Godzilla in the Criterion Collection?!

[goji1986]

As the guy before me said, pardon my ignorance.

So now that Criterion has it, that means CM doesn't anymore? Stupid question I'm sure but I'm a little confused.

No, CM still has it. They can do their own releases as far as I know. But Toho has apparently given a separate license to Criterion. Basically, Criterion is the company for the "serious film connoisseur". They put out definitive versions of movies that they feel have contributed to film history in some critical way.

It's not uncommon for them to put out a release of a movie that already has a special edition or something like that by a major studio. They have releases for Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" despite their being owned and put out by Universal.

Getting the Criterion treatment usually means a highly polished restoration (or for more recent films, the best possible quality for the format), loads of extras from behind the scenes documentaries to the cultural impact of said film and so on, as well as essays by film scholars about the film's achievements. For the original Godzilla to get this treatment is unprecedented but a major sign that the work of Honda, Tanaka, Tsuburaya, and Ifukube is finally getting the respect they deserve in the film world.

[milo bloom]

I'm not one for double dips, but I'd be proud to do so for this film and coming from Criterion.

[kpa]

Tim, that's not a stupid question... a lot of people keep asking it.

Criterion sub-licensed the film from Classic Media with Toho's consent. This is pretty common with Criterion; as others here have pointed out they've released a number of titles that were owned by other companies over the years.

[Tamura]

Keith, are there any films that Criterion owns themselves, or do they sub-license everything?

[o.supreme]

I figured this was only a matter of time considering LP Godzilla coming out in the not too distant future. I now know from watching Hulu, and being educated by other fans that this is something to be excited about (6 Months ago I thought Criterion was just a distributor selling overpriced older films on DVD found at Barnes & Noble). But it appears they are film enthusiasts to the highest degree. This will be my 1st Criterion puchase as this is the only film that I would desire to know EVERY aspect of. I applaud their desire to preserve film in general, but most of their releases just dont appeal to me. I dont think EVERY Godzilla film needs this treatment, but this one definitely deserves it.

[Margatroid]

Well, this is just awesome. Can't wait to see what they have in store.

[kpa]

Keith, are there any films that Criterion owns themselves, or do they sub-license everything?

It's a mix. They're not a film studio like Sony or Universal so they license everything they release. Some movies they license direct from the studio/producers; others they work with a licensee who already has the rights.

[Gawdziller]

I know that their release of Chasing Amy was pretty much the only one on the market. I don't think they owned it though, because it was through Miramax that it was released on Blu, if I'm not mostaken.

[Hellspawn28]

Great news since Criterion makes great DVD's. Gojira is one of the best films in Japanese cinema and I hope this will have more people watch the original since I always feel like Gojira '54 was pretty underrated when it comes to people outside the fan base. Most people don't even know that there was a original Japanese Godzilla movie.

[Rockzilla]

:shock: Waaah?!! This is amazing. I sure hope they buy the rights to rest of the films.
Okay that's just rambling and wishful thinking by now.

Well, they were going to release most of the UPA library on Laserdisc. Hopefully they will consider the same films again.

Anyways this really makes my day. I was having a mediocre work day and something like this comes up when I'm away from the computer.

[Tyler]

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I was asked not to run anything on SFJ until Criterion was ready to make an announcement, but the photo on their FB page has now made it public that something is in the works. Criterion and Toho have been keeping a few people (teehee, indeed!) in the loop about what exactly is planned, but I want to make sure I have their okay before getting too specific.

I was just thinking about what was going on with Godzila vs. Megalon there for a while. It was confusing until you guys sorted it out.

[Gawdziller]

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I was asked not to run anything on SFJ until Criterion was ready to make an announcement, but the photo on their FB page has now made it public that something is in the works. Criterion and Toho have been keeping a few people (teehee, indeed!) in the loop about what exactly is planned, but I want to make sure I have their okay before getting too specific.

I was just thinking about what was going on with Godzila vs. Megalon there for a while. It was confusing until you guys sorted it out.

In defense of the whole Megalon incident, it got Media Blasters to check back in with Toho to see if the rights were available.

August still made a mistake, but some good came out of it.

[JVM]

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I was asked not to run anything on SFJ until Criterion was ready to make an announcement, but the photo on their FB page has now made it public that something is in the works. Criterion and Toho have been keeping a few people (teehee, indeed!) in the loop about what exactly is planned, but I want to make sure I have their okay before getting too specific.

I was just thinking about what was going on with Godzila vs. Megalon there for a while. It was confusing until you guys sorted it out.

In defense of the whole Megalon incident, it got Media Blasters to check back in with Toho to see if the rights were available.

August still made a mistake, but some good came out of it.

Perhaps that was his real plan along...

[Gawdziller]

::eyes widen. He looks back into the sunset to see August riding off::

[borodan]

So, we'll see this sometime right after their overdue Princess from the Moon release, right?

[Tyler]

So, we'll see this sometime right after their overdue Princess from the Moon release, right?

Yeah I've been wanting to see that one!

[Giga Kaiju]

This sounds great!
now if they only could get the rights for G85/ROG and that could be Perfect.

[TokyoVigilante]

I'll buy it just because they're packaging alone is always amazing. Is anyone here familiar with their DVD for Cronenberg's Videodrome? The actual case outside of the sleeve is made up to look like a BetaMAX tape prop from the film with the tagline "Long Live the New Flesh" scrawled in marker on the label. It's like holding an artifact from the film itself. The features are incredible, with lots of stuff that just would not be available before the era DVD.

Honestly, I've grown kinda' empathetic to Gojira, despite its overall performance. I would honestly really rather something like Mothra vs. Godzilla get a Criterion treatment. But I digress, this is exciting news and the extra material they'll likely present will make it well worth the price.

[omgitsgodzilla]

HOLY JESUS. If this is for real, it's a skreeonk dream come true for someone like me. The franchise getting some real, major-league mainstream recognition. Oh, and a godly DVD.

[Tamura]

Mr. Ragone is posting on a few forums that Criterion found a 35mm fine grain print of GKOTM... with zero evidence to back himself up.

Doesn't this sound kind of familiar?

I've been in contact with Criterion since July, guys. If this fine grain thing is legit, Keith and I would have been the first to know.

Maybe Criterion will hear this, and then find a fine grain print. You know, kind of like how the GODZILLA VS. MEGALON rumor led to its release?

But who knows, maybe Ragone is right. He has no way of proving himself, but he could be right. I'm not leaving it out of the question.