Warner DVD Decision 2004 - Voting Results are in! (1 Viewer)

[Paul_Scott]

especially since many of the ones that didn't make it are sure to be released in 'themed' promotions.

 

[RafaelPires]

Great!!!!!!!! I'm so glad Random Harvest made the list. My favorite movie of all time, and I'm only 24. In fact, 3 of my 5 votes are there. The Letter and Ivanhoe being the other 2.
Just hope Bathing Beauty and Test Pilot will be released in 2005.
I'll buy those 3 plus King Salomon's Mines, that's another must buy.
Just won't get Ice Ssation, that in my opinion, is not in the same level as many of the movies that were not winners.
Tks again WB!!!!!!

 

[Chris*W]

I'm pretty disappointed with the results... The only one that I voted for that made it was 'The Letter'. I can't believe that neither Lust for Life, Chain Gang, or Greed were on the winning list. I also voted for "The Search", a brilliant but nonetheless not very well known film - I wasn't surprised that it didn't win.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Not to be a sourpuss, but I was really hoping for Minelli's, Lust for Life. Warner also own the rights to The Band Wagon which would look beautiful on DVD under Warner with Lowry Digital Images in tow. Lust for Life has been begging for a beautiful transfer for years also.

Warner also own The Clock (1945) which was completed by Minelli, who replaced the great Fred Zinneman and his 1948 film, The Search has been a film I wanted to see for years. I am delighted that it finally made it to DVD.

But I really, really, REALLY wanted a lavish special edition of Greed. Ho-hum, maybe later next year...

 

[Dorian Gray]

:frowning: No Greed, no Lust for Life, no Party Girl

 

[RolandL]

Ice Station Zebra did well at some of the Cinerama theatres - http://cinerama.topcities.com/1969_march.htm

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

I'm a HUGE fan of Nick Ray, but Party Girl is no loss. I think it's Ray's worst film; it is beautifully shot, but it is terribly dated and the basic story isn't very interesting.

Nicholas Ray films not on DVD:

They Live by Night - Warner (originally RKO)
Born to Be Bad - Warner (originally RKO)
On Dangerous Ground - Warner (originally RKO)
The Lusty Men - Warner (originally RKO)
Wind Across the Everglades - Warner
Party Girl - Warner

Johnny Guitar - Paramount (originally Republic)
Run for Cover - Paramount
The Savage Innocents - Paramount

Knock on Any Door - Columbia
Hot Blood - Columbia
Bitter Victory - Columbia

Bigger Than Life - Fox
True Story of Jesse James - Fox


Pretty depressing, isn't it? So many great films there - many American Cinema landmarks. What's going on?

Warner could release the titles they own and add a 2-disc SE of Rebel and the existing King of Kings and put out a great boxed set of Ray's films.

Johnny Guitar is not on DVD. This keeps me awake at night, folks!

I saw a great new print of Bigger Than Life recently and I keep expecting to see a press release from Fox stating that it is on its way, but... nothing.

 

[Brook K]

Ivanhoe was my only vote that made it and the only DVD I'll be buying.

Add me to the list of those disappointed at no Greed or I Am A Fugitive From The Chain Gang. I also voted for The Search.

 

[Charles Ellis]

I also wanted Greed in its TCM reconstruction, but I'm very happy about The Letter (another Bette Davis classic that should've been released without this damn poll!) and Random Harvest. As to Ice Station Zebra, I'm wondering if Howard Hughes' legendary obssession with the film has anything to do with its beating out Greed.........

 

[Eric Paddon]

I'm sorry "Shoes Of The Fisherman" didn't make it. My TCM recording is strangely missing the Entr'acte.

An upgrade on "Ice Station Zebra" will be nice though.

 

[Dorian Gray]

Well, Party Girl is far from being Ray's worst film to me and I do want it on DVD.

 

[Thomas T]

Actually, I think Party Girl is one of Nick Ray's best films. It's not on the level of Rebel Without A Cause or Johnny Guitar but equal to Bigger Than Life. Fortunately I have the wide screen laser disc to tide me over until a proper DVD release.

 

[Jae_E]

For the curious, here are the final voting results from the TCM website:

THE LETTER (1940) 12953
KING SOLOMON'S MINES (1950) 11268
ICE STATION ZEBRA 10372
IVANHOE 10333
RANDOM HARVEST 9648
TEST PILOT 8854
LUST FOR LIFE 8818
I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG 8636
GREED 8082
THE SEARCH 6528
OPERATION CROSSBOW 6307
EDGE OF THE CITY 6244
BATHING BEAUTY 5946
DIVE BOMBER 5628
SHOES OF THE FISHERMAN 5399
CAPTAINS OF THE CLOUDS 5396
PARTY GIRL (1958) 4441
INTERNATIONAL VELVET 4285
ALL FALL DOWN 4247
KANSAS CITY BOMBER 3060

 

[Herb Kane]

Here are the details from WB's Press Release:
---------------------------------------------



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE ATTACHED


Film Fans Rewarded for their Votes…

2004 DVD Decision™ Winners Debut January 11

The Letter, King Solomon’s Mines,

Ice Station Zebra, Ivanhoe &

Random Harvest


From Vintage Featurettes and Academy Award® winning Cartoons to Newly Discovered Alternate Ending for The Letter, WHV Includes Bonus Content with Fans in Mind

Burbank, Calif., October 18, 2004 –The five DVD Decision 2004 winners -- The Letter (leading the pack as the #1 most anticipated film to DVD), King Solomon’s Mines, Ice Station Zebra, Ivanhoe and Random Harvest – will debut on DVD January 11, 2005 from Warner Home Video. Each DVD will sell for $19.97 SRP.

Now in its second year, DVD Decision™ is the successful joint promotion from Warner Home Video and Turner Classic Movies® (TCM) which gives movie fans an opportunity to vote online for which five of 20 classic catalog candidates from the Warner Bros. Studios library will be released on DVD. Voting was held on the Turner Classic Movies® Web site during July with all 20 films airing throughout the month on TCM, and the DVD Decision™ winners are being remastered and having bonus features and special content assembled, including the recently discovered alternate ending of The Letter, Ice Station Zebra’s vintage making-of featurette The Man Who Makes the Difference and Random Harvest’s Greer Garson trailer gallery.

The Letter (1940)

A man stumbles down the steps of a veranda, followed by a woman who pumps several shots into him and then drops the gun. In two wordless minutes, director William Wyler grabs the audience and sets the movie’s mood with one of the most stunning opening sequences ever. The mystery continues to unfold when an incriminating letter written the day of the shooting is found. The classic film noir, based on the play by W. Somerset Maugham, was nominated for seven Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and a Best Actress nod for Bette Davis.

The extra features included on the DVD are:

Recently discovered 1940 version alternate ending sequence
1940 version theatrical trailer

King Solomon’s Mines (1950)

Sir Henry Rider Haggard’s famous first novel helped spawn the Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan stories and their various film versions. Stewart Granger plays Allan Quatermain, a British hunter in Africa, persuaded by a British woman (Deborah Kerr) to locate her missing husband. While searching together among the wild animals and cannibals, they find themselves falling in love. Winner of two Academy Awards®, this romantic adventure was filmed on location in Kenya and other exotic African locations.

The extra features included on the DVD are:

Theatrical trailer

Ice Station Zebra (1968)

A nifty cold-war thriller of spies, submarines and saboteurs captivated no less a personage than Howard Hughes, who reportedly watched it hundreds of times. Director John Carpenter also picked it as one of his favorites, stating "Why do I love this movie so much?" The film is based on Alistair MacLean's best-selling novel and stars Rock Hudson, Jim Brown and Ernest Borgnine in the story of a mission to the North Pole to rescue the crew of Drift Ice Station Zebra, a weather station at the top of the world.

The extra features included on the DVD are:

Vintage making-of featurette The Man Who Makes the Difference
Theatrical Trailer

Ivanhoe (1952)

Based on Sir Walter Scott's 1819 novel about knights, chivalry and swordplay, this lavish Technicolor epic was filmed on location in England with Joan Fontaine, Elizabeth Taylor and George Sanders in the starring roles. Robert Taylor also stars as Ivanhoe, the noble knight and champion of justice, trying to restore Richard the Lion Hearted to the throne during the reign of the evil Prince John.

The extra features included on the DVD are:

Oscar winning Tom and Jerry Cartoon "Two Mouseketeers"
Theatrical trailer

Random Harvest (1942)

Ronald Colman stars in the ultimate wartime romance as a shell-shocked World War I veteran who marries while suffering from amnesia, then recovers his memory only to forget the wife he adores. The film was nominated for seven Oscars®, including Best Picture, and featured MGM's then top female star, Greer Garson, in her second film adaptation of a James Hilton novel (the first was Goodbye, Mr. Chips). Random Harvest was directed by Mervyn LeRoy.

The extra features included on the DVD are:

Classic MGM shorts
Greer Garson trailer gallery

 

[Amy Mormino]

The Letter did great in terms of votes received! Hopefully that will prove to WB that there is a loyal audience for Bette Davis films out there.

Still, the bonus features don't quite jibe with the ones mentioned earlier. DVDTimes.co.uk said that there would be a documentary excerpt and a 1929 version of the same story including with The Letter. King Solomon's Mines was also said to include a "Vintage Short Jungle Safari"- not sure what that would have been, but it sounded interesting. Now King Solomon's Mines (the second-largest vote receiver!) has only a trailer, no more than a standard WB release would have gotten. So, which is the right version?

I'm sure the releases will still be fine ones regardless, but I just hope the DVDTimes.co.uk was right on the specs and that release just didn't include everything.

 

[Jay E]

I'm somewhat disappointed that only one title that I picked made the final cut (The Letter), but I'll pick up a couple of the others being released. I hope Warner will release the ones that lost later in the year, but since they have yet to release last years losers (Bad Day at Black Rock, Blackboard Jungle, etc.), I'm not too confident.

 

[RolandL]

Ice Station Zebra was on the Amazon.com web site but now it's gone. Anyone know why it was removed?

 

[John Hodson]

Hmmm; still on Amazon.ca...

 

[Paul_Scott]

i hated to say it at the time, but i actually hadn't seen any of the films, save for a distracted viewing of ISZ once on LD. over the last 6 months though, i've rented each of them out, finishing off last night with Random Harvest.
i'm somewhat ashamed, being i thought a big classic movie buff, that i had never seen this before until last night.
if i had only known how good that movie was, i would have been properly ethusiastic last year when the results were announced.
even though i just got done watching this, i'll be purchasing it soon. its definitely a title i want on the shelf alongside my 'favorites'.

but i guess that was it for the Warner voting process, huh?
the last couple years were kind of fun- shame they seem to have given it up. its nice to get a taste of titles 6 months in advance

 

[Derek Estes]

I'm sad that there was no DVD Decision 2005, though I think it caused more grief for fans when their favorite was not released or for those who purchased The Letter only to repurchase it a couple months later in the Bette Davis Collection. It was kind of fun though.