The Criterion Collection Readies August Slate Of New Film Restorations Destined For DVD And Blu-ray Release

The Criterion Collection announced its August slate of new film restorations destined for release during the month as newly minted Blu-ray and DVD product offerings.

The late D.A. Pennebaker was THE documentary filmmaker of the second half of the 20^th Century.   He delivered “pure” documentary films such as Don’t Look Back, Monterey Pop, Little Richard: Keep on Rockin', Jimi Plays Monterey, The War Room … and more.   He didn’t rely on cut-and-paste and voice-over to spin the narrative; to tell the story … his work was raw, live, visceral.

On Aug. 17, a new 4K restoration — supervised by his widow and long-time collaborator, Chris Hegedus, and his son, Nate Pennebaker — of Pennebaker’s 1970 afternoon filming session with the cast of Stephen Sondheim’s new Broadway musical, Company (it would run for almost two years and 705 performances … and win the Tony Award for Best Musical).  

The Sunday after a major Broadway show opening was the traditional date for the recording of the “cast album.”   That was in the spring of 1970 … the resulting documentary, titled Original Cast Album: Company, was broadcast in October of that year and you would think that it would be no big deal, like a photographer at a wedding and the pictures that followed.  

However, Original Cast Album: Company was pure theatre; 53 minutes of genius … sure, the music is wonderful, even great, but it is the candid moments of trying to get it right, a recording for posterity; one for the ages, and the pressure of those moments that Pennebaker caught which makes the documentary so compelling.

Bonus features include a vintage commentary track featuring Pennebaker, who is joined by cast member Elaine Stritch (Joanne) and producer Harold Prince, plus there are newly prepared video sessions with orchestrator Jonathan Tunick, critic Frank Rich and author Ted Chapin (“Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies”) … and more.

Also on the August release calendar from Criterion are Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 1998 Toronto International Film Festival-winner for Best Script, After Life (Aug. 10); director Andrzej Wajda’s 1958 film adaptation of Jerzy Andrzejewski’s novel, Ashes and Diamonds (Blu-ray only on Aug. 24), and writer/director Cary Joji Fukunaga’s 2015 film adaptation of writer Uzodinma Iweala’s Beasts of No Nation (Aug. 31).