Let My Movies Go: Five Films That Need Wider Releases

For many reasons, some films are in peril of being lost to time. For instance, Luis Buñuel’s Viridiana was perceived as so blasphemous that Franco and his censors ordered that all copies be destroyed. On the Criterion Collection release, the film’s star- Silvia Pinal- says that two copies of it were buried, waiting to see the light of day only after better times had come. It took some 16 years before Viridiana gained traction. Here’s a list of five films that need a wider release and deserve to be more readily available to people.

Los Olvidados (1950)

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Speaking of Buñuel, one of his best films is virtually impossible to find. The best luck I’ve had finding Los Olvidados is with out of print VHS tapes that have very poor subtitling. Everything about the film screams “Buñuel”- it hums with the skewering of class structures, total institutions, and an eerie, experimental dream sequence that’s one of the best I’ve ever seen put to film. It deserves to be seen.

A Movie Geek’s Letter to Santa

‘Tis the season for letters to the North Pole. Why should little kids have all the fun? Here’s what one movie fan wants.

More Fake Criterion Covers

Here are some more “What if Criterion released…” fake covers that I’ve created.

Bride of Frankenstein is probably my favorite. Three of the  four Keaton films were intended as part of a fictional Keaton Box Set. Sleepaway Camp is obviously a lark (and I hope that someone, anyone gets it). The intention on the two Night of the Iguana versions would be to have the pink printed as a metallic pink with a spot gloss on the  iguana. The Spirit of the Beehive is already a Criterion release (with great artwork, I might add). Enjoy!