Knowra Criterion Collection Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection is an American home-video label that distributes restored editions of significant films from around the world, often with substantial supplemental material.
Film restoration : The repair and preservation of a film’s image and sound, often from original elements. Restoration is central to many Criterion editions, which present films in newly prepared versions.
Janus Films : An American film distribution company specializing in international and art-house cinema. Janus Films’ library and distribution expertise helped establish Criterion’s repertory foundations.
Film preservation : The work of safeguarding film materials and ensuring they remain accessible over time. Criterion’s restorations depend on the broader institutions and practices of film preservation.
Masters of Cinema : A British home-video label releasing art-house, classic, and international films in curated editions. It pursues a similar specialist mission in the United Kingdom with a distinct catalog and editorial identity.
Special edition : A home-video release containing added material such as commentary, essays, interviews, or alternate versions. Criterion editions are known for pairing films with extensive contextual supplements.
The Criterion Collection in the 1980s : The label’s early period, when it pioneered feature-rich LaserDisc editions of classic films. Its first decade established the supplements and presentation standards associated with the label.
Film canon : A body of films widely treated as especially significant within a culture or tradition. The label’s selections participate in ongoing debates about which films belong in the canon.
Kino Lorber : An American film distributor and home-video company releasing classic, independent, and international cinema. Its broader catalog offers a useful comparison with Criterion’s more tightly branded collection.
Home video : The distribution and viewing of films on consumer media and devices outside theatrical exhibition. Criterion’s work reaches audiences chiefly through physical media and digital home viewing.
Citizen Kane : A 1941 American drama directed by and starring Orson Welles, widely regarded as a landmark of cinema. Its 1984 LaserDisc edition became an early model for Criterion’s expansive supplements.
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