Criterion Files

Column.

‘Limelight’ and the Exile of Charlie Chaplin

In honor of The Criterion Collection's special edition Blu-ray of 'Limelight,' we look back at the 1952 film and how… Read More

Dissecting the Incredible Opening Scene of Nicolas Roeg’s ‘Don’t Look Now’

The opening sequence of Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now is a masterclass in film editing. Effortlessly maneuvering between siblings playing… Read More

The Prototype For Alfred Hitchcock’s American Movies

After directing more than twenty feature films in Britain, Alfred Hitchcock’s big introduction to Hollywood came in the form of… Read More

13 Important Lessons This Year’s Movies Can Learn From the Criterion Collection

The Criterion Collection is an ever-expanding accumulation of canonical works of cinema. Yet Criterion’s selections don’t only represent deliberate attempts… Read More

John Frankenheimer’s ‘Seconds’: The Loneliest Studio Film of the 1960s

It’s difficult to imagine what it must have been like to see Seconds in 1966. The third entry in John Frankenheimer’s… Read More

Comparing The Indie Movies of Summer 2013 to Criterion Favorites

There are many reasons to compare and contrast current films with historical ones. One is to attempt to explain why… Read More

Savoring ‘Babette’s Feast’ on Criterion as Cuisine for Your Eyes

I had a roommate in college who, every day like clockwork, ate dry toast for lunch while watching The Food… Read More

This Week’s Criterion Releases: ‘Safety Last!’ and ‘Marketa Lazarová’ Define Discovery

At the risk of generalization, The Criterion Collection is probably best known for packaging two types of films: celebrated canonical… Read More

The Spirit of ’68 in the Criterion Collection: ‘Medium Cool’ and 11 Other Films About Revolution

Haskell Wexler’s Medium Cool is a film whose immediacy and docu-realism was all too fitting for an America that could,… Read More