Criterion restores a curated selection of classic and contemporary films. Our favorite of the series: “Portrait of a Young Woman on Fire”.
For film nerds and self-proclaimed cineastes, the options for indulgence are slowly disappearing: streaming services have long since replaced Blu-ray and DVD players, “Making Ofs” and “Behind The Scenes” material can be found everywhere on YouTube and films are often no longer possessions, but merely files that appear on a streaming platform and disappear just as quickly. In short: the art of film has gone digital – just like the medium itself. Luckily, there are still some brands that are committed to deepening viewers’ appreciation of films. This also includes The Criterion Collection.
All Special Editions are equipped with exciting additional material
The Criterion Collection restores and releases a curated selection of classic and contemporary films. These newly prepared editions are characterized not only by their high technical quality – the covers of the DVDs and Blu-rays also shine in a new design that stands out artistically from the classic film posters. In addition, all editions are equipped with exciting additional material, be it an interview with the directors, analytical video essays or an exclusive look behind the scenes. The website gives a good overview of which films have recently been released and what to look forward to in the future.
My highlight: The new edition of “Portrait of a young woman on fire”
One of my personal highlights of The Criterion Collection is the special edition of the 2019 French drama “Portrait of a Young Woman on Fire”.. Set in the 18th century, the historical drama tells the story of the artist Marianne, who is commissioned to secretly paint a wedding portrait of the noblewoman Héloïse, who, however, resists her forced marriage. The work is described on The Criterion Collection as follows: “A tense exchange of gazes develops, in which the two women learn about each other’s gestures, facial expressions and bodies with great intimacy, and finally a subversive creative collaboration and embark on an intoxicating romance.”
The film by director Céline Sciamma was one of the favorites for the “Golden Palm” at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019, received almost exclusively positive reviews and was ranked 30th in the “best films” by the British magazine “Sight & Sound” in December 2022 of all time”. The special edition of Portrait of a Young Woman on Fire not only comes with a stunning new cover art by artist Hélène Delmaire (who also painted all the paintings featured in the film), but also includes a new 4K digital master with 5.1 surround DTS-HD sound, exclusive interviews with director Céline Sciamma and screenwriter and actress Dana Stevens, new interviews with leading actresses Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant, and a video essay by film critic Ela Bittencourt.