The Criterion Collection Complete

ROEMER, Michael (United States) Nothing But a Man [1964] Spine #1209 Blu-ray Michael Roemer’s groundbreaking first feature, sensitively shot by his close collaborator Robert M. Young, is a still-resonant expression of humanity in the face of virulent prejudice. Made at the height of the civil rights movement,  Nothing but a   Man  reveals the toll of systemic racism through its honest portrait of a southern Black railroad worker (Ivan Dixon) confronting the daily challenges of discrimination and economic precarity, as he attempts to settle down with his new wife (jazz great Abbey Lincoln) and track down his father (Julius Harris). Admired by Malcolm X and now recognized as a landmark of American cinema, this tender film grounds its social critique in characters of unforgettable complexity and truth. 91 minutes Monaural Black and White 1:37:1 Criterion Release 2024 Director/Writer Michael Roemer was 36 when he directed Nothing But a Man . The Film a Film Rating (0-60): ...

WALSH, Raoul (United States) The Roaring Twenties [1939] Spine #1208 Blu-ray Ripped from the headlines of the turbulent era between the Great War and the Great Depression, this dynamic, nostalgia-tinged crime drama balances tommy-gun action with epic historical sweep. Legends James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart star as army buddies whose fortunes rise and fall as their fates intersect, first in a foxhole on the front lines of World War I, then in Manhattan’s Prohibition-era underworld. Directed by Hollywood master Raoul Walsh, and based on a story by prolific journalist turned screenwriter and producer Mark Hellinger,  The Roaring Twenties  brought to a close the celebrated Warner Bros. gangster cycle of the 1930s, and it remains one of the greatest and most influential crime films of all time. 106 minutes Monaural Black and White 1:37:1 Criterion Release 2024 Director/Writer Raoul Walsh was 52 when he directed The Roaring Twenties . Other Walsh films in the Collection: #...

TO, Johnnie/CHING, Sui-tung (Hong Kong) Executioners [1993] Spine #1207b Blu-ray Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Michelle Yeoh return in this gritty, postapocalyptic sequel to  The Heroic Trio.  Following a devastating nuclear attack, Hong Kong’s supply of clean water has fallen into the hands of a masked maniac (Anthony Wong) intent on seizing political power—forcing the three fearless fighters to settle their differences and unite to stop him. Darker in tone than the original,  Executioners  finds Johnnie To and codirector/martial-arts choreographer Ching Siu-tung continuing to push their whirlwind action set pieces to new levels of cartoon craziness, while adding an abundance of grungy, dystopian atmosphere and a fresh dose of antiauthoritarian attitude. 97 minutes Monaural Color in Cantonese 1:78:1 Criterion Release 2024 Directors/Writer Johnnie To  was 38 and Sui-tung Ching was 40 when they directed Executioners . The Film a Film Rating (0-60): 60 The Extr...

TO, Johnnie (Hong Kong) The Heroic Trio [1993] Spine #1207a Blu-ray With this outrageously entertaining cult favorite, director Johnnie To and his lineup of legendary stars gave Hong Kong cinema something new: its own homegrown superhero cinematic universe. Thief Catcher (Maggie Cheung), Wonder Woman (Anita Mui), and Invisible Girl (Michelle Yeoh) are kick-ass crusaders who must overcome their dark pasts in order to defeat an evil, baby-snatching eunuch terrorizing the city. Eye-popping motorcycle stunts, bloodthirsty undead, cannibal infants, and kinetically choreographed wirework are all part of the wall-to-wall delirium in this irresistible showcase for three of the coolest women warriors ever to hit the screen. 88 minutes Monaural Color in Cantonese 1:78:1 Criterion Release 2024 Director/Writer Johnnie To  was 38 when he directed The Heroic Trio . Other To films in the Collection: #1092: Throw Down (2004) The Film a Film Rating (0-60): 60 The Extras The Booklet Commentary Vid...

TO, Johnnie/CHING, Siu-tung (Hong Kong) The Heroic Trio/Executioners [1993] Spine #1207 Blu-ray The star power of cinema icons Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Michelle Yeoh fuels these gloriously unrestrained action joyrides from auteur Johnnie To and action choreographer Ching Siu-tung.  The Heroic Trio  and its sequel,  Executioners,  follow a new kind of justice league: a team of blade-throwing, shotgun-toting, kung fu–fighting heroines who join forces to battle evildoers in a dystopian, noirish city. Blending dazzling martial-arts mayhem with exhilarating blasts of comic-book lunacy, these beloved superhero movies reimagine the genre through the giddy genius of the Hong Kong film industry at its height. Criterion Release 2024                     To                                       ...

ROHMER, Eric (France) A Tale of Autumn [1998] Spine #1206d Blu-ray The last entry in the Tales of the Four Seasons tetralogy is a breezy take on the classic American romantic comedies that influenced Eric Rohmer and his French New Wave peers. Set among the golden vineyards of the Rhône Valley,  A Tale of Autumn  concerns simultaneous schemes to find a new love for the reserved widow and winegrower Magali (Béatrice Romand). Her son’s girlfriend (Alexia Portal) attempts to pair her with a former professor and lover (Didier Sandre), while Magali’s friend Isabelle (Marie Rivière) assumes a false identity in order to lure eligible bachelor Gérald (Alain Libolt). The misunderstandings that follow are pure Rohmer in bringing out the humor in human folly. 111 minutes Monaural Color in French 1:37:1 Criterion Release 2024 Director/Writer Eric Rohmer  was 78 when he directed A Tale of Autumn . Other Rohmer films in the Collection: #343: The Bakery Girl from Monceau (1962) #34...

ROHMER, Eric (France) A Tale of Summer [1996] Spine #1206c Blu-ray According to Eric Rohmer,  A Tale of Summer  is the most autobiographical film that he made. Based on events from Rohmer’s youth, this installment of Tales of the Four Seasons follows amateur musician Gaspard (Melvil Poupaud) to a seaside resort in Dinard, on the coast of Brittany. There, three women (Amanda Langlet, Gwenaëlle Simon, and Aurélia Nolin) each offer the possibility of romance, but Gaspard’s inability to commit to just one puts all of his chances at love in jeopardy. The film features Rohmer’s wistful observations on indecisiveness and the fickle nature of desire, as brought to life by a talented young cast in a picturesque setting. 114 minutes Monaural Color in French 1:37:1 Criterion Release 2024 Director/Writer Eric Rohmer  was 76 when he directed A Tale of Summer . Other Rohmer films in the Collection: #343: The Bakery Girl from Monceau (1962) #344: Suzanne's Career (1963) #346: La Coll...

ROHMER, Eric (France) A Tale of Winter [1992] Spine #1206b Blu-ray The second Four Seasons tale made by Eric Rohmer is among the most spiritual and emotional films of his storied career. Five years after losing touch with Charles (Frédéric van den Driessche), the love of her life and the father of her young daughter, Félicie (Charlotte Véry) attempts to choose between librarian Loïc (Hervé Furic), who lives in the Parisian suburbs, and hairdresser Maxence (Michel Voletti), who has recently moved to the central French town of Nevers. In the midst of indecision, Félicie holds to an undying faith that a miracle will reunite her with Charles, a faith that Rohmer examines in all of its religious and philosophical dimensions. 114 minutes Monaural Color in French 1:66:1 Criterion Release 2024 Director/Writer Eric Rohmer  was 72 when he directed A Tale of Winter . Other Rohmer films in the Collection: #343: The Bakery Girl from Monceau (1962) #344: Suzanne's Career (1963) #346: La...

ROHMER, Eric (France) A Tale of Springtime [1990] Spine #1206a Blu-ray In the first film of Tales of the Four Seasons, a burgeoning friendship between philosophy teacher Jeanne (Anne Teyssèdre) and pianist Natacha (Florence Darel) is strained by jealousy, suspicion, and intrigue. Natacha encourages Jeanne to pursue Igor (Hugues Quester), Natacha’s father, in order to supplant Ève (Eloïse Bennett), his young girlfriend, whom Natacha loathes. Natacha’s scheme, however, risks alienating those closest to her as well as entangling Jeanne in the very kind of romantic drama she has vowed to avoid.  A Tale of Springtime  finds Eric Rohmer in full command of his subtle visual storytelling as he contrasts the brightness of his characters’ Parisian and suburban surroundings with their conflicting desires, ideas, and temperaments. 107 minutes Monaural Color in French 1:66:1 Criterion Release 2024 Director/Writer Eric Rohmer  was 70 when he directed A Tale of Springtime . Oth...

ROHMER, Eric (France) Eric Rohmer's Tales of the Four Seasons [1990-98] Spine #1206 Blu-ray The seasons may change, but the follies of the heart are constant in this ineffably lovely quartet of films by Eric Rohmer, one of cinema’s most perceptive chroniclers of the pangs and perils of romance. Set throughout France, Tales of the Four Seasons is a cycle to stand alongside the director’s two earlier acclaimed film series, Six Moral Tales and Comedies and Proverbs. By turns comic and melancholic, breezy and richly philosophical, these bittersweet tales of love, longing, and the inevitable misunderstandings that shape human relationships probe the most complex of emotions with the utmost grace. Criterion Release 2024 #1206a: A Tale of Springtime (1990) #1206b: A Tale of Winter (1992) #1206c: A Tale of Summer (1996) #1206d: A Tale of Autumn (1998) By Director By Spine #