The Criterion Collection Celebrates 40 Years with Epic Box Set That Is the Ultimate Film School — Watch Teaser
The iconic Criterion Collection has expanded into viral Closet trips, its streaming channel, and of course its staple 4k restorations on Blu-ray. Now, the Criterion Collection celebrates 40 years since its founding with a monumental 40-film box set including works from auteurs Agnès Varda, Spike Lee, Jean-Luc Godard, and Federico Fellini.
The box set, titled CC40, spans an eclectic selection of curated classic films that includes special features and essays. The collection encompasses the works “frequently chosen by the hundreds of filmmakers, actors, writers, and other movie-loving luminaries who have visited Criterion over the years, as documented in our popular Closet Picks video series,” per the official press release. “Neither a historical survey nor a top-40 compilation, this exciting, personal, unpredictable anthology reflects the cinematic joys and inspirations of the creative community that makes the Criterion Collection possible.”
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The 40th anniversary Blu-ray box set includes films like “8?” (1963), “All That Jazz” (1979), “Bicycle Thieves” (1948), “Repo Man” (1984), “Jules and Jim” (1962), “Weekend” (1967), “On the Waterfront” (1954), and “Do the Right Thing” (1989).
Additional titles range from “His Girl Friday” (1940) to “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” (1985) and “Y tu mamá también” (2001), as well as “My Own Private Idaho” (1991), “Love & Basketball” (2000), “Night of the Living Dead” (1968), “3 Women” (1977), “The Red Shoes” (1948), “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974), “Cléo from 5 to 7” (1962), “Persona” (1966), and “In the Mood for Love” (2000).
The box set boasts digital restorations of all 40 films, plus hundreds of hours of supplemental features and extensive documentaries and making-of programs coupled with interviews with casts and crews. The set has deluxe packaging with a lavishly illustrated 216-page book featuring essays on the films by critics, scholars, and authors.
Criterion was founded in 1984 and began The Criterion Channel streaming service in 2019. Criterion and its sister distribution arm Janus Films were acquired by Indian Paintbrush founder Steven Rales in a May 2024 deal. Indian Paintbrush also owns Galerie, an online film club and subscription service that provides access to films, essays, and live events all curated by a rotating group of storytellers and curators such as Wes Anderson, Ethan Hawke, Mike Mills, Karyn Kusama, Pablo Larraín, and more. The company launched in November 2023.
Cinephiles can purchase the collection for $799.95. The collection will be released November 19. Check out the trailer for the CC40 box set below.
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