The famed Criterion Closet, known for a place for guests to pick their favorite films, has been transformed into a van.
Cinema lovers are spoiled in just how many places are on their bucket list. We think of the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, the steps of the Palais in Cannes, Mount Rushmore (OK, so that’s been there long before North by Northwest but we’re claiming it!) We can visit all of these, but one that is out of reach is the famed Criterion Closet, a tiny room packed wall-to-wall with the catalog of The Criterion Collection. But now, you may have your chance…with a twist.
The Criterion Collection has announced that they are taking their Closet out on the highway, posting on their website that this comes at just the right time. “In celebration of our fortieth anniversary, Criterion has built a replica of our famous film closet inside an eighteen-foot delivery van, and later this month, we’ll be taking our Criterion Closet Picks show on the road. Stocked with more than 1,500 of the greatest films from around the world, the Criterion Closet may offer more cinematic inspiration per square foot than any place on the planet.”
To kick off the Criterion Closet road trip, the company will debut their van at the 62nd New York Film Festival, giving attendees the opportunity to scope out the vehicle on September 28th-29th and October 5th-6th. From there, it’s anybody’s guess, but Criterion said they will be partnering with various fests, art institutions, etc. in the future. So if you can’t make it to NYFF, there’s always hope of catching the Criterion van on the road elsewhere. If I ever get the chance, I’m picking Samuel Fuller’s Pickup on South Street (spine #224), The Human Condition (#480) and The Killer (#8), if not just to have the chance to hold the long-OOP DVD and not my awful bootleg.
A few weeks back, an image of the Criterion Closet van made the rounds online, with many questioning the validity of the actual closet. Had we been duped this entire time? Was the massive collection being housed inside of some automobile and not at Criterion’s headquarters? What was going on?! Thankfully, this was just a leaked promotion, as Criterion has been square with us for the past nearly 15 years when they first launched their closet video series with Guillermo del Toro.
Criterion has made a lot of advancements for fans as of late, not the least of which is launching The Criterion Channel, one of the finest resources for any film fan available. Where else could you stream Seven Samurai and Freddy Got Fingered in the same day?
So, what would your Criterion Closet picks be? Give us your top three films in the catalog in the comments section below!