Why So Blu?

Del Toro’s Pinocchio 4K, The Red Balloon & More Coming to The Criterion Collection December 2023

Coming this December: The Red Balloon and Other Stories, a collection of wide-eyed fantasies for the whole family, directed by Albert Lamorisse; and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, the classic fable reinvented through boundary-pushing stop-motion animation. Plus: Blast of Silence, Allen Baron’s blackhearted noir set in Manhattan at Christmastime—now on Blu-ray.

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BLAST OF SILENCE

Swift, brutal, and blackhearted, Allen Baron’s New York City noir Blast of Silence is a sensational surprise. This low-budget, carefully crafted portrait of a hit man on assignment in Manhattan during Christmastime follows its stripped-down narrative with mechanical precision, yet also with an eye and ear for the oddball details of urban living and the imposing beauty of the city. At once visually ragged and artfully composed and featuring rough, poetic narration performed by Lionel Stander and written by Waldo Salt (both uncredited), Blast of Silence is a stylish triumph.

1961 • 77 minutes • Black & White • Monaural • 1.85:1 and 1.33:1 aspect ratios

 

DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New 4K digital restoration presented in two aspect ratios, 1.85:1 (widescreen) and 1.33:1 (full-screen), with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• Requiem for a Killer: The Making of “Blast of Silence”
• Rare on-set Polaroids
• Photos of locations from the film in 2008
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty and a graphic-novel adaptation of the film by acclaimed artist Sean Phillips (Criminal, Reckless, Fatale)

 

Available December 5, 2023

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THE RED BALLOON AND OTHER STORIES: FIVE FILMS BY ALBERT LAMORISSE

Everyday life becomes an adventure in the wide-eyed fables and fantasies of Albert Lamorisse. Balancing imaginative whimsy with documentary-like authenticity, his beloved short films Bim, the Little Donkey; White Mane; and the Academy Award–winning The Red Balloon find unforgettable emotional, spiritual, and moral resonance in the realms of children and animals, while his captivating but now rarely seen features Stowaway in the Sky and Circus Angel exult in the glories of two of his greatest loves: nature and flight. With their astonishing cinematography and purity of spirit, these five enchanting works invite viewers of all ages to experience the wonder, mystery, and poignancy of the world anew.

SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New 4K digital restorations of The Red Balloonand White Mane and new 2K digital restorations of Bim, the Little Donkey; Stowaway in the Sky; and Circus Angel, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-rays
• U.S. English-language version of Bim, the Little Donkey
• New interview with actor Pascal Lamorisse, director Albert Lamorisse’s son
• My Father Was a Red Balloon, a 2008 documentary featuring Pascal Lamorisse and his daughter Lysa
• French television interviews with Albert Lamorisse from 1957 and 1959
• English narrations for White Mane, by Peter Strauss, and Stowaway in the Sky,by Jack Lemmon
• English-dubbed track for Circus Angel
• New English subtitle translation and English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by critic David Cairns

THE RED BALLOON

Rarely has the spirit of childhood been evoked as exquisitely as in this Academy Award–winning cinematic fable, a fantasy with the texture of reality. On the streets of 1950s Paris, a young boy (played by director Albert Lamorisse’s son, Pascal) is launched on a miraculous adventure when he’s playfully pursued by a shiny red balloon that seems to have a mind of its own—until the harsh realities of the world interfere, setting the stage for a deeply moving finale. Shot in beautifully muted Technicolor, this beguiling allegory of innocence and transcendence has inspired generations of viewers to let their imaginations take flight.

1956 • 34 minutes • Color • Monaural • In French with English subtitles • 1.37:1 aspect ratio

BIM, THE LITTLE DONKEY

Featuring narration by celebrated poetic-realist writer Jacques Prévert, Albert Lamorisse’s first fiction film established his stylistic and thematic signatures: elegant simplicity, storybook-like voice-over, and empathetic concern for children and animals. Filmed on the Tunisian island of Djerba, this spirited adventure follows two boys—one poor and good-hearted, the other wealthy and spoiled—who go from rivals to friends as they set out to save a donkey from thieves. From the start, Lamorisse’s gift for bringing forth the inner lives of his nonhuman characters suffuses his art with an otherworldly magic.

1951 • 54 minutes • Black & White • Monaural • In French with English subtitles • 1.37:1 aspect ratio

WHITE MANE

Possessed of the timeless perfection of a fable, this tale about the unique bond between children and animals is Albert Lamorisse’s ode to the awe-inspiring majesty of nature. Amid the vast flatlands of the Camargue in the South of France lives White Mane, a magnificent wild stallion who refuses to be broken by men and instead forms a connection with a young boy, with whom he embarks on a daring quest for freedom. Fully capturing the rugged beauty of its marsh setting, this extraordinarily photographed treasure of children’s cinema—which won the Grand Prix for Best Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival—speaks to the hearts of all creatures yearning to live untamed.

1953 • 39 minutes • Black & White • Monaural • In French with English subtitles • 1.37:1 aspect ratio

STOWAWAY IN THE SKY

Following the international triumph of The Red Balloon, Albert Lamorisse turned to feature filmmaking with another delightful tale of a boy and a balloon. Making spectacular use of Helivision—an innovative aerial photography technique he developed—Lamorisse takes us on the breathtaking odyssey of a young boy (played by his son, Pascal) who sneaks aboard his inventor grandfather’s experimental new hot-air balloon for a voyage across France. Soaring above cathedrals and castles, the Mediterranean and the Alps, Stowaway in the Skycelebrates the natural world and ponders, with surprising existential insight, the place of human beings within it.

1960 • 83 minutes • Color • Monaural • In French with English subtitles • 2.35:1 aspect ratio

CIRCUS ANGEL

Albert Lamorisse’s second and final foray into narrative feature filmmaking is a whimsical visual enchantment and an elegant and eccentric comedy. In it, a daring young thief (Philippe Avron)—having been affixed with a pair of wings in order to become a flying circus attraction—finds himself mistaken for an angel, spreading both mischief and goodwill as he travels across the countryside. Lamorisse’s love of flight and his gentle humanism shine through in this work of impish charm and exuberant inspiration.

1965 • 77 minutes • Black & White • Monaural • In French with English subtitles • 1.37:1 aspect ratio

Available December 12, 2023

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GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO

A classic tale is reborn through the inspired imagination of cinematic dream-weaver Guillermo del Toro, directing alongside Mark Gustafson. Realized through boundary-pushing, breathtakingly intricate stop-motion animation, this dark rendering of the fable of the puppet boy and his maker—which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature—daringly transfers the story to Fascist Italy, where the irrepressible Pinocchio gradually learns what it means to be human through his experiences of war, death, and sacrifice. Featuring the voices of Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, and Christoph Waltz, this Pinocchio imbues the oft-told tale with a bold new resonance about living with courage and compassion.

2022 • 117 minutes • Color • Dolby Atmos• 1.85:1 aspect ratio

 

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• 4K digital master, supervised by directors Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, with Dolby Atmos on the 4K UHD disc and the Blu-ray
• In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• Handcarved Cinema, a new documentary featuring del Toro, Gustafson, and cast and crew, including the film’s puppet creators, production designers, and animation supervisor
• Directing Stop-Motion, a new program featuring del Toro and Gustafson
• New conversation between del Toro and film critic Farran Smith Nehme
• New interview with curator Ron Magliozzi on The Museum of Modern Art’s 2022 exhibition devoted to the film
• New program on the eight rules of animation that informed the film’s production
• Panel discussion featuring del Toro, Gustafson, production designer Guy Davis, composer Alexandre Desplat, and sound designer Scott Martin Gershin, moderated by filmmaker James Cameron
• Conversation among del Toro, Gustafson, and author Neil Gaiman
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing and English descriptive audio
• PLUS: Essays by film critic Matt Zoller Seitz and author Cornelia Funke

Available December 12, 2023