Widescreen: A rare misstep for Criterion Collection, Coen brothers
The 19-year-old DVD copy of “Miller's Crossing” on the bookshelf behind me says the Coen brothers' Prohibition-era epic about warring mobsters runs 115 minutes.
The new Blu-ray release from the Criterion Collection, the premier home-video label, says it runs 113 minutes. The online product description does not mention the film being altered in any way, nor does the packaging announce as much.
And yet the 1990 cult classic, one of the Coens' lesser-known films, has indeed been edited for what should be its best home presentation yet — which is fine, if that was done according to Joel and Ethan Coen's wishes, even if it means losing one of the movie's best character moments after Mike Starr takes a chair to the face from Gabriel Byrne. What's not fine is hiding revisions to a classic film from the consumer.
On top of that, Chris Galloway's review at criterionforum.org says the picture quality isn't quite up to Criterion standards, using an old transfer that is “more than likely the same one Fox used for their own Blu-ray and, possibly, DVD editions.”
As of Wednesday morning, there had been no official comment from Criterion or the Coen brothers on a disappointing release that represents a rare misstep for both entities. “Miller's Crossing” deserves better; I recommend getting that 2003 DVD. It looks splendid on my big screen, and it will cost you just a few bucks on eBay.
Hope for May
Criterion collectors will probably be much happier with a release announced earlier this week for May 31: a new 4K restoration of Billy Wilder's “Double Indemnity,” Wilder's essential 1944 film noir starring Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck. The tale of an insurance salesman entranced by a femme fatale will arrive on both Blu-ray and 4K UHD with a wealth of bonus features, including a 1992 documentary with Wilder and — for true vintage collectors — two radio-drama versions of the story.
Preorders are available now at criterion.com.
• Sean Stangland is an assistant news editor who really hopes “The French Dispatch” gets a Criterion release before the end of the year.