The Criterion Collection

PARIS, TEXAS (1984) begins a special run at Film Forum in New York starting November 25 courtesy of Janus Films! 💞 💞 💞

A wonderful visit from Jerzy Skolimowski, whose new film EO—winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes and Poland’s official entry for Best International Film at the 95th Academy Awards®—is now playing in NYC courtesy of Janus Films!

With her radically anarchic Czechoslovak New Wave landmark DAISIES (1966), director Věra Chytilová set out, in her own words, “to make a film that is aesthetically pleasing and interesting, yet [which] is an image of destruction,” one in which “the idea of ‘destruction’ is present in everything, in every move of the camera.” In our new edition of OBSERVATIONS ON FILM ART on the Criterion Channel, Professor Kristin Thompson breaks down the complex visual motifs—in particular the use of plant and food imagery—that Chytilová employs to advance this aesthetic of annihilation, ultimately creating a film that threatens to literally self-destruct. 🎞️ Start watching with the link in our bio!

In 1964, master director Henri-Georges Clouzot (born on this day) began work on his most ambitious film yet. INFERNO was to be a sun-scorched elucidation of the dark depths of jealousy starring Romy Schneider. However, despite huge expectations, major studio backing, and an unlimited budget, after three weeks the production collapsed under the weight of arguments, technical complications, and illness. In the compelling documentary HENRI-GEORGES CLOUZOT'S INFERNO (2009)—now playing on the Criterion Channel—Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea present INFERNO’s incredible expressionistic original rushes, screen tests, and on-location footage, in the process reconstructing Clouzot’s original vision and shedding light on the ill-fated endeavor through interviews, dramatizations of unfilmed scenes, and the director’s own notes. 

In this explosively stylish snd gripping saga, superstars Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau Tak-wah play two rival moles who navigate slippery moral choices as they move between the intersecting territories of the police force and its criminal underworld. Set during the uncertainty of the city-state’s handover from Britain to China and steeped in Buddhist philosophy, these ingeniously crafted tales of self-deception and betrayal mirror Hong Kong’s own fractured identity and the psychic schisms of life in a postcolonial purgatory.

Announcing our FEBRUARY 2023 Criterion Collection titles!  A sublime adaptation of Shakespeare’s immortal romantic tragedy, two mesmerizing films by a beloved French literary figure, and a riotously funny satire of Black typecasting in 1980s Hollywood. Explore more!

Sale ends at noon ET tomorrow, February 26. The clock is ticking!

Our Flash Sale has begun! For the next 24 hours, all in-stock Blu-rays & DVDs are 50% OFF! 

Announcing our DECEMBER 2019 releases!

Announcing our November 2019 titles!

In 1954, an enormous beast clawed its way out of the sea, destroying everything in its path—and changing movies forever. The arresting original Godzilla soon gave rise to an entire monster-movie genre (kaiju eiga), but the King of the Monsters continued to reign supreme: in fourteen fiercely entertaining sequels over the next two decades, Godzilla defended its throne against a host of other formidable creatures, transforming from a terrifying symbol of nuclear annihilation into a benevolent (if still belligerent) Earth protector. Collected here for the first time are all fifteen Godzilla films of Japan’s Showa era, in a landmark set showcasing the technical wizardry, fantastical storytelling, and indomitable international appeal that established the most iconic giant monster the cinema has ever seen.

A Newly Restored Paris Struts Back into Theaters

Tears Left to Cry: Jeon Do-yeon in Secret Sunshine

Dead Neighbors: Jim Jarmusch on George A. Romero

Watch our Akira Kurosawa retrospective now on the Criterion Channel!

Bruno Dumont's first two features, La vie de Jèsus and L’Humanité announced him as a fully formed iconoclast, with an unflinching, utterly singular approach to capturing the spectrum of human behavior. Own our editions of these films now on Blu-ray & DVD!