brings full circle the journey Cocteau began in The Blood of a Poet , an exploration of the torturous relationship between the artist and his creation . 80 minutes Black & White Monaural in French 1:33:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2000 Director/Writers Jean Cocteau was 70 when he directed  Testament of Orpheus . Written by Cocteau, with technical assistance from Claude Pinoteau . Other Cocteau films in the Collection: #67: The Blood of a Poet (1930) #6: Bea...

COCTEAU, Jean (France) THE ORPHIC TRILOGY: Orpheus [1949] Spine #68 DVD Jean Cocteau's update of the Orpheus myth depicts a famous poet (Jean Marais), scorned by the Left Bank youth, and his love for both his wife, Eurydice (Maria Déa), and a mysterious princess (Maria Casarès). Seeking inspiration, the poet follows the princess from the world of the living to the land of the dead, through Cocteau's famous mirrored portal. Orpheus 's peerless visual poetry and dreamlike storytelling represent the legendary Cocteau at the height of his powers . 95 minutes Black & White Monaural in French 1:33:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2000 Director/Writer Jean Cocteau was 60 when he wrote and directed Orpheus . Other Cocteau films in the Collection: #67: The Blood of a Poet (1930) #6: Beauty and the Beast (1946) #69: Testament of Orpheus (1959) The Film The Extras The Booklet Six-page wraparound featuring an essay by Cocteau. Commentary None....

COCTEAU, Jean (France) THE ORPHIC TRILOGY: The Blood of a Poet [1930] Spine #67 DVD OOP "Poets . . . shed not only the red blood of their hearts but the white blood of their souls," proclaimed Jean Cocteau of his groundbreaking first film — an exploration of the plight of the artist, the power of metaphor and the relationship between art and dreams. One of cinema's great experiments, this first installment of the Orphic Trilogy stretches the medium to its limits in an effort to capture the poet's obsession with the struggle between the forces of life and death. Criterion is proud to present The Blood of a Poet (Le sang d'un poète) . 50 minutes Black & White Monaural in French 1:33:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2000 Director Jean Cocteau was 41 when he directed The Blood of a Poet . Other Cocteau films in the Collection: #6: Beauty and the Beast (1946) #68: Orpheus (1949) #69: Testament of Orpheus (1959) The Film The Extra...

DASSIN, Jules (France) Rififi [1955] Spine #115 DVD After making such American noir classics as The Naked City  and Brute Force , blacklisted director Jules Dassin went to Paris and embarked on his masterpiece: a twisting, turning tale of four ex-cons who hatch one last glorious heist in the City of Lights. At once naturalistic and expressionistic, this mélange of suspense, brutality, and dark humor was an international hit and earned Dassin the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Criterion is proud to present Rififi  in a pristine digital transfer. 118 minutes Black & White Monaural in French 1:33:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2001 Director/Writers Jules Dassin was 44 when he directed  Rififi . Based on the novel by Auguste le Breton . Screenplay by Dassin, with the participation of  René Wheeler and Breton. Dialogue by Breton. Other Dassin films in the Collection: #383: Brute Force (1947) #380: The Naked City ...

LA CAVA, Gregory (United States) My Man Godfrey [1936] Spine #114 DVD The definitive screwball comedy, My Man Godfrey  follows the madcap antics of a wealthy and eccentric family when they hire a down-and-out "forgotten man" as their butler. My Man Godfrey  features brilliant performances by Carole Lombard and William Powell, and was the first film to receive Academy Award nominations in all four acting categories. 93 minutes Black & White Monaural 1:33:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2001 Director/Writers Gregory La Cava  was 44 when he directed  My Man Godfrey . Screenplay by  Morrie Ryskind  and Eric Hatch . Based on the novel by Hatch. The Film The Extras The Booklet Six-page wraparound featuring an essay by Diane Jacobs . Commentary By film historian Bob Gilpin. Complete 1938 broadcast of the Lux Radio Theatre adaptation, starring Powell and Lombard. Production stills archive Original theatrical trailer 9...

MONICELLI, Mario (Italy) Big Deal on Madonna Street [1958] Spine #113 DVD An all-star cast and jazzy score highlight this charming comedy, a deft satire of classic caper films like Rififi . Big Deal on Madonna Street  hilariously details the plight of a sad-sack group of bumbling thieves and their desperate attempts to pull off the perfect heist. 106 minutes Black & White Monaural in Italian 1:33:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2001 Director/Writers Mario Monicelli was 43 when he directed  Big Deal on Madonna Street . Story by Furio Scarpelli and Agenore Incrocci . Screenplay by Scarpelli, Suso Cecchi D’Amico and Monicelli. Other Monicelli films in the Collection: #610: The Organizer (1963) The Film The Extras The Booklet Six-page wraparound featuring an essay by Bruce Eder . Commentary None. Original theatrical trailer 99 By Director By Spine #

TATI, Jacques (France) PlayTime [1967] Spine #112/#729 Blu-ray Jacques Tati's gloriously choreographed, nearly wordless comedies about confusion in the age of technology reached their creative apex with Playtime . For this monumental achievement, a nearly three-year-long, bank-breaking production, Tati again thrust the endearingly clumsy, resolutely old-fashioned Monsieur Hulot, along with a host of other lost souls, into a baffingly modernist Paris. With every inch of its superwide frame crammed with hilarity and inventiveness, Playtime  is a lasting testament to a modern age tiptoeing on the edge of oblivion. 124 minutes Color 3.0 Surround in French 1:78:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2009 Director/Writers Jacques Tati was 50 when he directed  PlayTime . Screenplay by Tati and Jacques Lagrange . English dialogue by Art Buchwald . Other Tati films in the Collection: #730: Jour de Fête (1949) #110: Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953) #111...