GREY GARDENS
(1976, Blu-ray released December 10, 2013 – MSRP $39.95)

THE FILM:

“Meet Big and Little Edie Beale: mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, and reclusive cousins of Jackie Onassis. The two manage to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, New York, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot. An impossibly intimate portrait, this 1976 documentary by Albert and David Maysles, codirected by Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, quickly became a cult classic and established Little Edie as a fashion icon and philosopher queen. The Blu-ray edition features the 2006 follow-up to the film, The Beales of Grey Gardens, constructed from hours of extra footage in the filmmakers’ vaults.“

MARTIN SCORSESE’S WORLD CINEMA PROJECT
(1936-1981, Blu-ray released December 10, 2013 – MSRP $124.95)

THE FILMS:

“Established by Martin Scorsese in 2007, the World Cinema Project expands the horizons of moviegoers everywhere. The mission of the WCP is to preserve and present marginalized and infrequently screened films from regions generally ill equipped to preserve their own cinema history. This collector’s set brings together six superb films from countries around the globe, including Senegal (Touki bouki), Mexico (Redes), India and Bangladesh (A River Called Titas), Turkey (Dry Summer), Morocco (Trances), and South Korea (The Housemaid). Each is a cinematic revelation, depicting a culture not often seen by outsiders on-screen.“

March appears to be a banner month to upgrade old Criterion Collection DVD titles to high-def. I’ve been looking forward to replacing my DVD copy of The Hidden Fortress for some time but never expected to see George Washington get the Blu-ray treatment. This is great news! Also great news: more Bergman on Blu! Others will go bananas for Harold Lloyd‘s The Freshman making its high-def debut but I’m personally more stoked to get my grubby paws on Persona in 1080p.

TOKYO STORY
(1953, Blu-ray released November 19, 2013 – MSRP $39.95)

THE FILM:

“A profoundly stirring evocation of elemental humanity and universal heartbreak, Tokyo Story is the crowning achievement of the unparalleled Yasujiro Ozu (Late Spring). The film, which follows an aging couple as they leave their rural village to visit their two married children in bustling postwar Tokyo, surveys the rich and complex world of family life with the director’s customary delicacy and incisive perspective on social mores. Featuring lovely performances from Ozu regulars Chishu Ryu (There Was a Father) and Setsuko Hara (Late Autumn), Tokyo Story plumbs and deepens the director’s recurring themes of generational conflict, creating what is without question one of cinema’s mightiest masterpieces.“