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Criterion Closet

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The Criterion Closet is a film closet owned and stocked by The Criterion Collection, a home video distribution company based in New York City with a specific emphasis on licensing, restoring, and distributing "important classic and contemporary films."[1][2] Located in their office, the film closet contains every title distributed by Criterion, totaling over 1,700 films.[3] According to The New York Times, it was formerly a "disused bathroom" before being re-tooled to a film closet.[2]

In 2010, director Guillermo del Toro visited the Criterion office, during which he was filmed making his selections from the Criterion Closet; there, he made picks such as The Red Shoes by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Crumb by Terry Zwigoff, and Paths of Glory by Stanley Kubrick. Since then, Criterion has filmed over two hundred individuals visiting and making their own selections from the Criterion Closet in a video series called Closet Picks; past visitors have included Bill Hader, Martin Scorsese, Park Chan-wook, Cate Blanchett, Bong Joon-ho, Ayo Edebiri, and many others.[4]

In 2024, for the company's 40th anniversary, Criterion built a replica of the Criterion Closet inside of a van. The van's debut at the New York Film Festival during weekends in September and October was highly attended, with some visitors waiting as long as 10 hours in line to get inside of the van and purchase Criterion titles. Additionally for its 40th anniversary, Criterion released Criterion Collection 40, a box set of the most-selected films from the Closet Picks series.[5]

Mobile closet

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The Criterion Mobile Closet on the road

In 2024, the year of the company's 40th anniversary, Criterion announced that they had built a replica of their film closet in an 18-foot van that would then be taken on a road trip all throughout the United States.[6] Regarding the van's construction, Criterion President Peter Becker stated: "We had a big learning curve. From choosing a truck to designing the experience, [we made sure that it] wouldn't just be fun for the few minutes you're inside the truck but fun for the people outside, too." In addition to its replica closet, the van also has a screen constantly streaming Closet Picks videos.[7]

During the van's road trip, guests could step inside, take merchandise like a tote bag and "printed pocket guide," and make Closet Picks of their own. Reservations were not needed; each guest was allowed a maximum of three minutes inside. The van's selection included "every in-print edition from the Criterion Collection, including box sets, as well as all in-print releases from our Eclipse and Janus Contemporaries lines," and all titles were on sale for a 40% discount; guests could buy a maximum of three. Upon the conclusion of their visit, guests had a photograph taken of them with their Closet Pick.[8]

The road trip began at the Lincoln Center in Manhattan during the 62nd installment of the New York Film Festival from September 28–29 and October 5–6.[1][9][10] The van's New York City stop was densely packed according to Esquire: "Even though the weather was unforgiving, a staggeringly long line wrapped around the block, where fans had been waiting since 7:00 a.m. for a three-minute-long window to shop the movie lover's paradise."[7] Annie Aguiar, writing for The New York Times, also reported waiting three hours and spoke with visitors who waited upwards of 10 hours in line, amid rainy weather, to make a Closet Pick; according to Aguiar, approximately 900 visitors came to the van during its two weekends in New York City.[5][11] Some visitors camped out with folding chairs, as well as books and games, to mitigate their waiting times; The Cut, in their coverage of the New York Film Festival, captured a photo series of those in line.[12][13] Afterward, the van embarked on a nationwide tour.[14]

Criterion Collection 40

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Also in celebration of Criterion's 40th anniversary, the Criterion Collection 40 box set (abbreviated to CC40) was announced in the summer of 2024 which consists of 40 "of the films most frequently selected from the closet" and includes "all of the special features from their stand-alone editions" as well as a series of essays.[15] It was released on November 19 for $799.95.[16][17]

Titles[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Criterion Closet Is Hitting the Road". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  2. ^ a b Hunt, Joshu (February 29, 2024). "Sure, It Won an Oscar. But Is It Criterion?". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Benzine, Vittoria (2024-09-17). "The Criterion Collection Is Taking Its Beloved Video Closet on the Road". Artnet News. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  4. ^ Ang, Raymond (2024-09-27). "How the Criterion Closet Became Internet Famous". GQ. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  5. ^ a b Aguiar, Annie (October 8, 2024). "Waiting Hours for 3 Minutes in the Criterion Closet (Well, Van)". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "Criterion's "Closet Picks" Offers a Cinematic Experience on the Road | Art & Object". www.artandobject.com. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  7. ^ a b "I Sure Hope the (Mobile) Criterion Closet Is Coming to Your City". Esquire. 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  8. ^ "What to Expect at the Criterion Mobile Closet". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  9. ^ "The Criterion Mobile Closet is sticking around New York a bit longer". AV Club. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  10. ^ Pearis, Bill. "The Criterion Collection's "Criterion Closet" is going on tour (first stop: NY Film Festival)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  11. ^ Hudson, David. "The Criterion Mobile Closet Rolls On". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  12. ^ "10 hours in line for the Criterion Closet was worth every excruciating second". AV Club. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  13. ^ Zhang, Cat; LaMantia, Brooke; Cohen, Danielle (2024-10-11). "Dispatches From the Very Long Lines at New York Film Festival". The Cut. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  14. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (2024-09-12). "The Criterion Closet Is Going on a Nationwide Road Trip to Celebrate 40 Years". IndieWire. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  15. ^ Becker, Peter. "The Criterion Closet 40". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  16. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (2024-08-08). "The Criterion Collection Celebrates 40 Years with Epic Box Set That Is the Ultimate Film School — Watch Teaser". IndieWire. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  17. ^ Pearce, Leonard (2024-08-08). "The Criterion Collection Unveils Massive 40-Film Box Set for 40th Anniversary". Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  18. ^ "CC40". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2025-01-05.
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