The Criterion Collection
Essays
Nov 15, 1999 — Great comedy cannot be confined within normally accepted boundaries of taste and sensitivity. The essence of the Pythons was that they were always ready to take on formidable, daunting subjects that others might find too dangerous to contemplate. The idea...
Essays
Dec 11, 1989 — Michelangelo Antonioni’s classic divided film history into that which came before and that which was possible after its epochal appearance.
Mar 7, 2019 — As one of the leading figures of the L.A. Rebellion, a loosely defined movement of filmmakers who were pioneering new forms of African-American on-screen representation in the 1960s and ’70s, Charles Burnett has long been heavily associated with Los Angeles....
The only female director of the French New Wave, Agnès Varda has been called both the movement’s mother and its grandmother.
The comedian, actor, and writer pairs two favorite films about tortured geniuses, All That Jazz and Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling; praises The Battle of Algiers as one of the best movies of all time; and talks about...
The director of Drive expresses his adoration of Andrei Tarkovsky, calls Quadrophenia the epitome of rock and roll, and remembers asking Elia Kazan for filmmaking advice.
Sep 29, 2026 — In this tale of four privileged bachelors who embark on a trip to the Indian countryside, Satyajit Ray balances a biting critique of masculine fragility with splendid visual grace.
On the Channel
Aug 19, 2026 — This month’s highlights include a retrospective dedicated to the always-provocative Abel Ferrara, the classic series Neon Genesis Evangelion, and a collection of high-energy tales of female rockers.
Jan 22, 2026 — This visually stunning masterpiece from Kazakh New Wave iconoclast Ardak Amirkulov is one of the few films that looks evil in the eye without flinching.