Home Media

By Kevin Jones

Coming this month from the Criterion Collection is their latest Wes Anderson release, The Grand Budapest Hotel. My favorite of Anderson’s filmography, this unique caper involving the concierge of a famed hotel in Zubrowka is another exemplary example of Anderson’s unique comedic wit and style. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, F. Murray Abraham, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Saoirse Ronan, Jeff Goldblum, Edward Norton, and the list goes on, it is fair to say this has one stacked cast. All are well-utilized, too, with Anderson’s typical players aptly cast.

The release from Criterion is a 2K restoration featuring a select scene storyboard, audio commentary, documentary on the making of the film, interviews with the cast, a pair of video essays, a behind-the-scenes video, and a pair of essays. Of the extras, I loved the behind-the-scenes extra on the release of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou so seeing the one on this release is a must. Beyond that, a video essay from critic and Anderson expert Matt Zoller Seitz should be terrific.

Returning to the Criterion Collection this month is Army of Shadows. Long out-of-print after Criterion’s licensing deal with StudioCanal expired, the two have finally come back together again with a few classic titles returning. Jean-Pierre Melville‘s great film about the French resistance during Nazi rule of France stars Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and Simone Signoret. Powerful and cold, in my prior viewing of Army of Shadows, I was struck by how unconventional of a film it is with Melville prizing reality over typical cinematic climaxes. Showing the struggle, defeats, and minor victories that barely move the needle, as well as the deceit and betrayal that abounds in the resistance, Army of Shadows is not an uplifting work by any means.

Presented in HD, the new Criterion release is not exactly new. Considering Criterion did release it on Blu-ray many years ago, this is their second go-around with the title on Blu-ray. Fortunately, they did keep many of the same extras from the original release with an alternate soundtrack, audio commentary, interviews, booklet essays, a rare documentary about the occupation, and a program on Melville, making this a pretty well-rounded release.

It is a very busy month for the Criterion Collection with a great slate of releases. The final one I would like to highlight is their release of Destry Rides Again. A classic western-comedy directed by George Marshall starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich, it is a fantastic blend of its two genre as it capably sends up the westerns before it and embodies their finest, non-comedic qualities. Pairing the often wide-eyed late-1930s Stewart with the seductive Dietrich is a dynamite combination with this being the finest of their few films together over the years.

Featuring a 4K restoration, a pair of interviews, an oral-history interview with George Marshall, the Lux Radio theater presentation with Stewart and Joan Blondell in the lead roles, and a new essay, the release sounds incredibly promising. The inclusion of the radio performance should be interesting to compare, especially with Stewart remaining in the same role alongside a different actress. How Blondell approaches the role, especially for a different medium, should be quite refreshingly different and intriguing from Dietrich so I am interested to explore that extra in particular.

Outside of Criterion, there are a pair of home media releases from the United Kingdom that seem especially interesting; both are box-sets. The first is from Arrow Academy, entitled Cinema of Conflict: Four Films by Krzysztof Kieślowski. Presenting four of his earlier works – The Scar, Camera Buff, Blind Chance, and No End – the films are intriguing in how it differs from some of Kieślowski’s most notable works. Still working in Poland, the films are given the unique of perspective of coping with Polish identity while under Soviet role as seen by an insider. Between upfront with political themes, philosophy, and fantasy, the films all sound incredibly intriguing.

Limited to just 2,000 copies, the set is quite packed with a variety of audio commentaries, interviews, visual essays, archival materials, and a booklet. Arrow even included three of Kieślowski’s short films, Talking Heads, Concert of Requests, and The Office. Of all, those short films are what I find most intriguing, though this should prove an illuminating and enjoyable combination of films and special features for anybody who loves Kieślowski’s more well-known works.

Another box-set release I am anticipating this month comes from Indicator, John Ford at Columbia. Bringing together four of the five films Sony had previously released on DVD many years ago – only one left out is Two Rode Together, due to a current Blu-ray release in the UK from Eureka – Indicator’s set of Whole Town’s Talking, The Long Gray Line, Gideon’s Day, and The Last Hurrah, is one I cannot wait to get my hands on. With the exception of The Last Hurrah (which has been restored in 2K), all of the films have been restored in 4K and feature booklets with critics essays, old features, and newly commissioned video extras.

Of the films, The Long Gray Line perhaps has the highest profile with the story being classic John Ford, combining the tale of an Irish immigrant coming to the United States with him joining the United States military. It is a true story starring Tyrone Power and Maureen O’Hara that has been championed as many things from light comedy-drama to a revealing drama that examines everyday working existence. The Last Hurrah is the one I am most excited for, as I am a big fan of Spencer Tracy and the premise, which follows an aging politician trying to compete for re-election amidst the sea of change in the late-1950s, namely the proliferation of television. Each disc features extensive extras, though Whole Town’s Talking has perhaps the best collection with a career retrospective on star Jean Arthur, an appreciation by critic Leonard Maltin, and an essay from critic Farran Smith Nehme, all of which should be incredibly interesting.