Straw Dogs (1971) + (2011)

[Kurug3n]

The original, though flawed, is a powerful piece of work. The remake sucks.

This comment has made me want to re-watch the original again.

[Kurug3n]

I rewatched the 1971 film and it's pretty great still. The DVD that the media library at school had though was missing a scene or part of a scene. Where Hoffman is hitting the man on the floor repeatedly and then it goes into a slow motion shot of him hitting what is assumed to be his head. The slow motion shot isn't in the film even though on the back of the DVD it claims to be the unrated version. Or maybe I am just imagining it but I could of swore the first time I seen it, that scene was present.

[dave jenkins]

1971 is coming to Criterion blu. Probably the announcement will be made next week for a June release.

[Novecento]

1971 is coming to Criterion blu. Probably the announcement will be made next week for a June release.

They got the rights back? Interesting.... and certainly good news. Then again, the current Blu-ray I have is good quality and this is just another example of a Peckinpah film that has already been released in a good version on blu-ray yet again being re-released. When are we going to see some new Peckinpah stuff that hasn't seen a Blu-ray release yet?

[dave jenkins]

The extras are what will make the Criterion worth having--the Stephen Prince commentary (which was on the DVD and I expect will be re-used) is worth getting if you don't already have it.

[Novecento]

Quality extras are always nice, but I will wait to see if any picture upgrade makes it worth the investment. Otherwise, I think I'll stick with my current BD.

[dave jenkins]

Criterion announced as expected. Details are:

•New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
•Audio commentary from 2003 by Stephen Prince, author of Savage Cinema: Sam Peckinpah and the Rise of Ultraviolent Movies
•Mantrap: “Straw Dogs”—The Final Cut, a 2003 documentary about the making of the film, featuring cast and crew
•Sam Peckinpah: Man of Iron, a 1993 documentary about the director featuring actors Kris Kristofferson, Jason Robards, Ali MacGraw, and many others
•New conversation between film critic Michael Sragow and filmmaker Roger Spottiswoode, who worked as one of the editors on the film
•New interview with film scholar Linda Williams about the controversies surrounding the film
•Archival interviews with actor Susan George, producer Daniel Melnick, and Peckinpah biographer Garner Simmons
•Behind-the-scenes footage
•TV spots and trailers
•PLUS: An essay by scholar and critic Joshua Clover

[Novecento]

Criterion announced as expected. Details are:

You weren't kidding.

I'll wait for some screencaps to see if it is worth double-dipping.