Only the Criterion Collection can bring together some of the world’s best movies and offer such brilliant extra features, restorations, and more. Some of the most renowned movies ever made have been re-released by Criterion and often include 2K or 4K restoration, documentaries about the making of the movies, interviews with the directors, cast, and crew, and a lot more.
Criterion Collection movies can be a bit pricey, so many people like to wait for sales to pick up a few of their favorites. Getting some of the larger collections, like the Ingmar Bergman collection or Wong Kar Wai set, when they’re on sale can prove very wise, as a few of these larger sets have savings of over 50%. But it’s not just older cinema classics here. Criterion collects some of the best movies of the modern era too, and re-releases them with plenty of extras, as seen here with movies like Pixar’sWall-E. The following is not a complete list but just some of the best Criterion Collection deals on offer right now.
Rushmore
Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema
Perfect for the Bergman enthusiast who has been waiting to get all the films together in one place, the Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema Criterion Collectionfeaturing 39 films by the lauded direction and this includes such iconic works as The Seventh Seal, Fanny and Alexander, and more. All movies have been restored and come with special features like documentaries, interviews, and behind-the-scenes content, all wrapped up in exclusive packaging with booklet.
Days of Heaven
Cast
Terrence Malick’s iconic film, Days of Heaven, is restored here and includes special features such as interviews, documentaries, and commentary that provide deeper insight into the cinematic poetry that is a Malick film.
Night of the Living Dead
George A. Romero’s classic horror film, Night of the Living Dead, is restored in this Criterion Collection release and comes with a range of special features, including interviews, audio commentary, and documentaries that offer a comprehensive look at the film’s impact and legacy.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Viewers can delve into The Grand Budapest Hotel’s creation with behind-the-scenes documentaries that offer an intimate look at director Wes Anderson’s creative process, from set design to costume choices. The Criterion Collection edition also includes interviews with the director, cast, and crew to give viewers a deeper understanding of the film’s making.
Tokyo Story
The Criterion Collection version of Tokyo Story has many extra features that provide a comprehensive understanding of the film’s significance. This includes behind-the-scenes documentaries and interviews with scholars that dive into the making of Yasujirō Ozu’s masterpiece, giving insight into the director’s unique filmmaking approach. The movie is an essential reflection of societal changes in post-war Japan.
Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy is brought together in this Criterion Collection edition with new, restored versions approved by the director himself and discussions between him, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke. There’s also behind-the-scenes footage, two documentaries, a video essay, and an episode of the radio program Fresh Air featuring host Terry Gross, Linklater, Delpy, and Hawke.
12 Angry Men
The Criterion Collection version of 12 Angry Men contains a wealth of extra features, including feature-length audio commentary by Drew Casper. An excerpt from a 1980 interview with assistant director Frank Schaffner is also included, as well as a short documentary chronicling the history of the film. There are other archival interviews, the original trailer, and a 1956 TV adaptation of the movie which originally aired on CBS.
World of Wong Kar Wai
This set includes the 4K restoration of Wong Kar Wai’s most beloved films, as well as alternate and extended versions of his films, interviews with A-list directors and other cinema experts, making of documentaries, and much more.
WALL-E
A beloved Pixar classic, the Criterion Collection version of Wall-E includes docs surrounding the creators' cinematic influences and production process, two audio commentaries, deleted scenes, short films, a tour of the Pixar Living Archive, and a lot more.
The Game
The Game Criterion Collection contains a ton of surprising features. These include audio commentary featuring the director, writers, and other crew, a behind-the-scenes documentary called “Behind the Scenes of the Game,” an alternate ending to the movie introduced by David Fincher, and deleted scenes and outtakes. There are also storyboard animations for fans to pour over and the original movie trailer.
Seven Samurai
Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece is presented here, complete with audio commentary from Japanese cinema experts, including Donald Richie. There is also the documentary, “Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create” (2002) and “Seven Samurai: Origins and Influences” (2002), both directed by Akira Kurosawa expert Catherine Cadou. An interview with acclaimed samurai actor Toshiro Mifune is also here, as well as a 2-hour featurette that is a conversation between Kurosawa and Nagisa Oshima. Japanese and English movie trailers are also included here, plus more.
Bruce Lee’s most celebrated movies come together here in a new 2K digital restoration of the rarely-seen 1973 theatrical version of Enter the Dragon as well as the “special-edition” version. Alternate audio soundtracks, including original English-dubbed tracks, and audio commentaries are also included here as well as Game of Death II, the 1981 sequel to Game of Death. Interviews are just some of the other things included in this epic set for Bruce Lee superfans.
This 2 movie set includes new 4K digital restorations of both movies with uncompressed monaural soundtracks and alternative 5.1 surround soundtracks. There are also new and improved English subtitles created specifically for this release and a 2-hour documentary called “Police Force,” which includes an interview with Jackie Chan. On top of this, the set includes an interview with Chan from a 1989 episode of the Hong Kong television show, “Son of the Incredibly Strange Film Show.” Featurettes and trailers are also included.
This collection includes all Showa Era Godzilla releases from 1954-1975. On top of new HD transfers, the set has new English-language dub tracks and subtitles, interviews, both new and archival, featurettes about the special effects seen in the movies, and a Japanese release version of King Kong Vs. Godzilla.
The Samurai Trilogy includes Musashi Miyamoto, Duel At Ichijoji Temple, and Duel At Ganryu Island, directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and starring Toshiro Mifune. The series was one of Japan’s most successful exports of the 1950s and is based on a novel that’s often referred to as Japan’s Gone with the Wind. The trilogy follows the life of Musashi Miyamoto from youth to warrior and this set includes extended versions, audio commentary, documentaries, and much more.
Come And See
On top of featurettes and several interviews, the Criterion Collection version of Come and See features a new high-definition digital restoration of the film, supervised by director Elem Klimov’s son, audio commentary from a renowned film scholar, a documentary called “Flaming Memory,” and much more.
The Irishman
The additions made here for the Criterion Collection version of The Irishman are described as “Director Approved” and include a 4K digital master, an edited conversation between Scorsese and Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, a documentary about the making of the film, a video essay by film critic Farran Smith Nehme, interviews, and plenty more.
All That Jazz
Grab this classic movie on Criterion Collection which includes two different audio commentaries from Roy Scheider and Jessica Lange in one and editor Alan Heim in the other. There’s also a documentary called “Portrait: Making ‘All That Jazz’,” and interviews with Bob Fosse and editor Heim. Another documentary called “Fosse” is also included here, plus other extra bonus features.
The Uninvited
Grab this classic 1944 movie in its Criterion Collection release that includes 2K digital film restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition. There’s also an included visual essay by the filmmaker and two radio adaptations of the movie from the 40s. A trailer, a film critic essay, and an interview with the director round out the features here.
Audio commentary, documentaries and interviews comprise most of the extra features on the Criterion version of Two-Lane Blacktop. These include the following:- Commentary featuring director Monte Hellman and associate producer Gary Kurtz.-Second commentary featuring screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer and author David Meyer.-Interview with Hellman, actor James Taylor, musician Kris Kristofferson, and producer Michael Laughlin.-Interview with James Taylor called “On the Road Again."-“Sure Did Talk to You,” a 2007 documentary by Hellman about Two-Lane Blacktop.Trailers and screen-tests round out the mix of goodies here.
Arguably one of Wes Anderson’s best movies, Rushmore presented by Criterion Collection comes with two different audio commentaries, a documentary about the making of the movie, interviews with crew members, 2 featurettes, a trailer, and more.
Something For Everyone
If you’re new to the Criterion Collection but consider yourself a cinephile, it’s worth picking up a few of these sets if anything catches your eye. What makes Criterion releases unique is their features that often give great insight into how a movie is made and behind-the-scenes footage.
Whether you love the classic samurai movies of Kurosawa, the action-packed martial arts movies of Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan, or Wes Anderson’s quirky but beautiful flicks, there’s something in the above list for you. Not finding what you’re looking for? Check out the other Criterion Collection movies on sale at the link below.
