CriterionCast

The Criterion Completion Hour 7

About the hour:

Collecting Criterion is about so much more than the movie. Of course, it all begins and ends with the film itself, but that delicious middle of supplements really makes or breaks the quality of each individual package. Many of us obsess over the quality and quantity of additions to each title like they were a fine wine: The commentary on this package lends it a full-bodied presence that fulfills its potential. The interview with the director leaves a faint aftertaste that is a bit unpleasant. The inclusion of the trailer lends just a bit more flavor that pushes it over the top to perfection.

But sometimes there are additions to a package that very few people know about at all. Generically these are called easter eggs in the business and they can be lurking on any disc that you might have in your possession. You may not know that they are there, and they may sit there for all eternity just waiting for you to stumble across them. But mostly, they are just little arcane nuggets that affect your enjoyment in no tangible way whatsoever. If this is all news to you, please come along this hour as we spend the first of a few episodes digging around for these trinkets. You won’t learn a lot, but you just may be slightly amused!

After we come up for air, we’ll asked Mr. DeMille if he is ready for our close-up and spend a nice time chatting with Aaron West, co-host of the great Criterion Close-Up website and podcast. Aaron and I can be considered old friends in this Criterion Community of ours, as we’ve spoken on many podcasts together as well as breaking bread, drinking libations, and hitting up a traveling Warhol exhibit in Columbia, SC.

Not to mention the usual stew of tangentially- related materials that are squeezed into each and every hour here: The Mad World singers get us ready to head out on our search, Peter Cottontail tries to reclaim his holiday concepts, we listen to a little bit of the beautiful theme to Kiarostami’s “Close-Up,” and we give thanks to the Easter Bunnies at Criterion with a handful of chocolate candies for their efforts.

 

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Next hour on the podcast: Collecting Criterion Easter Eggs – Part 2.

Keith Enright