Impressive!!
That’s the word for the Criterion Collection’s September
line-up of new film restorations.
There will be a new 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack edition
heading home on each of the four street-date Tuesday during the month … so let’s
get to it.
Sept. 5 kicks off the proceedings with a new 4K digital
restoration of director Rob Reiner’s post-Labor Day of 1987 romantic
comedy-adventure gem, The Princess Bride,
starring Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Andre the Giant and Wallace
Shawn, with Chris Sarandon and Christopher Guest (and, of course, some surprise
guests alone the way).
William Goldman completed his novel, “The Princess
Bride,” sometime in 1973 and it was already optioned for a film adaptation, but
nothing came of it. A decade later the
rights were back in his hands, he adapted his own novel, Reiner was brought on
board to direct and the rest is, as they say, history. It only took 14 years to move this classic
from the page to the screen!!
Bonus goodies include commentary featuring Reiner
and Goldman, who are joined by producer Andrew Scheinman and cast members Billy
Crystal and Peter Falk, various video sessions with Reiner, Goldman, and Crystal,
plus Cary Elwes, Christopher Guest, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Fred Savage
and Robin Wright.
There is also an on-set video diary narrated by Cary
Elwes, five behind-the-scene videos with narration by Reiner, Scheinman and
Crystal, plus several featurettes and more.
The next street-date Tuesday, Sept. 12, marks the 4K
Ultra HD debut of auteur filmmaker Nicolas
Roeg’s 1971 outback adventure, Walkabout,
starring Jenny Agutter (Logan’s Run, The Eagle has Landed,
An American Werewolf in London …
and as Sister Julienne in the long-running Call the
Midwife dramatic series), David Gulpilil
and Luc Roeg.
Bonus features included with the 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray
Combo Pack presentation of Walkabout begin
with commentary by Nicolas Roeg and Jenny Agutter, video sessions with Agutter
and Luc Roeg and documentary filmmaker Darlene Johnson’s 2002 film titled Gulpilil:
One Red Blood.
That’s two.
Criterion could call it quits right there for the month and it would
still be impressive, but there are two more street-date Tuesdays still to go!
Arriving on Sept. 19 is filmmaker Orson Welles’ 1962
film adaptation of Franz Kafka’s 1925 novel, The Trial,
starring Anthony Perkins (as Josef K), Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider and Orson
Welles.
Film historian Joseph McBride (“Orson Welles,” “Frank
Capra: The Catastrophe of Success,” “Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge” … and
more) provides a newly-minted commentary, plus there are archival video sessins
with Welles, Jeanne Moreau and the director of photography Edmond Richard, plus
Orson Welles’ 1981 feature-length documentary titled Filming The
Trial.
Criterion’s 4K Ultra HD hit parade for the month of
September concludes on Sept. 26 with writer/director/producer Brett Morgen’s 2022
theatrical biopic/documentary tribute to David Bowie, Moonage
Daydream.
This new 4K film restoration includes commentary
from Brett Morgen (Oscar nominated for his On the
Ropes documentary, plus the Emmy-winning Jane …
plus films as Cobain: Montage of Heck, Chicago 10 and The Kid
Stays in the Picture), a Q&A session and a video
session with rerecording mixers David Giammarco and Paul Massey.
And, last but certainly not least, is the Sept. 26
Blu-ray release of director Luis Valdez’s 1987 biopic, La Bamba.
This is a new 4K digital restoration. Bonus features include commentary, video
session, audition footage and a making-of featurette.