Criterion in August 2025: FIRES ON THE PLAIN, THE BURMESE HARP, CAIRO STATION Lead Summer Sizzlers
In August 2025, the Criterion Collection will offer a bevy of films on Blu-ray and 4K UHD.
The most exciting may be the trio that are mentioned in the headline, beginning with Kon Ichikawa's Fires on the Plain (1959) and The Burmese Harp (1956), the former offering "a compelling descent into psychological and physical oblivion" and the latter described by Criterion as "an eloquent meditation on beauty coexisting with death and remains one of Japanese cinema's most overwhelming antiwar sentiments." Both will be available separately, in 4K and Blu-ray combo packs, as well as Blu-ray only editions.
Youssef Chahine's Cairo Station (1958) is a brisk yet memorable black and white masterpiece. From the official synopsis: "Blending elements of neorealism with provocative noir-melodrama, Cairo Station is a work of raw populist poetry that explores the individual's search for a place in Egypt's new postrevolutionary political order." The film will be available in separate Blu-ray and DVD editions.
Beyond that trio, Criterion will also be offering Vittorio De Sica's Academy Award-winning Shoeshine (1946), available in a 4K/Blu-ray combo pack; Edward Yang's A Confucian Confusion (1994) and Mahjong (1996), available together on Blu-ray and DVD; Zeinabu irene Davis's Compensation (1999), available on Blu-ray and DVD; and Alice Wu's queer romantic comedy Saving Face (2004), available on Blu-ray.
Read more about the films and place your pre-orders at the official Criterion Collection site.
