The Criterion Collection
May 9, 1994 — The importance of Two English Girls lies in its sheer vitality. The film is an extraordinary cinematic conjuring trick in which Truffaut draws the viewer both physically and visually into his own personal pleasures. He does this on a multitude...
Dec 9, 1991 — This rarely seen, overlooked gem, featuring what may be one of Marlon Brando’s most fascinating characterizations, was Gillo Pontecorvo’s worthy follow-up to his political masterpiece The Battle of Algiers. The brilliant radical Italian director achieved something unique in cinema, by...
Essays
May 20, 1991 — In 1941, director Frank Capra was at the peak of his profession with a string of critical and popular successes behind him—next would come his adaptation of a farcical and macabre stage play.
The actor talks about the pleasure of discovering classics like Black Girl and Purple Noon, shares his deep affection for Claudine, and finds a well of inspiration in the films of Wong Kar Wai.
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 musician, producer, and composer praises the sonic world of Brian De Palma’s movies, shares why he thinks The Color of Pomegranates is the most beautiful film ever made, and discusses what The Game taught him about the interplay between...
Two unflinching reports from working-class America; a Brooklyn-set Dostoevskian family tragedy and gangster drama; an existential crime thriller from a French-cinema legend; a prescient commentary on self-help culture; and five documentaries that wage war against the conformism of modern Japanese...
The actor and producer shares what he’s learned from close collaborators like Steven Soderbergh and Gus Van Sant, talks about the impact of You Can Count on Me, and recalls a favorite moment from Double Indemnity.