Big Picture Big Sound

Fans of foreign films, independent films, and rarely-seen gems need wonder no more what will become of the esteemed Criterion Collection's catalog in the high-definition era. After much speculation, an impressive list of classics and neo-classics has been formally announced.

So far, 13 Criterion Collection Blu-ray releases have been slated, set to begin hitting stores this October. We can only assume that Criterion is using this time to remaster the films for what will likely be magnificent 1080p, with some of the older movies no doubt in need of some TLC to reach high-def standards, with modern audio to match.

All of the supplemental materials from the current DVD versions will be ported over, and perhaps most surprisingly, there will be no increase in price from the current DVDs to the upcoming Blu-ray Discs, at least in their initial releases.

So far, Criterion has revealed the following specific titles, clearly some of their best and most requested:

• Orson Wells in Carol Reed's The Third Man
• Wes Anderson's first film, Bottle Rocket, starring Luke and Owen Wilson
• Kar Wai Wong's Chungking Express
• Oscar-winning Best Picture (1987) The Last Emperor, which was recently released in a stunning Criterion DVD special edition boxed set
• Gregory Nava's El Norte
• François Truffaut's The 400 Blows
• The extensively restored Rolling Stones concert documentary Gimme Shelter
• The vast, eclectic The Complete Monterey Pop box, one of the greatest music releases of all time
• Jean-Luc Godard's Contempt (Brigitte Bardot in high-def!)
• The documentary about the Apollo space missions, For All Mankind
• Henri-Georges Clouzot's The Wages of Fear

Also on the slate are two films from director Nicolas Roeg: The Man Who Fell to Earth, starring David Bowie, and Walkabout, the 1971 tale of a boy, a girl, and the Australian outback. The latter film will be a brand-new edition, with fresh bonus content in addition to the upgraded picture and sound. A new Walkabout DVD will also be released day-and-date. And the theatrical cut of The Last Emperor will be made available in a standalone Criterion edition for the first time, both Blu-ray and DVD, for $39.95 each.