Criterion Collection
Articles and Essays on Criterion Collection
Black Orpheus (1959)
Before Marcel Camus’s Black Orpheus showed up on American and European screens in 1959, what would later be known to many as the ‘art film’ came in only a few different ways: Bergmanesque existentialism, Japanese samurai epics, Italian neorealism, and the French New Wave. No one was ready for the emergence of this Brazilian film which suddenly […]
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Ashes and Diamonds (1958)
Andrzej Wajda’s Ashes and Diamonds is looked at as one of the greatest of all postwar East-Central European films, and also the most vital work of the Polish School, completing what many believe to be Wajda’s war trilogy, which followed A Generation and Kanal. It’s extraordinary how much controversy carried Ashes and Diamonds within Poland […]
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Closely Watched Trains (1966)
During the late 1960’s a sudden wave of Czechoslovakian films suddenly burst into the West, catching many film-goers off-guard. Most of the films were very small in scale, and its stories focused mostly on ordinary, regular people, who were regarded with a tender and sweet human affection. These type of films were completely different in […]
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Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
Jacques Tati’s Mr. Hulot’s Holiday is one of the most charming and original comedies ever made. Critic Roger Ebert states, “It is not a comedy of hilarity but a comedy of memory, nostalgia, fondness and good cheer.” They’re some real funny moments in the film, but Mr. Hulot’s Holiday brings us much more than just […]
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Pandora’s Box (1929)
Louise Brooks has the type of face that radiates the movie screen, as her luscious eyes tempt and seduce audiences to come join and play with her. Pauline Kael writes, “Her beauty was almost impersonal, she carries it like a gift she doesn’t think much about, and confronts us as a naughty girl. When you meet someone like this […]
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