If Criterion’s influence from the last 15-or-so years must distilled to one figure, a good candidate might be Edward Yang. The near-instant canonization of Yi Yi, A Brighter Summer Day, and Taipei Story––not quite tailor-made for constant sell-out screenings or big streaming numbers, and yet––sets a nice precedent for their two-film package comprising A Confucian Confusion and Mahjong, both of which make North American home-video debuts in August. While missing a touch of prestige for being Blu-only, this should be exceeded by very few things Criterion releases for the remainder of 2025.
Three films have 4K releases this August: Kon Ichikawa’s Fires on the Plain and The Burmese Harp are appreciable upgrades, while Vittorio De Sica’s Shoeshine (a better film than Bicycle Thieves? why not) enters Criterion’s slate in decked-out form. Meanwhile, Youssef Chahine’s Cairo Station, Alice Wu’s Saving Face, and recent Janus restoration Compensation arrive on Blu-ray.
See artwork below and find more at Criterion:
The post The Criterion Collection’s August Lineup Includes an Edward Yang Double-Feature, Kon Ichikawa, Compensation & More first appeared on The Film Stage.
