Criterion Crazy: November 2023 Releases
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Damn. Criterion Collection has gone all out with this November release. 2023’s rollouts have been a little different, but it is nearly impossible to not see how incredible all five releases associated with this latest announcement are. We have four masterpieces. Yes. Four. Additionally, we have a box set that already feels like a must-have addition to any cinephile’s collection. You honestly cannot go wrong with any of these releases, especially since the two 4K upgrades were once difficult Criterion titles to purchase (I suppose not anymore). Of course, I can only speculate that Criterion saved this whopping lineup for the month of November since that is when their fifty percent off flash sale is usually held, so quite a splash will be made in 2023 I am sure. Let us not waste any time and dive right into what the month of November holds for the Criterion Collection.
The Favourite: Mean Streets
It may seem a little silly to hoist Martin Scorsese’s breakthrough crime film, Mean Streets, as the top pick of the month (excluding a particular 4K upgrade, of course), but I do adore this film. There are a couple of additional details that solidify my decision. Firstly, this is a 4K release (with the option for Blu-ray as well). Secondly, the slew of bonus features feel like musts, including all the ones pertaining to Scorsese (an interview with Richard Linklater, and audio commentary), and all of the other industry voices — from Amy Heckerling to Lucy Sante — that make appearances here. Mean Streets is getting quite the treatment here with many pieces of evidence that will confirm the importance of this feature film.
Time For An Ass Whoppin’: Jackie Chan: Emergence of a Superstar
Most cinephiles will gravitate towards Jackie Chan: Emergence of a Superstar as the biggest release in this announcement, and I don’t blame them. Criterion has done a good job of bringing more action films of yesteryear into the collection, and this latest box set is no exception. Outside of the digital restorations that will bring these kung-fu classics to life and the numerous special features about the creation of these films, you will also get the following Jackie Chan-starring gems:
•Half a Loaf of Kung Fu
•Spiritual Kung Fu
•The Fearless Hyena
•Fearless Hyena II
•The Young Master
•My Lucky Stars
Since this release spans from 1978 to 1985, I can only imagine that a follow-up box set with some of Jackie Chan’s late eighties and nineties classics will arrive one day in the future. For now, it’s time to enjoy the restoration of some ass-kicking flicks. The films are only sold on Blu-ray at this moment.
Under-Seen Choice: La cérémonie
No. I will not let La cérémonie remain an under-seen film. Not in 2023. Claude Chabrol’s crime drama masterpiece is too brilliant to be ignored anymore, and perhaps the Criterion Collection was starting to feel the same way. This shocking nineties film has arrived in the collection, albeit not in 4K (but Blu-ray and DVD shall suffice) with a few notable features (some scenes will have commentary supplied by the late Chabrol, there are archived interviews with the director and some stars, and filmmaker Bong Joon Ho has recorded an introduction for this film to boot). I’m hoping that La cérémonie gets the love it rightfully deserves through this release, even though I was hoping for more features and a 4K version (but sometimes a film is great enough on its own terms to not need all the bells and whistles, and this is such a time).
It’s Time to Upgrade: Days of Heaven
One of the greatest films of all time, Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven is now back in the Criterion Collection (after it was removed due to Paramount releasing it in its own way; does this also mean that the similarly-out-of-print Nashville will return one day?). One of the best-shot films of all time is going to be in 4K UHD (!!!!) which is reason enough to be excited. The same features from the previous Blu-ray copy (which will also return), including commentaries, interviews, and Adrian Martin’s essay, will also be found here, but no new features will be added (but who cares when this is Days of Heaven on 4K, and that’s all that is needed here). Because of what the film is and its out-of-print status alone, I’ve placed Days of Heaven the highest of the 4K restorations, but don’t let that diminish what is to come, because we also have…
Let’s Keep Upgrading: The Last Picture Show
As much as I am championing Days of Heaven, there are just as many reasons to love Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show being here (if not, more). While the film has been a part of the collection for quite some time, it was a part of the America Lost and Found: The BBS Story boxset (which is worth looking at as well). Now that The Last Picture Show is getting its own standout release (and with the option for 4K UHD as well), there is much to celebrate. A myriad of bonus features (a staggering three documentaries about the production process, audio commentaries, and an interview about New Hollywood involving French New Wave master François Truffaut), there is also perhaps the coolest feature of all five releases this month: the inclusion of sequel film Texasville (and in two formats, no less: the theatrical version and a director’s cut in black-and-white). In hindsight, this may actually be the most fascinating title associated with the November releases for all of these reasons alone.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.