So this has been percolating for a couple of months, but wanted to hold off saying anything until Criterion made the announcement.
Criterion just announced their January 2016 releases and one of them is the classic twisted noir/movie-musical Gilda, the film that made Rita Hayworth not a star (because she already was that), but a SUPER-star.
Criterion asked me to write an essay on Gilda for the booklet that comes with the DVD/Blu-Ray. It was a really fun research project and it’s a favorite film of mine anyway, so the whole thing has been a blast.
The Criterion release date for Gilda is January 19, 2016.
And because it is as hot now as on the day it was first released in 1946, here’s Hayworth performing “Put the Blame on Mame” in Gilda. Unforgettable show-stopping dress by Jean Louis.
huge deal, wonderful news, congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!I hope I get to read it sometime soon.
Thanks!!
I’m pretty sure the essays eventually end up online on their site, after the release.
It was fun obsessing on this crazy movie for 4 weeks. I watched it every day. It made me feel like I was going insane. But super fun!!
ha ha wow, intense! I wouldn’t have been able to take my clothes off normally after the first week.
How much sexual torment and twisted homoeroticism can one human being take??
Uhm … a lot?
like 11 seasons so far
Ha! I knew it! Congrats on the gig, so looking forward to reading the essay and wow, Gilda!!! on Criterion.
Helena – hahaha I am sure it was very obvious that I was percolating away on SOMEthing Rita-related.
Hey – I didn’t realize that Criterion was region locked – or maybe I knew it, or maybe you told me – but I had missed the memo. That is a huge bummer and I wonder why such decisions are made – I am sure it’s financial, but still, it’s a bummer.
It is a bummer, but that’s the way of the world :-(
I do have a smattering of Criterions though – and play them on a dedicated external dvd drive for my laptop, nothing fancy.
haha, no, you weren’t being too obvious, but there was a perceptible level of excitement which reminded me of the run up to the Gena Rowlands piece for Criterion.
And happy birthday Rita Hayworth!
Oh well that’s good!
I get that tunnel vision – it’s almost impossible to focus on other things.
Phone call from me: “Hi Old Friend, how are you? Oh, I’m doing great. Let me talk to you in depth about Rita Hayworth’s mid-career lows and highs.” It’s like … but how are YOU doing, Sheila?
That IS how I’m doing. hahaha
Well, the world needs to know that, Sheila, so I’m with you there.
And, total coincidence: today is Rita Hayworth’s birthday.
Wow. Can’t wait….Glad I held off because I was getting all ready to order this elsewhere (based on what you’ve been saying about it lately). It will be hard, but I can wait!
NJ – yeah, hold off! Some good special features too – Scorsese and Baz Luhrmann both raving about the film – funny, Luhrmann says that he tried to make Nicole Kidman’s hair just like Gilda’s in Moulin Rouge – and he said he had even more of an appreciation for the hair-designer/hair-dresser on Gilda – he realized just how difficult it was to get hair to move like that.
This is awesome news!! And with this news, I fall more in love with the Criterion Collection…
For those people not in the region for the release-are you able to buy DVD players that can be coded to be region free? I’m a big fan of British TV-and have found two DVD players over the years that I was able to find codes to do this, so I could watch the PAL format. Takes a bit of investigating, but it works great. I almost want to say most DVD players are region free until they are assigned one-but I could be wrong about that.
I’m very excited for you, Sheila!
Maureen – Thank you, I’m ex cited too!
I need to do some investigating, you’re right – there are a couple of films not available at all in the states (we were just talking on FB about Monty Clift’s Freud – which is practically a lost film – but yes, available in Europe) – and I’d love to not have that restriction on me.