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Criterion Announces New Dual-Format Editions

The Criterion Collection has announced its slew of releases for the month of November and, in typical Criterion fashion, the films could not be more eclectic and diverse. Alongside the bevy of titles is another interesting development in the video-distribution company, as November will mark the beginning of all Criterion released being dual-format editions, encompassing both regular DVD and Blu-Ray capabilities.

November 12 will see the release of Noah Baumbach's "Frances Ha" and Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights." The extras on the former film will include new conversations between Baumbach and Peter Bogdanovich as well as between Sarah Polley and Greta Gerwig, along with a booklet including an essay by playwright Annie Baker.
The extras for Chaplin's historic 1931 masterwork will include a new and restored transfer, an audio commentary by Charlie Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance, a documentary on the film's production, archival footage from the set, trailers, and a booklet featuring an essay by critic Gary Giddins and a 1966 interview with Charlie Chaplin.

Criterion will be putting out an updated version of Yasujiro Ozu's "Tokyo Story," with an audio commentary by film scholar David Desser, a two-hour documentary on Ozu's career, a tribute to the director, a trailer, new subtitle translation, and a booklet with an essay by critic David Bordwell.

Rounding out the month will be a collector's set of all the films in "Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman," the longest-running action series in the history of Japanese cinema. All 25 films will be accounted for in the set, each of which have undergone restorations and will include trailers and new English subtitle translations. A booklet featuring essays, synopses of each film, the original story "The Tale of Zatoichi," and a series of illustrations inspired by each film are also included in the release.

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