It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and there isn’t even snow on the ground. One of the largest booksellers in the world, Barnes and Noble, is reprising their semi-annual Criterion sale. Beginning July 12, 2011, you can pick up Criterion Blu-rays and DVDs for 50% of the MSRP, both in-store and online.
Criterion is one of the most prestigious film-distribution companies on the planet, and are known for their attention to detail, including meticulous high-definition film transfers, beautiful packaging, and, most importantly, copious amounts of special features (the company gave audiences their first ever audio commentary track back in 1984 with the laserdisc release of King Kong). If you haven’t had a chance to pick up any of the Criterion Collection releases, do not miss this incredible opportunity to catch some of the finest transfers of the best films that the world of cinema has to offer.
This is a great time to pick up Travis Leamon’s most acclaimed Blu-ray release of 2010: Night of the Hunter. Inside Pulse – Movies has reviews for other Criterion Collection releases as well, including Downhill Racer, The Magician, Cronos, Diabolique, and Pale Flower, to name a few.
Fans of the Collection will want to load their Barnes & Noble carts early to be sure and snag his or hers most wanted DVD and Blu-rays. Unfortunately, pre-orders are not eligible for this discount. The sale is scheduled to last until August 1, 2011, but plan to shop early while stock is still full.
The Criterion Collection Mission Statement:
Since 1984, the Criterion Collection, a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, has been dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements. Over the years, as we moved from laserdisc to DVD, Blu-ray disc, and online streaming, we’ve seen a lot of things change, but one thing has remained constant: our commitment to publishing the defining moments of cinema for a wider and wider audience. The foundation of the collection is the work of such masters of cinema as Renoir, Godard, Kurosawa, Cocteau, Fellini, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Hitchcock, Fuller, Lean, Kubrick, Lang, Sturges, Dreyer, Eisenstein, Ozu, Sirk, Buñuel, Powell and Pressburger. Each film is presented uncut, in its original aspect ratio, as its maker intended it to be seen. Every time we start work on a film, we track down the best available film elements in the world, use state-of-the-art telecine equipment and a select few colorists capable of meeting our rigorous standards, then take time during the film-to-video digital transfer to create the most pristine possible image and sound. Whenever possible, we work with directors and cinematographers to ensure that the look of our releases does justice to their intentions. Our supplements enable viewers to appreciate Criterion films in context, through audio commentaries by filmmakers and scholars, restored director’s cuts, deleted scenes, documentaries, shooting scripts, early shorts, and storyboards. To date, more than 150 filmmakers have made our library of Director Approved DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and laserdiscs the most significant archive of contemporary filmmaking available to the home viewer.
Source: High Def Digest