Your thoughts on Kino-Lorber Blu-rays (11 Viewers)

[jayembee]

Off-topic I know (at least in the case of EL CID), but does the Insider or anyone else know why Anchor Bay/Pinewood were able to put out great Blu-Rays of Bronston's CIRCUS WORLD and 55 DAYS AT PEKING in 2014, and stopped there. I would have thought that EL CID and THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE would have been better sellers than those two. Was it a rights issue? Poor sales? Weinstein changing his mind? Inquiring minds want to know.

Those were British releases. Different licensing. And, by the way, El Cid and The Fall of the Roman Empire were released by Anchor Bay in the UK in 2011.

In the US, El Cid and The Fall of the Roman Empire were released back in 2008 on DVD by the Weinstein-owned label The Miriam Collection. There were only 10 titles that I know of released under that label, with no other Bronston productions among them.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread...

 

[Bryan^H]

I received my copy of "The Lincoln Conspiracy" today.
The quality is very nice. I'm really happy with this, and hope KL has a deal to realease many more Sunn Classic Pictures.

 

[Douglas R]

Harvey Weinstein owns it, part of the Samuel Bronston library he acquired, the other films are El Cid, The Fall of the Roman Empire and 55 Days at Peking and maybe some other minor stuff.

The Weinstein Company no longer exists so they don’t own the Bronston titles.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Guys, please take the discussion of the Bronston films to another thread such as this thread. Thank you.

 

[timk1041]

Kino has the most blu rays directed by Preston Sturges AND John Sturges ! But yes, would be nice to get blu rays of MIRACLE and HAIL. Both are wonderful films.

You never know. It might happen. Patience.

 

[Kino Lorber Insider]

The Weinstein Company no longer exists so they don’t own the Bronston titles.

Harvey Weinstein owns them, not the Weinstein Company. Yes, he's in prison, but the rights to these films and some Miramax titles are with him in perpetuity.

 

[Kino Lorber Insider]

Kino has the most blu rays directed by Preston Sturges AND John Sturges ! But yes, would be nice to get blu rays of MIRACLE and HAIL. Both are wonderful films.

We've asked for both, we've heard HAIL is with Criterion and MIRACLE was to be released by the studio.

 

[jayembee]

If The Lawyer turns about to be a good seller, would that increase the likelihood of a release of the Petrocelli TV series?

Hmmm....

 

[mskaye]

Off-topic I know (at least in the case of EL CID), but does the Insider or anyone else know why Anchor Bay/Pinewood were able to put out great Blu-Rays of Bronston's CIRCUS WORLD and 55 DAYS AT PEKING in 2014, and stopped there. I would have thought that EL CID and THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE would have been better sellers than those two. Was it a rights issue? Poor sales? Weinstein changing his mind? Inquiring minds want to know.

We've asked for both, we've heard HAIL is with Criterion and MIRACLE was to be released by the studio.

Interesting. HAIL is the quieter and more melancholy of the two. Makes sense for Criterion. That's good news. Thank you for sharing it.

 

[Douglas R]

Harvey Weinstein owns them, not the Weinstein Company. Yes, he's in prison, but the rights to these films and some Miramax titles are with him in perpetuity.

Well that’s interesting. No wonder there haven’t been any US Blu-ray releases!

 

[mskaye]

Well that’s interesting. No wonder there haven’t been any US Blu-ray releases!

And he will be there for many years. I am not sure his heirs want anything to do w his legacy either. The rights will be auctioned eventually to pay legal bills etc. (if they haven't already...)

 

[timk1041]

We've asked for both, we've heard HAIL is with Criterion and MIRACLE was to be released by the studio.

Thank you, Insider for the update. Who knows how long Criterion will take to release it. I still think Kino is the best for classic releases. I've been happy with all the great titles you have released.

 

[Dick]

Most of the Regal titles are with Paramount, through Republic Pictures.

Fox still owns some (GANG WAR, etc.) and KRONOS is infamously owned the Wade Williams estate.

Damn, I wish we could wrest those WW titles from the estate. Is there any recent scuttlebutt about them, post-Wade?

 

[Justin Ray]

I’m watching Lucy Gallant (1955) on TCM. Just as charming and entertaining as I remember. Any chance of seeing this released on home video through your deal with Paramount?

 

[Robert Crawford]

I’m watching Lucy Gallant (1955) on TCM. Just as charming and entertaining as I remember. Any chance of seeing this released on home video through your deal with Paramount?

Also, in widescreen. I love this VistaVision movie. I wish Kino would release it on Blu-ray.

 

[timk1041]

Damn, I wish we could wrest those WW titles from the estate. Is there any recent scuttlebutt about them, post-Wade?

Kronos definitely could use a nice upgrade from DVD to Blu.

 

[mskaye]

We've asked for both, we've heard HAIL is with Criterion and MIRACLE was to be released by the studio.

I just wanted to go on record to say that Kino would be my first choice to release these (though I said it was good news that Criterion was going to do Hail...)

 

[richardburton84]

Well that’s interesting. No wonder there haven’t been any US Blu-ray releases!

Indeed. One other title outside of the Bronston epics I have to wonder about as to whether or not it’s also in this perpetuity aspect is The Thief and the Cobbler, which was released through Miramax in the US in a horribly butchered cut.

 

[Filmgazer]

We've asked for both, we've heard HAIL is with Criterion and MIRACLE was to be released by the studio.

Wow! Thanks for the information!

 

[roxy1927]

I like Jane Wyman a lot. There is a terrific interview with her on youtube. It might be one of those none Robert Osborne TCM interviews. Also there is on youtube a short interview with a fan at some comiccon with Tommy Kirk. He starred with Wyman in Bon Voyage. He used the B word in describing her. Now I'm a big fan of Kirk's but it sounds like he destroyed his career with to put it kindly unprofessional behavior. Disney did not even include his picture on the dvd or bluray with the rest of the family on Swiss Family Robinson and he was one of the drawing cards along with James MacArthur of that movie.