Even as The Criterion Collection and TCM gear up to launch their streaming service FilmStruck later this month, that hardly means the boutique label is abandoning hard format releases. And as per usual, mid-month has arrived, and Criterion is revealing what they’ve got coming down the line.
The most iconic movie in the lineup for January 2017 is Howard Hawks‘ screwball comedy classic, “His Girl Friday.” While the terrific movie starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell has been easily available on various formats for year’s now, Criterion’s edition brings with it a new restoration, and paired with 1931’s “The Front Page” (which is based on the same stage play as ‘Friday’), also presented in a new restoration of director Lewis Milestone‘s “preferred version.” And, of course, there will be all kinds of other odds and ends included, too.
Jack Garfein‘s ’60s American indie “Something Wild” gets spruced up with 2K restoration on Criterion. It will come with modest amount of extras, but giving this movie another chance to shine is reason enough to get it out there.
Historic foreign cinema gets a boost with Ousmane Sembène‘s “Black Girl” arriving in a fresh 4K restoration courtesy of The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna. It will come packaged with Sembène’s short film debut “Borom sarret” and more.
Lastly, another Rainer Werner Fassbinder title enters the collection with “Fox And His Friends.” It too has a lush new 4K restoration, and any chance to add more Fassinder to your library is a good one.