September Criterion Releases

[pharoahdance]

Hurrah! Hurrah! Two big box sets in the same month!

249 - The Battle of Algiers
SPECIAL EDITION THREE-DISC SET FEATURES:

DISC 1: THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS
-New high-definition digital transfer, supervised by cinematographer Marcello Gratti, with restored image and sound, and enhanced for widescreen televisions
-Return to Algiers (1992, 55 minutes): three decades following its emergence as a nation, director Gillo Pontecorvo and his son return to Algeria to talk with its people about independence
-Theatrical and re-release trailers
-Poster gallery
-New and improved English subtitle translation
-Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

DISC 2: PONTECORVO AND THE FILM
-The Making of The Battle of Algiers: an exclusive new documentary created for this release guided by Pontecorvo biographer Irene Bignardi and featuring interviews with the director himself, cinematographer Marcello Gatti, composer Ennio Morricone, editor Mario Morra, actors Jean Martin and Saadi Yacef, and film critic Tullio Kezich
-The Dictatorship of Truth: a 37-minute documentary narrated by Edward Said about the relationship between Pontecorvo’s politics and filmmaking style
-Directors on The Battle of Algiers: a discussion about the film’s influence, style, and importance featuring, Spike Lee, Mira Nair, Julian Schnabel, Steven Soderbergh, and Oliver Stone

DISC 3: THE FILM AND HISTORY
-The Battle of Algiers and History: a new documentary featuring interviews with historians Alistair Horne, Hugh Roberts and Benjamin Stora, former FLN members Zohra Drif-Bitat, Mohammed Harbi and Saadi Yacef, and writer and torture victim, Henri Alleg (The Question)
-“Etats d’Armies”—a 30-minute excerpt from Patrick Rotman’s 3-part documentary, L’Ennemi Intime, which focuses on the horror of the French-Algerian War. It features interviews with various members of the French military during the French-Algerian War, including General Jacques Massu, General Roger Trinquier, General Paul Aussaresses, and others
-How to Win the Battle But Lose the War of Ideas: a conversation about the contemporary relevance of The Battle of Algiers between former National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism and author of Against All Enemies: Inside America’s War on Terror, Richard A. Clarke, former State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Michael A. Sheehan, and Chief of Investigative Projects for ABC News, Christopher E. Isham
-Plus: a booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Peter Matthews, a reprinted interview with writer Franco Solinas, brief biographies on the key figures in the French-Algerian War, and more

250-256 - John Cassavettes: Five Films
SPECIAL EDITION EIGHT DISC BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES
-New high-definition digital transfers of all films, with restored image and sound and (where applicable) enhanced for 16x9 televisions
-New video interviews with Cassavetes collaborators Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara, Peter Falk, Seymour Cassel, Lelia Goldoni, Lynn Carlin, and Al Ruban
-Two versions of The Killing of a Chinese Bookie: Cassavetes’ original 135-minute cut as well as his subsequent 108-minute re-edit
-Faces alternate opening: 17 minutes of footage revealing the most significant differences of the two version’s opening sequences
-Cinéastes de notre temps: an episode from the French television series, dedicated to Cassavetes
-Audio commentary on A Woman Under the Influence by sound recordist and composer Bo Harwood and camera operator Mike Ferris
-Stills galleries with hundreds of behind-the-scenes photos, publicity shots, and posters
-Booklet featuring new essays on Cassavetes and the films by writers/critics Jonathan Lethem, Gary Giddins, Stuart Klawans, Kent Jones, Philip Lopate, Dennis Lim, and director Charles Kiselyak, as well as reprinted writings by and interviews with Cassavetes, a tribute to Cassavetes by director Martin Scorsese, and more
-English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
-Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition
-More!

[pharoahdance]