The Criterion Memorandum For December 2016.

With their release of John Huston’s The Asphalt Jungle headlining the month, December sees the Criterion Collection close out the year in much the same way that has come to define 2016 for them: with a Warner Brothers title. Late last year company CEO Jonathan Turell made remarks that suggested that Criterion had finally cracked the elusive studio, who are notorious for refusing to license their titles to third parties, hinting that their working relationship was set to develop much further than it previously had (at the time they had only collaborated on two titles). Even with that in mind one could not have imagined just how far this could go. Major films including Cat People and McCabe & Mrs. Miller have been acquired thus far, alongside a number of important arthouse titles that stood little to no chance of receiving lavish treatment or indeed, releases at all, in-house (The New Land, Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams). Many of these have reached UK shores too, via Criterion’s new UK wing, so one can only hope that The Asphalt Jungle follows suit.

For many years Fellini’s Roma has felt like a missing piece from the Criterion canon. Having released so many of the Italian auteur’s films Roma felt like the last real hold out, with many (myself included) considering it to be his finest hour. Similarly Bunuel’s The Exterminating Angel has been an eagerly awaited upgrade from DVD. Both are released on Blu-ray this December.

A contemporary release in the form of Laurie Anderson’s Heart Of A Dog rounds out the month, and indeed the year in Criterion.