1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

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ntnon
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#201 Post by ntnon » Tue Aug 20, 2019 2:06 pm

Is it definite that this set will only be released on blu-ray? If so - and I don't see any mention of a DVD release anywhere obvious - is the speculation about the logic, possible future releases or an elimination of DVDs..?

Sans reasoning, it seems odd that potential DVD-only people might be kept from collecting #1000.

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soundchaser
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#202 Post by soundchaser » Tue Aug 20, 2019 2:27 pm

It’s probably because most of Criterion’s DVD sales are institutional now (libraries and the like), and they assume most libraries won’t want to stock something with such unorthodox packaging. Same with the Bergman set.

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mfunk9786
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#203 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Aug 20, 2019 2:57 pm

If you have 999 Criterion DVD releases and 0 Blu-ray players, I don't really know what you're doing

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knives
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#204 Post by knives » Tue Aug 20, 2019 3:33 pm

Being cheap. Not everyone has to be into Bluray. Also no one said they had 999 DVDs. Especially for this release I imagine they will be getting a lot of people that haven't bought a Criterion since Chasing Amy.

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mfunk9786
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#205 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Aug 20, 2019 3:46 pm

He mentioned "being kept from collecting #1000," surely the spine numbers mean jack to people who don't have something approaching a sizeable collection, right? And how is wanting to buy a brand new $250 DVD box set but not a $40 piece of 16 year old technology being cheap?

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knives
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#206 Post by knives » Tue Aug 20, 2019 3:59 pm

Cheap compared to other options. As far as I know this is going to be the only edition of all of the Showa films in print.

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tenia
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#207 Post by tenia » Tue Aug 20, 2019 4:06 pm

mfunk9786 wrote:
Tue Aug 20, 2019 3:46 pm
And how is wanting to buy a brand new $250 DVD box set but not a $40 piece of 16 year old technology being cheap?
I know some people who aren't cheap but just really don't care.

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mfunk9786
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#208 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Aug 20, 2019 4:14 pm

My only point in the first place is that it's a world's smallest violin situation if someone wants to purchase this badly but can't because they're either "cheap" or "really don't care" - there's a way to play it that you can likely resolve in around 5 minutes and 5 dollars on Craigslist if you wanted to!

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HitchcockLang
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#209 Post by HitchcockLang » Tue Aug 20, 2019 9:17 pm

ntnon wrote:
Tue Aug 20, 2019 2:06 pm
it seems odd that potential DVD-only people might be kept from collecting #1000.
Blu-ray only people are kept from collecting #1. It's nice, fair and symmetrical this way.

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domino harvey
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#210 Post by domino harvey » Tue Aug 20, 2019 9:19 pm

And us magic lantern slides only folks continue to be excluded entirely

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colinr0380
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#211 Post by colinr0380 » Wed Aug 21, 2019 3:15 am

domino harvey wrote:
Tue Aug 20, 2019 9:19 pm
And us magic lantern slides only folks continue to be excluded entirely
Fanny & Alexander

ntnon
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#212 Post by ntnon » Wed Aug 21, 2019 5:24 am

Wasn't one of the reasons behind not continuing with dual-format releases because 'some collectors' only wanted DVDs, or at least DVD-sized boxes...?

My query is more about whether there's a reason for this single-format release and what - if anything - it means for releases going forward: could this herald the end of DVD releases?

As far as it being a "problem," it isn't. But it seems odd.

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HitchcockLang
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#213 Post by HitchcockLang » Wed Aug 21, 2019 7:58 am

ntnon wrote:
Wed Aug 21, 2019 5:24 am
Wasn't one of the reasons behind not continuing with dual-format releases because 'some collectors' only wanted DVDs, or at least DVD-sized boxes...?

My query is more about whether there's a reason for this single-format release and what - if anything - it means for releases going forward: could this herald the end of DVD releases?

As far as it being a "problem," it isn't. But it seems odd.
This isn't the first time this has happened. The Bergman box was blu-ray only. The reissue of the Zatoichi box was blu-ray only. I believe the von Sternberg and perhaps some of the other recent box sets have been blu-ray only (granted, many of them had DVD options in the past which are out of print now).

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movielocke
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#214 Post by movielocke » Wed Aug 21, 2019 4:08 pm

Howards End was also bluray only, until they buckled under the pressure and released a DVD half a year later.

it's not as though any collector or completionist will be able to put spine 1000 on the shelf in sequence with their other criterions. You'll have to find some other way to display it and just be okay with the discontinuous numbering from 999-1001 on your shelf.

Hehe, what if this big gigantic folio set doesn't even have the number printed on the spine. oh the consternation.

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movielocke
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#215 Post by movielocke » Wed Aug 21, 2019 4:09 pm

Also, on the channel, the final two mechagodzilla films are also only available in the dubbed form.

ntnon
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#216 Post by ntnon » Wed Aug 21, 2019 11:18 pm

HitchcockLang wrote:
Wed Aug 21, 2019 7:58 am
ntnon wrote:
Wed Aug 21, 2019 5:24 am
Wasn't one of the reasons behind not continuing with dual-format releases because 'some collectors' only wanted DVDs, or at least DVD-sized boxes...?

My query is more about whether there's a reason for this single-format release and what - if anything - it means for releases going forward: could this herald the end of DVD releases?
This isn't the first time this has happened. The Bergman box was blu-ray only. The reissue of the Zatoichi box was blu-ray only. I believe the von Sternberg and perhaps some of the other recent box sets have been blu-ray only...
Bergman was a standalone - surely akin to the Eclipse releases which are also only on one format.
Zatoichi... I thought it had had a DVD only release, but perhaps not.
Dietrich/von Sternberg has DVDs. Olympics has DVDs. And I'm reasonably sure that all other boxsets have, too. Hence... "odd."

Logically, film fans will prefer the 'better' blu-rays - but then why continue to release DVDs at all? Or why not return to dual-format?

Could the Godzillas situation be a licensee-demand, a testcase for the future of the collection being only blu, an anomaly, or...?

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movielocke
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#217 Post by movielocke » Wed Aug 21, 2019 11:45 pm

Nope. It has expensive bespoke packaging that only suits one format . That’s really all it is.

ntnon
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#218 Post by ntnon » Thu Aug 22, 2019 12:24 pm

movielocke wrote:
Wed Aug 21, 2019 11:45 pm
Nope. It has expensive bespoke packaging that only suits one format . That’s really all it is.
Like the packaging for the Guillermo del Toro blu-rays..?

Which had a regular DVD release also.

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tenia
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#219 Post by tenia » Thu Aug 22, 2019 12:53 pm

ntnon wrote:
Thu Aug 22, 2019 12:24 pm
movielocke wrote:
Wed Aug 21, 2019 11:45 pm
Nope. It has expensive bespoke packaging that only suits one format . That’s really all it is.
Like the packaging for the Guillermo del Toro blu-rays..? Which had a regular DVD release also.
With a completely standard packaging.
Image

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swo17
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#220 Post by swo17 » Thu Aug 22, 2019 12:57 pm

Right, he's saying they could put out a completely basic DVD set for Godzilla if they wanted to, which I suppose is true

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FrauBlucher
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#221 Post by FrauBlucher » Thu Aug 22, 2019 2:32 pm

The upcoming boxes/collections are mixed. The Koker Trilogy have DVDs and the Silent Sternberg's are blu only. What's interesting is the Koker Trilogy DVDs are listed as the same price as the blus. Is that something new?

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movielocke
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#222 Post by movielocke » Thu Aug 22, 2019 3:56 pm

Well perhaps it isn’t just packaging overhead then. There could also be a labor factor. Meaning they can meet a deadline putting out the blu set, but add a 10-15 dvd set worth of labor and they can’t meet deadline ?

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zedz
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#223 Post by zedz » Thu Aug 22, 2019 6:04 pm

movielocke wrote:Howards End was also bluray only, until they buckled under the pressure and released a DVD half a year later.

it's not as though any collector or completionist will be able to put spine 1000 on the shelf in sequence with their other criterions. You'll have to find some other way to display it and just be okay with the discontinuous numbering from 999-1001 on your shelf.
Or sell all your Criterions to pay for therapy.

kekid
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#224 Post by kekid » Thu Aug 22, 2019 8:37 pm

I have been reading about the great fascination members of this forum have shown about spine numbers in general, and spine 1000 in particular. I have wondered to what extent, if any, the Criterion organization shares that fascination.There are two possibilities. (1) They really don't care. Spine numbers fall where they may. If consumers keep talking a lot about that subject, so much the better; it creates some unintended excitement. So they watch with detached amusement. or, (2) They pay close attention to the spine numbers, and ensure that certain spine numbers (e.g. 1, 100, 1000, etc.) are assigned to releases Criterion would like to be remembered by. If this is the case, assignment of number 1000 to the Godzilla set defies belief. Is this what the owners or creators of the Criterion brand want to be remembered by? Given the two choices, I would like to think the former is the case. I for one have lost all faith that spine numbers signify anything of importance. They are simply convenient labels to catalogue a collection. If this destroys the "Santa Clause" for the believers, I am truly sorry.

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FrauBlucher
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Re: 1000 Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975

#225 Post by FrauBlucher » Thu Aug 22, 2019 8:42 pm

I believe Criterion has a mild interest in significant spine numbers. They will not go out of there way to match spine numbers but if a situation arises to making a spine number meaningful they will. 1984 is the situation that comes to mind. Not sure if swo was the swaying factor but they changed the initial spine for 1984 to match spine 984. If they didn't care they would have left it the way it originally was.

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