The Criterion Collection Complete

AUTANT-LARA, Claude (France) Sylvie et le Fantôme [1946] Eclipse Series 45 DVD With this film, conceived during the occupation and released after the war, Claude Autant-Lara entered the realm of pure fantasy. Odette Joyeux stars as Sylvie, in love with a long-dead romantic figure from her family's past. Sylvie's father hires three actors to impersonate the ghost of her beloved, while the spirit himself (Jacques Tati, in his first feature-film role) stalks the grounds. Marrying a playful script, artful special effects, and wistful performances, Sylvie et le fant ôme  stages a delicate dance of enchantment . 98 minutes Black & White Monaural in French 1:33:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2018 Director/Writers Claude Autant-Lara was 45 when he directed Sylvie et le Fantôme . Based on a play by Alfred Adam . Adaptation and dialogue by Jean Aurenche . Other Autant-Lara films in the Collection: Eclipse Series 45: Le Mariage de Chiffon (1942) Eclips...

AUTANT-LARA, Claude (France) Douce [1943] Eclipse Series 45 DVD As belle epoque Paris prepares for Christmas, the residence of the Countess de Bonafé hosts more than its share of intrigue: the countess's headstrong granddaughter, Douce (Odette Joyeux), pines for the estate manager, whose heart has been broken by the governess, who is being courted by Douce's widower father. Elegantly shot, Douce  is a dizzying romantic roundelay that contains a biting critique of France's rigid social order. This film, which ultimately takes a tragic turn, found Claude Autant-Lara in full command of his craft. 109 minutes Black & White Monaural in French 1:33:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2018 Director/Writers Claude Autant-Lara was 42 when he directed Douce . Adapted from the novel by Michel Davet . Adaptation and dialogue by Jean Aurenche  and Pierre Bost . Other Autant-Lara films in the Collection: Eclipse Series 45: Le Mariage de Chiffon (1942) Ecli...

AUTANT-LARA, Claude (France) Lettres d'Amour [1942] Eclipse Series 45 DVD A deceptive lightness distinguishes this farcical second feature made by Claude Autant-Lara while Germany occupied France. During the reign of Napoléon III, a plucky businesswoman (Odette Joyeux) agrees to receive love letters to a prefect's wife from a young official, and soon finds herself embroiled in a scandal that inflames a town's class tensions. A transporting period piece with ornate costumes by Christian Dior, Lettres d'amour  paints a blithely pointed portrait of life in a highly stratified society. 92 minutes B&W Monaural in French 1:37:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2018 Director/Writers Claude Autant-Lara was 41 when he directed Lettres d'Amour . Adapted from the story by Henry Aurenche . Adaptation by Maurice Blondeau . Scenario and dialogue by Aurenche. Other Autant-Lara films in the Collection: Eclipse Series 45: Le Mariage de Chiffon (1942)...

AUTANT-LARA, Claude (France) Le Mariage de Chiffon [1942] Eclipse Series 45 DVD This delightful comedy brought Claude Autant-Lara his first popular success as a director. Chiffon (Odette Joyeux) is being pushed by her mother to wed a dashing military officer (André Luguet) but finds herself drawn to her stepfather's penniless brother (Jacques Dumesnil). For Le mariage de Chiffon , Autant-Lara convened the creative team -- including screenwriter Jean Aurenche, cameraman Philippe Agostini, and the incomparable Joyeux -- that would reunite for each of his subsequent three features, initiating a remarkable run of sharp love stories. 103 minutes B&W Monaural in French 1:37:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2018 Director/Writers Claude Autant-Lara was 41 when he directed Le Mariage de Chiffon . Adapted from the novel by Gyp . Scenario by Maurice Blondeau . Adaptation and dialogue by Jean Aurenche . Other Autant-Lara films in the Collection: Eclipse Serie...

ADOLPHSON, Edvin & WALLÉN, Sigurd (Sweden) The Count of the Old Town [1935] Eclipse Series 46 DVD Ingrid Bergman's first speaking role was in this hugely charming knockabout comedy, filmed on location in the Monk's Bridge district of Stockholm. Bergman plays an amiable young chambermaid being wooed by a handsome stranger, who may or may not be a jewel thief. Enlivened by cheeky humor and a cast of neighborhood eccentrics, The Count of the Old Town  offered Bergman a chance to show off her all-too-rarely displayed comedy skills. 82 minutes Black & White Monaural in Swedish 1:37:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2018 Directors/Writers Edvin Adolphson was 42 and Sigurd Wallén was 51 when they directed The Count of the Old Town . Screenplay by Gösta Stevens . Based on the play by Siegfried Fischer and Arthur Natorp . The Film 99 By Director By Spine #

EDGREN, Gustaf (Sweden) Walpurgis Night [1935] Eclipse Series 46 DVD Lena (Ingrid Bergman) is in love with her married boss, Johan (Lars Hanson), in this romantic drama that takes Sweden's declining birth rate as a backdrop and stirred up controversy with its depiction of abortion. While Lena dreams of marriage and motherhood, Johan's wife is staunchly unmaternal. Johan and Lena have a chance to be together, but their happiness is threatened by blackmail and murder. The great Victor Sjöström plays Lena's fiercely protective father, a newspaper editor convinced that the population problem will be solved by love, not legislation. 79 minutes Black & White Monaural in Swedish 1:37:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2018 Director/Writers Edgren (left) Gustaf Edgren was 40 when he directed Walpurgis Night . Story by Oscar Rydqvist and Gustaf Edgren . Scenario by Rydqvist. The Film 99 By Director By Spine #

MOLANDER, Gustaf (Sweden) Intermezzo [1936] Eclipse Series 46 DVD This gorgeous romantic confection, which catalogs a doomed love affair between a married violin virtuoso and a young pianist, is graced by a leading performance by Ingrid Bergman (her first), in a role created especially for her; a costarring turn by the legendary Swedish actor Gösta Ekman; and beautiful direction by Gustaf Molander. It was a defining part for Bergman, as it made her a star in Sweden and caught the eye of American producer David O. Selznick, who offered the young actor a Hollywood contract and the chance to remake Intermezzo  in English with Leslie Howard. 92 minutes Black & White Monaural in Swedish 1:37:1 aspect ratio Criterion Release 2018 Director/Writers Gustaf Molander was 48 when he directed Intermezzo . Script by Gustaf Molander and Gösta Stevens . Other Molander films in the Collection: Eclipse Series 46: Dollar (1938) Eclipse Series 46: A Woman's Face (19...