Breaking open your piggy bank, “borrow” some money from your little brother, sell those rare baseball cards (do people still do that?) and maybe take on an extra shift at work. Criterion’s October slate has been revealed and it’s another bounty for cinephiles. So let’s dive in.
The pick of the crop is easily the arrival of Michelangelo Antonioni‘s classic “La Notte.” Marcello Mastroianni, Jeanne Moreau and Monica Vitti steam up the screen in this long, long unavailable movie, so you should be pre-ordering this thing now, even if the extras are a bit slim, relegated to a couple of scholarly type interviews and an essay by Richard Brody. Ah well, you’ll still be able to luxuriate in a new, crisp, high def 4K transfer and enjoy a movie that has not been on home video in any legit release in ages.
Going down the genre route, Criterion has a couple more interesting selections for October. First is Rene Clair‘s comedic fantasy “I Married A Witch,” whose self-explanatory title should tell you all you need to know about this one starring Veronica Lake, Frederic March and Susan Hayward. It’s barebones but does have a Guy Maddin essay and 1970 print interview with Clair. Meanwhile, Lewis Allen‘s cult atmospheric horror flick “The Uninvited” starring Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey gets a wacky C, but zero extras.
Getting Blu upgrades: John Cassavetes “Five Films” box featuring “Faces,” “Shadows,” “A Woman Under The Influence,” “The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie,” and “Opening Night.” And George Franju‘s “Eyes Without A Face” also gets a high def boost.
Moreau is phenomenal in the film: subtle, funny, even a little weird. Unlike most actors, she can be both real AND interesting and I am almost always impressed when I see her onscreen.
Masters of Cinema is also doing 'La Notte' just next month — and they appear not to have commissioned Richard Brody, mercifully.
Its ridiculous that they're charging full price for barebones releases now
Untrue about "La Notte." It's still available to rent on Netflix and has been for years.