Will MGM and Warner Bros. collaborate on MGM's 100th anniversary? (1 Viewer)

[Filmfanatic10]

Next year is 2024, which marks MGM's 100th anniversary, but MGM shouldn't celebrate it by themselves with just their hodge-podge library including United Artists and a bunch of low budget and independent film libraries like Orion, PolyGram and Cannon that Kirk Kerkorian and Giancarlo Parretti gobbled up in the past, like what they did when they celebrated their 90th anniversary back in 2014. I heard Warner Bros. (MGM's current home entertainment distribution partner and international theatrical distribution partner) has their own plans for that anniversary too, so can they and MGM collaborate on the 100th anniversary of MGM with not only MGM's current hodge-podge library, but also the legendary pre-1986 MGM library that Ted Turner bought from Kerkorian? I remember when both studios collaborated on MGM's 85th anniversary in late 2009.

 

[Alan Tully]

Well Warner have all the good stuff (pre-1986) & I'm hoping for some fresh new transfers of some old favourites - & maybe a box set or two

It would be great to have a restored HD version of that great doc, MGM: When The Lion Roared - I found my DVD set the other day, it's due another re-watch.

 

[Allansfirebird]

I doubt the current administration running Warner Bros gives a solitary shit about collaborating with MGM/Amazon. Zaslav wants all that money himself.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Given the current distribution relationship between MGM and SDS for physical releases, it could happen; it's just a question of what post-1986 titles MGM wishes to highlight as part of the anniversary.

 

[Filmfanatic10]

Given the current distribution relationship between MGM and SDS for physical releases, it could happen; it's just a question of what post-1986 titles MGM wishes to highlight as part of the anniversary.

To be more accurate, MGM's distribution partnership in general is with Warners. SDS is just the US and Canadian joint venture distributing Warners' (including MGM) and Universal's physical media products.

 

[Filmfanatic10]

I doubt the current administration running Warner Bros gives a solitary shit about collaborating with MGM/Amazon. Zaslav wants all that money himself.

WB is just trying to recover from the AT&T years and move back to theatrical distribution and physical media. And what about that international distribution deal they made with MGM last year?

 

[Filmfanatic10]

I doubt the current administration running Warner Bros gives a solitary shit about collaborating with MGM/Amazon. Zaslav wants all that money himself.

What about Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy? They both moved in to Warner Bros. from MGM after the Amazon acquisition and the WarnerMedia/Discovery merger to repair the movie studio, and they're both producers and movie buffs who care about art, unlike people like Jason Kilar and Ann Sarnoff and the rest of the previous AT&T regime who ran Warners to the ground partly because they didn't care about art. And George Feltenstein (also a former MGM executive) is still at Warners as well, he's the library historian who also cares about movies, especially classic films.

 

[M90GM]

Next year is 2024, which marks MGM's 100th anniversary, but MGM shouldn't celebrate it by themselves with just their hodge-podge library including United Artists and a bunch of low budget and independent film libraries like Orion, PolyGram and Cannon that Kirk Kerkorian and Giancarlo Parretti gobbled up in the past, like what they did when they celebrated their 90th anniversary back in 2014. I heard Warner Bros. (MGM's current home entertainment distribution partner and international theatrical distribution partner) has their own plans for that anniversary too, so can they and MGM collaborate on the 100th anniversary of MGM with not only MGM's current hodge-podge library, but also the legendary pre-1986 MGM library that Ted Turner bought from Kerkorian? I remember when both studios collaborated on MGM's 85th anniversary in late 2009.

well said ...I wonder if the general public have a clue about what MGM really is/was? Such a shame it was left in limbo with Ted Turner and now Warner do not seem to value the library except for the trophy titles ...and they do the best job on restoring ...but on so few

 

[Thomas T]

I wonder if the general public have a clue about what MGM really is/was?

and now Warner do not seem to value the library except for the trophy titles

1. No! Is there any reason why they should?

2. Poppycock! Warners is doing a bang up job with the MGM library though I realize not fast enough for some folks. And one can hardly call The Green Slime, Demon Seed, Tarzan's Greatest Adventure, The Wheeler Dealers, The Colossus Of Rhodes, The Golden Arrow, Brewster McCloud, Dark Of The Sun, Year Of The Dragon, Shaft In Africa, Penelope, Action Of The Tiger, Cannery Row among many Warner Archive MGM releases "trophy" titles.

 

[OliverK]

Here is my very reasonable suggestion:

For the MGM anniversary we should get an epic ultrawide UHD box with three epic movies shot in the ultra-wide 65mm process invented by MGM as Camera 65.
Raintree County was the first movie shot in the format followed by Ben-Hur and for its third outing with Mutiny on the Bounty it was aptly renamed to Ultra Panavision 70:

Raintree County (1957)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)

Due to the extraordinary visual quality of these movies it should be available as a UHD box that shall also contain Blu-rays from new masters for Raintree (of course) and Mutiny.

 

[Robin9]

Here is my very reasonable suggestion:

For the MGM anniversary we should get an epic ultrawide UHD box with three epic movies shot in the ultra-wide 65mm process invented by MGM as Camera 65.
Raintree County was the first movie shot in the format followed by Ben-Hur and for its third outing with Mutiny on the Bounty it was aptly renamed to Ultra Panavision 70:

Raintree County (1957)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)

Due to the extraordinary visual quality of these movies it should be available as a UHD box that shall also contain Blu-rays from new masters for Raintree (of course) and Mutiny.

I think any such discs would sell better if released individually.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I think any such discs would sell better if released individually.

Even so I doubt the studio would clear any significant profit. There are simply not enough of us that would purchase enough units to do so.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Hard to answer this question

My initial answer and hope is that yes, Warner will celebrate 100 years of MGM by releasing a handful of 4k titles.

However, if that were to be the case, I would think the first title would be announced already, and to date, it hasn't.

I don't see an issue with Warner putting a spotlight on MGM titles for its centenary. They own the titles. These are titles they would eventually restore and release at some point no matter what. MGM isn't even a full-fledged studio anymore (now acquired by Amazon) so it's not as if it's a competition thing.

On the downside, after seeing the poor output of 4k titles during Warner's 100th Anniversary last year, it's obvious that in a declining physical media market, the studio isn't looking to spend a lot of money restoring titles that may not be able to recoup their investment on.

 

[Keith Cobby]

I'm expecting North by Northwest on 4k this year. MGM centenary, 70th anniversary of VistaVision, 65th anniversary of its release, and Eva Marie Saint was born on 4 July 1924.

 

[cineMANIAC]

Aside from a handful of titles that are considered tentpoles/cult classics (Silence of the Lambs, for instance), MGM's current post 1986 library isn't really worth celebrating. The best stuff was sold off by Turner and is now under the Warner umbrella. Warner has done very little with their MGM holdings to date, that combined with their own lackluster centennial celebration last year tells me we won't be seeing any spotlight on MGM this or any year. I'd hate to be proven wrong but I'm not holding my breath. Warner needs to concentrate on dusting off their own tentpoles and increasing their physical media output. Where's Dirty Harry? Freddy Krueger? Lethal Weapon?

 

[OliverK]

I think any such discs would sell better if released individually.

I am sure you are right for Ben-Hur but I am not so sure for the other two that in my estimate would sell less discs than if they were in a box set with Ben-Hur.

In any case this was only half-serious in so far that it probably is not reasonable to expect Warner to release all their ultra wide 65mm productions from MGM in one set but I very much like the idea.

 

[richardburton84]

I'm expecting North by Northwest on 4k this year. MGM centenary, 70th anniversary of VistaVision, 65th anniversary of its release, and Eva Marie Saint was born on 4 July 1924.

Considering a new restoration of the film is going to be shown at the TCM Classic Film Festival this year, I think a 4K North by Northwest is pretty much guaranteed.

North by Northwest - TCM Classic Film Festival 2024

Join us for the 15th Annual TCM Classic Film Festival on April 18-21, 2024. TCM invites you and the usual suspects to the big movie house for Most Wanted: Crime and Justice in Film.

filmfestival.tcm.com

 

[Garysb]

If Ben-Hur were coming to 4K in 2024 I think it would be released ahead of Easter. They would therefore be taking pre orders any day now as Easter is fairly early this year, March 31.

 

[M90GM]

Even so I doubt the studio would clear any significant profit. There are simply not enough of us that would purchase enough units to do so.

Warner need to "let go" of the many MGM titles they will not bring to BD - let alone 4k - while others such as Kino continue to release large numbers of old films that are not "cool" by today's standards - so there obviously is a market. Columbia have released so many films now on 4k - Warner do little to promote or show any true value for the glory of what was , M-G-M...possibly due to lack of consistency with what actually is, to the public, MGM...Warner have no interest in "old" quality but syrupy award winning classics like Blossoms in the Dust, Random Harvest ( we could get that one) Boys Town, Captains Courageous..,... I am like a frustrated broken record ...this month we are getting The Boob and Why Be Good? (1926-1929), Stand and Deliver (1988), The Little Drummer Girl (1984), and Money Talks (1997)... PLUS!! one great MGM film - Ford's Technicolor Three Godfathers (why not give us also Ford's Wings of Eagles - it is crying for the quality of Blu Ray) and They Drive By Night (another old - quality - B/W) ....where are the many more films that cry out for Blu Ray ....50's & 60's with color, wide screen, stereo...to enjoy in our theatres...sure there have been great old B/W films but the balance is tipped too far in their favour .....we wait and watch .....for next month's surprise group....

 

[Robin9]

Warner need to "let go" of the many MGM titles they will not bring to BD - let alone 4k - while others such as Kino continue to release large numbers of old films that are not "cool" by today's standards - so there obviously is a market. Columbia have released so many films now on 4k

Really? I'm not aware of a single 4K disc of films featuring Columbia stars such as Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, Judy Holiday, Glenn Ford, William Holden etc. etc.

Where I do agree is that you're like a broken record with the same complaint for the umpteenth time about Warners.