Pasolini 101

[domino harvey]

My guess is that packaging templates already exist for big releases like these with sleeves, so it’s easier/cheaper to utilize those than develop a new hybrid with plastic hubs or use an existing fold-out digipak solution (which can take up more shelf space than desired)

[tenia]

I know sets with 10 discs that are perfectly compact. There are enough possibilities around for multi discs sets to avoid going to sleeves, from slim plastic cases to foldout digipacks to cardboard cases, and Criterion went through so many different ones they probably can provide templates for most of them (I also doubt they're constrained and/or constraining designers with this beforehand, but probably instead choose a format and then ask the designed to work within it).

Using sleeves is a design choice, and I'm sure shelf-space saving hasn't weighed much in such decision, just like the special All About Eve design was extra-work but for counter-productive results. On the other hand, I'm fairly certain designers think cardboard sleeves packagings make for a more premium feel, and that's why they go to it, and that most consumers share that impression.

[dwk]

Sleeves are awful, I can’t stand the cardboard paper they use for other box sets and releases too. Citizen Kane, Three Colors… Go all plastic. Is it more expensive? Is Criterion committed to sustainability?

Plastic cases are in fact cheaper than cardboard/digipaks.

Universal's recent Monsters UHD set is shaped like Criterion's Showa Godzilla set but it has plastic disc holders in the back instead of sleeves. I think that is a better solution to this type of multi-disc set.

[kekid]

Sleeves are fine as long as they have a circle cut out in the center, so that we can insert the finger and slide the disc out of the sleeve. This is what they did for the Bergman big box.I don't know why they did not continue that design subsequently.
Pasolini is truly terrible. It is impossible to pull the discs out without leaving finger marks each time.
I wrote to Jon Mulvani about it some time ago. He was quite gracious in responding. He said he was passing on my description of the problem to their design folks for future consideration, and that if the discs in that set did not play at any time in future Criterion would replace them for me.