676 I Married a Witch
- Jeff
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:49 pm
- Location: Denver, CO
676 I Married a Witch
I Married a Witch
Veronica Lake casts a seductive spell as a charmingly vengeful sorceress in this supernatural screwball classic. Many centuries after cursing the male descendants of the Salem puritan who sent her to the stake, this blonde bombshell with a broomstick finds herself drawn to one of them—a prospective governor (Fredric March) about to marry a spoiled socialite (Susan Hayward). This most delightful of the films the innovative French director René Clair made in Hollywood is a comic confection bursting with playful special effects and sparkling witticisms.
Disc Features
- New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
- Audio interview with director René Clair
- Trailer
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by filmmaker Guy Maddin and a 1970 interview with Clair
Veronica Lake casts a seductive spell as a charmingly vengeful sorceress in this supernatural screwball classic. Many centuries after cursing the male descendants of the Salem puritan who sent her to the stake, this blonde bombshell with a broomstick finds herself drawn to one of them—a prospective governor (Fredric March) about to marry a spoiled socialite (Susan Hayward). This most delightful of the films the innovative French director René Clair made in Hollywood is a comic confection bursting with playful special effects and sparkling witticisms.
Disc Features
- New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
- Audio interview with director René Clair
- Trailer
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by filmmaker Guy Maddin and a 1970 interview with Clair
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: I Married a Witch
And there was jubilation and much rejoicing in the land
- knives
- Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm
Re: I Married a Witch
Getting to see Lake's beautiful face in HD is going to be the high point of my year.
- vsski
- Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 3:47 pm
Re: I Married a Witch
All of the new releases have only very few extras and all are at the higher price point - I guess the trend that started with 3:10 to Yuma is hear to stay.knives wrote:$40 for an audio interview?
- The Narrator Returns
- Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:35 pm
Re: I Married a Witch
Hell, it's been there since Something Wild.vsski wrote:All of the new releases have only very few extras and all are at the higher price point - I guess the trend that started with 3:10 to Yuma is hear to stay.
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: I Married a Witch
This is a great movie, even at the higher price point. Please do not stay away from it because of the lack of extras. I will record a fucking commentary track myself if I have to
- knives
- Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm
Re: I Married a Witch
I'm with you. I'll do anything to make this release a success as it is simply one of the best American films of the studio era. Funny, smart, and exciting in a way most can only dream of. Not to mention Veronica Lake at her absolute best. I wish they had at least included The Ghost Goes West as a supplement.domino harvey wrote:This is a great movie, even at the higher price point. Please do not stay away from it because of the lack of extras. I will record a fucking commentary track myself if I have to
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: I Married a Witch
The liner notes are even written by Guy Maddin-- are we sure I'm not being personally punk'd by Criterion?
- Minkin
- Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:13 pm
Re: I Married a Witch
What happened to The Ghost Goes West? I thought that was almost guaranteed to be included!
Lovely and hilarious film, but sheesh, that interview better be like one of those Dardennes interviews (feature length).
Lovely and hilarious film, but sheesh, that interview better be like one of those Dardennes interviews (feature length).
- Professor Wagstaff
- Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:27 pm
Re: I Married a Witch
Domino, this is being released in time for my birthday, so if you could record a downloadable commentary I think my day will be pretty much perfect.
- vsski
- Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 3:47 pm
Re: I Married a Witch
Would love to hear that commentary ! And while I don't like the pricing strategy, I have to agree, this one is worth every penny and I will buy it come rain or shine.domino harvey wrote:This is a great movie, even at the higher price point. Please do not stay away from it because of the lack of extras. I will record a fucking commentary track myself if I have to
- The Narrator Returns
- Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:35 pm
Re: I Married a Witch
CRITERION FORUM-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITIONdomino harvey wrote:I will record a fucking commentary track myself if I have to
•New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
•New audio commentary by Veronica Lake scholar domino harvey
•Visual essay by noted Steven Soderbergh scholar The Narrator Returns about the film's similarities to Soderbergh's work
•Details on the film's restoration by david hare
•Reversible cover by swimminghorses
•A booklet featuring an essay by knives
Re: I Married a Witch
Sold! *Writes out check*The Narrator Returns wrote: CRITERION FORUM-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION
•New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
•New audio commentary by Veronica Lake scholar domino harvey
•Visual essay by noted Steven Soderbergh scholar The Narrator Returns about the film's similarities to Soderbergh's work
•Details on the film's restoration by david hare
•Reversible cover by swimminghorses
•A booklet featuring an essay by knives
- Anthony
- Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2005 1:38 pm
- Location: Berkeley, CA
Re: I Married a Witch
Now that I would gladly pay $40 for!The Narrator Returns wrote:CRITERION FORUM-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITIONdomino harvey wrote:I will record a fucking commentary track myself if I have to
•New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
•New audio commentary by Veronica Lake scholar domino harvey
•Visual essay by noted Steven Soderbergh scholar The Narrator Returns about the film's similarities to Soderbergh's work
•Details on the film's restoration by david hare
•Reversible cover by swimminghorses
•A booklet featuring an essay by knives
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: 676 I Married a Witch
Well, I was just making an idle threat but now I'm actually going to do it
- Jeff
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:49 pm
- Location: Denver, CO
Re: 676 I Married a Witch
I guess the special feature is that it hasn't had a home video release in the U.S. in over 20 years, but I agree that it's pretty stupid that they didn't throw The Ghost Goes West on there. It's not too late, Criterion.
- Koukol
- Joined: Thu Jan 17, 2013 8:31 pm
Re: 676 I Married a Witch
Time to burn my UK DVD as I can't sell it in good conscience.
- Kokomo Blues
- Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2011 1:43 pm
Re: 676 I Married a Witch
If you do that won't it come back to haunt you?Koukol wrote:Time to burn my UK DVD as I can't sell it in good conscience.
- kingofthejungle
- Joined: Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:25 am
Re: 676 I Married a Witch
Ain't it the truth.Koukol wrote:Time to burn my UK DVD as I can't sell it in good conscience.
I'm elated at the prospect of I Married A Witch in HD after settling for that PD-quality VHS dub for all these years. Clair's film is an essential Hollywood comedy, and one that's been criminally overlooked.
- jwd5275
- Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 12:26 pm
- Location: SF, CA
Re: 676 I Married a Witch
I think we should all email bomb them with requests for The Ghost Goes West until they capitulate...Jeff wrote:I guess the special feature is that it hasn't had a home video release in the U.S. in over 20 years, but I agree that it's pretty stupid that they didn't throw The Ghost Goes West on there. It's not too late, Criterion.
- chatterjees
- Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2013 6:08 pm
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- Contact:
Re: 676 I Married a Witch
Has anyone seen this blu-ray yet? I just finished watching it and I am really underwhelmed by the "2K" restoration. Is this really a 2K restoration? The film is fun to watch, but the picture quality is merely OK in my book (at some points it felt like I was watching some of those Kino Keaton BDs ). I definitely had better expectation for a 2K restoration.
Age of the film could not be a reason. To Be or Not to Be is another film from 1942 recently released by them. I guess there must be a difference between "restored 2K digital film transfer" (for To Be or Not to Be, 1942) and "2K digital restoration" (for I Married a Witch, 1942). These are the descriptions used by Criterion for the respective films. There is definitely a good deal of differences between these two 2K PQs.
Age of the film could not be a reason. To Be or Not to Be is another film from 1942 recently released by them. I guess there must be a difference between "restored 2K digital film transfer" (for To Be or Not to Be, 1942) and "2K digital restoration" (for I Married a Witch, 1942). These are the descriptions used by Criterion for the respective films. There is definitely a good deal of differences between these two 2K PQs.
- jindianajonz
- Jindiana Jonz Abrams
- Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 8:11 pm
Re: 676 I Married a Witch
Although age isn't a factor, condition of the film could be- if the prints for I Married a Witch were stored in worse conditions, it could easily have affected the quality. I haven't seen this blu yet, so this is just speculation.
EDIT: Is there anything in the "About the transfer" section of the booklet that sheds any light on this?
EDIT: Is there anything in the "About the transfer" section of the booklet that sheds any light on this?