Criterion’s December offerings will give you plenty to add to your Christmas list, with Tim Burton and Mira Nair’s debut features joining, along with a collaboration between Spike Lee and David Byrne and another Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger classic. Like we said, an embarrassment of riches.
“Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” Burton’s debut feature and a modern masterpiece, will join the Criterion Collection. Truly, an exceptional development. The film will come equipped with a new 4K transfer supervised and approved by Burton and festooned with extras, such as archival commentary tracks (one with Burton and Paul Reubens, another with composer Danny Elfman over a music-only version soundtrack) and new interviews with Burton (conducted by Richard Ayoade), co-writer Michael Varhol, editor Billy Weber, production designer David L. Snyder and producer Richard Abramson, as well as excerpts from a 40th anniversary screening hosted by Dana Gould. It’ll be available on Dec. 16.
Speaking of debut features, Nair’s naturalistic first feature “Salaam Bombay!” will get a new 4K transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. As far as features go, there are commentaries with Nair and director of photography Sandi Sissel; archival interviews with screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala and actors Anita Kanwar, Bernard Sissel, Shafiq Syed and Hansa Vithal; a new conversation between Nair and composer L. Subramaniam and more. You can grab it on Dec. 9.
Also, another Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger classic, 1945’s “I Know Where I’m Going,” will receive the Criterion Collection treatment (other Powell/Pressburger joints that are already a part of the collection include “The Tales of Hoffman,” “The Red Shoes,” “A Matter of Life and Death” and “Black Narcissus”). In terms of technical specs, this one boasts a digital restoration by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation, supervised by filmmaker Martin Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker Powell, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Special features include a commentary featuring film historian Ian Christie, a demonstration with an introduction by Scorsese and commentary by Schoonmaker Powell, home movies from one of director Michael Powell’s Scottish expeditions and a 1994 documentary about the making of the movie by Mark Cousins. It’s available Dec. 9.
Additionally, Spike Lee’s filmed version of David Byrne’s acclaimed stage show “American Utopia” will be joining the Collection, with a 4K transfer, accompanied by a new documentary featuring Lee, Byrne, Kuras, dancer-vocalist Tendayi Kuumba, choreographer and musical stager Annie-B Parson, lighting designer Rob Sinclair and bassist Bobby Wooten III. It will be available on Dec. 16.
And that’s not all – there’s a collection of surrealist visual artist Man Ray’s films, “Return to Reason: Four Films by Man Ray.” The collection features a score by SQÜRL, Jim Jarmusch’s experimental electronic band. The release features a new interview with Jarmusch. It is available on Dec. 2.
“His Girl Friday,” previously available as part of the Criterion Collection (and as a 4K as part of The Columbia Classics: Volume 4, released last year), also gets the 4K upgrade, which means, yes, you will need this version, too. It’s out Dec. 2.
