THE SPECIAL EDITION: 04.28.09

I had an idea for a subset column for The Special Edition. Many people
want to have Criterions in their collection. Many people pretend to
like half of the films that Criterion releases. But, what about those
people that honestly can’t be bothered to be told what to like. What
about them?

That’s why I want to test the waters and see if
this floats. I want the readers of CHUD and this dear article to head
to the Boards and nominate their Personal Criterion Collection entry. I
want to see explanations and not just mindless listing of entries,
people.

All titles eligible are previously released DVD/BR media that you believe to be essential/necessary to the collection of the Home Entertainment enthusiast.

THE FIRST ENTRIES

1. The Fountain

2. Videodrome

3. Seven Men from Now

4. Stalker

5. The Last Days of Disco
6. Paris, Texas
7. Vanishing Point
8. The Stunt Man
9. The Deer Hunter
10. The Third Man
11. Southland Tales
12. Head
13. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
14. Sorcerer
15. Henry V (1989)
16. The Great White Hope
17. Fixed Bayonets
18. Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary
19. The Ballad of Cable Hogue
20. Gates of Heaven
21. The Dirty Dozen
22. Opening Night
23. Birdman of Alcatraz
24. Elmer Gantry
25. The Band Wagon
26. Five Guns West
27. Detour
28. Jubal
29. Affair in Trinidad
30) Experiment in Terror
31) Seconds
32) Coffy
33) 1984
34) Special
35) Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense
36) The Fortune Cookie
37) Executive Suite
38) Two People
39) The Sand Pebbles
40) The Iron Horse
41) Watermelon Man
42) The Girl Can’t Help It
43) Diner
44) Rumble Fish
45) Pale Rider
46) High Plains Drifter
47) Lady Snowblood
48) Help
49) The Bank Job

and today’s entry suggested by Renn Brown.

50) The Hudsucker Proxy. (click on box art to buy it at Amazon)

While certainly not forgotten, Hudsucker is rarely listed when rattling
off gems from the Coen Bro’s. It’s not necessarily as broadly appealing
as O Brother, nor is it as batshit wonderfully insane as Lebowski.
Neither as darkly comedic as Fargo, or refined as No Country. Instead,
Hudsucker is an expression of the Coen aesthetic that exists somewhere
nearer the middle, though it’s quality is still high, and their
trademarks still present.

Playing around in a near-Capra universe, unusually little of the Coen
cynicism creeps in. It is present, no doubt! This time around though,
it’s muted and a little more affectionate (kind of Lebowski-esque in
that sense).

Production design takes a front seat in this film, and the Coen’s work
it into their visual landscape wonderfully (see the giant clock face on
the outside of Newman’s window), with great support from the typically
brilliant Deakins.


HERE’S THE LINK TO NOMINATE MORE TITLES.