Back in 2001, then-actor John Cameron Mitchell released his directorial debut film (based on his own musical), “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” The film immediately blew up and became a trailblazing film that put Mitchell on the map as a filmmaker to watch out for. Since then, he’s steadily been acting and filmmaking, and most recently, released the film “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” in 2017. However, for many folks, especially in the LGBTQ community, ‘Hedwig’ will forever be his calling card. And now, almost 20 years after its original release, the film is getting honored by being added to the coveted Criterion Collection.
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And not only is it an event that ‘Hedwig’ is joining the Collection in June, but it marks the first time ever that the film has been available on Blu-ray, which is truly shocking. Not only will that be one of the selling points of the Criterion release, but also this version of ‘Hedwig’ also features a brand-new 4K restoration, as well as special features like a new conversation between the cast and crew (including Mitchell) and an 85-minute doc about the creation of the film.
But as with every month, you know the Criterion Collection features new releases from more than one incredible film. And June 2019 is no different. Also getting the special treatment is Sergei Bondarchuk’s Oscar-winning epic “War and Peace.” The 1966 film gets the Criterion treatment this summer with a new 2K restoration and special features that include an interview with the film’s cinematographer and Bondarchuk’s son.
Of course, those aren’t it. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dance their way into the Criterion Collection with their film “Swing Time.” Bruno Dumont’s first two films “La vie de Jésus” and “L’humanité,” both get 4K restorations. And finally, the Ingmar Bergman retrospective comes to a close with three films, “Through a Glass Darkly,” “Winter Light,” and “The Silence.”
Time to bust out that wallet, folks. You have some discs to buy.
