Remembering Janus Films Co-Founder William Becker with 10 Criterion Collection Classics

Last Saturday, cinephiles all over the world poured out some pinot noir for movie distributor William Becker, who passed away at 88 from kidney failure. Along with co-founding Janus Films, which brought the works of foreign-film icons (Bergman! Kurosawa! The whole damn French New Wave!) to American shores, he also pioneered the letterboxing presentation of movies, as well as commentary tracks and other bonus features, as one of the founders of home video company the Criterion Collection.

I love Criterion Collection releases so much that I have stacks of them at my place. (True story: When I got laid off at a daily newspaper years ago, my editor gave me a box of them as a farewell present.) If I had to choose my favorites in honor of Becker’s legacy — as other critics have done recently — here are the 10 that I’ve enjoyed thoroughly throughout the years. Thanks for the movies, sir.

1. Beastie Boys Video Anthology (2000)

OK, so my favorite Criterion release has nothing to do with movies, but it is a release that has truly has fun with the DVD format. Criterion let the white-rap icons go nuts with their two-disc compilation, throwing in not only commentaries from the Boys and their directors (including Spike Jonze) but also alternate remix tracks and video angles for their videos.

2. In the Mood for Love (2000)

Criterion gave my pick for best film of the Aughts a lavish, two-disc DVD release a year after its release. My favorite feature is the collection of deleted scenes, which amazingly show the myriad different directions director Wong Kar-Wai could’ve went with this damn-near-perfect love story.

3. The Third Man (1949)

Every time Criterion drops Carol Reed’s film-noir masterpiece, it immediately goes out of print. (In 2007, Criterion released an amped-up 2-disc set as well as a Blu-Ray disc, both no longer on shelves.) I still have the 1999 first printing, which includes a video introduction by Peter Bogdanovich, an alternate opening and an audio track with Richard Clarke reading screenwriter Graham Greene’s treatment.

4. Playtime (1967)

I also still have the original, out-of-print, 2001 release of Jacques Tati’s 70mm classic. And while the bonus features are bare – just a 1967 short by the director and a video introduction by Terry Jones – it’s still fun watching Tati’s colorful, detailed, farcical look at modern society on a widescreen TV. (Criterion re-released the movie as part of The Complete Jacques Tati box set last year, adding more bonus features as well.)

5. Bottle Rocket (1996)

Wes Anderson has always made sure his films eventually become part of the Collection. (The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou were first released on DVD through Criterion.) But I was glad when Criterion finally came with a special edition of his debut in 2008, which includes an appreciation from Martin Scorsese and the original black-and-white short that inspired the movie. %{[ data-embed-type="oembed" data-embed-id="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xgZ8MqnPzQ" data-embed-element="span" data-oembed-type="video" data-oembed-provider-name="YouTube" data-oembed-title="Three Reasons: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" data-oembed-author-name="criterioncollection" data-oembed-thumbnail-url="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9xgZ8MqnPzQ/hqdefault.jpg">

6. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1997)

This weekend, you can see Johnny Depp as real-life balding badass Whitey Bulger in Black Mass. Personally, I prefer when Depp played real-life balding badass Hunter S. Thompson in Terry Gilliam’s bonkers adaptation of his legendary 1971 book. Criterion’s two-disc set is basically an HST salute, featuring a couple of documentaries on the man and Depp himself reading correspondence from Thompson.

7. Written on the Wind (1956)

Criterion has released plenty of old-school films where the Technicolor sparkles on-screen. (The Red Shoes and Lola Montes come to mind.) But the melodrama fan in me has always had a soft spot for Douglas Sirk’s lusty, lurid kitchen sinker, about a dysfunctional, wealthy clan from Texas. I’m pretty damn sure this film inspired Dallas.

8. Crumb (1995)

This revealing documentary, which chronicles the life and times of underground cartoonist R. Crumb, is essential not only because it includes a commentary track with director Terry Zwigoff. It also has another commentary track with Zwigoff and the late, great film critic (and diehard Crumb fan) Roger Ebert.

9. My Man Godfrey (1936)

I always like popping in Gregory La Cava’s screwball class comedy, starring the dynamic duo William Powell and Carole Lombard, whenever I need some immediate enjoyment. The lone disc includes a gag reel, which is a must for those who always wanted to see silver-screen stars curse their heads off when they flub a line.

10. Hoop Dreams (1994)

I’ll always keep my copy of the great basketball documentary close, mainly because I had director Steve James and the movie’s principal players sign it when I attended a screening of the movie at a film festival a couple of years ago.