Criterion Collection To Release 'Hunger' in February

If we're not already, I suspect we'll look back on Hunger a few years from as being a fairly notable film. It's the debut film from director Steve McQueen and stars Michael Fassbender in a jarring performance as IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, presented here in the last few weeks of his life. Partly because we expect to see much more from the director and star over the next few years and partly because the film hasn't quite gained the top-of-mind acceptance in the US yet as it has in Europe, Hunger is a movie we'll probably refer to over and over again for a while. It joins the esteemed Criterion Collection on February 16th, which all but ensures that this will be the definitive version of Hunger. Hard to find a lot wrong with the presentation of anything Criterion releases, and the DVDs - and now Blu-rays - usually have the best supplemental material in the business. You can click the image above to see the full cover. Here's what's included in the Criterion Collection edition of Hunger:

-New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Steve McQueen (with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition) -Video interviews with McQueen and actor Michael Fassbender -A short documentary on the making of Hunger, including interviews with McQueen, Fassbender, actors Liam Cunningham, Stuart Graham, and Brian Milligan, writer Enda Walsh, and producer Robin Gutch -“The Provo’s Last Card?,” a 1981 episode of the BBC program Panorama, about the Maze prison hunger strikes and the political and civilian reactions across Northern Ireland -A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Chris Darke

Again, it's out in just over a month, and although you'll pay a little more, you get what you pay for.

Comments

[anybody]

Damn! And I've already bought the single disc... this is a great film for those who haven't watched it. Great performance, great visuals and a stunningly plain dialogue scene right in the middle that's as riveting as the rest of the almost torturous story/shots. I've been hyping this film on here since TIFF last year (but why listen to me, I'm just anybody) and don't understand why this wasn't/isn't in the running for best foreign Oscar or best actor.

[SEAN]

anybody....

I believe it was not too long ago when you recommended to me in seeing this, on a Cronenberg post on this very blog...

I still need to check this film out, but Fassbender has my complete respect from Basterds, but I would like to see how he carries such a heavy subject in the starring role....

[knives]

Don't forget that the also great recent Revanche and Pedro Costa films are coming too.