Every four weeks or so, The Criterion Collection unveils their next batch of titles and our wallets shed a few more tears. This June we’ll try not to blow our tax return on the impressive slate of movies the boutique label is bringing, so let’s dive in.
At the top of the pile is Terry Gilliam‘s "The Fisher King," starring Jeff Bridges and the late Robin Williams. And yes, this will be loaded with extras, including commentary by Gilliam on both the movie and the deleted scenes, a batch of new interviews, and an older talk with Williams from 2006. Everything is remastered to look and sound its best, and there will be a video essay with on-set photos from Bridges.
"Five Easy Pieces," previously part of the Criterion box set "America Lost And Found: The BBS Story," now gets a standalone release. The biggest extra to dig into is the 2009 documentary "BBStory," about the production company founded by Bob Rafelson, Bert Schneider, and Steve Blauner, which was responsible for a string of classic and cult classic movies. Featuring Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Ellen Burstyn, Peter Bogdanovich, Henry Jaglom, and more, it will be a nice double bill with the main feature.
Going down the classic film route, Bernhard Wicki‘s "The Bridge" will fit the bill. The 1959 anti-war movie is set at the end of WWII and follows a group of teenage boys in a small town as they contend with everyday matters, like school, girls, and parents, before enlisting as soldiers and being forced to defend their home turf in a confused, terrifying battle. This one comes with a handful of interviews and a documentary excerpt.
For those looking for a foreign film fix, Jaromil Jireš‘ "Valerie and Her Week of Wonders" does the job. The fairy tale follows a girl on the verge of womanhood who finds herself in a sensual fantasyland of vampires, witchcraft, and other threats. The newly restored film will come with three shorts by Jireš, an alternate soundtrack, and more.
Lastly, box set folks may want to get their hands on "André Gregory & Wallace Shawn: 3 Films." It puts together previous releases "My Dinner With Andre" and "Vanya On 42n Street" with Jonathan Demme‘s more recent "A Master Builder," which is new to Criterion (and available separately).
