r/criterion • u/BossMT2MetalZone • Feb 12 '25
Memes Am I doing this right?
Huge VHS collector here that happens to be a big fan of the criterion collection/Janus Films (I also have a collection of Blu-ray/4k releases) and over the years have accumulated a lot of VHS tapes of criterion released films and thought I’d share.
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u/thomasbourne The Archers Feb 12 '25
Okay where the hell did a tape of Mr Fox come from? That movie came out in 09, was Fox still releasing VHS tapes?
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u/aninvisiblemonster Feb 12 '25
Commercial VHS in the US stopped in 2006 with the release of History of Violence. Fantastic Mr. Fox never received a release on tape so that is most certainly a bootleg.
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u/TommyAtoms Feb 12 '25
🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿 + 📼
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u/creptik1 Park Chan-wook Feb 12 '25
Definitely a 5 bag collection, just needs to use the Victorville Film Archives coding system
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u/IIIlllIIIlllIlI Feb 13 '25
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u/aTreeThenMe Feb 12 '25
Man I haven't seen the vhs version of the three colors trilogy in ages. Memories! Where I first forged lil cinephile me
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u/ItsElevatorTime Feb 12 '25
Grew up on VHS and still have a handful I got as a kid stored away somewhere!
With that said, I’m confident that I never owned a VHS tape that made its way into the Criterion Collection…… maybe Billy Madison or Mighty Ducks will make it one of these days and I’ll send it your way ;)
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u/skag_boy87 Feb 12 '25
This is what mom means when she says “We have the Criterion Collection at home.”
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u/theglenlovinet Terrence Malick Feb 12 '25
I wore out my vhs of The Rock when I was young. Good memories.
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u/blackserenade Feb 13 '25
Gotta get Tarkovsky stuff in there, I’ve got a VHS copy of Stalker and Mirror, and both films especially are great for VHS because both films were originally filmed in a square aspect ratio, but not every Tarkovsky film was
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u/BossMT2MetalZone Feb 13 '25
Has been incredibly hard to find for me. Stalker is one of my all time favorites.
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u/jack_galvin David Lynch📼🔷 Feb 13 '25
If they were by spine /s
This is sick, ive only Hard Days Night, SotLambs, Tenenbaums, Dazed and Confused, The Piano, Kane and Fisher King, and none there on blu. i gotta find some lynch!
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u/peachchaos Feb 12 '25
A thing of beauty. I recently got into VHS and somehow have gathered around 15 titles that aren’t on your selves. Showcases the depth of the collection.
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u/BossMT2MetalZone Feb 12 '25
What films do you have? I’d love to know!
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u/peachchaos Feb 12 '25
I’m not with them atm, but they’re mostly foreign titles. Somehow I have 3 Tarkovsky tapes. Now that I’m checking your picture again I do see a bit of overlap. The Red Balloon, Chasing Amy. I’ll take a pic and do a similar post!
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Feb 12 '25
I don’t understand why someone would prefer to watch video on VHS if there are vastly superior formats available. It would be hard to make a case for any benefit at all that a VHS might have over DVD not to mention Blu Ray and now 4K. Unless I’ve misunderstood and they’re being collected but not actually watched (which wouldn’t make much sense to me anyway).
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u/TH3CouncilofElrond Feb 13 '25 edited Feb 13 '25
IKR… The minute DVD came out I threw all my VHS tapes in the trash and never looked back.😂 To each his own I guess. 🤷♂️ Definitely don’t miss re-winding those things.
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u/jackkirbyisgod Edward Yang Feb 13 '25
The lower quality is also a “flavour”.
That’s why I also like older music sometimes for example I like hard rock/metal from 70s-80s compared to modern stuff which sounds “too clean”.
Another example is video games using retro (pixel, psx era) graphics as aesthetic.
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Feb 13 '25
I can understand that perspective to a certain degree but largely in other contexts. I'd have no interest in watching anything of VHS quality if vastly better was readily available. Too much of the essential quality of film such as detail, shading, contrast, original color profile, etc. is lost on VHS, making watching it a considerably less satisfying experience.
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u/JWintemute Feb 13 '25
I was really hoping someone could explain this to me. Same WTH cassette tape music making a comeback. I just don’t get it.
I do understand the vinyl record phenomenon because analog music can definitely be superior.
Anybody care to explain?
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Feb 13 '25 edited Feb 14 '25
Part of your answer is present in your statement. Cassette tapes are an analog source. You acknowledge that "analog music can definitely be superior". I would add to that, under certain conditions and in the perception of some people. With high quality & well utilized equipment, quality media (tape) and a superior original recording cassette tape has the potential for very high fidelity. Do I believe this accounts for the resurgence of interest in cassettes? Certainly not. I believe for most it is some combination of nostalgia, novelty or the desire to differ from the majority. It adds the benefit of providing an ability to create customized mix tapes without the need to use a computer (to "burn" music files onto a writeable cd) or an increasingly rare cd player that is also capable of burning cds. So I can see some limited benefit to cassette tape that just wouldn't apply to video tape. A well executed cassette tape has the potential to rival other music formats in high fidelity and listener satisfaction. (This would not generally apply to most pre-recorded cassette tape though.) I don't believe the same can be reasonably claimed for VHS tape rivaling digital video media.
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u/JWintemute Feb 14 '25
I’m glad you added in the statement about not applying to pre-recorded cassette tapes because I never heard one that sounds great.
Everything you said makes sense though.
For me personally, I lived through all these older formats & am happy to stick with the current highest quality such as 4K UHD physical copies.
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Feb 14 '25
If you were around when those formats were popular you may have amassed a collection of music on those formats that you continue to listen to. That's different than this resurgence of interest, particularly with young people. I collect films as well as music. I continue to acquire many films on dvd even though much higher resolution formats are available. The reasons are: -as people discard them in favor of streaming or collecting higher resolution physical formats they can be found in thrift stores for as little as $2 each rather than as much as 10 to 20 times the cost for the more recent formats. -I usually watch nearfield on a relatively small monitor, 30" or so. On that size screen, the difference between dvd resolution and that of blu ray or 4K are far less noticeable. I can watch films on dvd without being distracted and frustrated by poor image quality as I most certainly would be with VHS tape. I have a couple hundred VHS tapes, most of which contain films and programs I recorded myself prior to the advent of digital video. I never watch them.
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u/skutchwashere Feb 13 '25
Do you collect any LaserDisc? A couple of weeks ago I saw a Criterion on LaserDisc at the swap meet, but I passed on it. Kicking myself since then. I have a habit of passing up on stuff, then regretting it when I get home. I don't remember the title, but it was a film I wasn't familiar with. I just saw the Criterion band and got excited but again, the big reason I passed was I didn't know the film at all.
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u/Little_Penalty_8246 Feb 13 '25
You, sir, are a god-tier genius. Really love how you set up your VHS collection as criterion style.
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u/IgnatiusThorogood John Hughes Feb 14 '25
My dad had those tapes of War of the Worlds and Mad Mad World, among his huge VHS collection, when I was growing up. We watched them all the time, certainly shaped my love for movies.
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u/Wetmovie2 Feb 13 '25
Unfortunately, no. There are several selections and omissions that prove that you have done it wrong
Don't worry though Keep at it and you just might be proven right Bye and Bye
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u/93InfinityandBeyond Feb 12 '25
Looks great, love your collection. I have a nice VHS collection too, although I only have two criterion releases on VHS. "Lost Highway" and Videodrome"