Welcome to Criterion Improvisations

Welcome to my new project. I will be taking a look at a subject I haven't seen addressed before on the various Criterion blog sites: the soundtracks to the films in the Criterion Collection and the equally exciting Eclipse Series.

I can thank Criterion for introducing me to a whole new world of film I never knew about before I started collecting Criterion films way back in the laserdisc days. As a musician, these films are what I watch when I'm not composing, practicing, playing gigs or spending time with my family. They have been a guilty pleasure for a long time. This blog is a way for me to do something creative with all the film knowledge I've accrued over the years. This will be a learning experience for me as a writer who is dipping his feet in the film blogging world. Hopefully I can contribute something useful and unique.

I had thought of going through the Criterion Collection by spine number, which has been done before but instead, I am going to write about each film as I either acquire or re-watch them. I am currently working my way through the excellent Eclipse set The Warped World of Koreyoshi Kurahara. The music on these films is fabulous and inspiring for me to write about. I will tackle each of these films, one by one. After that, I will be re-watching The Orphic Trilogy, featuring the films of Jean Cocteau (himself a composer) featuring the music of les six composer Georges Auric. Heck, maybe we'll also look at Beauty and the Beast as well while we're at it. If this sounds like an interesting start to you, then you are in the right place.

But first, in fulfilment of a homework assignment for a Music Technology class at USM: Alexander Street Publishing: Is It Worth $5000? This will only be posted for a limited time so read it quick if you are interested.

After that, it's on to the soundtrack to Intimidation, the Japanese film noir from 1960 directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara.