Wellesnet Message Board

by **Jeff Wilson** » Fri Aug 23, 2002 11:58 am

According to a post on the Mobius Home Video forum, a poster there who contacted the Criterion Collecton PR guy was told that they had a Welles film in their plans for next year's DVD schedule, although could not give a title. Given the current rights situation in Welles' output, one would assume this will be either CONFIDENTIAL REPORT or F FOR FAKE, both titles they released on LD and through their VHS arm, Homevision.

by **Jaime N. Christley** » Mon Sep 09, 2002 2:51 am

Jeff - hate to burst yer bubble, and perhaps I'm not, but this e-mail is directly from Criterion's PR rep, Jon Mulvaney. It doesn't sound promising but, at the same time, it does. (It's one of Mulvaney's typically wishy-washy, substanceless answer to customer/fan questions.) In any case, this is firsthand non-info rather than secondhand non-info.

==================================

Dear Jaime,

There seems to be a rumor floating around that we're planning a release of one or more Welles films in 2003. While this is not impossible, I really do not know if it is the case. Our 2003 production schedule has not been set, so I cannot say.

Best,
JM

>>Mr. Mulvaney,
>>
>>I''ve read on two boards that Criterion is planning to >>release at least
>>one Welles film during 2003. Is this the case? If it is, >>which one will
>>it be? I see that Home Vision currently produces F FOR >>FAKE and
>>CONFIDENTIAL REPORT for VHS.
>>
>>thanks!

by **Jeff Wilson** » Mon Sep 09, 2002 9:56 am

No bubble bursting here, as I've already got both films on disc. It would be nice to see a company like Criterion dedicate some attention to Welles, considering some of the other stuff they've released (Hopskotch??), though.

by **Welles Fan** » Mon Sep 09, 2002 1:51 pm

Criterion just does not seem to a happening company like they were in the Laserdisc days. Since laserdisc was a niche market, a goodly portion of laserdisc buyers would buy the more esoteric Criterion offerings, so the sales figures would have been favorable for those titles in their market. However, in the DVD world, Joe Six-Pack has become a player, and titles like F For Fake and Mr Arkadin don't have a prayer of being sold for the kinds of numbers The Grinch or Harry Potter, or Shrek can produce. This is why Criterion seems so intent on releasing their versions of mass-market movies like Armageddon rather than old Welles masterpieces.

by **Jeff Wilson** » Mon Sep 09, 2002 2:44 pm

I can excuse Criterion releasing garbage like Armageddon if doing so will allow them to bring out more of the esoteric stuff. And Criterion should be able to continue bringing out good, lesser known films, if for no other reason than the hordes of collectors who will buy every single Criterion release, so they can have a complete set, even if they don't like the film. Those spine numbers were a brilliant marketing idea. Plus, let's not forget that studios are far less likely to license out many properties to companies like Criterion because the DVD market has become so much more lucrative than laserdiscs ever were.

by **Fredric** » Mon Sep 09, 2002 3:24 pm

Solaris is coming in October from Criterion, so that's a good thing.

Also, Hopscotch is one of my favorite comedies, and I was probably the only soul in America to pre-order it. They don't make stuff like that anymore. Very clever and amusing, IMO.

I think we should harrass Image for a release of the Corinth Arkadin, since right now Corinth and Image are releasing a single disc version of 8 1/2. I guess it's cheaper than the two-fer, but seriously, spend your efforts cleaning up Arkadin and getting it on the market already!

I do hope Criterion chooses F for Fake first. That will please me to no end. Actually, they should get Chimes out there, or better yet, conspire with the evil Oja to get TOSOTW straight to DVD. Then we can all buy it, Bea then blocks it, and then our copies become worth thousands.

The Mama's Kitchen people should contact Criterion about the new Ambersons, too.

by **jaime marzol** » Mon Sep 09, 2002 4:13 pm

The mama's kitchen people are now up to wilbur's headstone at the cemetary, and can't harass anyome yet till we get more resources.

and quit using mtv lingo, it's called Our Mother's Kitchen Restoration. We have no mamas here.

i've gotten some feed back from knowledgable sources on what we have done so far, and it has been inspiring enough to keep moving forward. this scratch version we are working on now will be completed till the end, then we will start all over again, reconstructing the final deal.

criteriun blew me out of the water once before and said what i was doing was impossible. i hope they keep thinking like that.

.............

by **Fredric** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 9:01 am

What is this empty-V of which you speak?

by **Harvey Chartrand** » Tue Sep 10, 2002 9:12 am

'Tis an empty vessel in which is poured the musical sludge of a lost generation.

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Criterion Collection to release Welles title 2003?

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