Criterion Collection Adds Jonathan Demme’s ‘A Master Builder’ to Library
Shipra Harbola Gupta
The Criterion Collection announced that it has added Jonathan Demme’s latest film, “A Master Builder,” to its library.
READ MORE: Abramorama Picks Up Jonathan Demme’s ‘A Master Builder’
Based on Henrik Ibsen’s play, “A Master Builder Solness,” “A Master Builder” centers on a successful, yet bad-tempered architect who decides to make amends to all the people in his life that he has hurt over the years, as he nears the end of his life. Wallace Shawn not only stars in the lead role, but also wrote the screen adaptation of Ibsen’s play. André Gregory, Jeff Biehl, Julie Hagerty, Lisa Joyce, Emily Cass McDonnell and Larry Pine round out the rest of the cast.
Shawn and Gregory are longtime collaborators and “A Master Builder” joins the ranks of two of their previous collaborations, “My Dinner With André” and “Vanya on 42nd Street,” both of which are not only Criterion titles, but also focus on the topic of theater.
“Every filmmaker dreams of having their work wind up in The Criterion Collection, so I am pretty ecstatic about this news. Whatever quality level comes next above ‘gold standard’ is the cinematic realm inhabited by Criterion. That A MASTER BUILDER now joins MY DINNER WITH ANDRÉ and VANYA ON 42ND STREET in the Criterion realm is just incredibly moving and incredibly gratifying” said Jonathan Demme in a statement.
“A Master Builder” is currently playing at the Film Forum in New York City and will continue to expand to additional cities throughout the United States during the course of August and September. Criterion will be releasing “A Master Builder” on DVD and Blu-Ray, as well as make it available via all of its digital channels, including Hulu Plus.
