Pierre Etaix Eclipse Box Set On Its Way

Never let it be said that the guys over at The Criterion Collection are the most difficult to get information out of.

Joking aside, the always great Peter Becker, the man behind the big C, recently revealed to Anne Thompson at the 2011 Telluride Film Festival, that Criterion will be giving us a new Eclipse box set focusing one of comedies most underrated names.

With a recent turn in the soon-to-be-Criterion film Le Havre, Pierre Etaix has been put back into the spotlight, and Criterion will be releasing a box set focusing on the man’s long running career. Thompson rightly reports that while his films have been difficult to see, two shorts and five features have not only been ‘freed from rights problems,’ but also restored, making this a box that appears to have been in the work for some time.

I’m not familiar with the actor’s work, but he’s a historic name, having worked with the likes of Nagisa Oshima and even Jacques Tati, having helped create the film that we would go on to know as Mon Oncle. No announcement has officially been made, but at this point, I’d be shocked if this one didn’t come along with Le Havre’s release sometime mid-late 2012.   Maybe a bit of summer counter-programming?

What do you think?

Source TOH