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2012: Blu-ray's Greatest Year? (1 Viewer)

Brian McP

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With an avalanche of new releases on bluray in the latter half of 2012, could liken this year to that golden Hollywood year of 1939 -- the year so many great movies were released in one year -- are there any other iconic titles still yet to make the jump to high definition?
 

David Weicker

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I agree this has been a Tremendous year for catalog titles.
However, I hope that this is only the beginning of gates opening wide.
For myself, where are the Frank Capra's, the Preston Sturges', the Marx's, the Katharine Hepburn's (or even more Audrey), the Jimmy Cagney's, the Bette Davis', or my personal favorite, the Fred Astaire's.
David
 

Matt Hough

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Or the classic Disney live action films (Treasure Island, 20,000 Leagues, Swiss Family Robinson, Old Yeller). In the Cinderella Blu-ray set (review later today), there was an insert reminding us that The Absent Minded Professor/Son of Flubber and Pollyanna are coming on Blu-ray.
 

Brian McP

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Absolutely David and Matt -- certainly those studio movies have more than likely been looked after over the years and would make perfect candidates for bluray releases, especially those Fred Astaire and Disney movies.
Personally I would like to see the local release of the six Laurel and Hardy movies made at 20th Century Fox in the early to mid 40s, all available on bluray in Europe for nearly a year (as well as "The Flying Deuces", just remastered and released complete in Germany this week).
All of these movies mightn't look like "Lawrence of Arabia" in all his 1080 glory, but they are in better shape than the ravaged Hal Roach shorts and features and would look pretty good as a little box set (if Fox could license "Air Raid Wardens" and "Nothing But Trouble" from WB, it would be quite a coup)
There is also currently an attempt to put together the ultimate version of L&H's last feature "Atoll K" using all the best surviving elements and international versions. The movie itself is torture to sit through, but for L&H completists, this will be quite an event as it would mark the first time the movie has been complete -- ever! Don't know if this would get the bump up to bluray status, but would certainly be a genuine curio to most film history fans.
Regarding this year, it has been an ongoing parade of masterpieces coming into circulation -- the next level may well be these classic movie star franchises (the Cagneys, Astaires, Marxes etc -- which reminds me, a slab of high definition Buster Keaton laughs will be landing at my place this Christmas) or classic tv shows (Dick Van Dyke and Morey Amsterdam will also be in high rotation, and definition, with Buster before the year is out)
One wonders what state the original materials of a show like "Gilligan's Island" be these days -- in bluray, even shot on studio backlots and sound stages, it would be an eyepopping experience seeing this, as would many other shows from the 50s and 60s.
 

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