Criterion Column: THROW DOWN, THE DAMNED, and MELVIN VAN PEEBLES: ESSENTIAL FILMS

September marks a significant month for Criterion, as they have prepared brand-new editions of films from Neil Jordan, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Johnnie To, Melvin Van Peebles and Luchino Visconti. Jordan, Prince-Bythewood and To make their Criterion debuts with Mona Lisa, Love & Basketball and Throw Down, while Visconti returns to the Collection with 1969’s The Damned. Also arriving is Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films, a box set with four fundamental viewings from the titular director’s filmography: The Story of a Three Day Pass, Watermelon Man, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song and Don’t Play Us Cheap. Throw Down, Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films and The Damned were provided to me for review.

Throw Down

As previously mentioned, Throw Down marks Johnnie To‘s first film to enter the Criterion Collection and it would be wonderful if more of his films were added in the near future. A vibrant love letter to judo that pays homage to the films of legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (even making offhand reference to his debut film Sanshiro Sugata), Throw Down follows three wandering souls (Louis Koo, Aaron Kwok, and Cherrie Ying) as fate crosses their paths and sets in motion a poignant, stylish romp through Hong Kong. From beginning to end, Throw Down is a magical, spirited odyssey of dreams and absolution.

Video and Audio

For this edition, Throw Down is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, in a new 4K digital transfer undertaken by Fortune Star. As noted in the “About the Transfer” section of the release’s leaflet, a new digital transfer was created for the restoration from the original 35mm camera negative on an ARRISCAN film scanner at L’Immagine Ritrovata Asia in Hong Kong.

Throw Down is quite the delicately paced film and the transfer really lends itself to the range of sequences on display captured in To‘s vision, from swift bursts of martial arts under nocturnal streetlights to gorgeously lit interiors highlighting the broad spectrum of the three leads’ facial expressions (in addition to supporting players). Shadows are equally subdued as they are nuanced and for a film with many nighttime sequences backdropped by colorful neon lights and signs, this is an absolutely stunning transfer that looks fantastic on Blu-Ray (and would undoubtedly leap to even more beautiful heights on native 4K).

The original 5.1 surround soundtrack included in this release was remastered from the 35mm optical track using Avid’s Pro Tools and iZotope RX. Audio quality is magnificent, as vivacious as the movie itself. Lyrical and exuberant, it’s a remarkable auditory accompaniment to a truly mesmerizing visual experience.

Special Features

Throw Down arrives onto Blu-Ray with a solid assortment of supplemental features, including:

• Johnnie To: Filmed in 2004, this interview features director Johnnie To discussing Throw Down.
• Filling In Blanks: Conducted in 2021 by the Criterion Collection, this interview features screenwriter Yau Nai-hoi recalling his work on Throw Down.
• Finding the Pulse: In this 2021 Criterion Collection interview, composer Peter Kam discusses his score for Throw Down.
• Hidden in Plain Sight: This 2021 Criterion Collection interview features film scholar David Bordwell analyzing the cinematic and storytelling techniques found in Throw Down.
• Kicking Conventions: Conducted in 2021 by the Criterion Collection, this interview with film scholar Caroline Guo addresses the way genre blending and cultural codes in Throw Down engage and subvert viewer expectations.
• Making of Throw Down: This 2004 program features director Johnnie To and cast members Louis Koo, Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Kar-fai, and Cherrie Ying discussing Throw Down.
• Trailer

Also included is an essay by film critic Sean Gilman titled “Down But Not Out”.

Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films

Cinematic revolutionary Melvin Van Peebles also enters the Criterion Collection this month, in the form of a four-film box set compiling his 1967 debut feature The Story of a Three Day Pass and his 1970 film Watermelon Man along with 1971’s Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song and 1972’s Don’t Play Us Cheap. While each is radically different from the last in narrative formality, all four serve as universal representations of Van Peebles‘ stylistic metamorphosis and examinations of powerful, still-relevant themes. The set itself is a terrific compilation of the films (packaged beautifully in a sturdy box with each movie given an individual case within it) and quickly joins previous Criterion sets as a must-own.

Video

For this collection, all four films included were given new 4K digital restorations. The Story of a Three Day Pass, Watermelon Man, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song and Don’t Play Us Cheap are presented in their original aspect ratios of 1:66:1, 1:85:1, 1:85:1 and 1:66:1, respectively. The Story of a Three Day Pass‘ restoration was undertaken by IndieCollect with support from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, while Watermelon Man‘s restoration was undertaken by Sony. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song and Don’t Play Us Cheap were restored by Vinegar Syndrome and the Criterion Collection, respectively, both in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art.

For The Story of a Three Day Pass, the new transfer was created on a 5K Kinetta Archival film scanner from a 35mm fine-grain master positive and a 35mm duplicate negative, and restored at Laboratory for Icon & Idiom, Inc., in New York. Watermelon Man‘s transfer was created from the 35mm original camera negative on an Oxberry wet-gate film scanner at Cineric Inc. in New York, and was graded and restored at MTI Film in Los Angeles. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song was restored from the 35mm original camera negative at OCN Digital Labs in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Don’t Play Us Cheap‘s new digital transfer was created from the 35mm original camera negative at Roundabout Entertainment in Burbank, California, on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner.

Unsurprisingly, the new 4K digital restorations included in this collection are absolutely brilliant. The insurmountable amount of work gone into restoring these films will certainly not go unnoticed (The Story of a Three Day Pass was re-released theatrically over the summer and Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song‘s remaster will play at the New York Film Festival later this month), and the transfers look incredible on Blu-Ray, yielding impressive depth, clarity, and color across all four discs. Whether you’re a newcomer looking to explore Van Peebles‘ filmography or a longtime admirer of it, there isn’t a better way to view some of his most essential works than this.

Audio

For this collection, The Story of a Three Day Pass, Watermelon Man and Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song were all given audio remasters accompanying the 4K restorations (no audio note was provided for Don’t Play Us Cheap). The Story of a Three Day Pass‘ original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm optical track at Colorlab in Rockville, Maryland while Watermelon Man‘s was remastered from the mono DME magnetic track at NBCUniversal StudioPost in Universal City, California. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song‘s original monaural soundtrack was also remastered from the 35mm magnetic track, with additional restoration performed by the Criterion Collection.

Once again, it comes as no surprise that the audio remasters (not unlike their visual counterparts) are wonderful. Dialogue and music never falter, and each soundtrack reaches the dynamism the restorations strive for as a whole. All four films sound as good as they possibly could on Blu-Ray.

Special Features

Featurettes and supplements for this set are spread across the four film-specific discs included in the set along with the additional disc included in the Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song case. They are, as listed:

Disc One: The Story of a Three Day Pass

• Introduction by Melvin Van Peebles: In this brief introduction, recorded in 1997, director Melvin Van Peebles explains how he was able to make his first feature film in France.
• Pour le plaisir: Melvin Van Peebles: This episode of the French television show Pour le plaisir features interviews with director Melvin Van Peebles and actors Harry Baird and Nicole Berger, conducted on the set of The Story of a Three Day Pass. Originally aired on February 1, 1968, it was directed by Peter Kassovitz.
• Black Journal: This August 14, 1968, episode of the television program Black Journal features an interview with director Melvin Van Peebles, who was promoting the U.S. release of his first feature film, The Story of a Three Day Pass.
• Warrington Hudlin and Nelson George: In this conversation, recorded remotely by the Criterion Collection in 2021, film producer Warrington Hudlin and music historian Nelson George discuss Melvin Van Peebles‘s defiant filmmaking style.
• Short Films: Presented here are three short films from early in Melvin Van Peebles‘s directing career.
  • Sunlight: Made in 1957 in San Francisco, Sunlight is about a man who commits a petty crime out of love for a woman and features Melvin’s son Mario Van Peebles as the couple’s baby.
  • Three Pickup Men for Herrick: Later that year, the director made Three Pickup Men for Herrick, about a group of day laborers vying for work.
  • Les cinq cent balles: In 1961, now in Paris, he made Les cinq cent balles, about a boy who tries to retrieve a five-hundred-franc note from a gutter.
• Trailer

Disc Two: Watermelon Man

• Introduction by Melvin Van Peebles: Director Melvin Van Peebles shares stories about how he made Watermelon Man in his own way, in this introduction, recorded in 2004.
• How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It): This 2005 documentary, directed by Joe Angio, traces Melvin Van Peebles‘s filmmaking career from his feature directorial debut in France through his foray into the Hollywood mainstream to his revolutionary turn with Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song. It features interviews with Van Peebles; filmmakers Spike Lee, St. Clair Bourne, and Gordon Parks; and many others.

Disc Three: Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song

• Commentary: This audio commentary featuring director Melvin Van Peebles was recorded in 1997 for the Criterion Collection’s laserdisc edition of Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.
• Introduction by Melvin Van Peebles: In this brief introduction, recorded in 1997, director Melvin Van Peebles shares the four goals he set for Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.
• Mario Van Peebles and Elvis Mitchell: In this interview, recorded by the Criterion Collection in 2021, filmmaker Mario Van Peebles shares with film critic Elvis Mitchell anecdotes about his father, director Melvin Van Peebles.
• Detroit Tubeworks: Melvin Van Peebles: In this segment from the television show Detroit Tubeworks, director Melvin Van Peebles promotes his film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song on the occasion of its Detroit opening weekend, in 1971.
• Scholars Panel: In this 2021 conversation, recorded by the Criterion Collection, film scholars Gerald R. Butters Jr., Amy Abugo Ongiri, and Novotny Lawrence discuss the film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song and its impact on Black film.
• Black Journal: This October 19, 1971, episode of the television show Black Journal features interviews with director Melvin Van Peebles and journalists Clayton Riley, Francis Ward, and A. Peter Bailey.
• Trailer

Disc Four: Baadasssss!

• Baadasssss!: Director and star Mario Van Peebles portrays his father, director Melvin Van Peebles, in this quasi-documentary-style saga of the production of Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song. The optional audio commentary track featuring both Mario and Melvin was recorded in 2004.
• The Story of “Baadasssss!”: The Birth of Black Cinema: This 2004 documentary about the making of Baadasssss! features interviews with director Mario Van Peebles and members of the cast, including John Singleton, Ossie Davis, Rainn Wilson, and others.
• Melvin Van Peebles: The Real Deal: Melvin Van Peebles recounts his memories of making his film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song as he strolls through Paris, in this interview from 2002.
• Visual History with Melvin Van Peebles: This excerpted interview with director Melvin Van Peebles, conducted by his son filmmaker Mario Van Peebles, was recorded in 2004 for the Director’s Guild of America’s Visual History Program.

Disc Five: Don’t Play Us Cheap

• Introduction by Melvin Van Peebles: In this brief introduction, recorded in 1997, director Melvin Van Peebles recalls the encounter that gave him the idea for Don’t Play Us Cheap.
• Black Journal: This June 6, 1972, episode of the television program Black Journal features an interview with director Melvin Van Peebles in which he discusses the Broadway production of his play Don’t Play Us Cheap.

Additionally included are five essays:

• “Reintroducing Melvin Van Peebles”, by film scholar Racquel J. Gates
• “Ordinary Love”, by film scholar Allyson Nadia Field (for The Story of a Three Day Pass)
• “Melvin in Hollywood”, by Gates (for Watermelon Man)
• “‘I’m Gonna Say a Black Ave Maria For You'”, by film scholar Michael B. Gillespie (for Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song)
• “The Sacredness of Saturday Night, or The Gospel According to Melvin Van Peebles”, by film scholar Lisa B. Thompson (for Don’t Play Us Cheap)

The Damned

Criterion’s final release of the month is Luchino Visconti‘s 1969 historical drama The Damned, following a dominant noble family and their associates in the early days of Nazi Germany. As they vie for control over each other in attempts to hold power over the family business, their grander deplorability begins to self-destruct as they all slowly descend into madness. This is not an easy-to-watch film by any measure but Visconti‘s firm grasp on the narrative and the pure evil that embodies so many of these characters makes it much more interesting to watch. It’s a hard film to recommend due to its subject matter alone but Visconti brings opulence to the story that could not be paralleled by any other filmmaker.

Video and Audio

For this release, The Damned is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1. As noted in the “About the Transfer” section, this release was sourced from a new 2K restoration undertaken by the Cineteca di Bologna and Institut Lumière from the 35mm original camera negative.

Criterion’s edition marks the first time The Damned has been released on Blu-Ray, as Visconti‘s film has only been available on DVD in the past. Naturally, the restoration is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Cinematographer Armando Nannuzzi‘s son Daniele supervised the color correction process, of which a 1969 print was used as a reference. Bluntly, it’s a stunning transfer from the first second to the very last. Grain is crisp and never intrudes on the picture, adding a deeper level of clarity to the extravagant scenery and compositions. Color-wise, every shot looks remarkable and the new master brings a perfectly balanced blend of warm and cold tones.

The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from a 35mm optical soundtrack positive, and it sounds great. There are no anomalies to be found and no real discrepancies in the audio quality. There are multiple options under the language settings tab when viewing the disc, but the primary (and default) is a blend of English and German, while Italian is secondarily listed. Your mileage may vary but while both versions are perfectly fine, the optimal choice would be the former listing.

Special Features

Criterion’s edition of The Damned comes supplemented with a variety of special features, including:

• Luchino Visconti: In this extensive 1970 interview for RAI television, director Luchino Visconti discusses many aspects of The Damned, from the historical accuracy of its portrayal of Fascism to its political dimensions to its reception worldwide.
• Visconti on Set: This 1969 behind-the-scenes documentary by John Abbott features director Luchino Visconti at work on the set of The Damned.
• Stefano Albertini: In this interview, shot by the Criterion Collection in 2021, literature and film scholar Stefano Albertini discusses The Damned.
• Ingrid Thulin: Actor Ingrid Thulin discusses working with director Luchino Visconti on The Damned in this excerpt from the French television program Pour le cinéma, originally broadcast on April 21, 1969, and directed by Pierre Mignot. Dominique Delouche conducts the interview.
• Charlotte Rampling: This interview with actor Charlotte Rampling about The Damned is a segment from the French television program Musiques au coeur. Originally broadcast on May 13, 1990, it was directed by Ariane Adriani.
• Helmut Berger: In this segment from a 1969 episode of the French television show Le mode du cinéma, actor Helmut Berger discusses working with director Luchino Visconti to create the role of Martin von Essenbeck.
• Trailer

Also included is an essay by scholar D.A. Miller titled “Damned If You Do It”.

Conclusion

As mentioned previously, joining the three aforementioned releases this month are Neil Jordan‘s Mona Lisa and Gina Prince-Bythewood‘s Love & Basketball, the former with a 2K digital restoration and the latter with a new 4K restoration. Jordan‘s 1986 neo-noir follows a criminal played by Bob Hoskins as he is given a job as a chauffeur for a call girl (Carly Simon), leading him deeper into the London underworld. Prince-Bythewood‘s 2004 directorial debut, a coming-of-age romance starring Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps, stars the pair as childhood friends whose later romance is strained by the mounting pressures of adulthood and intersecting aspirations.

As for the other three releases available from Criterion this month, Throw Down and The Damned are noteworthy on their own but it’s Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films that takes the cake for the most superlative of the bunch. On their own, the films included are excellent and the 4K remasters accompanying them are easily the definitive viewing experiences, but the supplements included on each disc lift the collection to all-time great status. Sadly, Van Peebles passed away on September 21st at the age of 89. In an announcement from Criterion, his son Mario Van Peebles stated, “Dad knew that Black images matter. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what was a movie worth? We want to be the success we see, thus we need to see ourselves being free. True liberation did not mean imitating the colonizer’s mentality. It meant appreciating the power, beauty and interconnectivity of all people.”

Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films and The Damned will be released on September 28, and Throw Down was released on September 21, courtesy of Criterion.