The Criterion Collection
Essays
Feb 8, 1988 — Sidney Lumet’s courtroom drama explores the process of law in human hands, where prejudice, fear, weakness, and even weather can divert the carriage of justice.
Essays
Nov 22, 2011 — 12 Angry Men (1957), the first feature film directed by the legendary Sidney Lumet, is a Hollywood classic that, ironically, helped to define an era of filmmaking grounded in the gritty realism and frenetic energy of urban New York. A...
The actor and writer selects two Bette Davis favorites, praises the divine insight of Defending Your Life, and shares what makes 12 Angry Men such an enduring classic.
The actor talks about My Darling Clementine and his newfound love of westerns, praises the timeless exploration of morality in 12 Angry Men, and looks back on auditioning for No Country for Old Men.
The host of the hit interview show Chicken Shop Date talks about Portrait of a Lady on Fire and being drawn to films with undeniable chemistry, praises 12 Angry Men as one of the greatest films of all time, and...
Apr 26, 2010 — In the late 1940s, driven by the opening-night ovations for A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams embarked on more than a decade of immense success. During this period, he wrote at a furious pace: Summer and Smoke, The Rose Tattoo,...
On the Channel
Aug 13, 2024 — This month brings riveting courtroom dramas, New American Cinema classics, giallo shockers, pre-Code gems by women screenwriters, and a new episode of Adventures in Moviegoing.
On the Channel
May 22, 2023 — Get in character for a journey through the history of Method acting, a movement that transformed the art of screen performance forever.
On the Channel
May 26, 2021 — Channel Calendars Next month, the Criterion Channel celebrates Pride Month with a host of extraordinary queer-themed films, including a new installment of our Queersighted series focusing on taboo-breaking artists, a trio of outré underground classics from John Waters, and a restrospective...
Essays
Feb 24, 2026 — Centered on the emotional unraveling of a failed newsman, this darkly prescient satire envisions the collapse of American society as we knew it through an unsparing critique of corporate media and capital accumulation.