This month, Criterion decided to skip the wait and release Paweł Pawlikowski’s Oscar-nominated feature “Cold War” as part of the Collection. And in February, the Criterion Collection is once again skipping the long wait that many films endure before getting the special treatment, and the group will release Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma.”
READ MORE: Oscar-Nominated ‘Cold War’ Brings Amazon Studios To The Criterion Collection In November
The Oscar-winning, black and white feature that is Cuaron’s most personal film to date is coming to the Criterion Collection in February, and it’s getting a special release that film fans will be desperate to get their hands on. While the special features will include no less than five separate documentaries about the creation of the epic period film, perhaps the biggest selling point for many fans will be the fact that the release will feature the same 4K master and Dolby Atmos sound that was found in the theatrical release. Of course, you can stream it in similar quality, but no matter your internet speed, you still can’t beat physical media in quality.
The “Roma” release also marks the first Netflix film to be added to the Criterion Collection, which is another feather in the cap of the streaming service, as it tries to establish itself as a legit studio that makes “real cinema.” When we look back at the history of the service, it’s clear that “Roma” will be one of the titles that have helped Netflix the most when it comes to acclaim and recognition amongst the industry elite, so to speak.
In addition to “Roma,” Criterion is releasing Jennie Livingston’s “Paris is Burning,” a 1990 documentary about Harlem drag-ball culture. Obviously the release is getting a new restoration for the Blu-ray, but the big selling feature of this release is the new conversation with the filmmaker, as well as over an hour of outtakes from the film. In 2016, “Paris is Burning” was added to the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.
Joining “Roma” and “Paris is Burning” in the February crop of Criterion releases are three films from filmmaker Karel Zeman, “Beginning of Time,” “Invention for Destruction,” and “The Fabulous Baron Munchausen.” which will be collected in a multi-disc set. The two other films joining the Collection are “Teorema,” from filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini, and “Antonio Gaudí,” from filmmaker Hiroshi Teshigahara.