The Criterion Collection expanded my cinematic knowledge immensely when I discovered it many years ago in college. In the time since, it has only continued to encourage my exploring of all that cinema has to offer. It also kickstarted my love for collecting a wide range of movies, to ensure that I always had something excellent to watch. If I saw that spine number, and a surely impressive cover that called out to me, I knew I was in good hands whether or not I had even heard of the movie. So moving forward, I’m very excited to be detailing the upcoming monthly releases from the Criterion Collection. Let’s dive into the releases arriving in July 2024.
Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid – 7/2/2024
Legendary filmmaker Sam Peckinpah enters the Criterion Collection with this 1973 Western. A beloved film that has stood the test of time, what’s most important about this release is the options given to the viewer. A cut that has long been thought lost can be found on the disc, providing fans of old and newcomers alike with three different ways to view the film.
Le Samouraï – 7/9/2024
A fun fact about this film. This is the first Criterion I ever bought. It’s what introduced me to the brand, it’s what introduced me to Jean-Pierre Melville. It’s very likely one of the first French films I ever saw. I have a deeply special place for this film in my heart, and a 4K upgrade for it is just wildly exciting. This will be an instant upgrade for my shelf, and I look forward to seeing one of the coolest movies ever made in the most beautiful quality imaginable.
Black God, White Devil – 7/16/2024
Another Western film is being added to the collection in the form of this seminal 1964 film. With the exception of two films part of Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project boxsets, this entry serves as the first Brazilian-produced film with an official release of its own. Directed by Glauber Rocha, “a pioneer of Brazil’s socially committed Cinema Novo movement”, this film is bound to be rediscovered and discussed by a new generation of filmmakers and audiences alike.
Perfect Days – 7/16/2024
One of the best movies of 2023 is coming home with this beautiful 4K disc. My original review of the film can be found right here, but as I said, this is a film from last year that can be matched by very few. With an essay from the always great Bilge Ebiri, a short film from director Wim Wenders (who I interviewed right here), and interviews aplenty, this is a release I am going to be very thankful to have. The release day for this film will be a perfect day indeed.
Risky Business – 7/23/2024
Tom Cruise’s first film in the Criterion Collection has officially been announced. The 4K disc is going to be presented in Dolby Vision HDR. To be honest, there’s nothing that sounds better than seeing Cruise’s arguably breakout film in all the beauty and glory one could imagine. There’s a ton of extras loaded into this release, which will likely turn this release into the definitive home release of the classic film.
Farewell My Concubine – 7/23/2024
This film was the first Chinese film to ever win the Palme d’Or. And quite frankly, it looks absolutely gorgeous. An epic in every regard, this film quiet literally made history with its win at the Cannes Film Festival, and deserves to be seen in the best possible format. This is most certainly going to be added to my shelf in the very near future.
For complete information on the Criterion Collection releases for July 2024, you can head to the individual release pages linked via each title above. Be sure to let us know what title you’re most excited to pick up this month!