Criterion Collection will add The Princess Bride, along with four other films, to its list of titles in October. The Princess Bride has spawned a huge fan following since its lackluster release in 1987. The film was directed by Rob Reiner and it eventually made its way into U.S. National Film Registry in 2016, thus highlighting its cultural significance.
Founded in 1984, The Criterion Collection is a privately held American home video distribution company that’s main purpose is to license important, classical, and contemporary films to sell. The primary audience is cinematic devotees, or cinephiles, who keep up to date on the recent addition to the lengthy list of titles. The Criterion Collection is best known for pioneering the correct aspect ration for films and introducing the letterbox format - adding black bars to the top and bottom of the standard TV set to maintain the original aspect ratio of the film - regardless of what year the movies released.
IndieWire reports that the Criterion Collection will add five new films in October, including The Princess Bride on October 30. The four other films joining the collector are Hal Ashby’s Shampoo, starring Julie Christie, Goldie Hawn, and Warren Beatty, with an early role featuring Carrie Fisher. Also added was the Brian De Palma film Sisters, as well as Cornel Wilde’s The Naked Prey and Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day.
Devoted fans of The Princess Bride note an importance to the film all its own. The film starred Robin Wright and Cary Elwes, with supporting roles from Mandy Patinkin and Wallace Shawn. It is likely one of the most quotable films in the American film history. For longtime fans, there really is no surprise that The Princess Bride is being added to registries much like Criterion’s. The film still seems to many fans and new audience members a timeless fairy tale, despite the fact that it celebrated its 30th anniversary last year.
With its addition to the Criterion Collection, fans of the film can now see it, along with the aforementioned titles, in its original aspect ratio and in 4K resolution. Plus, each movie will come with a selection of new special features, such as interviews with either cast and/or crew members. While The Princess Bride is the biggest title among the upcoming releases, it’s not the only one that has had an impact on the filmmaking industry. Consumers who are unfamiliar with the aforementioned films may actually find them illuminating.
More: 15 Shocking Things You Didn’t Know About The Princess Bride
Source: IndieWire
