Is "The Time Machine" (1960) ever coming to Blu-ray? (1 Viewer)

[Charles Smith]

What the....???

Interesting about the matinee, though. When I first saw The Time Machine in a theater, it was one of a children's matinee series that a local theater ran every summer. I always associate this film, and just a couple of others, with those very matinees.

 

[Douglas R]

I stumbled across the "MGM Children's Matinee" reissue poster recently, and found it unintentionally hilarious...
Talk about false advertising!

I think we can safely assume that the artist didn't bother to see the film

 

[Tommy R]

The big Warner announcment came and went, and no mention of The Time Machine. Any thought on if it could still get a blu ray release next year?

 

[Brandon Conway]

Originally Posted by Tommy R /t/310688/is-the-time-machine-1960-ever-coming-to-blu-ray/60#post_3985622
The big Warner announcment came and went, and no mention of The Time Machine. Any thought on if it could still get a blu ray release next year?

The Warner 90th announcement definitely did not list all the catalog titles they will release in 2013. I don't know if The Time Machine will make it out, but there's no reason to think it won't because of that press release.

 

[Nelson Au]

I thought you were saying the announcement came and went that The Time Machine was coming to blu ray and no one took notice or mentioned yet. I hope it is indeed on the list of titles still to come.

 

[Tommy R]

I guess with the fact that it was an MGM movie originally that it makes sense they wouldn't put it with their Warner 90th Anniversary collection. I'm still hoping it can get a blu ray soon though.

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by Tommy R /t/310688/is-the-time-machine-1960-ever-coming-to-blu-ray/60#post_3986051I guess with the fact that it was an MGM movie originally that it makes sense they wouldn't put it with their Warner 90th Anniversary collection. I'm still hoping it can get a blu ray soon though.

Oh, no, Warners is putting out plenty of MGM films as part of their 90th anniversary celebration.

 

[Tommy R]

Oh, no, Warners is putting out plenty of MGM films as part of their 90th anniversary celebration.

Ah, I see. I'm not a cinephile enough to have known how many of those films were Warner originals or aquired from MGM. That makes it even a bigger bummer The Time Machine got neglected.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Again, it could very well still come out in 2013. Warner isn't gonna announce every 2013 release they have planned in a press release in October of 2012.

 

[cineMANIAC]

It could come out next year. It could also be "back-burned" in favor of the new Paramount titles. As popular a film as it may appear to be I get the impression the studio has no interest in going Blu with TIME MACHINE. 6 years into the format and still nothing...

 

[Nelson Au]

Is it a George Pal estate issue? I know we've recently gotten new remastered DVDs of The War of the Worlds from Paramount when the Tom Cruise version came out. But I don't think a blu ray ever came out of the 1953 version. So hopefully there's no related issue here with Warner.
I doubt the estate of George Pal is an issue, but I wondered.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Originally Posted by cineMANIAC /t/310688/is-the-time-machine-1960-ever-coming-to-blu-ray/60#post_3986104
It could come out next year. It could also be "back-burned" in favor of the new Paramount titles. As popular a film as it may appear to be I get the impression the studio has no interest in going Blu with TIME MACHINE. 6 years into the format and still nothing...

Why would you assume that? Warner won't be scheduling/prepping the Paramount titles. That's still Paramount's job.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Originally Posted by Nelson Au /t/310688/is-the-time-machine-1960-ever-coming-to-blu-ray/60#post_3986110
Is it a George Pal estate issue? I know we've recently gotten new remastered DVDs of The War of the Worlds from Paramount when the Tom Cruise version came out. But I don't think a blu ray ever came out of the 1953 version. So hopefully there's no related issue here with Warner.
I doubt the estate of George Pal is an issue, but I wondered.

The DVD was re-issued just 2 years ago, so I doubt there are any rights issues. Warner just hasn't got around to it on Blu-ray, just like several other titles. There's only so much they can release at one time.

 

[cineMANIAC]

There's only so much they can release at one time

Which is what I was talking about. They haven't gotten around to releasing Time Machine on Blu and now they're taking on 600 of another studios' films so they'll have even less time. Even if Paramount are the ones prepping the titles with Warner just distributing, it's still possible some lesser Warner titles will be put on the back burner because of this deal.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Originally Posted by cineMANIAC /t/310688/is-the-time-machine-1960-ever-coming-to-blu-ray/90#post_3986293
Which is what I was talking about. They haven't gotten around to releasing Time Machine on Blu and now they're taking on 600 of another studios' films so they'll have even less time. Even if Paramount are the ones prepping the titles with Warner just distributing, it's still possible some lesser Warner titles will be put on the back burner because of this deal.

Not really. Warner has its own remastering/authoring schedule that will continue. Their marketing department will have more responsibility in packaging Paramount titles, but that's about it.

If anything, it was the licensing of the ~70 Samuel Goldwyn titles that would have slowed down Warner's release schedule for previously owned titles, but I've seen no evidence of that if Jan/Feb '13 announcements are any indication...

 

I think a few of us are surprised because its too good of a film to not at least had a Blu release as of yet. It is one of the best if not the best Time Travel movie, and one of the best science fiction films, at least in the top 10. I think it will come sooner or later. If Warner has War of the Worlds now, maybe they will release them both together
*Time* will tell

 

[benbess]

I think a few of us are surprised because its too good of a film to not at least had a Blu release as of yet. It is one of the best if not the best Time Travel movie, and one of the best science fiction films, at least in the top 10. I think it will come sooner or later. If Warner has War of the Worlds now, maybe they will release them both together
*Time* will tell

I agree. The best time travel movie ever made, imho.

 

[Hal F]

I agree. The best time travel movie ever made, imho.

Personally I'd give that honor to Slaughterhouse-Five.
In any case, I dearly wish both of these films make it to blu ray soon as thy are both favorites of mine.

 

[Ejanss]

Personally I'd give that honor to Slaughterhouse-Five. .

Nnnno. (I'd say "Best Kurt Vonnegut movie", but that's only because the other movies would melt their projectors.)
Time Machine has the most earnestness of any time-travel or HG Wells movie, but the main obstacle to Warner releasing it isn't "importance" or "competition", it's the fact that Warner is no pal of Pal, after "Tom Thumb" and "Seven Faces of Dr. Lao" got heave-ho'ed to the Warner Archive Prison Colony for the crime of being Old and not selling enough on DVD. ("The Power" and "Doc Savage" were there already.)
Now, it's just a question of whether Warner considers Time Machine to be "just another outdated George Pal movie", or a viable classic, but that's going to take a long time for them to decide. I'm guessing some time before or after they reach a decision on "Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm", and go get in line over on THAT thread.

 

[Martin Teller]

IMHO, Mother Night > Slaughterhouse Five