The Criterion Collection Complete

SCHNABEL, Julian (United States) Basquiat [1996] Spine #1260 Blu-ray Julian Schnabel’s tribute to his friend and fellow painter Jean-Michel Basquiat is less a conventional biopic than an impressionistic, sensory immersion into the much-mythologized downtown-Manhattan art world of the 1980s. Jeffrey Wright, in his first lead film role, stars as the visionary artist whose rise from graffiti tagger to art star forces him to confront the glare of sudden fame, along with racism, his own struggles with addiction, and the difficulties of being self-determining and free in America. Bolstered by an ensemble cast that includes a sublime performance by David Bowie channeling Andy Warhol, Schnabel’s directorial debut—presented here in the filmmaker’s own luminous black-and-white remastering—is a profoundly expressive elegy for a radiant life cut short. 108 minutes 5.1 Surround Black and White 1:85:1 Criterion Release 2025 Directors/Writer Julian Schnabel  was 45 when he directed Basquiat . T...

BAKER, Sean (United States) Anora [2024] Spine #1259 Blu-ray Contemporary cinema’s foremost chronicler of American dreamers and schemers hustling on the margins of capitalist promise, Sean Baker, reaches new heights of mastery with this audacious anti–Cinderella story—a whirlwind neorealist screwball comedy with an aching heart. In an electric, star-is-born performance, Mikey Madison soars as Anora, an enterprising, ferociously foulmouthed Brooklyn erotic dancer and sex worker whose Prince Not-So-Charming comes along in the form of a Russian oligarch’s wild-child son (Mark Eydelshteyn). This is the beginning of a fractured fairy tale—also featuring standout performances from Karren Karagulian, Yura Borisov, and Vache Tovmasyan—that turns the cruel realities of class inside out. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival,  Anora  confirms Baker as one of our preeminent auteurs. 139 minutes 5.1 Surround Color in English, Russian, Armenian 2:39:1 Criterion Release...

BAKER, Sean (United States) Prince of Broadway [2008] Spine #1258 Blu-ray A raw, disarmingly moving slice of neorealism, this early-career triumph from DIY auteur Sean Baker plunges into the world of West African immigrant Lucky (Prince Adu) and his Armenian Lebanese boss Levon (Karren Karagulian), two unlikely friends who peddle knockoff designer goods in Manhattan’s wholesale district. When a long-forgotten ex forces him to take care of a young son he didn’t even know he had, Lucky must figure out how to become a father without losing his edge in the counterfeit-merch game. Capturing the chaos of urban life through expressive handheld camera work, remarkably naturalistic performances, and flashes of manic humor,  Prince of Broadway  is one of Baker’s most vivid explorations of the illusory nature of the American dream. 101 minutes 5.1 Surround Color 1:85:1 Criterion Release 2025 Directors/Writer Sean Baker  was 37 when he directed Prince of Broadway . The Film a Film ...

BERRI, Claude (France) Jean de Florette [1986] / Manon of the Spring [1986] Spine #1257 Blu-ray A sprawling tale of greed, betrayal, and revenge plays out amid the bucolic splendor of the French countryside in Claude Berri’s masterly two-film adaptation of a literary work by the legendary Marcel Pagnol. Spanning three generations in the lives of two families,  Jean de Florette  and  Manon of the Spring  vividly recreate the provincial world of an early-twentieth-century village, where an outsider’s arrival sets in motion a devastating chain of events. With gorgeous cinematography, keen insights into human nature, and superb performances from icons of French cinema (Gérard Depardieu, Yves Montand, Daniel Auteuil, and Emmanuelle Béart), these richly absorbing moral tales—at the time of their production, the most expensive French films ever made—are triumphs of epic storytelling in the classical tradition. Jean de Florette 121 minutes 5.0 Surround in French Color 2:35:...