The holidays are fast approaching. But for cinephiles, we’re already in the midst of a month-long cause for celebration: the Criterion Collection sale at Barnes & Noble.
What is the Criterion Collection, you ask?
Originally founded in the 1980s, Criterion has spent the past several decades setting the bar for the home video presentations of hundreds of movies. To some, that may just mean putting out DVDs, Blu-rays and 4K Ultra HD discs. But Criterion is so much more than that.
@iowapublicradio Calling all movie lovers: 𝟮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 is here! This new series at IPR comes from husband-and-wife duo Clinton Olsasky and Nicole Baxter. We love movies. And we also know there's a lot to keep track of. That's why we're here to walk you through what's worth watching, what local film events are happening near you and why the art of film is even better than a bucket of perfectly buttered popcorn (yes, really!). Stay up to date on the latest from 𝟮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 and get exclusive content from a couple of cinephiles in Iowa by subscribing to 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿, IPR’s weekend arts and culture newsletter. 🍿Until then, see you at the movies!
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From commentary tracks and behind-the-scenes documentaries to specially commissioned cover artwork and essay booklets, Criterion consistently goes the extra mile when putting together each and every one of their releases.
In the streaming era, you’d think that this carefully curated business model would be a thing of the past. But in many ways, Criterion is more popular than ever, despite appealing to an admittedly more niche consumer base.
You’ve probably come across a few “Criterion Closet” videos on your social media feed, in which actors, filmmakers and other arthouse-minded celebrities pluck their favorite Criterion movies from a wall of Blu-rays and wax poetic about the likes of Agnès Varda and Yasujirō Ozu.
It’s a lot of fun. But you know what’s even more fun? Kickstarting your own collection!
We here at 2 for the Show know that getting started as a Criterion collector can be intimidating. After all, there are now more than 1,300 films in the collection (every main Criterion release carries a corresponding number on the spine of its case).
That’s why we’ve put together our own starter packs of four Criterion movies, each spanning an array of genres and eras. So, whether you’re a long-time fan or just Criterion-curious, we invite you to check out our recommendations and start feeding your inner film lover!
Clinton’s picks
City Lights (1931)
For me, Charlie Chaplin was a gateway drug into the mind-opening world of the Criterion Collection. City Lights was one of the first Criterion films I bought, now over a decade ago, and it continues to surprise, delight and destroy me with every subsequent viewing. It’s also a terrific entry point into silent movies for anyone willing to take the leap.
The plot of City Lights, like most Chaplin comedies, is pretty simple on its surface: the Little Tramp buys a flower from a woman on the street and falls head over heels for her. The twist? The woman is blind and mistakenly assumes the lowly Tramp is a millionaire.
I won’t spoil what happens next, but let me just quote the renowned film critic James Agee, who called the film’s ending “the greatest single piece of acting ever committed to celluloid.” I agree.
Buy from Barnes & Noble or Criterion.
Rashomon (1950)
It would be hard to overestimate the cultural, let alone cinematic, impact of Akira Kurosawa’s classic samurai film about the faulty nature of memory. Starring everyone’s favorite Kurosawa collaborator Toshiro Mifune, Rashomon tells the story of a samurai’s murder before then retelling it again. And again. And again — all from the slightly contradictory perspectives of several eyewitnesses.
Kurosawa’s pioneering use of multiple unreliable narrators (fittingly called the “Rashomon effect”) has since weaved its way into countless movies and TV shows. But for me, the best bit of pop culture homage can be found in a scene from The Simpsons.
Marge: “Come on, Homer. Japan will be fun. You liked Rashomon!”
Homer: “That’s not how I remember it.”
Buy from Barnes & Noble or Criterion.
The Seventh Seal (1957)
The Seventh Seal isn’t even my favorite Ingmar Bergman film (that would be either Persona or Fanny and Alexander), but it’s definitely his most iconic. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a still from The Seventh Seal even if you’ve never watched the movie. It’s one of those venerated visuals that routinely ends up in “history of cinema” montages: a medieval knight playing a game of chess with death incarnate.
Talk about an all-timer of an image — moody, mysterious, morbidly amusing. And yet The Seventh Seal is much more than any one scene. The movie stands as a testament to humankind’s eternal struggle to survive, shot through with breathtaking black-and-white photography and directed with masterful precision by a then-up-and-coming Bergman. Check and mate.
Buy from Barnes & Noble or Criterion.
Eraserhead (1977)
You know you’ve made it as a filmmaker when you have an adjective coined in your honor. That was certainly the case with the late, great David Lynch, whose unique stripe of cinematic surrealism could only be described as, well, Lynchian.
Take Lynch’s debut feature film: a nightmarish odyssey through a black-and-white industrial wasteland. Regular Lynch collaborator Jack Nance stars as Henry Spencer, a high-haired loner who encounters, among other things, miniature blood-gushing chickens, a mysterious lady who lives in his radiator and a malformed infant he reluctantly cares for.
The loss of Lynch and his inimitable artistry still stings. Thankfully, we have works like Eraserhead to remind us that, in heaven, everything is fine.
Buy from Barnes & Noble or Criterion.
Nicole’s picks
The Red Shoes (1948)
I dare say you haven’t seen a color film until you’ve seen Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s masterpiece The Red Shoes. Shot in glorious Technicolor, this backstage drama shadows a young ballerina torn between the love of her life and her desperate desire to dance.
During one of the most mesmerizing sequences in movie history, an enchanting dream ballet unfolds that brings the metafictional fairy tale to life through inventive camera techniques and whimsical set design. It’s truly stunning filmmaking that many others have tried to imitate. But for my money, nothing has ever quite matched the magic of The Red Shoes.
Buy from Barnes & Noble or Criterion.
The Graduate (1967)
I have one word for you: plastics. That’s the wisdom offered to Benjamin Braddock, played by a sun-kissed Dustin Hoffman, upon graduating from college. Perhaps better advice would have been to avoid having an affair with a married woman — and if you do, don’t pursue her daughter at the same time!
Anne Bancroft’s predatorial performance as the middle-aged Mrs. Robinson is instantly iconic. It’s also terrifying and devastating in equal measure. Under the direction of Mike Nichols and backed by a soundtrack from Simon & Garfunkel, The Graduate reflects the changing tides in 1960s America and helped usher in the New Hollywood era.
Buy from Barnes & Noble or Criterion.
Wings of Desire (1987)
There’s a certain sad comfort to Wim Wenders’ movies. Perhaps it’s because he has a unique way of tapping into our deepest thoughts and emotions. Maybe it’s because he’s drawn to stories about letting go in life. Whatever it is, it’s all there in Wings of Desire, his city symphony set in post-war Berlin.
We experience it mostly through the eyes of an angel, played by Bruno Ganz. Though he is invisible and immortal, he feels connected to the people he watches over, especially a trapeze artist he has started to fall in love with. Lonely and longing for human experiences, he contemplates giving up his immortality to be with her.
What is inarguably one of the most beautifully shot films in the Criterion Collection, Wenders’ use of black-and-white and color cinematography is a treat for the eyes and the soul.
Buy from Barnes & Noble or Criterion.
Do the Right Thing (1989)
This one’s a scorcher. It’s the hottest day of the summer, and as temps rise, so too do tensions in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy neighborhood. Stacked with an incredible cast of characters — from Samuel L. Jackson’s Mister Señor Love Daddy to Spike Lee’s Mookie — and featuring Public Enemy’s anthemic “Fight the Power” on the soundtrack, Do the Right Thing serves up a searing look at America’s racial divides through a now all too familiar story.
This Spike Lee Joint is not only essential viewing; it also deserves a spot on your shelf. And that’s the double truth, Ruth!
Buy from Barnes & Noble or Criterion.
