The Criterion Collection Complete

HUGHES, Albert and Allen (United States) Menace II Society [1993] Spine #1105 Blu-ray Directors Albert and Allen Hughes and screenwriter Tyger Williams were barely into their twenties when they sent shock waves through American cinema and hip-hop culture with this fatalistic, unflinching vision of life and death on the streets of Watts, Los Angeles, in the 1990s. There, in the shadow of the riots of 1965 and 1992, young Caine (Tyrin Turner) is growing up under the influence of his ruthless, drug-dealing father (Samuel L. Jackson, in a chilling cameo) and his loose-cannon best friend, O-Dog (Larenz Tate), leading him into a spiral of violent crime from which he is not sure he wants to escape, despite the best efforts of his grandparents and the steadfast Ronnie (Jada Pinkett). Fusing grim realism with a propulsively stylish aesthetic honed through the Hughes brothers’ work on rap videos,  Menace II Society  is a searing cautionary tale about the devastating human toll of hope...

WELLES, Orson (United States) Citizen Kane [1941] Spine #1104 Blu-ray In the most dazzling debut feature in cinema history, twenty-five-year-old writer-producer-director-star Orson Welles synthesized the possibilities of sound-era filmmaking into what could be called the first truly modern movie. In telling the story of the meteoric rise and precipitous fall of a William Randolph Hearst–like newspaper magnate named Charles Foster Kane, Welles not only created the definitive portrait of American megalomania, he also unleashed a torrent of stylistic innovations — from the jigsaw-puzzle narrative structure to the stunning deep-focus camera work of Gregg Toland — that have ensured that  Citizen Kane  remains fresh and galvanizing for every new generation of moviegoers to encounter it. 119 minutes Black and White Monaural 1:37:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2021 Director/Writers Screenplay by Herman J. Mankiewicz and Orson Welles . Welles was 26 when he directed Citize...

TSUI, Hark (Hong Kong) Once Upon A Time In China V [1994] Spine #1103e Blu-ray Tsui Hark returned to the director’s chair for the rollicking comedic adventure  Once Upon a Time in China V,  in which the indomitable hero Wong Fei-hung (Vincent Zhao) tangles with a band of ruthless, finger-removing pirates who are exploiting the political chaos created by the invasion of foreigners in order to terrorize the Chinese coast. The fist-and-foot kung-fu set pieces—including a showstopping, gold-hued melee set in a warehouse of pirate treasure—are plentiful, but Tsui ups the ante by introducing acrobatic gunplay to the proceedings, infusing this furiously entertaining crowd-pleaser with a bracing jolt of John Woo–style bullet ballet mayhem. 101 minutes Color Monaural in Cantonese 2:39:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2021 Director/Writers Screenplay by Tsui Hark , Lau Tai-muk , and Jason Lam Kee-to . Tsui was 44 when he directed Once Upon a Time in China V . The Film Film Ra...

TSUI, Hark (Hong Kong) Once Upon A Time In China III [1992] Spine #1103c Blu-ray Jet Li’s third outing as the storied martial-arts hero Wong Fei-hung in the  Once Upon a Time in China  films is an exhilarating celebration of Chinese culture peppered with a dash of international espionage. This time around, Wong travels to Beijing, where he finds himself drawn into the intrigue surrounding an epic lion-dance competition, spars with a Russian rival for the affections of his beloved Thirteenth Aunt (Rosamund Kwan), and fights to foil a foreign plot to assassinate the real-life Chinese diplomat Li Hongzhang. The eye-popping lion-dance set pieces—which combine vibrantly colored, fire-breathing pageantry with martial-arts mayhem—rank among the most visually spectacular achievements of the series. 112 minutes Color Monaural in Cantonese and Mandarin 2:39:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2021 Director/Writers Screenplay by Tsui Hark , Hanson Chan Tin-suen , and Charcoal Tan...

YUEN, Bun (Hong Kong) Once Upon A Time In China IV [1992] Spine #1103d Blu-ray Though it picks up the narrative thread where the previous installment left off,  Once Upon a Time in China IV  introduces a new director, action choreographer Yuen Bun, and star, Vincent Zhao, who takes over the role of Wong Fei-hung from Jet Li. Once again, foreign skulduggery and a violent nationalist group—in the form of the fierce women warriors known as the Red Lantern Sect—swirl around a magnificent lion-dance competition, with Wong caught in the fray. Toning down the comedic and romantic elements of the first three films in favor of almost wall-to-wall kung-fu action, the fourth entry is the leanest and meanest of the series, highlighted by a gravity-defying fight atop a field of collapsing, domino-like planks. 101 minutes Color Monaural in Cantonese 2:39:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2021 Director/Writers Screenplay by Tsui Hark and Elsa Tang Bik-yin . Yuen Bun was 29 when h...

TSUI, Hark (Hong Kong) Once Upon A Time In China II [1992] Spine #1103b Blu-ray Having chronicled the social upheaval wrought by Western influence in the opening chapter of the  Once Upon a Time in China  series, Tsui Hark turned his attention to the perils of unchecked nationalism in his sensational follow-up, the rare sequel to equal the dizzying highs of the original. Jet Li returns to the role of Wong Fei-hung, who here takes on the diabolical White Lotus Sect, a virulently xenophobic cult whose anti-foreigner sentiments unleash a wave of destructive violence. Fellow martial-arts icon Donnie Yen dazzles in a star-making turn as Wong’s nemesis, who faces off with the hero in a battle royal that showcases the kinetic brilliance of revered Hong Kong action choreographer Yuen Wo-ping . 112 minutes Color Monaural in Cantonese 2:39:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2021 Director/Writers Screenplay by Tsui Hark , Hanson Chan Tin-suen and Charcoal Tan . Tsui was 42 when...

Once Upon A Time In China: The Complete Films (Hong Kong) Spine #1103 Blu-ray One of the pinnacles of Hong Kong cinema’s 1990s golden age, the  Once Upon a Time in China  series set a new standard for martial-arts spectacle and launched action star Jet Li to international fame. It brings to vivid life the colorful world of China in the late nineteenth century, an era of immense cultural and technological change, as Western imperialism clashed with tradition and public order was upended by the threats of foreign espionage and rising nationalism. Against this turbulent backdrop, one man—the real-life martial-arts master, physician, and folk hero Wong Fei-hung—emerges as a noble protector of Chinese values as the country hurtles toward modernity. Conceived by Hong Kong New Wave leader Tsui Hark, this epic cycle is not only a dazzling showcase for some of the most astonishing action set pieces ever committed to film but also a rousing celebration of Chinese identity, history, an...

TSUI, Hark (Hong Kong) Once Upon A Time In China [1991] Spine #1103a Blu-ray Writer-producer-director Tsui Hark’s sprawling vision of a changing nineteenth-century China begins with this riotously entertaining epic, a blockbuster hit that cemented Jet Li’s status as the greatest martial-arts superstar of his generation. Li displays his stunning, fast-yet-fluid fighting style as the legendary martial-arts teacher and doctor Wong Fei-hung, who, with a band of loyal disciples, battles a host of nefarious forces—foreign and local alike—threatening Chinese sovereignty as British and American imperialists encroach upon the Mainland.  Once Upon a Time in China ’s breathtaking blend of kung fu, comedy, romance, and melodrama climaxes in a whirlwind guns vs. fists finale that is also a thrilling affirmation of Chinese cultural identity. 134 minutes Color Monaural in Cantonese 2:39:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2021 Director/Writers Screenplay by Tsui Hark , Yuen Kai-chi , Edwa...