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Addiction, nonmonogamy, and female sexual liberation: decades before such ideas were widely discussed, Dorothy Arzner, the only woman to work as a director in 1930s Hollywood, brought them to the screen with striking frankness, sophistication, and wit—a mature treatment that stands out even in the pre-Code era. Fredric March (in one of four collaborations with Arzner) and Sylvia Sidney turn in extraordinary performances as the urbane couple whose relationship is pushed to the breaking point by his alcoholism and wandering eye—leading them into an emotionally explosive experiment with an open marriage. Exposing the hypocrisies and petty cruelties simmering beneath the surface of high-society elegance, Merrily We Go to Hell is a scathing early-feminist commentary on modern marriage. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack • Dorothy Arzner: Longing for Women, a 1983 documentary by Katja Raganelli and Konrad Wickler • New video essay by film historian Cari Beauchamp • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • PLUS: An essay by film scholar Judith Mayne Top About this item Similar From the Brand Reviews Merrily We Go to Hell (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

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U.S. Marines fight brutal delaying actions during the Korean War.

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Susan Seidelman established her distinctive vision of 1980s New York with this debut feature, the lo-fi original for her vibrant portraits of women reinventing themselves. After escaping New Jersey, the quintessentially punk Wren (Susan Berman)—a sparkplug in fishnets who lives dangerously downtown—moves to the city with the mission of becoming famous. When not pasting up flyers for herself or hanging at the Peppermint Lounge, she’s getting involved with Paul (Brad Rijn), the nicest guy to ever live in a van next to the highway, and Eric (Richard Hell), an aloof rocker. Shot on 16 mm film that captures the grit and glam of the setting, with an alternately moody and frenetic soundtrack by the Feelies and others, Smithereens—the first independent American film to compete for the Palme d’Or—is an unfaded snapshot of a bygone era. DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New 2K digital restoration, approved by director Susan Seidelman, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack • Audio commentary from 2004 featuring Seidelman • New interviews with Seidelman and actor Susan Berman • And You Act Like One Too (1976) and Yours Truly, Andrea G. Stern (1979), two early shorts by Seidelman, with new introductions by the director • PLUS: An essay by critic Rebecca Bengal Top About this item Similar From the Brand Reviews Smithereens (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

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After barely surviving prison, the demented Firefly clan go on the run, unleashing a whole new wave of murder, madness and mayhem.