DVD
Peeping Tom (1960) - Michael Powell [Amazon.com]
Top DVDs: Peeping Tom (1961) - A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Videodrome (1983) - Audition (1999) - Romance X (1999)
Introduction
Why are so many offbeat films, horror and otherwise, showing up on DVD?
DVD is simply following the path of most video formats. The most common consumers of new video technology are male, and "guy movies" generally tend to sell better. Horror and adult films really made VHS what it is today (for what that's worth), and these genres likewise boosted laserdisc and are doing the same with DVD. Action films, horror, and strange cult items are the strongest sellers, with comedy also strongly in the running. It may be a while before you see a petition for Gandhi on DVD. --Nathaniel Thompson via http://www.mondo-digital.com/ [2004]
Definition
DVD is an optical disc storage media format that is used for playback of movies with high video and sound quality and for storing data. DVDs are similar in appearance to compact discs. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD [Nov 2004]History
During the early 1990s there were two high density optical storage standards in development; one was the Multimedia Compact Disc (MMCD), backed by Philips and Sony, and the other was the Super Disc (SD), supported by 8 major consumer electronics giants, including Toshiba and Time-Warner. IBM led an effort to unite the various companies behind a single standard, anticipating a repeat of the costly format war between VHS and Betamax in the 1980s. The result was the DVD format, announced in September of 1995. The official DVD specification was released in Version 1.0 in September, 1996. It is maintained by the DVD Forum, formerly the DVD Consortium, consisting of the ten founding companies and over 220 additional members. The first DVD players and discs were available in November of 1996 in Japan and in March of 1997 in the United States.By the spring of 1999, the price of a DVD player had dropped below the $300 mark. At that point Wal-Mart began to offer DVD players for sale in its stores. When Wal-Mart began selling DVD discs in stores DVDs only represented a small part of their video inventory, VHS tapes of movies made up the remainder. As of 2004, the situation is now reversed. Most retail stores mainly offer DVD discs for sale, and VHS copies of movies make up a minority of the sales.
"DVD" was originally an acronym for "digital video disc"; some members of the DVD Forum believe that it should stand for "digital versatile disc", to indicate its potential for non-video applications. Toshiba, which maintains the official DVD Forum site, adheres to the interpretation of "digital versatile disc." The DVD Forum never reached a consensus on the matter, however, and so today the official name of the format is simply "DVD"; the letters do not "officially" stand for anything. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD [Nov 2004]
Criterion [...]
The Criterion Collection is a joint venture between Janus Films and The Voyager Company that was begun in the late 1980s for the purpose of releasing authoritative home video versions of "classic and important contemporary films" on the laserdisc and DVD formats. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criterion_Collection [Sept 2004]Mondo-digital
by Nathaniel ThompsonNathaniel Thompson runs http://www.mondo-digital.com/, a site dedicated to reviewing cult movies released on DVD. Very intelligent writing and vast.
From the faq:
Back in 1963, an Italian documentary (or, more accurately, shockumentary) called Mondo Cane, or A Dog's World, became a bit international hit and introduced the world "mondo" into English as referring to anything weird or uncommon. So our name means either "Digital World" or "Weird and Wild Digital." Take your pick. The site is based from Los Angeles, California, and began in March, 1998; while we tend to focus a lot on horror films from various countries, we cover any films that are unusual or off the beaten track in some way. Our coverage encompasses what have become termed "Psychotronic" movies (thanks to Michael J. Weldon), as well as foreign films (Kurosawa, Chabrol, Fellini, etc.), dark comedies, disastrous Hollywood misfires, and... well, you get the idea. However, a quick browse through here will quickly reveal that European horror and sleaze is a really, really big favorite here.Why are so many offbeat films, horror and otherwise, showing up on DVD?
DVD is simply following the path of most video formats. The most common consumers of new video technology are male, and "guy movies" generally tend to sell better. Horror and adult films really made VHS what it is today (for what that's worth), and these genres likewise boosted laserdisc and are doing the same with DVD. Action films, horror, and strange cult items are the strongest sellers, with comedy also strongly in the running. It may be a while before you see a petition for Gandhi on DVD. --Nathaniel Thompson
The Criterion Collection Holiday 2004 Gift Set (2004) - Various (282 discs)
The Criterion Collection Holiday 2004 Gift Set (2004) - Various (282 discs) [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Description
Now available for the first time, The Criterion Collection is proud to present its prestigious collection of films together in one gift set! Totaling 282 discs, The Criterion Collection Holiday 2004 Gift Set consists of all of their published DVDs through October 2004 (except for the out-of-print editions): that's 241 titles on 282 discs and includes a Certificate of Authenticity. This much sought after collection of films is the most significant archive of contemporary filmmaking available to the home viewer.
The 241 titles (some in sets): 3 WOMEN; 39 STEPS; CONSTANT FORGE, A; NOUS LA LIBERTE, A; WOMAN IS A WOMAN, A; WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE, A; ALEXANDER NEVSKY; ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL; ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS; ALPHAVILLE; AMARCORD; AND GOD CREATED WOMAN; AND THE SHIP SAILS ON; ANDREI RUBLEV; ARMAGEDDON; AUTUMN SONATA; BALLAD OF A SOLDIER; BAND OF OUTSIDERS; BATTLE OF ALGIERS, THE; BEASTIE BOYS; BEAUTY AND THE BEAST; BED AND BOARD; BIG DEAL ON MADONNA STREET; BILLY LIAR; BLACK NARCISSUS; BLACK ORPHEUS; BLOB, THE; BLOOD OF A POET; BOB LE FLAMBEUR; BRANDED TO KILL; BRAZIL; BRIEF ENCOUNTER; BY BRAKHAGE, AN ANTHOLOGY; CARL THEODOR DREYER BOX SET; CARNIVAL OF SOULS; CHARADE; CHASING AMY; CHILDREN OF PARADISE; CLEO FROM 5 TO 7; CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS; COCTEAU'S ORPHIC TRILOGY BOX SET; CONTEMPT; COUP DE GRACE; COUP DE TORCHON; CRANES ARE FLYING; CRIES AND WHISPERS; DAY OF WRATH; DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER, THE; DIABOLIQUE; DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID; DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST; DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE, THE; DO THE RIGHT THING; DOUBLE SUICIDE; DOWN BY LAW; EARLY SUMMER; EIGHT & 1/2; EISENSTEIN: THE SOUND YEARS BOX SET; ELEMENT OF CRIME; ELENA AND HER MEN; EYES WITHOUT A FACE; FACES; FAT GIRL; FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS; FIEND WITHOUT A FACE; FIREMEN'S BALL; FISHING WITH JOHN PRGMS 1-4; FOR ALL MANKIND; FRENCH CANCAN; GENERAL IDI AMIN DADA; GEORGE WASHINGTON; GERTRUD; GIMME SHELTER; GOOD MORNING; GRAND ILLUSION; GREAT EXPECTATIONS; GREY GARDENS; HAMLET; HARDER THEY COME, THE; HAXAN: WITCHCRAFT THROUGH AGES; HEARTS AND MINDS; HENRY V; HIDDEN FORTRESS; HIGH AND LOW; HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR; HONEYMOON KILLERS; HOPSCOTCH; HORSE'S MOUTH, THE; I AM CURIOUS - BLUE; I AM CURIOUS - YELLOW; I AM CURIOUS YELLOW/BLUE SET; I FIDANZATI; I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING!; I VITELLONI; IKIRU; IL POSTO; IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, THE; IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE; INDISCRETION OF AN AMERICAN WIFE/TERMINAL STATION; INGMAR BERGMAN MAKES A MOVIE; INGMAR BERGMAN: A FILM TRILOGY; INSOMNIA; IVAN THE TERRIBLE I & II; JIMI PLAYS MONTEREY/ SHAKE! OTIS AT MONTEREY/ OUTTAKE PERFORMANCES; JOHN CASSAVETES: FIVE FILM BOX SET; JUBILEE; JULIET OF THE SPIRITS; KILLERS DOUBLE DISC SPECIAL EDITION; KNIFE IN THE WATER; KWAIDAN; LA STRADA; LADY EVE, THE; LADY VANISHES; LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST; LAST WAVE, THE; L'AVVENTURA; LE CERCLE ROUGE; LE CORBEAU; LE DAMES DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE; LE MILLION; LE TROU; LEOPARD, THE; LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP; LOLA; LONG GOOD FRIDAY; LORD OF THE FLIES; LOST HONOR OF KATHERINA BLUM, THE; LOVE ON THE RUN; LOVES OF A BLONDE; LOWER DEPTHS, THE; M. HULOT'S HOLIDAY; MAGIC FLUTE; MAITRESSE; MAMMA ROMA; MAN BITES DOG; MON ONCLE; MONA LISA; MONTEREY POP; MONTEREY POP FESTIVAL BOX SET; MONTY PYTHON'S LIFE OF BRIAN; MOST DANGEROUS GAME; MY LIFE AS A DOG; MY MAN GODFREY; MY METIER; NAKED KISS; NAKED LUNCH; NANOOK OF THE NORTH; NIGHT AND FOG; NIGHT PORTER; NIGHT TO REMEMBER; NIGHTS OF CABIRIA; OLIVER TWIST; ONIBABA; OPENING NIGHT; ORDET; ORPHEUS; PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC; PEEPING TOM; PEPE LE MOKO; PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET; PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK; PORNOGRAPHERS; PORT OF SHADOWS; PYGMALION; QUAI DES ORFEVRES; RAINER WERNER FASSBINDER: THE BRD TRILOGY; RASHOMON; RATCATCHER; RED BEARD; RED SHOES; RENOIR BOX SET: STAGE & SPECTACLE; RICHARD III; RIFIFI; ROCK, THE; RULES OF THE GAME; RULING CLASS, THE; RUSHMORE; SALESMAN; SALVATORE GIULIANO; SAMURAI I: MUSASHI MIYAMOTO; SAMURAI II: DUEL AT ICHIJOJI TEMPLE; SAMURAI III: DUEL AT GANRYU ISLAND; SANJURO; SCARLET EMPRESS, THE; SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE; SCHIZOPOLIS; SECRET HONOR; SEVEN SAMURAI; SEVENTH SEAL; SHADOWS; SHOCK CORRIDOR; SHOP ON MAIN STREET; SISTERS; SLACKER; SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT; SOLARIS; SPARTACUS; STOLEN KISSES; STORIES OF FLOATING WEEDS; STRAY DOG; SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS; SUMMERTIME; TANNER '88; TASTE OF CHERRY; TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE; TESTAMENT OF ORPHEUS; THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE; 400 BLOWS, THE; GOLDEN COACH, THE; KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE, THE; MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN, THE; ROYAL TENENBAUMS, THE; SILENCE, THE; THIRD MAN; THRONE OF BLOOD; THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY; TIME BANDITS; TIN DRUM, THE; TOKYO DRIFTER; TOKYO OLYMPIAD; TOKYO STORY; TRAFFIC; TROUBLE IN PARADISE; TRUFFAUT'S ADVENTURES OF ANTOINE DOINEL; TUNES OF GLORY; UMBERTO D; UNDER THE ROOFS OF PARIS; VAGABOND; VANISHING, THE; VARIETY LIGHTS; VERONIKA VOSS; VIDEODROME; W.C. FIELDS 6 SHORT FILMS; WAGES OF FEAR; WALKABOUT; WHITE SHEIK; WILD STRAWBERRIES; WINTER LIGHT; WITHNAIL AND I; WRITTEN ON THE WIND; AND YOJIMBO.
These out-of-print titles are not included: BEAUTY & THE BEAST (Original release, spine # 6), BANK DICK, THE; BLOOD FOR DRACULA; DEAD RINGERS; FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN; HARD BOILED; HOW TO GET AHEAD IN ADVERTISING; M (Original release, spine #30); NOTORIOUS; PLAYTIME; REBECCA; ROBOCOP; SALO; SID & NANCY; SILENCE OF THE LAMBS; SPELLBOUND; STRAW DOGS; THE KILLER; UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, THE; and THIS IS SPINAL TAP.
About The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection, a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, is dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements. Criterion began with a mission to pull the treasures of world cinema out of the film vaults and put them in the hands of collectors. Now in its 20th year, all of the films published under the Criterion banner represent cinema at its finest.
The Criterion Collection DVD Process
The foundation of the collection is the work of such masters of cinema as Renoir, Godard, Kurosawa, Cocteau, Fellini, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Hitchcock, Fuller, Lean, Kubrick, Lang, Sturges, Dreyer, Eisenstein, Ozu, Sirk, Buñuel, Powell and Pressburger. Each film is presented uncut, in its original aspect ratio, as its maker intended it to be seen. For every disc, we track down the best available film elements in the world, use state-of-the-art telecine equipment and a select few colorists capable of meeting our rigorous standards, and take time during the film-to-video digital transfer to create the most pristine possible image and sound. Whenever possible, we work with directors and cinematographers to assure that the look of our releases does justice to their intentions. Our supplements enable viewers to appreciate Criterion films in context, through audio commentaries by filmmakers and scholars, restored director's cuts, deleted scenes, documentaries, shooting scripts, early shorts, and storyboards.
DVD Delirium: The International Guide To Weird And Wonderful Films On DVD (2004) - Nathaniel Thompson
DVD Delirium: The International Guide To Weird And Wonderful Films On DVD (2004) - Nathaniel Thompson [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
Book Description
DVD Delirium by Nathaniel Thompson is a series of cross-referenced books. There are currently two editions available: Volume 1 and Volume 2 DVD DELIRIUM is the definitive - Region Free - guide to hundreds of DVD video releases from all over the globe. More than 1000 incredible films are reviewed in each issue of DVD Delirium - the world's first A-to-Z DVD guide series specially designed for collectors of cult, horror, science-fiction and fantasy movies. DVD is the ultimate home entertainment format, but it's a minefield for the serious collector. If fans want to know whether they should buy a particular film, these 640 page books will become their first points of reference. If these books save them from buying even one second-rate DVD, they will have paid for themselves right away! Plus, readers can discover masses of brilliant films they did not even know had been released! The world's most fascinating DVDs reviewed in depth by a team lead by a dedicated genre fan who is also an industry insider! Fully cross-referenced to compare DVD releases from all over the world, so it is of just as much value to customers in each DVD ""Region""; especially targetted at the North American market! These unique, stand-alone volumes in the DVD Delirium series are classics of 'weird' film criticism! They include major contributions from world-renowned film journalist Kim Newman and FAB Press regular Tim Greaves. Hundreds and hundreds of fantastic, delirious movies reviewed in depth!
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