Before you watch the 90th Academy Awards this Sunday, discover some of the greatest films ever made with the Criterion Collection.
The Criterion Collection describes itself as being ‘dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions of the highest technical quality, with supplemental features that enhance the appreciation of the art of film.’
The Library purchases all Criterion Collection DVDs and Blu-rays. We also offer a variety of Criterion Collection films for streaming through our subscription to Kanopy (available to current Columbia College students, faculty, and staff). So whether you need to study for your Film History class or just want to watch a great movie, be sure to check out our collection.
Five recent Criterion Collection purchases include:
Juzo Itami’s 1985 film in a 4K digital restoration. Bonus features include a 90 minute documentary on the making of Tampopo, Itami’s 1962 debut short film Rubber Band Pistol, and other features.
The second film from John Waters. Released in 1970, Multiple Maniacs stars Waters regulars Divine, Edith Massey, Mink Stole, and others. It’s a low-budget and low-brow masterpiece. Among the special features on this edition is a commentary by John Waters.
Hal Ashby’s 1979 film is a satire on American culture and stars Peter Sellers in an Oscar nominated performance. Special features include a brand new documentary on the making of Being There as well as outtakes, deleted scenes, and an alternate ending.
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film is described as an “art film for teenagers” and was his second film based on the work of novelist S.E. Hinton. He released The Outsiders earlier that same year. Coppola is influenced by German Expressionist directors in this stylized black and white film. Matt Dillon, Diane Lane and Mickey Rourke star and the soundtrack was written by Stewart Copeland of The Police.
Wim Wender’s 1999 film celebrates Cuba’s finest musicians and singers. American musician Ry Cooder assembled the talent to form the Buena Vista Social Club and took them on a tour of the United States and then the world. Wender captures the band in interviews and performances of jazz-tinged Latin musical styles.
I am curious why, suddenly, many films on Kanopy cannot be streamed. “Access is currently limited, as per your library’s request. For any titles that you are unable to access, please fill out the request form on that film’s page” when only a week ago these films were eligible for viewing.
Our apologies for the inconvenience. We license individual films in Kanopy through an on-demand model, so when a film is used we pay a fee for it. We budget a certain amount of money for this purpose each year. Kanopy has been so popular this year that we have maxed out the funds allotted to this purpose for this fiscal year. Now, access to the Kanopy streaming video database is currently limited to films for which we have already paid the license costs. Other films are still listed in Kanopy, but instead of being able to watch them, interested users are directed to complete a form – we receive a copy of the completed forms which we can consult when making future film purchasing decisions. If a film you need is currently not available in Kanopy we may have a copy available for check out on DVD or Bluray in the library. Please check the library catalog…https://vufind.carli.illinois.edu/vf-col/.
Good news! Full access to Kanopy has been restored through the end of this semester. Access may be limited during the summer months. Please feel free to reach out to a librarian if you have questions… https://library.colum.edu/help/index.html.