MovieChat Forums > Kafka (1992) Discussion > Paramount has dropped their no-licensing...

Paramount has dropped their no-licensing policy- Criterion DVD possible?

posted 15 years ago by LiquidDrainerFilms
1 reply | jump to latest

It was recently announced that WB and Paramount have dropped their annoying policies of never licensing the rights to their films to other companies! They made the smart decision, given the tough economy, that getting some money by licensing the rights is better than getting no money by not releasing it at all.

Right after this happened, Criterion snapped up the rights to release Richard Linklater's 1996 film SubUrbia, a much-sought-after WB title that has been out-of-print in America since the days of VHS (for more info on this, head over to the SubUrbia boards).

Since this means that FINALLY Criterion has access to the Paramount and WB catalogs, maybe there's finally hope that Kafka (hopefully that two-disc addition with both theatrical and director's cuts that Soderbergh mentioned) will see an American release! It's just speculation, but at least now we can hope, since it's legally possible!

[–] The_Manchurian_Nominee 15 years ago

I certainly hope you're right. The VHS copy I rented was in relatively decent shape and with possible captions but it would be nice for a fully restored transfer. I'd be interested in hearing the writer and director speak about their influences since the film seems as shaped by other cinema equally as much as Kafka's life himself.

Criterion recently announced some more of it's catalog. There is a forum topic about concrete upcoming (but unannounced) releases and I know that Kafka is certainly not in that list (although neither is SubUrbia for that matter). I'll make a point of asking about it.

I like to remember things my own way...