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An early logo for the Criterion Collection<\/p><\/div>\n
Film curation has taken on an evolution as long as the medium itself.\u00a0 With theaters and eventually film festivals dominating the format in which films could be viewed, the advent of television in the 1950\u2019s and eventually the idea for \u201cmovie rentals\u201d in the 1980\u2019s opened the door to a larger form of consumption for the film-enjoying public, the intimacy of seeing films at home.\u00a0 Still, the inconvenience of timeframes of seeing classic and foreign films on TV, as well as restrictions of renting a film on VHS didn\u2019t allow cinephiles to satisfy their appetites, and owning a large collection of films at that time was unheard of.\u00a0 In 1984, a group of Californian cinephiles were curious about the new home video format \u201claserdisc\u201d, with capabilities to add supplements to films and mono tracks, and they were impressed with their first two film exhibitions Citizen Kane <\/em>and King Kong<\/em> (Crowdus, 48).\u00a0 Kane <\/em>was purchased for $10,000 from RKO studio, and the transfer process to laserdisc was famously \u201chistoric\u201d in its care by Criterion founder Roger Smith (Parker, 47).\u00a0 This group also pioneered the idea to allow film makers and film scholars record commentary tracks, adding a distinct value to their product.\u00a0 Robert & Aleen Stein, Joe Medjuck, and Roger Smith parlayed their idea into the Voyager company, which would publish educational CD-ROMs as well as distribute the early incarnation of the Criterion Collection.\u00a0 After changing hands in the 1990\u2019s, and partnering with Janus films, the distribution was passed to Imagine Entertainment in 2006 and eventually Sony Pictures in 2013.<\/p>\n A copy of one of the first films Criterion released<\/p><\/div>\n Criterion\u2019s mission has been consistent for over thirty years, to archive and present films as faithfully and vibrantly as the film makers intends.\u00a0 They understand the importance of film exhibition in a theater, but for a more repeatable and enjoyable experience at home, standards needed to be raised.\u00a0 They pioneered the necessity to \u201cletterbox\u201d films, which maintain the original aspect ratio of films shot in wider scope than 4:3 TV\u2019s used to be the standardized format.\u00a0 Film makers work in tandem with the Criterion Collection to make sure that once the rights are secured through licensing, that their films are restored as well as possible.\u00a0 Criterion also strives to secure licensing on films that fit their \u201cstyle\u201d of archiving and curating.\u00a0 Since the home media boom of VHS\/DVD\/Blu-Ray\/4K, studios have released their own films for home media consumption, but Criterion has dug deep to secure the rights to classic of old, forgotten gems thought lost into obscurity.\u00a0 They also will restore foreign films, both classic and contemporary, and flesh out the filmographies of cinemas greatest film makers.\u00a0 To quote James Kendricks in his article about the Collection, \u201cCriterion positions as an archive of film as culture, and not just film as art\u201d (Kendrick, 138).<\/p>\n Criterion creates unique covers, with images from the film or minimalist reference of the films<\/p><\/div>\n After Criterion secures the rights to restore and release a film (now on DVD\/Blu-Ray), the process is overseen by a special \u201cproducer\u201d of each film.\u00a0 That producer is responsible for everything of value that each film presents (source: Criterion FAQ site).\u00a0 Criterion has a reputation of unique and often beautiful artwork for their covers.\u00a0 Improving on generic poster design that many studios offer for packaging, they usually incorporate important stills\/reference from each film, or a unique artistic expression (as seen above).\u00a0 Their logo always appears, as does the year and director of each film, often with auteur credit given (i.e. \u201cFritz Lang\u2019s M\u201d).\u00a0 To keep track of the collection size, each film is recorded with a \u201cspine number\u201d which is currently up to 963.\u00a0 Each producer works in tandem with film makers and film historians to make each release special.\u00a0 Video\/Audio perfection is strived for, with a strenuous restoration of old prints of films detailed to look and sound their very best and as originally processed.\u00a0 Commentary tracks, and other special feature supplements such as visual essays and behind-the-scene footage make each Criterion release a value-added film archival treasure.\u00a0 Film scholar Timothy Page praises the Criterion Collection for their attention to detail with special features, and also claiming that their informational material will also inform and entertain general audiences (T.Page, 125).<\/p>\n Criterion\u2019s careful hand restored Bergman\u2019s \u201cPersona\u201d with incredible results<\/p><\/div>\n The impact the Criterion Collection has had on the film community is profound.\u00a0 DVD\/Blu-ray began to adopt \u201cwidescreen\u201d aspect ratio for films, and luckily the prominence of HDTV and surround sound systems began to normalize 16×9 film outputs that would maximize the look of films shot as 1.85:1 and 2:35:1 anamorphic widescreen lens. Studios would see the value in proper film transfers both with video\/audio, and special features educating and entertaining audiences.\u00a0 The library and reputation for excellence that Criterion has built is second to none in world cinema archiving.\u00a0 While companies like \u201cKino Lorber\u201d also archive and promote world\/independent cinema, Criterion is still the king of diversity and cinematic clout.\u00a0 Boasting films from Chaplin, Bergman, Kurosawa, Godard, Ozu, Apu, Truffaut, Malick, Kubrick, Spike Lee, Wes Anderson, Scorsese, Denis, Hitchcock, and many more; Criterion offers a vast array of important a valued cinema from all countries, eras, and walk of cinematic life.\u00a0 With a commitment to film appreciation and restoration, they also highlight sets such as \u201cMartin Scorsese\u2019s World Cinema Project\u201d, a set of films that the director and known film restoration savant aim to archive and preserve cherished and important sections of film history. (seen below)<\/p>\n Martin Scorsese worked in tandem with Criterion to curate a film project<\/p><\/div>\n Changes in format have always been important for the home video community, but Criterion especially has kept their edge going from laser disc in the mid-1990\u2019s to their last release in 1999, the Michael Bay blockbuster Armageddon.<\/em>\u00a0 Criterion made a smooth transition to DVD in the new century, as well as high definition Blu-Ray in 2008.\u00a0 Physical media with larger capabilities for well-restored feature films as well as supplements fit perfectly into their goals.\u00a0 The other frontier that Criterion has had to transverse in a growing media age, is that of streaming services.\u00a0 As Netflix and Hulu began to boom as rental and eventually streaming\/video-on-demand services, Criterion dipped their toes in the water first with MUBI, offering VOD services in 2008.\u00a0 Later in 2011, they offered a decent portion of their collection to Hulu Plus, which allowed unlimited viewing for their films they allowed to be seen.\u00a0 New York Times writer Ryan Lawler saw this strategy by Hulu and Criterion as strategic, hoping to draw the film community to Hulu while Netflix honed in on the TV crowds (Lawler, 3).\u00a0 Offering just 150 of a possible 800+ films allowed cinephiles to consume the types of films they were used to seeing in their own Criterion films, while also keeping Criterions vast library available for purchase in their traditional method for revenue and profit.\u00a0 Criterion has been criticized at times for prices well above that of competition (often $39.99), but they maintain that the value curated into each release justifies the expense.\u00a0 Their partnership with Barnes & Noble offers both to capitalize on educated and cultured audiences, with B&N frequently offering Criterion films for 50% off a few times each year, with sales boosting revenue for Criterion. (seen below)<\/p>\n Criterion films are sold for modest pricing during a Barnes & Noble 50% off sale<\/p><\/div>\n In 2016, Criterion paired with Turner Classic Movies to create the film streaming service \u201cFilmstruck\u201d, an offering of each of their libraries for specific film consumption between both fan bases.\u00a0 The streaming service offered a one-of-a-kind cinematic niche for cinephiles to stream their favorite classic, foreign, and independent films not seen on other on-demand services.\u00a0 Criterion president Peter Becker said in an interview with the Observer that \u201cThe mission has always been to use technology in the most interesting ways we can, to serve our audience and our films, and to try to be creative in the application of technology (Brandman, 1).\u00a0 While offering a taste of what their product offers in an easy and convenient manner for their audience, Criterion is able to enhance their prestigious brand as technology evolves.\u00a0 Their highest value is still in the form of physical media, as Filmstruck unfortunately has folded in the fall of 2018.<\/p>\n Criterions interface for Filmstruck<\/p><\/div>\n Logo for the soon to launch “Criterion Channel”<\/p><\/div>\n Criterion has announced, however, that they will create their own \u201cCriterion Channel\u201d in Spring 2019, after learning the pros and cons of partnership in the streaming world the past ten years.\u00a0 The new channel includes programming with focus on director spotlights and actor retrospectives. Featuring major Hollywood and international classics and hard-to-find discoveries from around the world, complete with special features like commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage, and original documentaries (Inside Criterion, 1).\u00a0By using multiple platforms to preserve and display the work that film makers, scholars, and historians have achieved in the relatively short time that film has existed as and art and medium, they offer a contextualized and carefully curated collection of film excellence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Work Cited<\/p>\n Bordwell, David.\u00a0Pandoras Digital Box: Films, Files, and the Future of Movies<\/em>. Irvington Way Institute Press, 2013. The Criterion Collection restores, preserves, and presents films the best possible way. From classics to forgotten films, the Criterion Collection works hard to restore films for cinephiles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":1489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,80],"tags":[84],"class_list":["post-1486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-criticism","category-left","tag-curation"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/CriterionLogoCovers.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1486"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1729,"href":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1486\/revisions\/1729"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/academics.winona.edu\/povwinona\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/s-l300.jpg\")
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\nBosma, Peter A. N.\u00a0Film Programming: Curating for Cinemas, Festivals, Archives<\/em>. Wallflower Press, 2015.
\nBrandman, Jake. \u201cBehind the Screens: Criterion Collection President on Classic Movies in Digital Age.\u201d\u00a0Observer<\/em>,\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Observer, 22 Dec. 2016
\n\u201cFAQ.\u201d\u00a0The Criterion Collection<\/em>, www.criterion.com\/faq.
\n\u201cNew, Independent Criterion Channel to Launch Spring 2019.\u201d\u00a0The Criterion Collection
\n<\/em>Crowdus, Gary, and Peter Becker. \u201cProviding a Film Archive for the Home Viewer: An Interview with Peter Becker of The Criterion Collection.\u201d\u00a0Cin\u00e9aste, vol. 25, no. 1, 1999, pp. 47\u201350.<\/em>
\nKendrick, James. \u201cWhat is Criterion? The Criterion Collection as an Archive of Film as Culture.\u201d\u00a0Journal of Film and Video<\/em>, vol. 53, no. 2\/3, 2001, pp. 124\u2013139.
\nLawler, Ryan \u201cAs Netflix Goes After TV Fans, Hulu Chases Movie Buffs.\u201d\u00a0The New York Times<\/em>, The New York Times, 15 Feb. 2011
\nPage, Tim. \u201cFilm: All the Extras: When the Criterion Collection Releases a Classic on DVD, the Movie Is Only the Beginning.\u201d\u00a0The American Scholar<\/em>, vol. 74, no. 4, 2005, pp. 122\u2013125.
\nParker M., Parker D. (2011) Setting the Standard: The History of The Criterion Collection. In: The DVD and the Study of Film. Palgrave Macmillan, New York<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"