The advent of DVD technology has been somewhat of a phenomenon in terms of the study of film. Up until the 1970’s, films were unavailable for private screenings. VHS was often inconvenient (i.e. low-grade technology, the inability to ‘jump’ to a particular scene or chapter in the film, the relative ease of disintegration of the video image, to name but a few drawbacks to the technology). Now Blu-rays and DVD’s can contain hours of bonus footage, documentaries, and directors’ or critics’ commentaries in addition to the actual films themselves.
Criterion Collection is a company that distributes DVD’s and Blu-rays online, for retail, and to librairies. Their product is unique because they examine films in depth, often including a number of ‘extra features’ like those mentioned above. Most Criterion Collection DVD’s are highly informative, and can increase one’s appreciation of a particular film title, a movement, or of cinema in general.