At Criterion Channel, programming a movable movie feast
Arthouses are closed. Film festivals are canceled. But double features, matinees and film series continue to run unabated in one vital, virtual corner of moviedom.
The Criterion Channel, the year-old streaming service, is a hotbed of cinephilia in the best of times. Right now, it’s about as close as you can get to actually going to the movies. Whereas other streamers supply expansive oceans of “content,” the Criterion Channel pools its movies into collections, double-bills and night-by-night selections. Algorithms aren’t welcome.
“Instead of isolating each other in our own preferences, we’re coming together around different themes and programs,” says Peter Becker, the energetic president of the Criterion Collection. “I think people can feel that there’s people behind this programming. This is a service that’s programmed by people, for people.”
The Criterion Channel, which launched last year in the wake of the shuttering of the Turner Classic MoviesCriterion Collection collaboration Filmstruck, is the streaming arm of the Criterion Collection, the highly regarded maker of robust Blu-rays of classic and international movies.
In its first year, the Criterion Channel has quickly accrued the kind of devoted fanbase that belonged to Filmstruck, the death of which spawned an outcry from Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and dozens of other filmmakers. Wes Anderson, in a recent piece of fan mail, called the Criterion Channel a “Louvre of movies.” Its many avid viewers include Barry Jenkins, Rian Johnson, Sofia Coppola, Josh and Benny Safdie — and most movie buffs that can afford $10.99 a month.
For quarantined moviegoers, the Criterion Channel is like a warm hearth to gather around while huddled inside. Becker says that in the weeks since lockdown orders began, watching has doubled on the service.
Like a cinema, Criterion Channel has its own weekly listings. Friday nights are for double features. Wednesday belongs to female filmmakers. Matinees of familyfriendly movies debut on Saturday. Shorts get showcased Tuesday. And of course, you can sift through and select at will.
But part of the pleasure of the Criterion Channel is not having to meander through a digital sea of choices. The bedrock of the Criterion Channel, like any repertory cinema, are its series. There have been collections of ‘70 sci-fi, films with the scores by Quincy Jones, a centennial celebration of the great Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, heist movies and pre-code Barbara Stanwyck films.
Most series come with a mix of familiar titles and deep cuts, offering both primers for beginners and discovery for more die-hards. For Criterion’s anniversary, it brought back its inaugural series, Columbia Noir, which pulls together some of the studio’s most heralded film noirs (”In a Lonely Place,” “Gilda”) along with gems ripe for rediscovery (”My Name Is Julia Ross,” “Murder by Contract”). Most collections include video introductions and other supplemental material.
“With the curated collections and the double features and all those ways of presenting the films, the movies feel accessible and they’re contextualized,” says Penelope Bartlett, the channel’s programmer.