Criterion Collected

The commentary track on Criterion's 1991 laserdisc for Dr. No so angered producer Albert Broccoli that he had it recalled from sale and reissued, without the offending track. The same went for the commentaries on From Russia With Love and Goldfinger that were released in the months following Dr. No.

• Word has it that what set Cubby Broccoli off was a passing reference to Ian Fleming having been an alcoholic.

• You'll hear in this one about how Sean Connery met a foreign dignitary wearing absolutely nothing from the waist down, as detailed in Criterion Collected #4.

• The 007 Dossier first liberated these tracks from out-of-print obscurity back in 2011.

• The HMSS Weblog goes into great detail and context, though it spoils some of the best bits in all three tracks, like the word that is broadly considered a slur director Guy Hamilton used to describe Pussy Galore.

A look at Criterion Designs, Criterion's first standalone "book" project, which looks at the evolution of their art and design choices and sensibilities over the last 30 years.

Don't assume you'll buy it and it'll just sit on a shelf, like an unwrapped DVD or Blu-ray.

• If you order from Amazon or B&N and use these links, it supports the show. All things being equal, we'd prefer you support any local bookshop that carries beautiful things like this book by buying from them.

• Make sure to subscribe to the Criterion Collected feed (or the Electric Shadow, Electric Shadow Channel, or Master Feed) to make sure you don't miss a holiday gift....something(s). They might be digital items thought lost to time that are more than merely worth having. There's absolutely No telling how long it'll be there, like Russia leaving Gold laying around on the street.

Want to taste-test Criterion movies via streaming, or love their taste and can't afford to buy every disc? Are you likewise not interested in spending a ton renting everything on iTunes? Hulu Plus and Fandor (as of a couple weeks ago) are both great options at under $8 a month.

• Hulu Plus features a Criterion channel that includes almost the entire filmographies of many directors, including Chaplin, Kurosawa, Ozu, Bergman, and many more. (available on the same array of devices as Netflix, at this point)

• The Hulu Plus Criterion channel routinely adds movies before they hit disc (if some ever do), and more than just "black and white art movies". Weird Japanese genre stuff from the 70's, animated classic Watership Down, David Lynch and Guillermo del Toro mindbenders, they have all kinds of stuff. You can actually lose an afternoon flipping around (I know I have).

• Fandor struck a deal recently to carry a limited selection of Hulu's Criterion movies in a rotating, featured section. (Roku, iPad/AirPlay, website)

• If you're into off-the-beaten path streaming channel options, Warner Archive Instant is worth a look too, even though they have nothing to do with Criterion. They have similar app/availability options as Fandor (Roku, iPad/AirPlay)

• Are you an American traveling abroad and want access to the services you use? Try TunnelBear. Industry friends who find themselves abroad regularly swear by it.

• Not mentioned on the episode itself, but Criterion's "Current" feed is a great repository of video, video essays, and "special features" that are all completely free, and one of the unsung best things Criterion is doing now.

• Two new-to-ESN shows: Systematic and Overtired.

Our inaugural episode addresses the first question that generally comes out of people's mouths about Criterion: why Armageddon and The Rock? The short answer is that they belong there. Both more than fit the definition of "important" in a very specific way.

Support the show in its trial run by shopping Barnes & Noble's "50% off Criterion" Sale, running through 1 December 2014.

Moisés Chiullan introduces a new show that examines The Criterion Collection, stretching from the present all the way back to the beginning of Criterion in 1984.

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