Let me start with some context. I started this blog back in January for 2 reasons. The first was because ever since grade 11 I have had a deep love of film and knew that, no matter what I ended up doing in life, I would forever want to share that with anyone who would listen. Second, after writing for Suite101 for a year I was underpaid and tired to converting my reviews into the third person (a big critical no-no in my books) and so I wanted to start something more intimate and interactive. Something I could put myself into.
Over the course of those three months I have gained 22 followers, found countless wonderful film related blogs and have become associated with some great people (many of whom have come to comment regularly on this site). I won't name names for fear of alienating someone but you know who you are.
In a medium that is sometimes defined by snobbery and elitism I felt like I had found a variety of great blogs written by open minded people who were kind, accepting of other opinions and generally promote open and useful debate. Similarly, I have tried to prowl the comment sections of these blogs, offing things to say that would stimulate further thinking or debate as opposed to a simple hey, good job. Even when I disagreed with what someone was saying I kept mind of their opinion, the quality of their writing, the strength of their argument, etc. so that alternate views could be aired without any feelings hurt or respect lost.
Then, a few days ago I made a comment on Cinema Viewfinder, a good and popular blog run by Tony Dayoub. Tony said he was off for Easter but made mention of some interesting things coming soon to DVD, one of which was the release of a 2008 French film called Summer Hours. Having recently saw the film the found it enjoyable but minor I commented to Tony that I felt that the film did not deserve the Criterion treatment. That's it. Just a statement of opinion. No justification (not like I'm going to write a review in someone's comment section), just that I personally thought the film not deserving of Criterion's stamp.
Tony responding, said he thought Summer Hours was a great film but that we were even because he didn't personally felt that Gomorrah didn't quite deserve the Criterion stamp. Fair enough. The topic was done with. Then some figure who I've never heard of who goes by the name of Sam Juliano and I've since discovered is but one of many writers for some elitist blog called Wonders in the Dark, commented back, basically attacking me for not liking Summer Hours as much as he. I'll copy and paste our back and forth as follows here:
Mike Lippert said...
Hmmm Summer Hours got the Criterion treatment? I liked it but didn't think it was good enough for Criterion. It's always strange to see which modern movies they will decide to put out but hey, they can put out whatever they want as long as the quality titles keep coming like My Life to Live and the prices keep going down. Have a good one.
April 2, 2010 5:29 PM
Tony Dayoub said...
You didn't think it was good enough for Criterion? That was on my best list for 2008.
Well, part of the reason it is on Criterion is because it's part of the deal where they're releasing IFC films like CHE, A CHRISTMAS TALE, GOMORRAH, HUNGER, etc.
I guess we're even because though I liked GOMORRAH, I wasn't thrilled with it enough for a Criterion special edition, myself.
April 2, 2010 5:33 PM
Sam Juliano said...
Geez, if Mike Lippert doesn't think SUMMER HOURS is good enough for Criterion, then what contemporary film does he think does qualify??? This is one of the greatest films of recent years, as so many of the very best bloggers have attested to with stellar reviews, not to mention (dare I say?) the entire professional establishment. Criterion is lucky to get this masterpiece.
April 3, 2010 9:25 AM
Mike Lippert said...
The entire establishment agrees that Summer Hours is one of the very best of all recent films? That means that every critic who saw it liked it? Which means it should be getting 100% on the two big critics ranking sites? Seems like it's sitting at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes (sorry Tony, I know your feeling on this site) and 84% on Meta Critic. Plus the viewer ratings on IMDB are sitting at 7.1. I'd think a film that has swayed everyone with it's undisputed brilliance would be closer to 10 wouldn't you?
I'm not saying that Summer Hours is a bad film, I'm simply saying that, like other great critics like Roger Ebert and J. Hoberman, I found it somewhat minor. I'm sorry for presenting a view that is not the same as yours, I didn't realize that wasn't allowed. I was under the impression that criticism has thrived and remained alive all these years because of the fact that not everyone agrees.
Having read what Tony had written about the film I respect his opinion as all of his work is thoughtful and well written. I do not however buy into the argument that just because some of the "very best" bloggers have loved this film means anyone who doesn't love it is wrong.
As for contemporary films that deserve the Criterion treatment before this one? Everlasting Moments, Shotgun Stories, Balast, Best of Youth, 25th Hour, Man Push Cart, Chop Shop Conversation(s) with Other Women, Dopamine, Keane, Nobody Knows, Russian Ark, Saraband, The Son, L'Enfant, Lorna's Silence. On top of this there are still plenty of Ingmar Bergman movies that have never been released in North America, a couple of Fellini movies and Richard Linklater's SubUrbia still can't be found on DVD.
I would rather fork out the extra cash for a DVD with the Criterion stamp for any of these films before Summer Hours. I'm sorry you disagree.
April 3, 2010 11:15 PM
Sam Juliano said...
Mike, you are the first (and only) person who has contested this great masterpiece for Criterion treatment, and if any other bloggers venture over to this site on Easter weekend, I'm confident they'll make the same observation. Yeah, that's right. Your comment here is NOT the final word, and I felt incensed enough by the shortsightedness of your posting it in a public forum to mention that every film blogger I've read has praised this film to the rafters, with a number placing it as their #1 of the year, or in their top 5. So basically you're issue is that I brought up the whole of the critical establishment in the blogger world and within the professional ranks.
My bad. Every critic and every blogger out there should back off and let "Mike Lippert's" opinion stand tall. I'm sorry Mike, you seem like an intelligent young man, and you're fairly polite as well, but if you are going to make that statement in a public forum, with a film as celebrated at that one, I simply must call you on it. Criterion did not base they decision on whether YOU liked the choice, but rather on an overwhelming concensus, and I'd say it's one of their most inspired choices ever. I already own the film on Region 2, and will definitely be double dipping here.
You make a point that the film doesn't have a 100% rating, but what film does have a 100% rating? You pose that "prestigious" list of potential Criterions, but not a single one of those has a rating as high as SUMMER HOURS. And while you take extreme issue with a brief e mail that obviously rubbed you the wrong way, you then use Roger Ebert and J. Hoberman as examples of critics who didn't like the film. You make no mention of the fact that SUMMER HOURS captured the trifecta of winning Best Foreign Film from the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of the Film Critics, which I think is the definitive critical word. But I know, Richard Linklater's SUBURBIA is far more important for Criterion treatment. Of course.
(to be continued)
April 4, 2010 10:12 AM
Sam Juliano said...
As far as that list you posed as films "more deserving" than SUMMER HOURS, I'll say first up that EVERLASTING MOMENTS was my #7 film of 2009, and it has actually already been announced for Criterion treatment. I also love teh Dardennes' films and that humanist Japanese gem NOBODY KNOWS, but I could really say the same thing here by saying that the following films deserve the Criterion treatment more than the ones you mention: (I am in the minority with RUSSIAN ARK, but I am humble enough to admit it has an overwhelming regard, so I say the issue is with ME not the film)
Kings and Queen (Despletchin)
Son Frere (Chereau)
The Lives of Others (Von Donnarsm)
Devils on the Doorstep (Wen)
The House of Mirth (Davies)
A Time For Drunken Horses(Ghobadi)
Werchmeister Harmonies (Tarr)
Talk To Her (Almodovar)
Downfall (Hershbiegel)
35 Shots of Rum (Denis)
Far From Heaven (Haynes)
Fateless (Koltai)
Dogville (Von Trier)
The Sweet Hereafter (Egoyan)
Seraphine (Provost)
Moolaade (Sembene)
4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days (Mungiu)
Fateless (Koltai)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
(Schnabel)
The Fountain (Aronofsky)
The Maid
Of Time and the City (Davies)
The Pool (Smith)
The Last Mistress (Breillat)
Synchedoche New York (Kaufman)
Inland Empire (Lynch)
Alexandre (Sokorov)
Children of Men (Cuaron)
Tropical Malady (Weerasethakul)
Rat-Trap (Gopalaskrishnan)
Police Adjective
Un Prophete (Audiard)
2046 (Kar-Wei)
Cache (Haneke)
Syndromes and a Century (Weerasethakul)
Assassination of Jesse James (Dominick)
Pan's Labyrinth (Cuaron)
The Ister (Barrison, Ross)
Crimson Gold (Panahi)
And there are a number of others that would be ideal candidates for the Criterion treatment from the contemporary period. But we know these are fantasies here, as a bevy of reasons won't allow such a gleeful development.
But of all the recent decision-making at the Voyager company, the decision to go with Assayas' masterpieces is frankly one of their finest hours.
I'm sorry you disagree.
April 4, 2010 10:14 AM
Sam Juliano said...
Gus Van Sant's ELEPHANT and the wonderful Irish gem ONCE would be nice additions to the collection too.
But Mike, what exactly do you mean by this statement here:
"On top of this there are still plenty of Ingmar Bergman movies that have never been released in North America"
What do you mean by "plenty?" Bergman (who is my own personal favorite director of all-time) has been comprehensively served on region 1 on DVD, and completists have no doubt celebrated. The "plenty" that you note here is only FACE TO FACE (which has a long running rights issue and never even appeared on laserdisc) and THE MAGICIAN, which I understand we may see within the next year. But aside from those two, there is nothing of any consequence unrepresented on these shores. I do love SUMMER WITH MONIKA and ILLICIT INTERLUDE, but the all-Region Tartans are negotiable on North American players, so in effect that have been released for worldwide consumers, including North American ones. Similarly the all-Regions of MARIONETTES and THE SERPENT'S EGG are also on these shores in that Tartan series, and are easily obtainable cheaply.
What we have of course is nearly the entire kitten kaboodle for Bergman lovers:
Wild Strawberries (Criterion)
The Seventh Seal (Criterion)
Through A Glass Darkly (Criterion)
The Silence (Criterion)
Winter Light (Criterion)
The Virgin Spring (Criterion)
Sawdust and Tinsel (Criterion)
Smiles of a Summer Night(Criterion)
The Magic Flute (Criterion)
Cries and Whispers (Criterion)
Fanny and Alexander (Criterion)
Persona (MGM/UA)
Shane (MGM/UA)
Hour of the Wolf (MGM/UA)
The Passion of Anna (MGM/UA)
Torment (Eclipse)
Crisis (Eclipse)
Port of Call (Eclipse)
Thirst (Eclipse)
To Joy (Eclipse)
Geez, what's your beef? What's really left of any consequence at this point for North American and worldwide consumers? And no significant Fellini is MIA at this point either. I know, that was an April's Fool's Day joke, right?
Hey Mike, Happy Easter to you and yours!!
April 4, 2010 12:22 PM
Sam Juliano said...
And there are a few more I neglected to include too, every single one of which I own,like so many other bloggers.
Scenes From A Marriage (Criterion)
Saraband (Sony)
Autumn Sonata (Criterion)
At this point we should be thinking about the absence of Sjostrom's THE WIND, Vidor's THE CROWD and THE BIG PARADE, Von Stroheim's GREED, Sjostrom's THE SCARLET LETTER and HE WHO GETS SLAPPED and a bunch of other silent gems that continue to be MIA on legitimate DVD release (though VHS to DVD conversions are easily enough to manage) before we aim our thoughts at a virtually completed negotiation of Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini on DVD.
Back to SUMMER HOURS: In addition to Tony Dayoub's impassioned and brilliant commentary on the blog for Assayas's film I would point to three reviews of the film that were wholly extraordinary. One is by Joel Bocko at THE SUN'S NOT YELLOW and WONDERS IN THE DARK, Ed Howard at ONLY THE CINEMA and Craig Kennedy at LIVING IN CINEMA. It was Kennedy's #1 film of the year.
Needless to say it finished in my own Top 10 as well.
Yeah, I know I'm being a bully here, but this great film deserves every aggression I can muster.
April 4, 2010 12:43 PM
Mike Lippert said...
Sam, your passion for this film is inspiring but does not change in my mind that it is minor. Did I say I didn't like it? Nope, I only said that I didn't think it was Criterion worthy. And if you read my original statement, that's exactly what I said: That (I) didn't think so. I didn't say that Criterion has now lessened their brand, that they should have consulted me first, that this product should be boycotted. Nope, I only said I thought the movie was minor. I also encouraged its release saying that, if the release of contemporary films continues to promote the brand while driving prices down, all the better. I have no idea where you got that I put my foot down and deemed my opinion of the film more worthy simply because it exists in the minority. If others think it is a major work than I am glad they have found some joy in it that I did not and would gladly read and respect their entitlement to their opinions, including yours if you have a review of it out there somewhere.
April 4, 2010 4:13 PM
Mike Lippert said...
Another thing, the comment about Fellini was not an April fool's joke. Being my favourite filmmaker there is nothing I would love more than to own copies of Casanova, The Clowns and The Voice in the Moon, be they minor or not.
Same goes for Bergman. I don't care if the majority of his major work has been released in North America, as a completest I want copies of :
After the Rehersal
All These Women
Brink of Life
Devil's Eye
Devil's Wanton
Dreams
Face to Face
It Rains on Our Love
A Lesson in Love
The Magician
Monika
Music in Darkness
The Rite
Secrets of Women
Ship Bound for India
Summer Interlude
This Can't Happen Here
The Touch
Or did you forget about those ones?
On another note, every critic on every blog on the internet has loved this film? I think this is a case of someone being blinded by love. You've let your hyperbole get the best of you.
Here's a review from PA Editor's Blog: http://paeditorsblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/film-review-summer-hours-french-film.html
I especially agree with the last line: Looking for a lighthearted film with a little bit of seriousness, this is the film for you. Too bad, it could have been a more significant film.
The writer of Static Fix didn't seem to love it either: http://staticfix.blogspot.com/2009/05/in-my-best-bad-accent-summer-hours.html
Or do these two blogs not count because they are not part of the blog elite who all deemed Summer Hours an undisputed masterpiece?
But now we're just splitting hairs and wasting time. So on one final note, I must say that, you say my opinion here has been short-sighted. To be honest, of course it is. I didn't come here to this blog to write my own personal review in the comments section. If I wanted to review Summer Hours I have my own blog for that. I'm sorry you took such offense that you needed to fill up 4 comment boxes just trying to negate it but really, it was an off-the-cuff comment that referred simply to my own personal feelings and nothing more.
April 4, 2010 4:39 PM
Sam Juliano said...
Mike:
I did indeed take exception to what you said. And yes, I most certainly DID fill up four comment boxes on an Easter Sunday where I should rightfully be upstairs with my five kids in this gorgeous weather. But you made a statement at a public forum, making an assertion that I strongly condemn. Sorry, but you are fair game. Don't bother sending me links to the extreme minority. I can send you a recent review of a blogger who hated CITIZEN KANE! The point is I can send you tons of links to the contrary, and you conveniently ignored the awards it won from the NY, LA and NSOFC, which really says it all on that front. I did not take your comment as "off the cuff" at all, it was a provocative insult to tasteful movie lovers, and I responded in kind.
As far as the Bergamn responses, please, don't even go there. ALL REGION DVDs are available of these on Tartan!!!!
After the Rehersal
All These Women
Devil's Eye
Devil's Wanton
Dreams
A Lesson in Love
The Magician
Monika
Music in Darkness
Secrets of Women
Summer Interlude
The Touch
The few others there are minor beyond even the aspirations of the world's most fervant Bergman fanatics, and have not yet made it to DVD, which in the large sphere is no great catastrophe. What we want and need from Bergman is with us now, with the exception of those two I originally mentioned, one of which is on Tartan anyway. So it's really FACE TO FACE only!!!
April 4, 2010 5:42 PM
Sam Juliano said...
"I didn't say that Criterion has now lessened their brand, that they should have consulted me first, that this product should be boycotted."
Aye, Mike, aye. I thought it was oobvious I was employing deliberate sarcasm when I made the assertions I did to pound home my point. You are obviously bothered enough to respond in kind. Fair enough.
Over the course of those three months I have gained 22 followers, found countless wonderful film related blogs and have become associated with some great people (many of whom have come to comment regularly on this site). I won't name names for fear of alienating someone but you know who you are.
In a medium that is sometimes defined by snobbery and elitism I felt like I had found a variety of great blogs written by open minded people who were kind, accepting of other opinions and generally promote open and useful debate. Similarly, I have tried to prowl the comment sections of these blogs, offing things to say that would stimulate further thinking or debate as opposed to a simple hey, good job. Even when I disagreed with what someone was saying I kept mind of their opinion, the quality of their writing, the strength of their argument, etc. so that alternate views could be aired without any feelings hurt or respect lost.
Then, a few days ago I made a comment on Cinema Viewfinder, a good and popular blog run by Tony Dayoub. Tony said he was off for Easter but made mention of some interesting things coming soon to DVD, one of which was the release of a 2008 French film called Summer Hours. Having recently saw the film the found it enjoyable but minor I commented to Tony that I felt that the film did not deserve the Criterion treatment. That's it. Just a statement of opinion. No justification (not like I'm going to write a review in someone's comment section), just that I personally thought the film not deserving of Criterion's stamp.
Tony responding, said he thought Summer Hours was a great film but that we were even because he didn't personally felt that Gomorrah didn't quite deserve the Criterion stamp. Fair enough. The topic was done with. Then some figure who I've never heard of who goes by the name of Sam Juliano and I've since discovered is but one of many writers for some elitist blog called Wonders in the Dark, commented back, basically attacking me for not liking Summer Hours as much as he. I'll copy and paste our back and forth as follows here:
Mike Lippert said...
Hmmm Summer Hours got the Criterion treatment? I liked it but didn't think it was good enough for Criterion. It's always strange to see which modern movies they will decide to put out but hey, they can put out whatever they want as long as the quality titles keep coming like My Life to Live and the prices keep going down. Have a good one.
April 2, 2010 5:29 PM
Tony Dayoub said...
You didn't think it was good enough for Criterion? That was on my best list for 2008.
Well, part of the reason it is on Criterion is because it's part of the deal where they're releasing IFC films like CHE, A CHRISTMAS TALE, GOMORRAH, HUNGER, etc.
I guess we're even because though I liked GOMORRAH, I wasn't thrilled with it enough for a Criterion special edition, myself.
April 2, 2010 5:33 PM
Sam Juliano said...
Geez, if Mike Lippert doesn't think SUMMER HOURS is good enough for Criterion, then what contemporary film does he think does qualify??? This is one of the greatest films of recent years, as so many of the very best bloggers have attested to with stellar reviews, not to mention (dare I say?) the entire professional establishment. Criterion is lucky to get this masterpiece.
April 3, 2010 9:25 AM
Mike Lippert said...
The entire establishment agrees that Summer Hours is one of the very best of all recent films? That means that every critic who saw it liked it? Which means it should be getting 100% on the two big critics ranking sites? Seems like it's sitting at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes (sorry Tony, I know your feeling on this site) and 84% on Meta Critic. Plus the viewer ratings on IMDB are sitting at 7.1. I'd think a film that has swayed everyone with it's undisputed brilliance would be closer to 10 wouldn't you?
I'm not saying that Summer Hours is a bad film, I'm simply saying that, like other great critics like Roger Ebert and J. Hoberman, I found it somewhat minor. I'm sorry for presenting a view that is not the same as yours, I didn't realize that wasn't allowed. I was under the impression that criticism has thrived and remained alive all these years because of the fact that not everyone agrees.
Having read what Tony had written about the film I respect his opinion as all of his work is thoughtful and well written. I do not however buy into the argument that just because some of the "very best" bloggers have loved this film means anyone who doesn't love it is wrong.
As for contemporary films that deserve the Criterion treatment before this one? Everlasting Moments, Shotgun Stories, Balast, Best of Youth, 25th Hour, Man Push Cart, Chop Shop Conversation(s) with Other Women, Dopamine, Keane, Nobody Knows, Russian Ark, Saraband, The Son, L'Enfant, Lorna's Silence. On top of this there are still plenty of Ingmar Bergman movies that have never been released in North America, a couple of Fellini movies and Richard Linklater's SubUrbia still can't be found on DVD.
I would rather fork out the extra cash for a DVD with the Criterion stamp for any of these films before Summer Hours. I'm sorry you disagree.
April 3, 2010 11:15 PM
Sam Juliano said...
Mike, you are the first (and only) person who has contested this great masterpiece for Criterion treatment, and if any other bloggers venture over to this site on Easter weekend, I'm confident they'll make the same observation. Yeah, that's right. Your comment here is NOT the final word, and I felt incensed enough by the shortsightedness of your posting it in a public forum to mention that every film blogger I've read has praised this film to the rafters, with a number placing it as their #1 of the year, or in their top 5. So basically you're issue is that I brought up the whole of the critical establishment in the blogger world and within the professional ranks.
My bad. Every critic and every blogger out there should back off and let "Mike Lippert's" opinion stand tall. I'm sorry Mike, you seem like an intelligent young man, and you're fairly polite as well, but if you are going to make that statement in a public forum, with a film as celebrated at that one, I simply must call you on it. Criterion did not base they decision on whether YOU liked the choice, but rather on an overwhelming concensus, and I'd say it's one of their most inspired choices ever. I already own the film on Region 2, and will definitely be double dipping here.
You make a point that the film doesn't have a 100% rating, but what film does have a 100% rating? You pose that "prestigious" list of potential Criterions, but not a single one of those has a rating as high as SUMMER HOURS. And while you take extreme issue with a brief e mail that obviously rubbed you the wrong way, you then use Roger Ebert and J. Hoberman as examples of critics who didn't like the film. You make no mention of the fact that SUMMER HOURS captured the trifecta of winning Best Foreign Film from the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of the Film Critics, which I think is the definitive critical word. But I know, Richard Linklater's SUBURBIA is far more important for Criterion treatment. Of course.
(to be continued)
April 4, 2010 10:12 AM
Sam Juliano said...
As far as that list you posed as films "more deserving" than SUMMER HOURS, I'll say first up that EVERLASTING MOMENTS was my #7 film of 2009, and it has actually already been announced for Criterion treatment. I also love teh Dardennes' films and that humanist Japanese gem NOBODY KNOWS, but I could really say the same thing here by saying that the following films deserve the Criterion treatment more than the ones you mention: (I am in the minority with RUSSIAN ARK, but I am humble enough to admit it has an overwhelming regard, so I say the issue is with ME not the film)
Kings and Queen (Despletchin)
Son Frere (Chereau)
The Lives of Others (Von Donnarsm)
Devils on the Doorstep (Wen)
The House of Mirth (Davies)
A Time For Drunken Horses(Ghobadi)
Werchmeister Harmonies (Tarr)
Talk To Her (Almodovar)
Downfall (Hershbiegel)
35 Shots of Rum (Denis)
Far From Heaven (Haynes)
Fateless (Koltai)
Dogville (Von Trier)
The Sweet Hereafter (Egoyan)
Seraphine (Provost)
Moolaade (Sembene)
4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days (Mungiu)
Fateless (Koltai)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
(Schnabel)
The Fountain (Aronofsky)
The Maid
Of Time and the City (Davies)
The Pool (Smith)
The Last Mistress (Breillat)
Synchedoche New York (Kaufman)
Inland Empire (Lynch)
Alexandre (Sokorov)
Children of Men (Cuaron)
Tropical Malady (Weerasethakul)
Rat-Trap (Gopalaskrishnan)
Police Adjective
Un Prophete (Audiard)
2046 (Kar-Wei)
Cache (Haneke)
Syndromes and a Century (Weerasethakul)
Assassination of Jesse James (Dominick)
Pan's Labyrinth (Cuaron)
The Ister (Barrison, Ross)
Crimson Gold (Panahi)
And there are a number of others that would be ideal candidates for the Criterion treatment from the contemporary period. But we know these are fantasies here, as a bevy of reasons won't allow such a gleeful development.
But of all the recent decision-making at the Voyager company, the decision to go with Assayas' masterpieces is frankly one of their finest hours.
I'm sorry you disagree.
April 4, 2010 10:14 AM
Sam Juliano said...
Gus Van Sant's ELEPHANT and the wonderful Irish gem ONCE would be nice additions to the collection too.
But Mike, what exactly do you mean by this statement here:
"On top of this there are still plenty of Ingmar Bergman movies that have never been released in North America"
What do you mean by "plenty?" Bergman (who is my own personal favorite director of all-time) has been comprehensively served on region 1 on DVD, and completists have no doubt celebrated. The "plenty" that you note here is only FACE TO FACE (which has a long running rights issue and never even appeared on laserdisc) and THE MAGICIAN, which I understand we may see within the next year. But aside from those two, there is nothing of any consequence unrepresented on these shores. I do love SUMMER WITH MONIKA and ILLICIT INTERLUDE, but the all-Region Tartans are negotiable on North American players, so in effect that have been released for worldwide consumers, including North American ones. Similarly the all-Regions of MARIONETTES and THE SERPENT'S EGG are also on these shores in that Tartan series, and are easily obtainable cheaply.
What we have of course is nearly the entire kitten kaboodle for Bergman lovers:
Wild Strawberries (Criterion)
The Seventh Seal (Criterion)
Through A Glass Darkly (Criterion)
The Silence (Criterion)
Winter Light (Criterion)
The Virgin Spring (Criterion)
Sawdust and Tinsel (Criterion)
Smiles of a Summer Night(Criterion)
The Magic Flute (Criterion)
Cries and Whispers (Criterion)
Fanny and Alexander (Criterion)
Persona (MGM/UA)
Shane (MGM/UA)
Hour of the Wolf (MGM/UA)
The Passion of Anna (MGM/UA)
Torment (Eclipse)
Crisis (Eclipse)
Port of Call (Eclipse)
Thirst (Eclipse)
To Joy (Eclipse)
Geez, what's your beef? What's really left of any consequence at this point for North American and worldwide consumers? And no significant Fellini is MIA at this point either. I know, that was an April's Fool's Day joke, right?
Hey Mike, Happy Easter to you and yours!!
April 4, 2010 12:22 PM
Sam Juliano said...
And there are a few more I neglected to include too, every single one of which I own,like so many other bloggers.
Scenes From A Marriage (Criterion)
Saraband (Sony)
Autumn Sonata (Criterion)
At this point we should be thinking about the absence of Sjostrom's THE WIND, Vidor's THE CROWD and THE BIG PARADE, Von Stroheim's GREED, Sjostrom's THE SCARLET LETTER and HE WHO GETS SLAPPED and a bunch of other silent gems that continue to be MIA on legitimate DVD release (though VHS to DVD conversions are easily enough to manage) before we aim our thoughts at a virtually completed negotiation of Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini on DVD.
Back to SUMMER HOURS: In addition to Tony Dayoub's impassioned and brilliant commentary on the blog for Assayas's film I would point to three reviews of the film that were wholly extraordinary. One is by Joel Bocko at THE SUN'S NOT YELLOW and WONDERS IN THE DARK, Ed Howard at ONLY THE CINEMA and Craig Kennedy at LIVING IN CINEMA. It was Kennedy's #1 film of the year.
Needless to say it finished in my own Top 10 as well.
Yeah, I know I'm being a bully here, but this great film deserves every aggression I can muster.
April 4, 2010 12:43 PM
Mike Lippert said...
Sam, your passion for this film is inspiring but does not change in my mind that it is minor. Did I say I didn't like it? Nope, I only said that I didn't think it was Criterion worthy. And if you read my original statement, that's exactly what I said: That (I) didn't think so. I didn't say that Criterion has now lessened their brand, that they should have consulted me first, that this product should be boycotted. Nope, I only said I thought the movie was minor. I also encouraged its release saying that, if the release of contemporary films continues to promote the brand while driving prices down, all the better. I have no idea where you got that I put my foot down and deemed my opinion of the film more worthy simply because it exists in the minority. If others think it is a major work than I am glad they have found some joy in it that I did not and would gladly read and respect their entitlement to their opinions, including yours if you have a review of it out there somewhere.
April 4, 2010 4:13 PM
Mike Lippert said...
Another thing, the comment about Fellini was not an April fool's joke. Being my favourite filmmaker there is nothing I would love more than to own copies of Casanova, The Clowns and The Voice in the Moon, be they minor or not.
Same goes for Bergman. I don't care if the majority of his major work has been released in North America, as a completest I want copies of :
After the Rehersal
All These Women
Brink of Life
Devil's Eye
Devil's Wanton
Dreams
Face to Face
It Rains on Our Love
A Lesson in Love
The Magician
Monika
Music in Darkness
The Rite
Secrets of Women
Ship Bound for India
Summer Interlude
This Can't Happen Here
The Touch
Or did you forget about those ones?
On another note, every critic on every blog on the internet has loved this film? I think this is a case of someone being blinded by love. You've let your hyperbole get the best of you.
Here's a review from PA Editor's Blog: http://paeditorsblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/film-review-summer-hours-french-film.html
I especially agree with the last line: Looking for a lighthearted film with a little bit of seriousness, this is the film for you. Too bad, it could have been a more significant film.
The writer of Static Fix didn't seem to love it either: http://staticfix.blogspot.com/2009/05/in-my-best-bad-accent-summer-hours.html
Or do these two blogs not count because they are not part of the blog elite who all deemed Summer Hours an undisputed masterpiece?
But now we're just splitting hairs and wasting time. So on one final note, I must say that, you say my opinion here has been short-sighted. To be honest, of course it is. I didn't come here to this blog to write my own personal review in the comments section. If I wanted to review Summer Hours I have my own blog for that. I'm sorry you took such offense that you needed to fill up 4 comment boxes just trying to negate it but really, it was an off-the-cuff comment that referred simply to my own personal feelings and nothing more.
April 4, 2010 4:39 PM
Sam Juliano said...
Mike:
I did indeed take exception to what you said. And yes, I most certainly DID fill up four comment boxes on an Easter Sunday where I should rightfully be upstairs with my five kids in this gorgeous weather. But you made a statement at a public forum, making an assertion that I strongly condemn. Sorry, but you are fair game. Don't bother sending me links to the extreme minority. I can send you a recent review of a blogger who hated CITIZEN KANE! The point is I can send you tons of links to the contrary, and you conveniently ignored the awards it won from the NY, LA and NSOFC, which really says it all on that front. I did not take your comment as "off the cuff" at all, it was a provocative insult to tasteful movie lovers, and I responded in kind.
As far as the Bergamn responses, please, don't even go there. ALL REGION DVDs are available of these on Tartan!!!!
After the Rehersal
All These Women
Devil's Eye
Devil's Wanton
Dreams
A Lesson in Love
The Magician
Monika
Music in Darkness
Secrets of Women
Summer Interlude
The Touch
The few others there are minor beyond even the aspirations of the world's most fervant Bergman fanatics, and have not yet made it to DVD, which in the large sphere is no great catastrophe. What we want and need from Bergman is with us now, with the exception of those two I originally mentioned, one of which is on Tartan anyway. So it's really FACE TO FACE only!!!
April 4, 2010 5:42 PM
Sam Juliano said...
"I didn't say that Criterion has now lessened their brand, that they should have consulted me first, that this product should be boycotted."
Aye, Mike, aye. I thought it was oobvious I was employing deliberate sarcasm when I made the assertions I did to pound home my point. You are obviously bothered enough to respond in kind. Fair enough.
As you can see, Sam uses a lot of words in order to do exactly what he accuses me of doing in my initial post, which is to declare that any opinion other than his own is completely wrong. He refers to the "best bloggers" as if his own word is the authority under which great bloggers are deemed to be so and refers to the critics awards the film recieved as if those awards mean that everyone should automatically love the film. Sam seems to be one of those fellows who doesn't realize that a good film (which Summer Hours is) and a film he likes are not the same thing, which has afforded him the delusion that his voice has an authority that reigns over all others and expresses opinions to which everyone in the blog world should agree with. I'm reminded of the times in which Jim Emerson picked fights with Jonathan Rausenbaum because Rausenbaum expressed opinions that didn't conform exactly to his own. Sam also apperently is so gifted in his infinite wisdom that he knows the context under which I left my original comment despite my suggesting to the contrary. Not only does he speak for every critic in the known universe but he apperently speaks for me as well. I can't imagine the burden such power comes with.
Then Sam makes a statement of profound ignorance. Apperently while he was neglecting his five children on Easter Sunday to argue a worthless point with me, he failed to do the proper research it would have taken to make a statement about how Summer Hours has recieved a better critical rating than all of the films I deemed more worthy of Criterion release. Remember, Summer Hours sits at a comfortable 92% on the Tomato Meter. But look at this:
Best of Youth- 95%
Shotgun Stories- 93%
Chop Shop- 96%
Nobody Knows- 94%
Saraband- 94%
Looking over the entire dialogue it appears to me that what Sam's problem is is that he is simply blinded by his committment to the status quo. He first claims that every online critic gave Summer Hours a glowing review. I found two that didn't, of which he didn't even consider because, of course, they were below his stature. What he meant to say was that every critic that he deemed up to his level or are worthy of his attention gave Summer Hours a glowing review. He's right, the two links which I provided are minor blogs which, I will never return to again but really, when someone makes idiotic, generizled statements, this is the only way to respond. (Note- I have no researched whether this statement is true or not, but considering the tragectory of the entire debate, I suspect some exageration is at play here).
Then he gets into the Bergman matter which leaves me, to this moment, still stracthing my head. First he deems Bergman his favourite filmmaker but then goes on to state that every Bergman film worth watching is already available on DVD. You'd think, if Bergman was your favourite filmmaker, every one of his films, even the obscure ones that don't have the notoriety of the major works, would be worth exploring. Not for Sam, who is of such high pedigree that he can only be bothered with the major works of great filmmakers: the ones already to have been deemed masterpieces by the critical powers that be. I bet however, if a group of the very best online bloggers told him that the Devil's Wanton was a film that just needed to be seen he'd be hunting it down in a heartbeat, as that seems to be the very logic he is basing the entire crux of his argument on.
Then there is the overriding matter of his reliance on Summer Hours winning critics' awards as a gauge to assess the brillance of the film. It's as if he needs the opinions of others in order to justify his own feelings. That, to me, seems like a sign of insecurity. If you have a feeling, and propose an argument to support it than that is all that matters. Awards are prizes given by the elite. They mean nothing to me. If a film is good it is so in spite of the award and if a film is minor an award does not automatically negate said minorness. God forbid anyone ever argue with Sam about a film that hasn't won any awards. He'd acually have to justify his opinion on his own in the absence of statistics and the opinion of other critics to back him up. I can't imagine a feeling more hollow as the point when criticism becomes more about following the pack than experessing a personal experience. Congradulations Sam, the film won many critics awards, which ultimately means that I should be engaging in this debate with them instead of wasting time arguing with the middle man.
That's my final word on this debate. I'm done with. It's silly that this much effort has been given to it to begin with. I'm just curious, am I in the wrong here. Does my inital comment strike anyone as being condescending or provoking in any way? Does anyone agree with Sam or does he strike you the same way he strikes me, as an elitist windbag? Be honest. I'm curious to see how people will weigh in.
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