Monday, November 15, 2021

Criterion'd on the Wind


Happy Criterion Announcement Day! The four titles for next February have just been unleashed and top billing goes as it must to Douglas Sirk's 1956 grand camp melodrama Written on the Wind, one of the most over-the-top and enjoyable flicks where everyone is constantly and totally miserable that you will ever in your life see. It's one of my favorite movies -- I've seen it dozens of times and it never fails to perk me up. Guess I'm upgrading my DVD. This one will be a new 2K restoration, no doubt making those psychotic technicolors pop even poppier -- cannot wait to abuse my retinas upon this one.

But wait, there be more -- the Coens' classic Miller's Crossing is also getting the 2K upgrade treatment, and this one sounds stuffed with interviews with everybody involved. Then there's Ann Hui's 1982 "Hong Kong New Wave" classic Boat People, which sees a Japanese photojournalist taking in the horrors of Vietnamese refugees escaping due to the war (anybody seen this one?) as well as Leo McCary's 1939 classic weepie Love Affair starring Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne as star-crossed and doomed lovers in New York. I've never seen this version, only McCary's own 1957 remake An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. I actually don't think I ever saw Warren Beatty's 90s version either? I guess I should do a triple-feature come February!



6 comments:

joel65913 said...

Kyle to Marylee- "You're a filthy LIAR!"
Marylee- "I'm filthy, period!"

Bliss! Dorothy Malone's Supporting Actress is perhaps my favorite in the category's history.

The original Love Affair is pleasing but missing a certain swoony romanticism of the Cary Grant/Deborah Kerr film (though happily those singing kids are missing). The Warren Beatty one is borderline awful, a real classroom in soft focus photography and just how much Vaseline can be smeared on a lens before you can't see through it any longer. Also poor Kate Hepburn is so frail you worry for her throughout her entire, mercifully brief time on screen.

KingRoper said...

I first saw "Written on the Wind" on the Castro Theater's huge screen, knowing nothing about it. I've never been the same. Just introduced a friend to it, and told her if she wasn't into it we didn't have to finish... she declared it to be her favorite film before the opening credits ended.

Johnnie said...

I was disappointed by the last few offerings. I hope 2022 they get bold. I want to see a John Waters boxset - all his films or a Peter Greenaway set. I email them suggestions! Maybe they'll listen?

Carl said...

I'm hoping this prompts someone to buy/sell/do-something with the streaming rights. I went on a 50s melodrama kick last winter and this was nowhere to be found.

Jason Adams said...

It is weird that they haven't done a John Waters boxed-set since they have released basically 50% of his movies already. I'd love to see Serial Mom get the Criterion treatment. The boxed-set I want the most from them is a Gregg Araki set because basically ALL of his movies are out of print now, save the last couple. Even if it was just the Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy.

Unknown said...

"Love Affair" is the best of the three because it seems the most 'real' of the three.

Irene and Charles seemed to be in love, Deborah and Cary played at being in love and Annette and Warren have no connection, amazing in that they are they are real life couple.