Criterion in September 2019: LOCAL HERO and POLYESTER Lead the Pack

Reflecting on my own preferences, Bill Forsyth and John Waters lead the newest slim pack of releases that have been announced by the Criterion Collection.

Local Hero is a marvelous 'little film' that I recall loving very much on its initial release in theaters. Subsequent viewings on home video have endeared the characters to me even more, but I've always wished for a top-quality picture to be revealed, and now we can anticipate a "new 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray," per Criterion, along with multiple extras.

As for John Waters' Polyester, fans can expect a new 4K digital transfer, along with new interviews and more extras.

Here is the company's schedule for September 2019, listed in release date order, along with brief comments on each, in Criterion's own words.

Fists in the Pocket (1965)
Director: Marco Bellocchio
Description: "Tormented by twisted desires, a young man takes drastic measures to rid his grotesquely dysfunctional family of its various afflictions."
Release date: September 3

The Cloud-Capped Star (1960)
Director: Ritwik Ghatak
Description: "Ghatak devised an intellectually ambitious and emotionally devastating new shape for the melodrama, lamenting the tragedies of Indian history and the inequities of traditional gender roles while blazing a formal trail for the generations of Indian filmmakers who have followed him."
Release date: September 10

Polyester (1993)
Director: John Waters
Description: "One of Waters' most hilarious inventions, replete with stomach-churning smells, sadistic nuns, AA meetings, and foot stomping galore."
Release date: September 17

Cluny Brown (1946)
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Description: "This zany, zippy comedy of manners, set in England on the cusp of World War II, is one of the worldly-wise director's most effervescent creations."
Release date: September 17

Local Hero (1983)
Director: Bill Forsyth
Description: "This enchanting cult hit finds Forsyth surveying the idiosyncrasies of small-town life with the satirical verve of a latter-day Preston Sturges, arriving at a sly commentary on conservation, corporate greed, and the legacies we leave behind."
Release date: September 24

The Circus (1928/1969)
Director: Charles Chaplin
Description: "Rereleased in 1969 with a new score by Chaplin, The Circus is an uproarious high-wire act that showcases silent cinema's most popular entertainer at the peak of his comic powers."

For much more information about the details of each release, visit the official Criterion Collection site.