The Criterion Collection Announces Its April Of 2018 DVD And Blu-ray Product Release Slate

The Criterion Collection has four new Blu-ray and DVD film restorations lined up for the month of April.   Normally, that’s the major point of interest — these types of Blu-ray and DVD product selections — but for fans of three-time Oscar winner Ingrid Bergman, the really BIG news from Criterion during the month of April is what arrives on DVD on the tenth of the month!

The 45^th installment in the company’s popular Eclipse Series is titled Ingrid Bergman’s Swedish Years, and it features six of her films from 1935 to 1940.

Up first is director Edvin Adolphson’s 1935 film adaptation of the stage play by Sigfried and Arthur Fischer’s The Count of Old Town.   This was Bergman’s first speaking role.  

Also from 1935 is writer/director Gustaf Edgren’s Walpurgis Night, featuring Ingrid Bergman as the secretary to an unhappily married man (played by noted stage actor, Lars Hanson).   

The following year, 1936 (released theatrically in the United States in December of 1937), Bergman starred in writer/director Gustaf Molander’s Intermezzo (not to be confused with the 1939 David O. Selznick production). 

In 1938 Molander and Bergman would team again for his film adaptation of the Hjalmar Bergman’s 1926 stage play titled Dollar and his adaptation of François de Croisset’s 1933 stage play, A Woman’s Face (this film would be released theatrically in the U.S. during the week following Germany’s invasion of Poland in September of 1939, which proceeded Selznick’s Intermezzo: A Love Story theatrical release by one month).  

   

The last film in this stunning collection of Ingrid Bergman’s early screen performances is director Per Lindberg’s 1940 film release of June Night, which was completed prior to Bergman moving to the United States.

All six films in the collection are presented in Swedish with English subtitles.

As to the balance of the April release calendar from The Criterion Collection, Apr. 17 marks the Blu-ray and DVD release date for a new 4K restoration of the Oscar-winner for Best Director of 1937, Leo McCarey’s screwball comedy, The Awful Truth (also nominated Best Picture, Irene Dunne for Best Actress, Best Writing, Film Editing and a Best Support Actor nomination for Ralph Bellamy), starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. 

Bonus goodies include a newly prepared video session with critic Gary Giddens, who focuses on the film career of filmmaker Leo McCarey, a vintage session (circa 1978) with Irene Dunne and the 1939 Lux Radio Theatre presentation of The Awful Truth teaming Grant with Claudette Colbert.

Also streeting on Apr. 17 is writer/director Sergei Parajanov’s 1969 dreamlike biopic on the life of Armenian poet Sayat Nova, The Color of Pomegranates.   DVD and Blu-ray editions will be available (a 4K restoration).

Bonus features include commentary by film critic Tony Rayns, a video session with film scholar James Steffen and two documentaries on the film — director Patrick Cazals’ 2003 film, Sergei Parajanov: The Rebel, and the 1977 documentary titled The Life of Sayat-Nova.

Closing the month on Apr. 24 are two arthouse entries, director Sofia Coppola’s 1999 film release of The Virgin Suicides (Blu-ray and double-disc DVD) and filmmaker Jim Jarmusch’s 1995 film, Dead Man (Blu-ray and DVD buying options).