Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project
Criterion Collection, $124.95 (Blu-ray + DVD)We know you’re anxiously anticipating Martin Scorsese’s latest offering, The Wolf of Wall Street, which opens on Christmas Day. As you’re giving thanks for a new Scorsese movie, however, don’t forget about the other important work this great filmmaker performs as an archivist and founder of the World Cinema Foundation, which was created to preserve and present the work of international archives and to provide a resource for those countries ill-equipped to do the work themselves. Released last week is a collector’s set of restored films, including some from Senegal (Touki Bouki), Mexico (Redes), India and Bangladesh (A River Called Titas), Turkey (Dry Summer), Morocco (Trances), and South Korea (The Housemaid). It’s a nine-disc dual-format set customized for Blu-ray or DVD. Each film is introduced by Scorsese, and the extras include interviews, a visual essay, and numerous written essays, including one on Mexican cinema authored by University of Texas teaching treasure Charles Ramírez Berg.
This article appears in December 20 • 2013.
