I want to make a case for Criterion spine numbers as a form of canon-making that we should think about more critically.

When Criterion releases a film as spine #1 (Grand Illusion), they're not just saying this is a good film — they're saying this is where Western art cinema begins. When they number La Jetée as spine #258, they're placing it in a specific context relative to everything released before and after.

The thing is, Criterion's canon is also a specific aesthetic canon. It's heavily European, heavily male, heavily oriented toward a particular kind of formal seriousness. The recent expansion into more global and genre cinema is genuinely exciting but it also reveals how limited the original canon was.

The question isn't whether Criterion makes good choices — they usually do. The question is whether any single institution should have this much influence over what counts as essential cinema.