Lawrence, on Mar 20 2009, 09:53 AM, said:
I think it's more the case that they can get the rights for this film so they jumped at it. I'm certain Se7en or Fight Club would be more worthy of a Criterion release, but that's not very likely.
I wouldn't say that. Criterion has working relationships with all the studios Fincher has made films for. Considering the nature of how the Criterion logo has come to be apart of Benjamin Button, this same route could be used as a cheat to get the rest of Fincher's oeuvre into the collection. As long as the studios get all the money, I'm sure they couldn't care less about having a little C discretly tucked into the corner...but it obviously would mean a lot to Fincher. I have to say I had no idea he was that desperate to have a spine number. I knew that Aronofsky has been having a tantrum about not having one of his films in the collection...but Fincher surprises me.
If you look at Prior's message board, he indicates that both Seven and Fight Club are going to get rereleases on SD and Blu. At least with Seven, there are a number of Criterion produced extras from the laserdisc that could be added to the existing disc along with the new transfer for something more definitive. Fight Club will probably include the extras exclusive to the R2 version along with a new transfer for it's definitive take on the film. We may see wacky-C's on both, depending on Fincher's desperation and the amount of "pull" he has with Fox, WB, Universal.
I've asked Prior about further escapades with Criterion. Will have to wait for his answer to my question, if he even bothers, before starting round 2 of the Fincher gossip fodder.
For the sake of disclosure, I am a very big fan of David Fincher, though I think Button was his first major film that wasn't "great" but underwhelmingly average. (I'm not counting the work-for-hire Alien 3)