Background: The Criterion Collection (or just "Criterion") is a company owned by Jonathan B. Turell and Peter Becker, sons of Janus Films owners Saul J. Turell & William Becker, respectively. The Criterion Collection produces direct-to-video documentaries and distributes DVDs of art and important films, which are presented on their versions with the highest video and audio quality possible. They were one of the first video companies to add special features to laserdisc releases, which would later become the standard for the DVD market.
1st Logo
(1984-1996; March 30, 1999)[]
Logo: On a shady black/blue background, we see a shady black/blue box with a metallic border, that casts a shadow in the background. Inside the box is what looks like a book with pages. A sideways arch is connected to the book, forming a "C". The word "Criterion" appears below the "C".
FX/SFX: None.
Variants:
- An earlier version was used from 1984-89, which features a white print logo on a black background with two bylines "THE CRITERION COLLECTION" and "a division of JANUS FILMS and VOYAGER FILMS."
- Only on MGM/UA releases from 1984-1989, the white print logo is on a black background with a white border and a shadow under it.
- On the Criterion Laserdisc of The Red Shoes, the background is red.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Rare, as this only appears on laserdisc releases. Look for the Criterion heading on the sleeve for this logo. Examples include Akira, The Killer, Citizen Kane, and Hard Boiled, among others. This strangely appears within the VOB files on the 1999 DVD of Fishing With John (the 4th logo only appears during normal playback).
2nd Logo
(October 26, 1994)[]
Logo: On a black background, we see the word "CRITERION" in red flip to the left and stop in place at an angle. As this happens, a gray background, which has several titles of Criterion releases, sliding to the left, fades in.
FX/SFX: The flipping of the word, fading of the background, movement of the words in the background.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Extremely rare. This was only seen on Criterion's Laserdisc of Halloween.
3rd Logo
(May 17, 1995)[]
Logo: On a metal background, we see a Laserdisc zooming out. The Laserdisc then forms the Criterion logo from the time.
FX/SFX: The Laserdisc.
Music/Sounds: Motorcycle sounds, then a loud disc sound.
Availability: Like before, this is a Laserdisc-exclusive variant. It can be found on Criterion's release of RoboCop.
4th Logo (1996-September 28, 1999)[]
Logo: On a black background, we see two Cs and a curved line forming a eye. "CRITERION COLLECTION" is seen above and below the eye.
Variant: On the Criterion Laserdisc and DVD editions of Brazil, we see a row of file cabinets on the right. One of them opens up to reveal a color-inverted version of the logo.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Rare. Appears on Laserdiscs and early DVDs from this era. DVD examples include And The Ship Sails On, and the extremely rare releases of the John Woo films The Killer and Hard Boiled.
5th Logo (March 16, 1999-December 4, 2007)[]
Logo: On a black background, we see the white text "THE CRITERION COLLECTION". Below the text, a white line wipes in from left to right.
FX/SFX: The line wiping in.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen on Criterion DVDs from this era. Examples include Seven Samurai, Kagemusha, Three Women, Making Close Encounters, The Ruling Class, RoboCop, Dazed and Confused, Koko: A Talking Gorilla, Thieves' Highway, and Fat Girl, among others.
6th Logo
(December 11, 2007- )[]
Logo: On a black background, we see many grey tone parts spinning around. "THE CRITERION COLLECTION" slides up and curves into one of the parts. Some of the parts split up and form a tilted C.
FX/SFX: The spinning parts.
Music/Sounds: None.
Music/Sounds Variant: On the Blu-ray release of Quadrophenia, due to a plastering error, it has most of the 1997 Universal Studios Home Video logo's music.
Availability: Current. Its first appearance was as a print logo on the single disc DVD reissue of Faces, while the animated version debuted on the 2007 DVD release of Two-Lane Blacktop. The logo appears on current Criterion DVDs/Blu-rays/UHDs such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Paris, Texas, Blow Out, The Honeymoon Killers, The War Room, The Naked Prey, Swing Time, In the Heat of the Night, Election, WALL-E, In a Lonely Place, All About Eve, Mildred Pierce, Desert Hearts, Hollywood Shuffle, The Trial, Chimes at Midnight, The Watermelon Woman, and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, among others. This also appears at the start of any movie shown on the Criterion Channel (and syndicated through Max), such as Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, and Hausu.