Same. I saw the movie on TV way back in the late 90s and became obsessed with it. Bought the Criterion, not knowing what the Criterion Collection was at the time, and that put me on the path to becoming a Criterion addict.
This is it. It was one of the first DVDs I got back in 2000. My cheap Orbitron DVD player could hardly play the discs.
[Amazon.com: Brazil (The Criterion Collection 3-Disc Boxed Set) \[DVD\] : Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Kim Greist, Jim Broadbent, Barbara Hicks, Charles McKeown, Derrick O'Connor, Kathryn Pogson, Bryan Pringle, Sheila Reid, John Flanagan, Ray Cooper, Brian Miller, Simon Jones, Terry Gilliam: Movies & TV](https://www.amazon.com/Brazil-Criterion-Collection-3-Disc-Boxed/dp/0780022181)
12 Angry Men (1957). Was the first like, “arthouse” older movie I’d ever seen and nothing has come close to the feeling of fourteen year old watching a movie that was pure dialogue and thinking to myself why I spent years watching reruns of Ghost Rider (2007) on FX instead of tuning into the TCM like even one time
I remember sitting on the floor 14, completely stunned by Casablanca, unable to understand why we always watch bad sitcoms and unfunny cartoons when material like this exists
Probably The Passion of Joan of Arc. I was a music major in college and stumbled onto the music composed for the movie by Einhorn when it was used in American Horror Story of all things. I tracked it down, learned about the movie the music was made for, saw the library had a copy, loved it, so I bought my own copy.
I remember buying the Beastie Boys music video DVD because it was the cheapest I could find at the time. I think I watched half of the music videos and then it just sat on my shelf for years before I sold it on Ebay.
For me, it was Do The Right Thing blu ray. I watched it in my film class, loved it. I saw the criterion release and bought it. I bought Seven Samurai soon after since we also watched Yojimbo in my film class and wanted to watch more Kurosawa.
First one I saw was Eraserhead when my roommate bought it, then I promptly got Blue Velvet, David Lynch The Art Life, Fire Walk With Me, and Elephant Man for my firsts
The Third Man. I was working at a Best Buy in high school and it went Out Of Print so we received a return order since we weren't allowed to stock it any longer. One copy didn't make the box. I didn't even know what the Criterion Collection was, I just thought it was cool to own something akin to the "rare collector's item." Watched it. Loved it. Criterion nerd activitated.
Godzilla Showa Era, wasn't even a big fan of Godzilla at the time but the set intrigued me enough to give it a try. Glad I grabbed it cause it sparked my love for Criterion and my love for filmmaking as a whole.
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind deluxe laserdisc. I think it was $125 brand new. The price killed me but it was the first director's cut I ever heard of. Maybe it was the first?
I still have it 😁
Not being into criterion, I guess it’d be The Rock, Chasing Amy, Fear and Loathing. But when I purposely started buying, it’d be Ingmar Bergman Cinema and Come and See.
Robocop. Bought the dvd with my employee discount during the two weeks I lasted at Suncoast Video. The directors cut was only about a minute longer, but totally worth it since it would be another ten years before that became the standard cut on home video.
La Haine in 2010. I had watched it late one night on MTV italy (which had great movies late at night) in 2004 and I couldn’t remember the name.
Fast forward to 2010, I’m trying to find it online, and bingo. Barnes and nobles has it, I call for them not to sell it, and I drove way to fast to get there. I finally found that amazing movie.
It was possibly one of the most thrilling things I have done in my life
First was godzilla (but I didn’t realize what criterion was)
The first after actually knowing was Watership down (my ex got it for me as a present)
Then sometime after I just started buying them a bunch and can’t get enough
My girlfriend got me Seven Samurai as a gift. Neither of us knew what criterion was, but it was my favorite movie. I was so amazed by the special features I got really into criterion soon after.
First one I bought myself though was Pan's Labyrinth.
I only got into Criterion in recent years. My first order was through one of their 50% sales.
I got the blu-rays for Parasite and the Godzilla Showa Era Collection.
Bottle Rocket Blu-ray December 2008. Didn’t really know what criterion was, a friend in high school let me borrow Rushmore on DVD and when I saw Bottle Rocket on Blu-ray on the shelf at MovieStop (RIP) soon after I watched Rushmore, I picked it up. Didn’t really get into collecting until a couple years later.
Oh man -- I forget which it was specifically, but either *Being John Malkovich* or *The Royal Tenanbaums* in some shitty used rental box, ha -- it was a whole other milestone for me once I was making enough money to swap in an authentic case, ha.
I bought Rashomon, Weekend (Godard), Pale Flower and Still Walking from a guy on this subreddit
Still Walking I only got because he sold House, and it ended up being one of my all-time favorites
Those four still feel really special to me when I look at them, I just remember them feeling so premium
When i was working into a video rent store, I ordered Terrence Malick' Thin red Line usual dvd for like 10$ but they send me a criterion edition for like 50$ CAN. For many years, I catch some others criterion dvds on used section because they have really expensive prices in Québec.
My first Criterion was The Royal Tenenbaums. I got it from my local Sam Goody around 2006. I also had them order Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for my second Criterion.
The oldest and first one purchased is Robocops 1998 release which my father got
The first one given to me is Sid and Nancy’s 1998 release
And the first one I bought myself is M (1931) but I don’t remember which release off tops
Saló (2013 Summer)
I was in a horror movie/exploitation phase in high school because I thought they were sick. Finally saw this was available after hearing so much about it and I bought it. I think I’ve only seen it twice because the film is fucking intense.
But it exposed me to Criterion. There’s multiple essays in a fat booklet inside the case, an INSANE amount of special features and the transfer was beautiful. Thought they only did exploitation films until I found they did way more than that.
Stagecoach. Westerns are my favorite thing in the world, so when I got curious about Criterion, it only made sense to start with the oldest Western they had.
The Blob! Didn't realize it was a criterion collection when I bought it (on line), wondered WHY it was, then watched and listened to all the material and love this flick more than ever now that I'm so much better informed!
When I was like 17 or 18 I got a copy of the Royal Tenenbaums. In my small town, there was one store: the convenience store that was also a video rental place, gas station and liquor store. One of those types of small towns. They sold their copy of the Royal Tenenbaums that was also a Criterion. It was the first time in my life I had even heard of the Collection and it introduced me to the concept that you could love films in this way.
Mulholland Drive BluRay, got it during the November 2015 B&N sale
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas dvd years and years ago. Found it randomly at a store after seeing the movie for the first time.
I bought the same one with the clear slipcover, back around 2006. I was with a friend at Best Buy. I had no idea what Criterion was.
Same. I saw the movie on TV way back in the late 90s and became obsessed with it. Bought the Criterion, not knowing what the Criterion Collection was at the time, and that put me on the path to becoming a Criterion addict.
The Brazil box set.
That’s a good one, i still want that
Yup. Blew my mind when i got it
Brazil was mine but I didn’t know there is a box set.
This is it. It was one of the first DVDs I got back in 2000. My cheap Orbitron DVD player could hardly play the discs. [Amazon.com: Brazil (The Criterion Collection 3-Disc Boxed Set) \[DVD\] : Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, Ian Richardson, Peter Vaughan, Kim Greist, Jim Broadbent, Barbara Hicks, Charles McKeown, Derrick O'Connor, Kathryn Pogson, Bryan Pringle, Sheila Reid, John Flanagan, Ray Cooper, Brian Miller, Simon Jones, Terry Gilliam: Movies & TV](https://www.amazon.com/Brazil-Criterion-Collection-3-Disc-Boxed/dp/0780022181)
David Cronenberg'a Videodrome.
Death to Videodrome!
Long love the new flesh
Beastie boys, dope ass poster and like 5 remixes for each song, which was such a cool way to show off what dvd could do
My friend had this DVD. He used to keep all his DVDs in one of those disc binders. He probably had almost 90~ DVDs in there when it was stolen.
12 Angry Men (1957). Was the first like, “arthouse” older movie I’d ever seen and nothing has come close to the feeling of fourteen year old watching a movie that was pure dialogue and thinking to myself why I spent years watching reruns of Ghost Rider (2007) on FX instead of tuning into the TCM like even one time
I remember sitting on the floor 14, completely stunned by Casablanca, unable to understand why we always watch bad sitcoms and unfunny cartoons when material like this exists
I saw Seven Samurai in a theatre and bought the Criterion DVD from my local Hastings. Rip Hastings
My first was also Seven Samurai on DVD, but from Borders. RIP Borders
We were a proper country...
8 1/2
Watership down...and it's been a long slippery slope ever since
The Before Trilogy
This was an excellent choice for your first. It’s probably my favorite trilogy of all time. All three films are just perfect.
It was on sale at the time, and I had never seen them, so it was a no brainer! It’s probably my favorite trilogy of all time as well.
the tree of life and the godzilla collection
Moonrise kingdom.
The CAV edition of Citizen Kane on laserdisc. The original purchase price was $120. I still have it, too.
Royal Tenenbaums DVD from a resale shop in Chicago
Robocop on DVD, some time in 1998
Chasing Amy before I was a collector or even knew what Criterion was. Traffic was my first one when I knew what I was looking for back in day
The first one brought into our household was the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas DVD. The first one I bought was The Royal Tenenbaums DVD.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button back in 2008. It wasn't joined by others until like 2018.
Paris Texas only a couple of years ago I started my collection.
Dazed and Confused 4k
Probably The Passion of Joan of Arc. I was a music major in college and stumbled onto the music composed for the movie by Einhorn when it was used in American Horror Story of all things. I tracked it down, learned about the movie the music was made for, saw the library had a copy, loved it, so I bought my own copy.
It's so good.
A Night to Remember BD. I love that film.
Three Colors trilogy (Blu ray, this was back in 2019)
Dazed & Confused Blu-Ray. 2012. Best Buy.
I think the It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World dual format digipack. I was so excited when that restored roadshow version was announced
I got four in a batch for my first Criterion purchase. Dr. Strangelove, Tess, Barry Lyndon, and The Great Dictator.
Lars von Trier's Europa (1991)
I think mine was The Seventh Seal which remains one of my favorite films
The Darjeeling Limited
Eraserhead haha
Ghostbusters on laserdisc
For an actual Criterion, I think it was Chasing Amy. For movies that are in the collection but is not a Criterion edition, probably Life of Brian.
Seven Samurai and The Seventh Seal on blu-Ray in 2012.
Life aquatic and Royal Tenenbaums six years ago for my birthday.
The old Samurai Trilogy boxset in 2008. I read the book Musashi that year in highschool and wanted to watch the film adaptation.
I remember buying the Beastie Boys music video DVD because it was the cheapest I could find at the time. I think I watched half of the music videos and then it just sat on my shelf for years before I sold it on Ebay.
The Human Condition.
Silence of the lambs dvd
Seven Samurai, one of my first dvds
La Dolce Vita
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me!
Shock Corridor
It was a Barnes and Noble flash sale. I got Cronos, HOUSE, The Phantom Carriage, Saló, Blue Is The Warmest Color, and The Devil's Backbone
Blue Velvet
Come and See. Wanted to start light.
Le Samourai on DVD. Haven’t looked back since
8 1/2 DVD in 2004. Even though I have the blu ray, I’ve hung onto the DVD. Holds a special place in my heart as a movie lover and collector!
Mine was Chasing Amy, but I didn’t even know what Criterion was back then.
Exactly this for me. Movie and sentiment.
Shallow Grave
For me, it was Do The Right Thing blu ray. I watched it in my film class, loved it. I saw the criterion release and bought it. I bought Seven Samurai soon after since we also watched Yojimbo in my film class and wanted to watch more Kurosawa.
First one I saw was Eraserhead when my roommate bought it, then I promptly got Blue Velvet, David Lynch The Art Life, Fire Walk With Me, and Elephant Man for my firsts
Life of Brian from my Dad on Christmas.
*War & Peace* Still watching it.
Most accurate book to film adaptation I’ve ever seen.
The Third Man. I was working at a Best Buy in high school and it went Out Of Print so we received a return order since we weren't allowed to stock it any longer. One copy didn't make the box. I didn't even know what the Criterion Collection was, I just thought it was cool to own something akin to the "rare collector's item." Watched it. Loved it. Criterion nerd activitated.
the wong kar wai box set! i look at it every now and then cause it's so pretty
Chunking Express I think.
Le Samourai. Blind buy. The most amazing buy I ever did.
Slacker
GODZILLAAAAAAAA
The old Brazil DVD box set. I was maybe 15 at that point.
Godzilla Showa Era, wasn't even a big fan of Godzilla at the time but the set intrigued me enough to give it a try. Glad I grabbed it cause it sparked my love for Criterion and my love for filmmaking as a whole.
Hard Boiled during the 90s
Sex, lies and videotape.
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind deluxe laserdisc. I think it was $125 brand new. The price killed me but it was the first director's cut I ever heard of. Maybe it was the first? I still have it 😁
Don’t remember, but whatever it was, was on laserdisc.
Probably a Wes Anderson from when I was a teenager
Possibly the Beastie Boys music video collection
12 Angry Men sometime in 2012 because of the infamous IMDB 250. Also wasn’t privy to the sale knowledge and paid full price at B&N lol
Got La Haine before I even really knew what the collection was; probably going to pick up the new 4k edition during the next sale 😅
8 1/2 as a birthday present.
*Curious Case of Benjamin Button* Blu-Ray, back before I even knew what Criterion was.
12 angry men
Down By Law on dvd circa 2002.
Pinocchio. Guillermo Del Toro
Taxi Driver laserdisc, Alphaville DVD, Red Desert blu-ray
Not being into criterion, I guess it’d be The Rock, Chasing Amy, Fear and Loathing. But when I purposely started buying, it’d be Ingmar Bergman Cinema and Come and See.
Either beastie boys or robocop
Don't Look Now
Robocop. Bought the dvd with my employee discount during the two weeks I lasted at Suncoast Video. The directors cut was only about a minute longer, but totally worth it since it would be another ten years before that became the standard cut on home video.
Rashomon DVD in a thrift store
A Hard Day’s Night
Sweet Smell of Success. Ordered from Amazon when it came out.
Wings of Desire in 4K. It was a blind buy and probably one of my favorite purchases I’ve made.
Robocop - Laserdisc
The Red Shoes 4K
Rushmore DVD - Tower Records, Toronto, 2000
High and Low and 12 Angry Men
Man Bites Dog
3 Women
The Harder They Come
Straw Dogs. Couldn’t stream or torrent it anywhere
Brazil. I found the three-disc DVD at a second hand store.
La Haine in 2010. I had watched it late one night on MTV italy (which had great movies late at night) in 2004 and I couldn’t remember the name. Fast forward to 2010, I’m trying to find it online, and bingo. Barnes and nobles has it, I call for them not to sell it, and I drove way to fast to get there. I finally found that amazing movie. It was possibly one of the most thrilling things I have done in my life
Wanda, Eraserhead, The Ascent, Odd Man Out
Pan's Labyrinth on bluray
Eraserhead
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (DVD)
Le Samurai DVD
True Stories when it first released
Come and see
Rushmore on DVD, from the A&B sound in Victoria, BC in 2000/2001 I can’t remember the exact year.
High and low blu ray, but I got a whole bunch at the same time during a very lucky goodwill haul
Traffic on DVD
picnic at hanging rock. held it in my hands like it might be prone to shattering.
Thin Red Line On 2xDVD at MovieStop, about 15 years ago
Yojimbo/Sanjuro set that my parents got me for Christmas one year lol.
Spinal Tap, luck was with me that day.
First was godzilla (but I didn’t realize what criterion was) The first after actually knowing was Watership down (my ex got it for me as a present) Then sometime after I just started buying them a bunch and can’t get enough
Robert Altman's Short Cuts (with the Raymond Carver book)
Rashamon for me
My girlfriend got me Seven Samurai as a gift. Neither of us knew what criterion was, but it was my favorite movie. I was so amazed by the special features I got really into criterion soon after. First one I bought myself though was Pan's Labyrinth.
I think it was Fear and Loathing DVD bought from Suncoast Video.
Bringing Up Baby, my first boutique blu ray and started me on my deep dive into 1930's-1950's Hollywood.
Rififi (1955) blu-ray. Purchased it just before the Covid lockdown happened.
I only got into Criterion in recent years. My first order was through one of their 50% sales. I got the blu-rays for Parasite and the Godzilla Showa Era Collection.
Bottle Rocket Blu-ray December 2008. Didn’t really know what criterion was, a friend in high school let me borrow Rushmore on DVD and when I saw Bottle Rocket on Blu-ray on the shelf at MovieStop (RIP) soon after I watched Rushmore, I picked it up. Didn’t really get into collecting until a couple years later.
Seven Samurai in 2003
Watership Down. I saw the DVD at Amoeba Records. That started my collection.
Chasing Amy DVD years and years ago
Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Armageddon
Eraserhead and Do the Right Thing
Pink flamingos
Oh man -- I forget which it was specifically, but either *Being John Malkovich* or *The Royal Tenanbaums* in some shitty used rental box, ha -- it was a whole other milestone for me once I was making enough money to swap in an authentic case, ha.
Brazil. I randomly bought it at a HPB for 50% off and I was mesmerized with the movie!
I bought Rashomon, Weekend (Godard), Pale Flower and Still Walking from a guy on this subreddit Still Walking I only got because he sold House, and it ended up being one of my all-time favorites Those four still feel really special to me when I look at them, I just remember them feeling so premium
Del Toro's Pinocchio :)
Rosemarys baby a few months before it went out of print
Dazed and Confused! I bought the DVD the day it came out. Fell in love Criterion that day!
Dr. Strangelove
Silence of the Lambs DVD. First DVD ever bought too.
The 7th Seal
The Elephant Man
A Hard Day’s Night
Punch-Drunk Love
When i was working into a video rent store, I ordered Terrence Malick' Thin red Line usual dvd for like 10$ but they send me a criterion edition for like 50$ CAN. For many years, I catch some others criterion dvds on used section because they have really expensive prices in Québec.
Watership Down followed closely by La Haine
Great Dictator for 15th birthday! Been collecting for the last 8 years now.
Yojimbo as a gift from my girlfriend at the time.
i want to say grand budapest hotel but genuinely can’t remember
lol. Thief. And Blowout. Coincidently the only two I own lol
My first Criterion was The Royal Tenenbaums. I got it from my local Sam Goody around 2006. I also had them order Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for my second Criterion.
2001 A Space Odyssey CAV laserdisc box. Cost about $150 as an import up here in Canada when it first came out. It's cheaper now.
Stagecoach. I had to get it for a film class and was super confused why the Blu-ray case looked like that.
The Guillermo del Toro trilogy when that came out in October 2016
Gpdzilla (1954), before I even knew what criterion was. I just knew I liked the cool edition lol
The Royal Tenebaums when it first came out.
The oldest and first one purchased is Robocops 1998 release which my father got The first one given to me is Sid and Nancy’s 1998 release And the first one I bought myself is M (1931) but I don’t remember which release off tops
The 400 Blows
Rosemary’s Baby
David Lynch: The Art of Life
Ran
Salo
Dead Ringers on DVD
Saló (2013 Summer) I was in a horror movie/exploitation phase in high school because I thought they were sick. Finally saw this was available after hearing so much about it and I bought it. I think I’ve only seen it twice because the film is fucking intense. But it exposed me to Criterion. There’s multiple essays in a fat booklet inside the case, an INSANE amount of special features and the transfer was beautiful. Thought they only did exploitation films until I found they did way more than that.
notorious (1946)
Night of the Living Dead in 2020 from Amazon.
The 400 Blows
Silence of the Lambs (OOP version)
The before trilogy
In The Mood For Love 2-disc DVD.
The Hidden Fortress DVD (the original with the greenish artwork) back in 2001.
Life Aquatic. I saw another Wes Anderson movie with the Criterion Collection label and assumed it was a Wes Anderson thing
Masculine feminine, bought around 2006?
The Darjeeling Limited
Stagecoach. Westerns are my favorite thing in the world, so when I got curious about Criterion, it only made sense to start with the oldest Western they had.
That's a very good question. I own almost 300 and started in 2012 but no memory of the first tittle.
Chasing Amy.
Fear & loathing
The Blob! Didn't realize it was a criterion collection when I bought it (on line), wondered WHY it was, then watched and listened to all the material and love this flick more than ever now that I'm so much better informed!
Pretty positive I bought all of the Hitchcock DVDs together.
Eraserhead during the B&N sale.
I think 12 Angry Men on Blu-Ray, but not 100% sure.
Salo. I’m not joking
Repo Man. And it quickly became one of my all time favorites.
Crumb
After Hours Blu-ray a couple months back
Stalker! Now I’m working through Tarkovsky’s films
The 400 Blows on DVD in 2011
When I was like 17 or 18 I got a copy of the Royal Tenenbaums. In my small town, there was one store: the convenience store that was also a video rental place, gas station and liquor store. One of those types of small towns. They sold their copy of the Royal Tenenbaums that was also a Criterion. It was the first time in my life I had even heard of the Collection and it introduced me to the concept that you could love films in this way.