DVDizzy Forum

<center>Charlie Chaplin - Modern Times BD</center>

Since I haven't seen any threads that are specificallly about this release (though I have made some of my own asking about pricing of the Criterion Collection as a whole and in discussing Charlie Chaplin's editing of his films) here's a Charlie Chaplin Modern Times BD thread. It's Criterion release is tomorrow. Here is what is going to appear on the disc:

Disc Features

•New, restored 2K-resolution digital transfer, created in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
•New audio commentary by Charlie Chaplin biographer David Robinson
•Two new visual essays, by Chaplin historians John Bengtson and Jeffrey Vance
•New program on the film’s visual and sound effects, with experts Craig Barron and Ben Burtt
•Interview from 1992 with Modern Times music arranger David Raksin, plus a selection from the film’s original orchestral track
•Two segments cut from the film
•All at Sea (1933), a home movie by Alistair Cooke featuring Chaplin and actress Paulette Goddard, with a new score by Donald Sosin and a new interview with Cooke’s daughter, Susan Cooke Kittredge
•The Rink (1916), a Chaplin two-reeler
•For the First Time (1967), a short Cuban documentary about first-time moviegoers seeing Modern Times
•Chaplin Today: “Modern Times” (2003), a program with filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
•Three theatrical trailers
•PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Saul Austerlitz and a piece by film scholar Lisa Stein that includes excerpts from Chaplin’s writing about his 1930s world tour

Reviews/Links:
http://www.criterion.com/films/27526-modern-times

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Modern-Ti ... 82/#Review

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/product ... ay/reviews

http://blogcritics.org/video/article/bl ... times-the/

I've got the Park Circus Chaplin BDs and have to say that Modern Times looks excellent. My release has rounded corners but I quite like them.

yamiiguy wrote:I've got the Park Circus Chaplin BDs and have to say that Modern Times looks excellent. My release has rounded corners but I quite like them.

The rounded corners give them that nice old fashioned feel don't they?

I'm picking up the Criterion release tomorrow. I can't wait.

Does the Park Circus Chaplin BD have different supplements than the Criterion BD? (I have the Criterion supplements listed above)

Have all his films been released via Park Circus? What about his shorts? I'm hoping for a Criterion release of his shorts in the future.

I really want this, it's my favorite Chaplin film but I just don't like Criterion's pricing. I've never bought a Criterion DVD or Blu-Ray because their prices just aren't worth it. I'll pay $15 for a singe disc and $20 for a two disc Blu-Ray, that's my limit. As it is, I usually pay less then that (or nothing, as I mainly rent Blu-Rays from the library for free).

All Criterion DVDs & Blu-Rays have been 50% off at Barnes & Noble (in-store and online) this November, but the sale ends on the 21st (so if your store doesn't have it, as my B&N's haven't had the Blu-rays, you can order it online by the 21st and still only pay the sale price + shipping). The Blu-Ray is $19.99 and the DVD is $14.99 right now.

albert

So is there anywhere I can pick up this Blu-Ray for $15 or less?

Probably not, no store would discount more than half the SRP, especially on a Criterion. Your best bet is getting a B&N membership card ($25), then when the next 50% off sale comes around (likely July), you'll get the 50% off and the member's additional 10% off. But that'll only take off $24 from $40 rather than $25 from $40. Then there's tax.

albert

Forget it, I'll just Captain Jack-it, if you know what I mean (with these prices, they're begging for it).

Suit yourself, but you're missing out on an amazing disc and extras. I've always found Criterion's prices to be very fair when you consider how much work goes into each release: obtaining the licence and renewing it when necessary/possible, making state-of-the-art transfers with very high standards and equipment, consulting the filmmakers or filmmakers' estate for the transfers to ensure it's closest to what they intended (rather than simply looking great for the sake of looking great), making new extras that are not fluffy or useless, but actually worth watching/listening to, *and* they will go out of their way to find archival/vintage materials that most other studios won't bother to include (e.g. Heaven Can Wait has home recordings of director Ernst Lubitsch's piano playing, many of their P&P films include audio dictations that Michael Powell did for his autobiography). And despite being an independent company that has to collaborate with a major studio every so often, their output on home media constantly trumps the major studios (e.g. their Third Man Blu-Ray is better than Lionsgate's Blu-Ray, and their Spartacus DVD is better than Universal's Blu-Ray). The amount of time and dedication just working on the transfer alone is worth the $40, which is already a better price than their laserdiscs. Those were $100 a pop, and the only extra, if any, was a commentary.

albert

^ Definately!

@jpanimation: I'm sure they'll have another sale. Perhaps by then we'll see some more Chaplin releases!

Well, I got this for $15 from Amazon a few weeks back when they were having their Criterion sale (it should've been $20 but I had a promotional code that knocked it down). This was my first Criterion ever. I got through all the extras in one sitting (there really isn't as much as I though, so I even watched it with the commentary track, which I usually don't do). Either way, I have both praise and disappointment with this release.

Pros...I like the clear cases Criterion uses. I'm soo tired of the blue color and even more sick of the border at the top with the Blu-Ray logo. It is really refreshing to see someone just treat this like a DVD case, only smaller. Second, no previews, it goes straight to the menu. This makes the movie feel more personal. Speaking of menus, I really like it. I like the design, the layout, everything. Lastly, the new supplements produced by Criterion are quick, informative, and worth while (I particularly enjoyed Modern Times: A Closer Look and A bucket of Water and a Glass Matte, with the only drawback being the short length).

Cons...the cover art is atrocious. It literally looks like some 5 years olds first Photoshop attempt, very degrading for such a good movie. I also have to mention the lack of quantity when it comes to the supplements. I breezed through everything in just a couple of hours and felt like it left some things off (I wanted to hear a little more on it's initial reception, a gallery with all the stills shown or hinted at in the visual essay, a poster publicity gallery, etc.). Part of this has to do with half of the supplements (mainly the ones not produced by Criterion) feeling non-essential or having nothing to do with the movie. To me this includes The Rink (as much as I love this short, including it here unrestored just feels like a waste, and I feel the same way about the Silly Symphony's being included on Disney's releases), For the First Time (a crappy short film by Cuban documentary filmmaker showing an impoverished town seeing a movie for the first time and the only indication throughout the whole thing that they're seeing Modern Times is a couple seconds of music) and Chaplin Today: "Modern Times" (everything here is already on Criterion's new visual essay, Modern Times: A Closer Look).

I was originally going to include the PQ as a con, as I wasn't very impressed, but after watching the extras I've come to see that this is probably the best it will (or can) ever look. As expensive as this film was to make, Chaplin shot it with old silent film cameras at a silent film speed of 16fps. My problem was I expected it to look as good as other movies from that era.

Still, despite my disappointments, I recommend this release to fans of the film (just not at the premium pricing).

jpanimation wrote:Well, I got this for $15 from Amazon a few weeks back when they were having their Criterion sale (it should've been $20 but I had a promotional code that knocked it down). This was my first Criterion ever. I got through all the extras in one sitting (there really isn't as much as I though, so I even watched it with the commentary track, which I usually don't do). Either way, I have both praise and disappointment with this release.

Pros...I like the clear cases Criterion uses. I'm soo tired of the blue color and even more sick of the border at the top with the Blu-Ray logo. It is really refreshing to see someone just treat this like a DVD case, only smaller. Second, no previews, it goes straight to the menu. This makes the movie feel more personal. Speaking of menus, I really like it. I like the design, the layout, everything. Lastly, the new supplements produced by Criterion are quick, informative, and worth while (I particularly enjoyed Modern Times: A Closer Look and A bucket of Water and a Glass Matte, with the only drawback being the short length).

Cons...the cover art is atrocious. It literally looks like some 5 years olds first Photoshop attempt, very degrading for such a good movie. I also have to mention the lack of quantity when it comes to the supplements. I breezed through everything in just a couple of hours and felt like it left some things off (I wanted to hear a little more on it's initial reception, a gallery with all the stills shown or hinted at in the visual essay, a poster publicity gallery, etc.). Part of this has to do with half of the supplements (mainly the ones not produced by Criterion) feeling non-essential or having nothing to do with the movie. To me this includes The Rink (as much as I love this short, including it here unrestored just feels like a waste, and I feel the same way about the Silly Symphony's being included on Disney's releases), For the First Time (a crappy short film by Cuban documentary filmmaker showing an impoverished town seeing a movie for the first time and the only indication throughout the whole thing that they're seeing Modern Times is a couple seconds of music) and Chaplin Today: "Modern Times" (everything here is already on Criterion's new visual essay, Modern Times: A Closer Look).

I was originally going to include the PQ as a con, as I wasn't very impressed, but after watching the extras I've come to see that this is probably the best it will (or can) ever look. As expensive as this film was to make, Chaplin shot it with old silent film cameras at a silent film speed of 16fps. My problem was I expected it to look as good as other movies from that era.

Still, despite my disappointments, I recommend this release to fans of the film (just not at the premium pricing).

You might be interested in the comparisons of all the different transfers of the film:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdcompar ... ntimes.htm

The_Iceflash wrote:You might be interested in the comparisons of all the different transfers of the film:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdcompar ... ntimes.htm

I already saw that before I bought the film (I REALLY do my research, as I have no intention of ever re-buying them and only want definitive releases). I understand the conditions the film was made and why that is all the better it will look. Still, I have to give it credit, atleast there is a visible difference between DVD and Blu-Ray (unlike King Kong, which really disappoints me but what can you do when the negative is long gone and so many optical effects were implemented?).

jpanimation wrote:

The_Iceflash wrote:You might be interested in the comparisons of all the different transfers of the film:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdcompar ... ntimes.htm

I already saw that before I bought the film (I REALLY do my research, as I have no intention of ever re-buying them and only want definitive releases). I understand the conditions the film was made and why that is all the better it will look. Still, I have to give it credit, atleast there is a visible difference between DVD and Blu-Ray (unlike King Kong, which really disappoints me but what can you do when the negative is long gone and so many optical effects were implemented?).

It's a shame what's happening to classic films like King Kong. Hopefully something is done about other classic films so it don't suffer the same fate. A major preservation action needs to be taken to locate and protect the negatives of other early films. Once they're gone, they're gone. I'm hoping that the original Chaplin negatives still exist for his films.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Criterion dropped the entire 250+ image gallery. I was reminded when I was re-watching the visual essay (documentary) that ends with the narrator emphasizing the importance of all the production images (apparently over 700 images were taken) and how that is the only look we get behind-the-scenes. He must've placed emphasis on them at least 6 or 7 times at the end and that just made me wish they hadn't dropped them.

The original gallery included stills taken on location scouting, sets and production sketches, behind-the-scenes stills, original story notes, shooting log and production reports. There was a publicity gallery that included ads, promos, and photos from the premiere, in addition to the press book. Lastly, Paulette Goddard had her own section full of PR and glamour shots, production stills.

Separate from the 250+ image gallery was a collection of 24 posters for Modern Times from various countries and decades. This was also dropped by Criterion (hell, instead of using poster art or promotional images made for Modern Times as the cover, Criterion just uses a generic promotional image from 1915 of Chaplin as the Tramp).

That is a lot of production material missing (my Blu-Ray for The Day the Eath Stood Still has an extensive gallery very similar to that) and it's disappointing to say the least that they aren't included (especially since their releases come with a premium).