Attention all you Fellini, Bergman, Hitchcock, Lean, and Kubrick fans. Appleton Public Library recently purchased the Criterion Collection thanks to funding provided by the Appleton Library Foundation. The Criterion Collection is a continuing series of classic and contemporary films from around the world directed by more than 35 filmmakers. It is considered to be the most significant archive of contemporary filmmaking available. For seventeen years the Criterion mission has been to pull the treasures of world cinema out of film vaults and put them in the hands of collectors. Each film is presented uncut as the maker intended it to be seen. State-of-the-art equipment is used to create the most pristine possible image and sound. Directors and cinematographers are consulted to ensure the works make the grade. Some of the additional features include: audio commentaries by filmmakers and scholars, restored director's cuts, deleted scenes and documentaries. The films cover a wide variety of subjects and the titles and are sure to please even the most finicky film buffs.

Betty Burroughs, Audio Visual Librarian at Appleton Public Library, said the idea to purchase the Criterion Collection came from a Library staff member and all films in the series that were available for purchase were ordered. The collection is mostly in DVD format although some are in VHS and they are very popular. The collection is comprised of mostly feature films but there are some documentaries included. Foreign films in the collection have English subtitles. Some of the classics in the Criterion Collection include: Oliver Twist (David Lean-1948), Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman-1957), Spartacus (Stanley Kubrick-1960), The Long Good Friday (John Mackenzie-1979), Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee-1989), Taste of Cherry (Abbas Kiarostami-1997), and Traffic (Steven Soderbergh-2000). For further information about the Criterion Collection, call or stop by the Information desk at 832-6177.