The Criterion Collection releasing massive 40-film box set for 40th anniversary

Last Updated on August 12, 2024

It’s every movie lover’s dream to go into The Criterion Collection closet. And while the vast majority (say, 99.9%) never will, we can at least celebrate its purpose: to engage cinephiles with famous film aficionados in a way they never could anyplace else. Well it’s about to get even more intimate, as The Criterion Collection is celebrating their 40th anniversary by releasing a massive box set that also serves as an ode to those who have entered the famed closet and shared their favorite movies for us to see. Sorry, no Criterion Channel exclusives!

As per The Criterion Collection: “This monumental forty-film box set celebrates forty years of the Criterion Collection by gathering an electrifying mix of classic and contemporary films, and presenting them with all their special features and essays in a deluxe clothbound, slipcased edition. CC40’s eclectic selection includes the releases most frequently chosen by the hundreds of filmmakers, actors, writers, and other movie-loving luminaries who have visited Criterion over the years, as documented in our popular Closet Picks video series. Neither a historical survey nor a top-forty compilation, this exciting, personal, unpredictable anthology reflects the cinematic joys and inspirations of the creative community that makes the Criterion Collection possible.”

While we won’t list all 40 films The Criterion Collection is offering in their CC40 set, you should know that it is indeed a very diverse offering, including American studio classics, foreign essentials, indie sensations, and more — you know, pretty much a tasting menu of everything we love about Criterion! Really, where else are you going to get 8 ½, Night of the Living Dead, Love & Basketball, Hausu, His Girl Friday, and The Battle of Algiers on the same shelf?

Narrowing down The Criterion Collection to just 40 films is a daunting task, but by limiting it to the most popular choices from visitors to the closet gives potential buyers a pretty darn good idea of what the boutique label does and represents. And if you end up picking up this set — which is currently listed at the pre-order price of $639.96 (or about $16/film) — you’ll get an even wider education because it also features a hefty 216-page book of essays, not to mention all of the special features we’ve come to expect from Criterion. The box set arrives on November 19th.

Will you be picking up this 40th anniversary box set? Which three films do you think best represent The Criterion Collection?