About Criterion
Since 1984, the Criterion Collection, a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, has been 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. Over the years, as we moved from laserdisc to DVD, Blu-ray disc, and online streaming, we’ve seen a lot of things change, but one thing has remained constant: our commitment to publishing the defining moments of cinema for a wider and wider audience. 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. Every time we start work on a film, 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, then 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 ensure 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. To date, more than 150 filmmakers have made our library of Director Approved DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and laserdiscs the most significant archive of contemporary filmmaking available to the home viewer.
Releases for 2013
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Eclipse
Eclipse is a selection of lost, forgotten, or overshadowed classics in simple, affordable editions. Each series is a brief cinematheque retrospective for the adventurous home viewer.
Dig deeper into the Criterion Collection
Criterion's YouTube Page - Criterion posts tons of great videos, including their 3 Reasons for most of their titles.
Criterion Collection Facebook Page
Criterion Collection Twitter
CriterionCast - Possibly the best Criterion podcast on the internet.
Criterion Corner - David Ehrlich writes for Movies.com about Criterion films several times a month.
CriterionForum - The best Criterion-focused forum.
The Criterion Forums - A new alternative Criterion forum.
DVDBeaver - Blu-ray reviews, including comparison screenshots with older releases.
Criterion Collection on Hulu - Criterion signed an exclusive streaming deal with Hulu, with Hulu carrying most of their films for Hulu Plus users.
The Criterion Contraption - This man is on a mission to watch every single film Criterion has released.
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