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The Criterion Collection is a privately held . It was established in 1984 as a joint venture between Janus Films and the Voyager Company . CORPORATE HISTORY Janus films Janus Films Inc. was founded by Bryant Haliday and Cyrus Harvey Jr. in 1955 and was sold by them in 1966. At some point thereafter, the company was acquired by William Becker and Saul Turell. It is likely, although unverified, that Becker and Turell were the 1966 purchasers of Janus Films. HVE Charles Benton founded Public Media, Inc. (PMI) in 1968. PMI's home video division, HVE, was established in 1986. Charles' daughter, Adrianne B. Furniss , became PMI's president in 1996, and its CEO in 1999. Adrianne B. Furniss is also the Chief Executive Officer of HVE. Charles Benton is the Chairman of HVE. CONTRIBUTIONS AND INFLUENCE Criterion pioneered many innovations in the way movies are presented on video that have become standard today. These include the use of letterboxing, the release of multi-disc sets and special editions, and definitive versions. Letterboxing Special editions Criterion occasionally issues the same DVD (e.g. '' The Red Shoes '') with and without a silver special-edition sticker on the packaging, although there is no difference between discs with and without stickers. In September of 2006, to tie in with their new design, Criterion re-released three of their earlier titles back onto DVD with enhanced picture and new supplements: '' Amarcord '', '' Brazil '', and '' Seven Samurai ''. Definitive versions Under license from the copyright holders, Criterion has released definitive, and in some cases unique, video editions of such films as '''', '' Jason And The Argonauts '', as well as those noted below. Many of these editions are now out of print, usually where the film's copyrights have changed hands or where the copyright holders have decided to release their own version. As a result, many Criterion titles are now collectors' items.
Licensing Some of Criterion's titles (''e.g.'', ''Alfred Hitchcock's'' '' Rebecca '') are now "out-of-print" and unavailable, and sell at high prices on auction sites. Titles go out of print only when Criterion's license for them expires and is not renewed; this typically happens when the original licensor wishes to release its own version of the title, as happened with '' The Silence Of The Lambs '', '' RoboCop '', and the John Woo movies '' Hard-Boiled '', and '' The Killer ''. In a few cases, early releases (such as the laserdisc edition of '' Citizen Kane '', or the DVD editions of '' Beauty And The Beast '', '' M '', '' Seven Samurai '', and '' The Wages Of Fear '') are taken out of print to make way for Criterion's own re-releases, which typically feature improved transfers and more comprehensive supplements. The comedy '' Charade '' featuring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant became Public Domain on its release due to the absence of a copyright notice which was required at that time. This means that any home video distributor may release the film without paying royalties. While some budget labels have released lower quality versions, the Criterion Collection produced a digitally-cleaned DVD edition of the film using high-quality source materials, under license from Universal Pictures , and included extras. They repeated this process for their later Anamorphic re-release. Restorations Originally, Criterion released a wide variety of films on laserdisc such as classics, and artistic films and in addition released mainstream films such as '' Halloween '', '' Ghostbusters '' and '' Bram Stoker's Dracula ''. Currently, Criterion usually selects Non-American Films , established classics and obscure (albeit critically admired) movies over mainstream Hollywood fare, although it has released the occasional mainstream blockbuster such as '' Armageddon '' and '' The Rock ''. Criterion is noted for spending a great deal of effort and money tracing the best source materials for classic films, and engaging in thorough video clean-ups--a practice that has influenced other companies, most notably Warner Home Video. Some Criterion DVDs, such as '' The Passion Of Joan Of Arc ,'' '' M '' and '' Children Of Paradise '', contain short restoration demonstrations, which compare unrestored prints with the painstakingly restored new master. Laserdisc and DVD Nonetheless, in 1998, the company discontinued its line of Laserdisc releases. While these Laserdisc s are no longer available, bonus materials from them, such as commentary tracks, have appeared on DVD releases issued by other companies. For example, Martin Scorsese 's commentary track for '' Raging Bull '' appears on the MGM special edition DVD. It is suspected that these commentary releases are the result of business transactions between Criterion and other studios that could potentially allow Criterion to release films on DVD to which it otherwise would not have access. While the Criterion Company pioneered the production of quality home video releases, in recent years, they have received more competition. Distributors such as Warner Home Video and Fox have received considerable acclaim for their recent releases. However, in terms of academic approach, attention to detail and artistic cover art, the Criterion Collection remains unsurpassed. PRICING |
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