I love you Criterion...but your prices are wretched!

[Rated R]

I'm a student in university...and I am poor because of no job and relying on student loan assistance. That being said, when I was working full time and making money to sustain rent, food and the like I was able to buy DVD's as well. But...CRITERION COLLECTION DVD's have very rarely fallen into my hands because I damn near vomit when I look at the price tag.

"Oh hello, Seven Samurai special edition...I think I'll buy you today...$55???? FUCK YOU!"

That $55 is probably a sale price because it was just re-released...in a couple months that will probably balloon! Throne of Blood? Oh that's around $50. 8 1/2, even more. Hell, Spartacus is $60 at HMV in Halifax! Mother of God! I understand that it is an independent company and they put a lot of work into these editions, but come on! I need to be a part of the aristocracy to afford these! Sell a kidney? I might have to do that!

Oh and ebay is not much of an option either since the shipping costs from the US are an inch away from sodomy. Along with the high prices, where I live we can't get them...a capital city and there is no where to buy Criterion DVD's. I have to travel out of province to Nova Scotia or Quebec and that is not pleasant either! So I say fuck you Criterion...you charge way too goddamn much money for your wares and I'm almost sucker enough to pay for it...once a year.

[Brando @$$ Fat]

It's all economics. Criterion doesn't really have any competition, because they're the only company that does what they do. They might as well raise prices. I know that's corrupt but unfortunately that's how it works.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by Brando @$$ Fat
It's all economics. Criterion doesn't really have any competition, because they're the only company that does what they do. They might as well raise prices. I know that's corrupt but unfortunately that's how it works.

Criterion has plenty competition:

Warner, Paramount, New Yorker, NoShame, Wellspring, Kino, Koch Lorber, Fox, New Line, etc.

There isn't anyone whose interests lie entirely within what Criterion does. Strolling through store with forty bucks, someone may be more enticed by the prospect of owning both "Citizen Kane" and "Casablanca" rather than just "Amarcord". Or 3 Bowie CDs as opposed to "Spartacus".

I'd wager 'Terion is hardly afloat though. Restoring, finding proper elements, and releasing "Ugetsu" in 2-discs, booklet-included, can only strain the finances, because as you know the populace isn't clamoring, protesting for their Mizoguchi. High prices seem to be the price you pay for the good folks over there actually releasing these noncommercially viable movies w/ clear pictures and such supplements. Although it is possible Criterion rears their head back laughing, up their prices assuming the people think the company has no other option in order to make a profit. Possible, but not likely.

Try CriterionDVD.com, Rated R. They offer free shipping to Canada every month or so and their prices are about as good as they get. Or just pm MacReady - he's Canadian and owns em all.

[Brando @$$ Fat]

Criterion doesn't have any competition with its main target audience, which is what I mean. There aren't any other companies that do what Criterion does, therefore there is no competition there.

[Tayzlor]

Originally posted by Brando @$$ Fat
Criterion doesn't have any competition with its main target audience, which is what I mean. There aren't any other companies that do what Criterion does, therefore there is no competition there.

Criterion's main target audience is cinephiles, simply.

Warner has released a lot more material that would appeal to them, in perhaps better editions.

On the art/foreign film front, Criterion has pretty much everyone defeated in quality of films and product but there are plenty of adequate companies out there flooding the marketplace.

There's Kino. That DVD company that unleashed the silent Fritz Lang's (including "Metropolis" there), a bunch of F.W. Murnau's, all the Buster Keaton's, and films by Wong Kar-Wai, Michael Haneke, Claude Chabrol, etc. (this off the top of my head).

Also: Wellspring, NoShame, Koch Lorber, Second Run, and companies I can't even name (one just debuted recently with Barbara Loden's "Wanda")

[KyleG]

it cost more money to release a criterion movie than a regular one because they have to restore the picture and sound quality of the movies they release, other studios don't have to do this.

[JurassicMik]

Almost every company restores the picture and sound quality of old movies, you don't see them charging $50-$70 for a DVD. The only reason they get away charging this much is because people are stupid enough to buy them.

[Brando @$$ Fat]

Originally posted by JurassicMik
Almost every company restores the picture and sound quality of old movies, you don't see them charging $50-$70 for a DVD. The only reason they get away charging this much is because people are stupid enough to buy them.

Yeah, everyone here is a fucking idiot then


Criterion does a much better job of restoring the picture and sound quality. I had an original copy of Rushmore and bought the Criterion version, and Criterion blew the other one right out of the water.

[adamjohnson]

I'd still like to know who picks the damn things. Hoe can one company pick great like Seven Samurai, and then crap like THe Rock?

Nothing against The Rock, but is this REALLY the canon of cinema??

[JCPhoenix]

Also, from what I hear, Criterion has to actually get the rights to a lot of films from other studios (which is why some films go out-of-print since they only get the rights to certain films for a length of period, or so I hear) which would also add expenses. It does its fantastic restoring, etc for every DVD as well as drudging up rare extras so I don't think they're overpriced for what you're getting. They're a collector's item and you know they're going to be quality. I'm a university student too and believe me, I wish Criterion was less expensive...but I accept that that's the cost for them and it makes each Criterion I get that much more special to me.

Added to all this, you have to keep in mind that Criterion movies aren't all going to really sell well so to make up for that, they have to jack up the prices to break even. Major studios can afford to price movies at lower prices because they know the movies they're releasing will get a lot of buyers (and they could afford to lower prices on certain dvds anyway cause they know their sales on their big movies would make up for it, though I doubt they'd ever lower the price to the point where they're not making any money on an individual dvd). With smaller movies that get such a tiny amount of purchasers, the money put into getting the rights, restoring the films and making new or finding old extras wouldn't be worth it if the dvds were priced at, say $20. They'd probably be losing money. Even a movie like Seven Samurai is probably not gonna sell as much as some crappy comedy from 2005 etc. And when you add all the other costs I mentioned above, it adds up quickly.

I think the best proof that Criterion isn't trying to gyp people is that when they have movies that are going to be more popular, their prices are lower (prime example: Royal Tenenbaums). Because they know that the popularity of Royal Tenenbaums would be on par with other recent movies, they were able to lower the price for that dvd. I got my copy for $20 CDN which is pretty cheap even for a regular dvd.

For other movies like my Brazil Criterion, I accept that it's gonna be more expensive (bought my copy for $65) but for the quality I'm getting, I'm more than happy. And I'm more than happy to support a rare company like Criterion that ACTUALLY is interested in film as art and not interested in just the business prospects. And they do their best to support and make their customers happy. My copy of Brazil was missing the booklet (as were many of them) and they quite speedily posted up online that you can e-mail brazil@criterionco.com with your address and they'd send you the booklet free of charge etc. This is good customer service to me.

I'm just really astonished that anyone would think negatively of Criterion Collection. IMO, they're easily the best dvd company out there.

[JCPhoenix]

Bah, I kept trying to post stuff earlier today and it wouldn't post so that's why there's three posts in a row...

[JCPhoenix]

See above.

[Rated R]

I do not think negatively of their product one bit...I simply wish I had the money to spend on them because they are collector's items and I can't borrow them from my friends because no one I know collects them. I accept the prices as well, reluctantly and only hope that I'll come across a Criterion blowout sale one of these days. Never gonna happen but one can dream.

[JCPhoenix]

Originally posted by Rated R
I do not think negatively of their product one bit...I simply wish I had the money to spend on them because they are collector's items and I can't borrow them from my friends because no one I know collects them. I accept the prices as well, reluctantly and only hope that I'll come across a Criterion blowout sale one of these days. Never gonna happen but one can dream.

Oh I totally understand, I'm in the same position (well, I have friends who got Criterions I guess but besides that :p) I wasn't referring to your post, I was just referring to the above posts that thought Criterion is actually trying to scam people with their prices...

[DaveyJoeG]

Originally posted by Rated R
I do not think negatively of their product one bit...I simply wish I had the money to spend on them because they are collector's items and I can't borrow them from my friends because no one I know collects them. I accept the prices as well, reluctantly and only hope that I'll come across a Criterion blowout sale one of these days. Never gonna happen but one can dream.

Check out deepdiscountdvd.com, they very frequently have sales that can get you great prices on criterion dvds. Hopefully they ship to canada. :(

[Rated R]

Neato! deepdiscountdvd has a Canadian affiliate. The prices are slightly better and they have free shipping so that might entice me to take them up on their sales moreso than evil HMV. Although I still have to pay $50 if I want to buy Throne of Blood.

[Rated R]

Actually I found on amazon.ca that some people are selling "brand new" copies of Throne of Blood and other Criterion releases for cheap. I can get Throne of Blood for $36 after s&h. Now should I trust this? Anyone out there have experience with this type of procedure?

[JurassicMik]

Originally posted by Brando @$$ Fat
Yeah, everyone here is a fucking idiot then


Yeah pretty much!!

[A.J. Hakari]

Originally posted by Rated R
I do not think negatively of their product one bit...

Have you seen EQUINOX? :D