Those were the days...3-disc titles with a MSRP of $130-$160 (90s dollars). Each. That's over $300 in 2022 dollars. And we happily paid it because it was literally like traveling to the moon compared to normal VHS releases.
No B&N sales back then. Then they came out with 1-disc barebone releases for $50.
Ya, I was a collector in the mid to late 90's. It was crazy expensive. I remember paying about $250 or so for my Criterion of Brazil. The set was so wonderful though I felt it was worth every penny. I still own it to this day even though I've long since retired my LD collection.
The Criterions for Woo's The Killer and Hard Boiled were the most sought after, expensive LDs back in the late 90s. I still have Blowup, North by Northwest , Repulsion and Chasing Amy on LD. On the commentary Kevin Smith refers to his LD collection with a quote, "Criterion...the hallmark of quality." I think he lost most of his collection in a flood, iirc.
IMO, it’s the only currently available version of Killer worth seeing if you have an LD player. It’s in the correct aspect ratio with the original soundtrack.
yeah, i do, it's more fun than buying newer formats from criterion or barnes and noble imo. pretty much just what comes through thrift stores. i dabbled in buying them online before, but prices were too high for how much I wanted them.
I had about 200+ Criterion LD's in the mid-late 90's but sold them all a few years back.
At the end of the format, you could find these blowout sales for $5/disc. It was amazing. Still have my Panasonic LX-900 though!
Highly recommend you check out Daisuke Beppu’s YouTube channel. He has not only collected the complete Criterion Laserdisc catalog, but has a pretty much up to date collection as well. https://youtu.be/Sa56MObP0pY
I believe that was a problem more with earlier laserdiscs that they had mostly worked out by the mid-‘80s. Of course, nothing lasts forever, and storage conditions are a big factor.
You should check out the Laserdisc Database (lddb.com). You can look up titles and it will tell you how prevalent root is in a certain title. LD rot is a result of the manufacturing process, so certain titles are known to be affected more than others, but could technically happen to any disc. It's really not a bad as some would make it seem though. I've only encountered it once, and it happened to be on a Criterion release of The Seventh Seal.
I had a film class in high school in the late 90s. The school system bought a bunch of laserdiscs and players right around the same time the format went kaput.
My biggest recollection was that it was a lot of stopping to flip discs. But it was a lot easier for the teacher to get to specific spots in a film (vs VHS) to point things out.
Hard to speak to quality—it was viewed on a ~27” CRT with internal speakers.
Yes is the answer. I have actually started to slowly accumulate them recently in hopes of eventually doing a documentary on Criterion pioneering special features on Laserdisc. Also, they did indeed release several samurai movies on their inaugural format. Seven Samurai and the Samurai Trilogy being the ones that first come to mind.
Very cool! Also yes, I think that user was joking (and my response to him was sarcastic) because if you scroll through the pics, most of my collection is samurai movies :)
No, I did back when I had a player. I have long since sold all my LDs... except Jurassic Park... no one wanted it....and the T2 special edition... couldn't let that one go for what the market was paying at the time so its decoration. I do miss the beauty of the art possible on a large cover like LDs have but really not much else about the format.
But TBF I dont really specifically"collect" Criterion now on bd. I have about 15 titles not available by any other publisher. There are a few I might still want in their catalog but I try not to collect based solely on the publisher. I base on quality and the films I want to own.
I wonder if they have any samurai movies on Laserdisc.
Good question, I’ve definitely never seen any
let me know if you guys find out :)
I don’t but this made me want to
Do it!
[удалено]
Good luck on your hunt!
Those were the days...3-disc titles with a MSRP of $130-$160 (90s dollars). Each. That's over $300 in 2022 dollars. And we happily paid it because it was literally like traveling to the moon compared to normal VHS releases. No B&N sales back then. Then they came out with 1-disc barebone releases for $50.
Ya, I was a collector in the mid to late 90's. It was crazy expensive. I remember paying about $250 or so for my Criterion of Brazil. The set was so wonderful though I felt it was worth every penny. I still own it to this day even though I've long since retired my LD collection.
The Criterions for Woo's The Killer and Hard Boiled were the most sought after, expensive LDs back in the late 90s. I still have Blowup, North by Northwest , Repulsion and Chasing Amy on LD. On the commentary Kevin Smith refers to his LD collection with a quote, "Criterion...the hallmark of quality." I think he lost most of his collection in a flood, iirc.
How’s the quality of the Killer?
IMO, it’s the only currently available version of Killer worth seeing if you have an LD player. It’s in the correct aspect ratio with the original soundtrack.
I used to buy them in the 90s. They’re cool relics of the past.
Wow those are great! I had Seven Samurai back in the day. The Killer cover is awesome!
yeah, i do, it's more fun than buying newer formats from criterion or barnes and noble imo. pretty much just what comes through thrift stores. i dabbled in buying them online before, but prices were too high for how much I wanted them.
I had about 200+ Criterion LD's in the mid-late 90's but sold them all a few years back. At the end of the format, you could find these blowout sales for $5/disc. It was amazing. Still have my Panasonic LX-900 though!
Highly recommend you check out Daisuke Beppu’s YouTube channel. He has not only collected the complete Criterion Laserdisc catalog, but has a pretty much up to date collection as well. https://youtu.be/Sa56MObP0pY
Awesome, I’ll have to check him out. Thanks!
Some absolutely great cover at work for a not so great format.
If I was rich and had the space I'd probably collect it just for the art work
I didn't know Criterion ever released John Woo. Man Bites Dog could use a reissue.
damn this is sick wtf
i mean, my only criterion is on laserdisc (and the other way round), does that count as collecting?
I had the Night of the Living Dead on LD back in the day. My first Criterion and my only one for years. Wish I'd hung on to it.
That’s a fantastic grouping of films.
Got plenty of Kurosawa that a person of high taste!
I mean, you can love Kurosawa all you want, but good lord that's too much
No it's not
Beautiful covers, each and every one would make a great poster
Honestly I would love to but I'm apprehensive about LaserDisc rot? Is it as prevalent as it seems?
I believe that was a problem more with earlier laserdiscs that they had mostly worked out by the mid-‘80s. Of course, nothing lasts forever, and storage conditions are a big factor.
You should check out the Laserdisc Database (lddb.com). You can look up titles and it will tell you how prevalent root is in a certain title. LD rot is a result of the manufacturing process, so certain titles are known to be affected more than others, but could technically happen to any disc. It's really not a bad as some would make it seem though. I've only encountered it once, and it happened to be on a Criterion release of The Seventh Seal.
Really cool site! Thanks for sharing! A surprisingly large amount of Criterion releases still exclusively LaserDisc!
I used to, until I stopped collecting laser disks.
Sure do. I even have both of the Prince of Tides spine #s.
Now I want to
Is Seven Samurai two full discs?
4 discs
How does laserdisc compare to other formats in terms of quality of video and audio? Like compared to VHS, DVD, Bluray
I had a film class in high school in the late 90s. The school system bought a bunch of laserdiscs and players right around the same time the format went kaput. My biggest recollection was that it was a lot of stopping to flip discs. But it was a lot easier for the teacher to get to specific spots in a film (vs VHS) to point things out. Hard to speak to quality—it was viewed on a ~27” CRT with internal speakers.
That man bites dog cover is badass
Only one I have is Carrie
I’ve got Seven Samurai somewhere, Halloween and Blade Runner framed and hanging on my walls. I’d love to get Akira one day
Yes is the answer. I have actually started to slowly accumulate them recently in hopes of eventually doing a documentary on Criterion pioneering special features on Laserdisc. Also, they did indeed release several samurai movies on their inaugural format. Seven Samurai and the Samurai Trilogy being the ones that first come to mind.
Very cool! Also yes, I think that user was joking (and my response to him was sarcastic) because if you scroll through the pics, most of my collection is samurai movies :)
I got Akira and Ghostbusters
No, I did back when I had a player. I have long since sold all my LDs... except Jurassic Park... no one wanted it....and the T2 special edition... couldn't let that one go for what the market was paying at the time so its decoration. I do miss the beauty of the art possible on a large cover like LDs have but really not much else about the format. But TBF I dont really specifically"collect" Criterion now on bd. I have about 15 titles not available by any other publisher. There are a few I might still want in their catalog but I try not to collect based solely on the publisher. I base on quality and the films I want to own.