Impressive. In a word, impressive … that word is what best describes the Criterion Collection’s November release line-up.
While the six legacy “Hollywood” studios have combined for just 79 4K Ultra HD titles during the first seven months of the year — do the math, that’s 1.9 new 4K titles per month, per studio — the Criterion Collection has six ready for delivery in November. Yes, six!!
It is always a subjective call, but we tend to lean towards auteur filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich’s glorious 1973 black and white film adaptation of the Joe David Brown novel, “Addie Pray” — which was retitled for the screen as Paper Moon — as the lead film making its way to 4K.
A case can certainly be made for the original Godzilla, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Scar Face, Funny Girl and The Shape of Water, but we like Bogdanovich’s collective body of films and so that’s gets the topline focus.
This new 4K Ultra HD release of Paper Moon arrives two days before Thanksgiving (street date Tuesday, Nov. 26, to be exact).
It is always fascinating to think about what might have been. This was originally a John Huston production with the father/daughter team of Paul Newman and Nell Potts (nee: Elenor Teresa Newman) in the lead.
However, Paper Moon became The Directors Company’s first film production, which was the brainchild of Gulf & Western (Paramount) chairman Charles Bludhorn and filmmakers Peter Bogdanovich, Francis Ford Coppola and William Friedkin. Different cast … different director.
The deal was these auteur filmmakers could make any film they wish as long as the production budget did not exceed three million dollars.
Paper Moon was the first, followed by Coppola’s The Conversation (1974) and ending with Bogdanvich’s Daisy Miller (also ’74) … Friedkin never contributed to the project (money issues) and after these three films The Directors Company folded.
Paper Moon was a box office hit, easily recouping its film production budget, and a critical success … Tatum O’Neal would be the youngest actor to win an Oscar (Best Supporting Actress).
As to bonus features, Criterion has the archived commentary with filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, an introduction to the film by Bogdanovich and a new “video essay” by Peter Tonguette (Bogdanovich biographer — “Picturing Pete Bogdanovich: My Conversations with the New Hollywood Director”).
There’s also the three-part making-of documentary, a vintage video session with Polly Platt and excepts from “The Tonight Show” (1973) featuring Bogdanovich, Ryan O’Neal and Tatum O’Neal.
As to other — impressive — 4K Ultra HD releases from Criterion in November … Godzilla (featuring both the original Japanese version as well as the domestic theatrical cut) hits home on Nov. 5; Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and Howard Hawks’ 1932 version of Scar Face (starring Paul Muni) both follow on Nov. 12; director William Wyler’s 1968 Best Picture nominee, Funny Girl, starring Barbra Streisand (who won the Oscar for Best Actress) arrives on Nov. 19 and The Shape of Water closes out the month on Nov. 26.
