The Criterion Collection announced their May slate today and with each release being multi-disc affairs, the number of new titles is a bit smaller than most months. That said, each title is pretty much a landmark film so enthusiasts surely won’t be disappointed.
First up is John Ford’s classic John Wayne western “Stagecoach.” The 1939 film about a group of strangers traveling together from Arizona to New Mexico made a star out of Johny Wayne in the role of the outlaw, the Ringo Kid. The film is regarded as one of the finest films of the genre ever made and one of Ford’s greatest achievements. Though previously released by Warner Brothers, Criterion’s release will be the first to utilize UCLA’s restored print. Special features on the 2-disc DVD and single disc BluRay will include John Ford’s 1917 silent western “Bucking Broadway”; a new interview with Peter Bogdanovich; a video feature on Monument Valley (gorgeously shot in the film); a radio dramatization of “Stagecoach” from 1949 and essays and other interviews.
Next, Criterion has finally revisited their previously released disc of Nicolas Roeg’s classic “Walkabout” and given it a makeover. Arriving on a 2-disc DVD and single disc BluRay, Roeg’s film about a young girl and her brother who, abandoned in the Australian outback, come upon the guidance of a young Aborigine, is an immaculately photographed and spellbinding film that leaves itself open to interpretation. This new release is presented via a newly restored print and features a commentary by Roeg and actress Jenny Agutter and includes “One Red Blood,” a documentary on actor David Gulpilil.
Another title getting an upgrade is Fritz Lang’s “M“. Criterion will be re-issuing the film on BluRay and in addition to the features on the current DVD, the hi-def release will feature the long-lost English language version of the film as well as uncompressed audio soundtrack. This is effective thriller is one of Lang’s best pictures and one of Peter Lorre’s finest (and creepiest) performances.
In May, Criterion will revisit the works of avant-garde filmmaker Stan Brakhage and issue a second volume of his short films in the massive 3-disc DVD/2-disc BluRay set “By Brakhage: An Anthology, Volume Two.” In addition to featuring thirty films by the prolific director, the set also includes audio lectures by Brakhage, a 1990 interview with the director and the short film “For Stan” by his wife, Marilyn.
Finally, over on the Eclipse line “Oshima’s Outlaw Sixties” box set arrives featuring five films by Nagisa Oshima. The set focuses on Oshima’s output following the founding of his own production company Sozosha in 1961. The films featured include “Pleasures Of The Flesh,” “Violence At Noon,” “Sing A Song Of Sex,” “Japanese Summer: Double Suicide” and “Three Resurrected Drunkards.”