10BEST can help you get started on filling your own closet with Criterion Collection releases – Photo courtesy of Adam Tyner
For more than 40 years, the Criterion Collection has brought many of cinema’s most enduring and influential films from throughout the world into cineastes’ living rooms. As of this writing, Criterion’s storied collection spans just shy of 1,300 “spine numbers,” the unique number on the physical spine of each case.
On one hand, that means a wealth of extraordinary works of art await; little wonder that the Criterion Closet has become such a phenomenon. On the other, it can be daunting to decide where to get started on building your own collection.
Worry not; 10BEST is here to help. And with Barnes & Noble having just launched one of their twice-annual half-off sales — running from November 7 to December 7 — this is a fantastic time to get started. Oh, and if you’re already a seasoned Criterion collector, we can also help guide you to what’s been released since the last sale.
For easy reference, I’ve selected 10 standout titles in five categories. Click on any of the headings below to skip straight to the recommendations:
Box sets and collections
Box sets are especially compelling during a Barnes & Noble sale, as they’re among Criterion’s most expensive releases. One way to instantly build a collection is through the gargantuan CC40 box set, which celebrates Criterion’s 40th anniversary with 40 films, from 1948’s “The Red Shoes” to 2001’s “La Ciènaga.”
Most of the other box sets below collect works by individual filmmakers, such as Agnès Varda and Federico Fellini. But there’s no chance that I could let two of Japan’s longest-running film franchises, Zatoichi and Godzilla, go ignored.
Classic Hollywood
Which years define “classic Hollywood” is a matter of perspective, I suppose. The recommendations below are heavily weighted towards the 1940s and 1950s, dipping a bit into the ’60s.
Otherwise, it’s an eclectic list, spanning comedy, melodrama, film noir, and the mighty Western. If any of these films tantalize you, Criterion has plenty more, from Nicholas Ray’s “In a Lonely Place” to “The Palm Beach Story” to “The Furies.”
Contemporary cinema
Perhaps misguidedly defining “contemporary” as “released since I’ve been alive,” these 10 suggestions span 1984 to 2023 — about as long as the Criterion Collection itself has been in operation.
Many of the bold, distinctive voices celebrated here are Criterion mainstays, chief among them Wong Kar Wai, the Coen Brothers, Mira Nair, and Noah Baumbach.
Japanese cinema
Although works from over 60 countries are featured in the Criterion Collection, Japan is among the most heavily represented, with more than 200 titles — ranking only behind the U.S. and France.
The works of Akira Kurosawa are among the most essential, with 27 of the legendary director’s films showcased in the Criterion Collection. But Japan has left an enduring mark on cinema beyond Kurosawa, and the list below attempts to embrace that.
Whether it’s the blood-drenched jidaigeki collections of “Lady Snowblood” and “Lone Wolf and Cub,” the irrepressibly stylish “Branded to Kill,” or Nobuhiko Obayashi’s delirious and infectiously fun “House,” all of the releases below are well-worth seeking out.
World cinema
The global scope of the Criterion Collection is difficult to convey in a mere list of 10, but below are recommendations from — in one way or another — India, Italy, Sweden, France, Iran, Russia, Algeria, and Australia.
Criterion has also brought four volumes of Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project to Blu-ray as of this writing, with the fifth set to follow shortly after the latest Barnes & Noble sale comes to a close. From Senegal to Cuba, and with works spanning some 70 years of filmmaking, each of these collections is a rewarding discovery.
What titles are you picking up as part of Barnes & Noble’s Criterion sale? When you show off your haul on social media, be sure to tag @10BEST on Instagram, Facebook, and X.
AloJapan.com