When browsing the media section at Barnes & Noble, one may find themselves drawn to a section filled with films bearing the name Criterion Collection. Some may be recognizable titles, and they are all highly-priced. When talking to film buffs, the name Criterion will likely be brought up more than once. What exactly is The Criterion Collection? Other than having nice-looking packaging and a hefty price tag, what is the big deal? The big deal is bigger than you may think.

Criterion restores and preserves some of the most important films of all time. For Criterion, having a high-quality copy of a film isn’t good enough. Every special feature made for the film needs to be included. Old commentary tracks and newly recorded ones alike must give the viewer new insight into a film. A Criterion Collection DVD or Blu-ray of a film will give a fan everything they need to truly appreciate it. So restoration and special features are available, is that it? Well, let’s take a deeper look into the importance of The Criterion Collection and why they are one of the most important film distributors.

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A Brief History

     Criterion

When home video really took off in the ’70s and ’80s, all that mattered was being able to own the film. For decades prior, the only way to re-watch a movie was by hoping the film returns to a local theater, and in later years hope to catch it on cable television. Being able to own a favorite movie and re-watching it whenever one’s heart desires was a novel concept, and that was enough to satisfy most fans. However, die-hard fans wanted more. Watching the movie wasn’t enough. They wanted to see how the film was brought to life and hear from those responsible. Some Betamax and VHS tapes included one or two featurettes after the movie and occasionally the movie’s trailer. This wasn’t enough, and the introduction of LaserDiscs looked to change that.

LaserDisc was one of the first attempts to put movies in a disc format. While it was in steady competition with VHS for a while, VHS eventually won out. Owning a movie on LaserDisc meant the film was available in the best quality at the time. Discs also offered more storage than standard tape, although even moderate-length films needed several discs. Often times a film would need both sides of several discs. Usually films would fit on an odd number of sides, meaning the final disc would have nothing on one side. This was known as a dead side, and in 1984 Criterion found a use for these dead sides.

Citizen Kane was the first film released by The Criterion Collection in 1984. The LaserDisc offered not only the best quality version of the film to date but special features that had never been seen before. Nowadays, special features are expected, but this Criterion LaserDisc is where it all started. This was a huge hit with cinephiles, and it became a mainstay ever since. Regardless of other film distributors adding special features and commentaries to their LaserDiscs, Criterion quickly became the main name in the process.

What Exactly Is Criterion?

According to the official mission statement found on the Criterion site,

One look at the catalog and this is proven. Some of the most iconic and influential films of all time have made their way to the Criterion Collection at some point in time. Films such as La Dolce Vita, Seven Samurai, and The Seventh Seal are no-brainers. However, some films that may not fit in with the likes of these are also included. Armageddon, the hotly debated The Breakfast Club, and Chasing Amy are examples of these. How is it that a film featuring Jay and Silent Bob is included in the same collection as Silence of the Lambs?

“The Criterion Collection has been dedicated to publishing important classic and contemporary films from around the world in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements.”

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The Criterion Collection doesn’t look at cinema as a whole when deciding whether a film is impactful or not. Those at Criterion know that film, like all art forms, is purely subjective. They know that films like Citizen Kane may have impacted the world of film in a huge way, but some filmgoers may not care for it. Rather than looking at cinema as a whole, they look at the films themselves and their own personal impact.

     Miramax Pictures

Chasing Amy didn’t change the entire film industry by any means. What it did do was impact the genre of dramatic comedies and changed the way those specific films were made. Culturally, the film had a large impact on ’90s entertainment and even had a hand in how homosexuality was portrayed in the media. That is why this film, along with all others, is chosen. Not every film in the Criterion Collection is known as the best movie of all time, but each one has impacted the culture in each they stem from. This allows lovers of all types of film to find something in the Collection.

This will also allow them to expand their film knowledge and look at other films in the Collection they may not have thought of before. For instance, the cheesy ’50s B-movie The Blob in the Criterion Collection; simply by being chosen, viewers reevaluate the film and view it through a new critical lens (as perhaps a Cold War allegory).

Restoration

Criterion works tirelessly to ensure a filmmaker’s vision is met in their releases. While newer films such as The Irishman, one of the best Netflix original movies, are easy and require little to no restoration, films that are several decades (or even a century) old are another story. When applicable, the Criterion team works from the original camera negatives to polish and clean up a film to make it look even better than when it was released. The preservation of films that other studios may not have any interest in ensures that these movies will not be lost to time as so many others tragically have been.

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Some of the more interesting featurettes included with releases chronicle the process of restoring these titles. It is a painstaking undertaking that proves just how dedicated the Criterion Collection team is to preserving these films for future generations. This is part of the reason Criterion titles are typically more expensive than other releases. All the restorations are done in-house. Another primary reason is Criterion must secure the rights to distribute the films, which is very pricey.

For 38 years, The Criterion Collection has ensured that some of the most important films are preserved and collected for fans to easily access. Criterion even has a streaming service that houses most of its titles and is one of the best streaming sites for movie lovers. Film buffs and lovers of physical media owe a lot to Criterion. Next time you find yourself at Barnes & Noble or are looking for a favorite film to own, check Criterion. Odds are you will find the price tag is more than worth it.