Warner Brother's 2-Disc Special Edition Series (1 Viewer)

[Adam_S]

where do I find information about this "buy two 2disc SEs get one free" deal???

Adam

 

[oscar_merkx]

I have watched all three documentaries of Robin Hood, Treasure and Cagney

Just want to add that I want more Cagney, especially Public Enemy & White Heat

 

[Patrick Larkin]

where do I find information about this "buy two 2disc SEs get one free" deal???

http://www.warnervideo.com/two-disc/

 

[AlanP]

"RAINTREE COUNTY"
AND
"THE ALAMO"
would make great 2 DISC sets,
but, isn't "ALAMO",MGM ?
Also, isn't the DVD release of the "ALAMO"
edited with alot missing footage !!!!!!!

 

[West]

I don't know if anyone else considers this one worthy of inclusion, but Claude Lelouch's brilliant 1995 adaptation of "Les Miserables", featuring a truly wonderful performance by Jean-Paul Belmondo, has not even been released on DVD AT ALL, much less a deluxe special edition, which I believe this film genuinely deserves. I still have my cherished laserdisc, and won't give it up until I can get me grubby mitts on a DVD copy of this marvel of French cinema.

I would also like to put in a word for Elia Kazan and Budd Schulberg's "A Face In The Crowd", a stunning picture that also needs a-releasin'. Andy Griffith has never been more terrifying. And if that sounds like a gag, you just haven't seen it.

 

[Dane Marvin]

I didn't have ANY money to spend on movie DVDs with the amount that I spend on TV show box sets. Well, Warner is forcing me spend my money with these brilliant releases. With the holiday season and all, I felt the time was right, so "A Christmas Story" became my first purchase in the series and only actual feature film DVD I've purchased (other than the LOTR EE DVDs) in over 2 years. I plan on getting "One Flew Over..." and "Casablanca" on payday.

Too bad "Network" isn't a Warner property. MGM did a sucky job with it. Also, I wish the Christopher Guest films ("Waiting for Guffman", "Best In Show", and "A Mighty Wind") had been released as these 2-disc special editions. I'd own them in a heartbeat. Another recent release that would have been a cool 2-disc SE is "Soylent Green".

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

Inspired by the following thread, NYTimes asks: why aren't -these- on DVD?, I went back and looked at what DVDs I still had from 1997, DVD's inaugural year, and which were from Warner Bros. (* were actually originally released in 1998, but close enough)

Many of the titles have already made it onto the 'Wish List' you all have helped create, including the following:

8.4 L.A. Confidential (1997) *
8.2 The Wild Bunch (1969)
8.2 Blade Runner (1982)
7.9 The Exorcist (1973) *
7.6 Woodstock (1970)
7.6 Blazing Saddles (1974)
7.4 Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
7.2 Chariots of Fire (1981)
6.9 How the West Was Won (1962) *


But there are some titles that Warner Bros. released during DVDs inaugural year that have not yet been mentioned and that I would consider a must for future 2-Disc SE 'Slip Cover Series' treatment:

7.9 The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
7.8 The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
7.8 Cabaret (1972) *
7.4 Bullitt (1968)
7.3 Enter the Dragon (1973) *
7.3 Contact (1997)
7.2 Poltergeist (1982)
7.0 The Devil's Advocate (1997) *


While perhaps not classics, or at least not in the same league as the current crop of 2-Disc SE 'Slip Cover Series' DVDs (with the exception of 'Space Jam' - what was Warner Bros. thinking including this title with such an elite group of films?), the following titles were also released in 1997 and could greatly benefit from a new Special Edition DVD treatment:

6.9 A Time To Kill (1996)
6.5 Copycat (1995) *
6.4 Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
6.4 Outbreak (1995)
6.4 Conspiracy Theory (1997)
6.2 Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
6.1 New Jack City (1991) *
6.0 Private Benjamin (1980)
6.0 Mars Attacks! (1996)
5.7 "10" (1979)

I would not add them to the 2-Disc SE 'Slip Cover Series' Wish List (as there are soo many great titles already on that list that are more worthy than these), but I believe that if they were re-released with new transfers and special features they would be well received.


The one early title from Warner Bros. that I hope never to see included in their 2-Disc SE 'Slip Cover Series' is the Costner ego-fest 'The Postman' aka 'Waterworld II: The Drought'.


BTW: I was disapoointed to see that The Man Who Would Be King had only a 7.9 rating on IMDB. I know, 7.9 is actually quite high for IMDB and was enough to put MWWBK in the top 250 list, but in my opinion it is one of the finest films ever made and is in my top 10 list.

 

[Patrick McCart]

but, isn't "ALAMO",MGM ?
Also, isn't the DVD release of the "ALAMO"
edited with alot missing footage !!!!!!!

MGM owns the film (It's a United Artists title) and the current DVD is the general release version.

The film needs extensive restoration.... the deleted footage will probably need the most work. (and the negative is probably useless since 1959/1960 color film stock has usually lost all of its yellow layer)

 

[Stephen Ford]

Well Blazing Saddles 2 SE is out in R2 in June 04 so I expect it will come out in R1 as well.

 

[Brandon Conway]

More Region 2 info, courtesy of davisdvd.com which will likely spill over into Region 1 around the same time. These are the Scorsese films (GoodFellas, After Hours, etc.) and a re-release of Heat.

Click here

 

[John Kilduff]

"Network" is a Warner property.

They got it in the Turner buy-out, and the current DVD on the market is released by Warner Brothers (despite having the 1997 MGM logo at the end, admittedly because it's a repackaging of MGM's release).

Still, Warner could do good to re-release "Network".

Sincerely,

John Kilduff...

Just a suggestion.

 

[Chris Farmer]

Well, according to this link Lowry just finished a resotration of THX-1138, so we can safely pencil it in as a future 2-disc, in addition he also mentions that he would like to do Wizard of Oz as well, so that's another possibility. to both.

 

[Dane Marvin]

John, that's great news about "Network". If they don't revisit this with a 2-disc special edition soon, they're overlooking one of history's funniest and best-acted films ever.

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

Please accept my apologies for not updating this thread in a timely manor.

I have now made some major updates and changes to the 'Rumored Releases' List as well as included the following comments that may help put a better perspective on this and other wish lists:

George Feltenstein, senior vice president of Warner Home Video, was recently quoted in an interview with David Krauss stating that it takes about two years from inception to release of Warner's 2-Disc Special Edition DVDs:

The way things are set up now, when it comes to the classics titles, most of the ideas come from me, in that I will present them to my teammates here. We're very much a team in terms of the marketing focus. I work with a great group of people. We all really help each other and we have tremendous enthusiasm for what we're doing. So we'll all pitch ideas, and the fact that I've been working with most of this library for 16 years in one capacity or another gives me a good background of history and success. I know that what's succeeded before will succeed again, and that what's failed before is not worth revisiting, with rare exception. We will propose things that we feel will be profitable and also are what the customers want. I constantly peruse all the chat rooms and websites and news groups to see what the people are saying. Now some of what people ask for is just unrealistic. I mean, I recently read a comment from someone about a very, very obscure, unimportant film from the 1980s that grossed two million dollars that I never even put on laserdisc, and somebody was saying, "Oh, Warner Bros. should do a two-disc special edition." Well, that's obviously absurd. But when we do see a common thread of what people want, then we'll try to pursue it.

With the understanding of the comments made by George Feltenstein it seems rather clear that while threads such as this are used to consider future releases. It also is clear that even if they select a title mentioned by fans, it may take at least two years before it'll get released - so patience seems to be the wisest path to take when waiting on a title from the wish list.

 

[JohnAP]

Both have been mentioned, but Bladerunner and MAd Max 2/The Road Warrior are my two favorites and should get the SE treatment. It seems like we've been hearing rumors about a new Bladerunner for years now with no announcement. What's going on with that one. And after the nice rerelease of Mad Max not too long ago it seems like the other should get a two disc SE. I'm perfectly happy with my copies of these two films now, but I'd be willing to double dip if they really delivered something special.

 

[BobSmith]

Don't forget Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

I would not count on a 2-Disc SE of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome anytime soon. The current release is a decent transfer. I suppose it may get some kind of rerelease considering the current DVD is over six years old, but I doubt it will be a 2-disc SE version.

BTW, anyone have a guess as to which film George Feltenstein was refering to here?

I constantly peruse all the chat rooms and websites and news groups to see what the people are saying. Now some of what people ask for is just unrealistic. I mean, I recently read a comment from someone about a very, very obscure, unimportant film from the 1980s that grossed two million dollars that I never even put on laserdisc, and somebody was saying, "Oh, Warner Bros. should do a two-disc special edition." Well, that's obviously absurd. But when we do see a common thread of what people want, then we'll try to pursue it.

I thought he might have been referring to 'Little Dorrit'?

Regardless, it is nice to know that WB does give serious consideration to what forums such as this are regularly asking for.

 

[Roger Rollins]

I doubt Mr. Feltenstein was referring to LITTTLE DORRIT. That title grossed only about $1,000,000. (Also not exactly a worthy candidate for a profitable double-disc deluxe edition!)

I agree with Mr. Luehrmann that it is impressive that Warner Brothers is perusing sites (such as HTF we assume, based on their chats with us) and listening to what the people want. If only other studios did the same thing....
(Are you listening Universal, MGM, Columbia & Disney?)

 

[Alistair_M]

Anyone up for the challenge...

what Warners film from the 1980s - grossed 2 million dollars, and did not get a laserdisk release?
and its offically unimportant and obscure.

 

[Roger Rollins]

Anyone up for the challenge...
what Warners film from the 1980s - grossed 2 million dollars, and did not get a laserdisk release?
and its offically unimportant and obscure

Don't forget, your proposed challenge should also include the 1980-86 MGM library which Warner Brothers owns, as well as Lorimar titles......

A large group of turkeys to choose from!