Check out this limited time offer! Usually these disks run in the forty dollar range, so being able to get them at 20 bucks is a fantastic opportunity! I have already indulged and may go back for more ….

Click here for more on the Criterion Collection.

You may be wondering why film fans are clamoring for such a special deal. Criterion DVDs and Blu Rays go beyond the standard issue disks not only in the quality of the digital transfer, but also in the meticulous detail that goes into developing the special features. Not only do the folks at Criterion get noted film scholars and filmmakers  to provide commentary and/or essays, but their producers have apparently scoured the world to get any existing information out there in the public domain pertaining to a particular title.

Take my Criterion Blu Ray version of “The Third Man;” Here are just a few of the listed Special Edition Features:

– Two audio commentaries (by Steven Soderbergh and Tony Gilroy) and one by film scholar Dana Polan

– Abridged recording of Graham Greene’s treatment, read by Richard Clarke

– A 2005 documentary on the making of the film

– Joseph Cotten (Holly Martins’) alternate opening voice-over narration for the U.S. version of the film

– Booklet featuring an essay by critic Luc Sante

…. and much much more!

As you can see, if you are a particular fan of a title that Criterion offers, owning one of these disks is like having a master class in that movie. I cannot recommend them enough.