The-criteron-collection-e1360987961823-224x150If you're a big fan of cinema, at some point you've probably heard of The Criterion Collection. They specialize in cult, foreign, and critically acclaimed films from many of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Originally available on Netflix, their entire streaming collection moved to Hulu a few years ago. Right now and through Sunday, February 17th, they are streaming over 800 films for free (only in the United States, unfortunately). Embedded below are just a few of my favorites available on the service. Click through to check them out.

Paris, Texas -- Wim Wenders


Paris, Texas follows the mysterious, nearly mute drifter Travis as he tries to reconnect with his young son, living with his brother in Los Angeles, and his missing wife.

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A Woman Under the Influence -- John Cassavetes

John Cassavetes' devastating drama details the emotional breakdown of a suburban housewife and her family's struggle to save her from herself.

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Wild Strawberries -- Ingmar Bergman

Traveling to receive an honorary degree, Professor Isak Borg (masterfully played by the veteran Swedish director Victor Sjöström), is forced to face his past, come to terms with his faults, and accept the inevitability of his approaching death.

Scenes from a Marriage -- Ingmar Bergman

Marianne and Johan always seemed like the perfect couple. But when Johan suddenly leaves Marianne for another woman, they are forced to confront the disintegration of their marriage.

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Breathless -- Jean-Luc Godard

With its lack of polish, surplus of attitude, anything-goes crime narrative, and effervescent young stars Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg, Breathless helped launch the French New Wave and ensured cinema would never be the same.

Seven Samurai -- Akira Kurosawa

One of the most thrilling movie epics of all time, Seven Samurai tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits.

The Spirit of the Beehive -- Víctor Erice

In a small Castilian village in 1940, in the wake of the country’s devastating civil war, six-year-old Ana attends a traveling movie show of Frankenstein and becomes possessed by the memory of it.

While not every single film is available for free (some are still only available to Hulu Plus users), it's still a great opportunity to experience some of the most interesting movies in cinema history.

What are some of your favorite Criterion films, and why? Feel free to share some of them below, and any that are currently streaming you'd recommend to other No Film School readers.

Head on over to Hulu's Criterion landing page to waste your entire weekend away!

Link: The Criterion Collection -- Hulu