Jaime Hernandez
Artist Jaime Hernandez’s diabolically clever illustrations for our release of Divorce Italian Style (now available as a signed art print at the Criterion store) made for one of our most popular DVD covers. And this month, Hernandez has sent us his top ten favorite Criterion Collection titles. “I put these in alphabetical order,” he said, “so I wouldn’t drive myself mad trying to pick my most favorite.” Hernandez is the coauthor—along with his brothers Gilbert and Mario—of the seminal comic Love and Rockets. His most recent books, all available from Fantagraphics Books, include Ghost of Hoppers, The Education of Hopey Glass, and Locas: The Maggie and Hopey Stories.
1. Watching Bruno watch his dad sink into the pits of despair and live to tell about it is a journey to share.
2. I don’t know what to say about this one other than that it’s always belonged high on my list.
3. The low budget and the amateur quality only help to create the unnerving creepiness of it.
5. One of my favorite female characters in the movies. Only to be topped by . . .
6. Jean Peters as Candy is my favorite female character in any movie.
7. I just had to have Kurosawa in here, and this one won the coin toss.
8. Saw this right at the time as I was getting serious with my own work. Yes, serious.
The Thief of Bagdad
Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell and Tim Whelan
United Kingdom
1940
106 minutes
1.33:1
9. It makes me want to be a sailor, sailing out to sea.
10. How could I not have this one on here?