‘Triangle of Sadness’ and ‘Small Axe’ highlight April 2023 additions to the Criterion Collection

First up this month of April inclusions to the Criterion Collection is the most recent entry in the entire collection, Ruben Östlund’s darkly funny social satire Triangle of Sadness. Centered around a killer ensemble, the Swedish director’s first English language project explores the deep corruption and hypocrisy found within the powerful elites that run the world, and the damning consequences their actions have on society as a whole. The film was a critical hit, winning the 2023 Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and went on two be nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Screenplay for Östlund, as well as Best Picture of the year.

Next up, we take a look back to 202 during the height of the pandemic, when one of the most celebrated pieces of entertainment came from the mind of Oscar winner Steve McQueen; his anthology series, Small Axe. The historic, socially relevant series of five films (Mangrove, Lovers Rock, Red, White and Blue, Alex Wheatle & Education) is the crown jewel of releases from the latest batch of additions for the Criterion Collection. In the three-disc box set, McQueen takes us on five individual stories that explicitly, poetically explore the real-life experiences of London’s West Indian community between years of 1969 to 1982. The special features included multiple deeply layered conversations with McQueen and other artists who worked on the project, as well as a three-part documentary McQueen made about the tragic 1981 New Cross house fire that happened in the south-eastern part of London. But at the core of this latest addition lies the film’s release by Amazon Studios that were not only hauled by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards as the Best Film of 2020 and a winner of a Peabody Award, but they were a piece of cinematic history that moved us and got us to reflect on the past and examine our current world and what we need to do make significant changes.

Alongside these two additions lies two more 4K Blu-ray restorations from previous released films in the collection, The Seventh Seal and The Fisher King. The Seventh Seal is considered one of the greatest films of all time, and certainly one of director Ingmar Bergman finest pieces of work. The film centers around a knight (the exquisite Max von Sydow) returning to after the Crusades who seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the death himself. Meanwhile, The Fisher King centers around a former radio DJ (Jeff Bridges) who helps a homeless man (Robin Williams) get back on his feet after he is subject to a mistake made by the other. Nominated for 5 Academy Awards including a win for Best Supporting Actress for Mercedes Ruehl, The Fisher King is one of Terry Gilliam’s most celebrated films, and both are fantastic upgrades for any 4K Blu-ray collector to own.

SMALL AXE Director-Approved Special Edition Features:

• New high-definition masters of all five films, approved by director Steve McQueen, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks

• New conversation between McQueen and writer and professor Paul Gilroy

• Behind-the-scenes featurettes including interviews with McQueen, executive producer Tracey Scoffield, writing consultant Alex Wheatle, and members of the Small Axe cast

• Uprising (2021), a three-part documentary codirected by McQueen and James Rogan about the tragic 1981 New Cross house fire

• Audio conversation among McQueen, music producer Dennis Bovell, and Beastie Boys member Mike D

• Trailers

• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

• PLUS: An essay by film programmer and critic Ashley Clark

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS Director-Approved Special Edition Features:

• New 4K digital master, approved by director Ruben Östlund, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack

• In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features

• New interview with Östlund and filmmaker and actor Johan Jonason

• Two new programs: one about the film’s special effects and one about a challenging day on set

• Trailer

• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

THE FISHER KING Director-Approver Special Edition Features:

• New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Terry Gilliam, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack

• One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features

• Audio commentary featuring Gilliam

• Interviews with Gilliam, producer Lynda Obst, screenwriter Richard LaGravenese, and actors Jeff Bridges, Amanda Plummer, and Mercedes Ruehl

• Interviews with artists Keith Greco and Vincent Jefferds on the creation of the film’s Red Knight

• Interview from 2006 with actor Robin Williams

• Video essay featuring Bridges’s on-set photographs

• Footage from 1991 of Bridges training as a radio personality with acting coach Stephen W. Bridgewater

• Deleted scenes, with audio commentary by Gilliam

• Costume tests

• Trailers

• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

• PLUS: An essay by critic Bilge Ebiri

THE SEVENTH SEAL Special Edition Features:

• 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack

• One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features

• Introduction from 2003 by director Ingmar Bergman

• Audio commentary and video afterword by Bergman expert Peter Cowie

• Bergman Island (2006), a feature-length documentary on Bergman by Marie Nyreröd

• Audio interview from 1998 with actor Max von Sydow

• Tribute to Bergman from 1989 by filmmaker Woody Allen

• Bergman 101, a selected video filmography tracing Bergman’s career, narrated by Cowie

• Trailer

• Optional English-dubbed soundtrack

• PLUS: An essay by critic Gary Giddins