Extras for this release are a mix of new and old, starting with an audio commentary from the late Ken Russell that originally appeared on the aforementioned DVD release from some years back. Russell spends a lot of time discussing the film's literary origins and noting which real life historical figures may or may not have had an influence on how certain scenes here play out. He also shares some interesting stories and anecdotes about working with the cast and crew on the film, and of course Oliver Reed's penchant for behaving like Oliver Reed comes into play. He also discusses some of the locations used in the film, the score and quite a bit more. Russell's commentary tracks were always interesting and this one is no exception. Also carried over from the DVD release is a commentary track with writer and producer Larry Kramer. This track is also quite interesting as it covers things from a few different angles. Not only does Kramer talk about adapting D.H. Lawrence's source material and some of the complications involved in that but he also talks about working with Russell on the project, the screenwriting process, getting the movie actually finished, what he did from a producer's standpoint and more. Between the two tracks we get a lot of pertinent information about the history and making this film, and as such, they're quite valuable.

A British Picture: Portrait Of An Enfant Terrible is a piece that Russell himself made as a dramatized self-portrait for British television in 1989. It's a forty-two-minute piece that starts off with an odd montage of images on a picture frame that then expands to take up the entire frame as we see a series of strange clips from various sources that then leads to Russell's narration at which point he talks about his love of film from a young age, early pictures that impressed him such as Metropolis and then his progression from film fan to filmmaker. It's all very strange and almost surreal in spots, done very much with Russell's trademark sense of odd humor front and center in the piece and it's quite interesting too. The ending in particular is quite funny. Russell himself shows up in a video piece that documents a 2007 BAFTA Los Angeles Heritage Archive interview that clocks in at just under fourteen-minutes. Here he's interviewed about his love of cinema, how he started to take movies more seriously as he got older, his thoughts on music, details of some of the scripts that he wrote (some produced, some not) and quite a bit more. Russell is animated and cheeky here, he's always a good interview subject.

Also on hand is an interview with Glenda Jackson, cigarette in hand, that runs twenty-minutes and that was recorded in 1976. She talks about her first acting experiences, how she did some early roles ‘usually playing maids' and they how she took the step to do it professionally. She then speaks about a few of the roles that she's played over the years, her thoughts on some of the parts that she's played over the years, getting cast in Women In Love and how much she liked working with Ken Russell. This is sourced from an old tape and it's a bit rough, but still quite a nice addition to the disc.

Billy Williams shows up in an interview shot specifically for this disc in 2017 that clocks in at twenty-five-minutes in length. He speaks about the source material and original novel that this film was based on, what it was like shooting this film and some of the filters that were used to achieve a specific look, the use of color and lighting in the film, working with Russell, shooting the naked wrestling scene and the dangers inherent in filming it the way that they did, how the film was explicit for its time but is rather tame by modern standards, and the ‘beauty of 35mm film.' Interesting stuff, if you've got an interest in the more technical side of lighting and shoot a feature.

Editor Michael Bradsell was also interviewed exclusively for this Criterion Collection Blu-ray release in a piece that runs seventeen-minutes. He talks about meeting Russell and working with him for the first time and how he was a bit nervous, how their relationship developed over time, cutting the different set pieces in Women In Love, viewing the rushes and having to narrow down what would be kept and what would be excised, the trickiness of editing the scene with all the mirrors in it, and the expression that is evident in the film. Lots of good information here about the origins of the picture, and constructing it all in a way that fit what he and Russell were after.

The ATV Today segment is an interview with actors Alan Bates and Jennie Linden from a 1968 television broadcast that runs a hair over ten-minutes. This black and white segment includes some footage shot on the set of the feature showing Russell at work, and that gives us an idea of what it would have been like on the set. It also lets the two actors give us some background information on how they got into the business and their thoughts on the project at hand. They also talk to Larry Kramer about his role as writer and producer on the film.

The disc also includes a twenty-five-minute short film entitled Second Best that was directed by Stephen Dartnell in 1972. This film, previously unreleased, also stars Alan Bates and is again based on a story by D.H. Lawrence. Here Bates and Victoria Ward play a couple whose lives become… complicated when she returns to the village where she grew up only for him to court her while the engage in hunting moles. It's an odd piece to say that least, but not without its quirky charm and both Bates and Ward are quite good in it.

Outside of that, the disc contains a theatrical trailer for the feature, menus and chapter selection. Accompanying the disc is an insert booklet containing credits for the feature and the Blu-ray presentation as well as liner notes from scholar Linda Ruth Williams.

Ken Russell's critically lauded filmed adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's Women In Love has, courtesy of the Criterion Collection, received the special edition release that it's so long deserved. The presentation is outstanding and the extras comprehensive and fascinating. Fans of the late director's work should consider this essential.

Ian lives in NYC with his wife where he writes for DVD Talk, runs Rock! Shock! Pop!. He likes NYC a lot, even if it is expensive and loud.