Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

I'd like to echo the thanks to Mr. Hunt for seeking and receiving clarification on this. This obviously makes a huge difference in the projected 2008 output from WHV. I completely understand WHV not wanting to reveal specific titles/dates but it is good to know that the classic DVD market is still strong for them. With the softening US economy and the stagnant DVD market it was a real concern that we might have seen a pullback this year.

Thanks also to WHV for being so responsive to the concerns expressed over the press release.

Steve

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

I thought they were gonna make another announcement today. What happened?

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

Who told you that?

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

Be nice now.





Crawdaddy

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

Edit: Deleted.

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

Not a good way to win friends and influence people.





Crawdaddy

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

Sorry - after seeing the incredibly long list of "Golden Harvest" titles, I had to agree with his statement about non-interest.
I'll go back to waiting for "Magnificent Ambersons"..

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

Can someone tell me if it is going to be another year to pass without "This Is The Army" to show up when UCLA already has restored elements to work with?

Also, what about Warner's Monogram releases?

Eric

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

I think they nust be napping over at Warners - still no really OH WOW announcements since Dec 07. We are heading into second quarter in about 6 weeks. I guess then we will hear they must be holding off the good stuff until 4th Quarter.

Interesting we are hearing yearly dvd sales are down, yet right here on the forum the news section states Lionsgate's sales are rocking, Fox had a pretty amazing dvd sales year with titles like DIE HARD 4, FANTASTIC FOUR - SILVER SURFER etc which proves - 1. If the studios release solid theatrical product the revenue of dvd sales will be strong and 2. If good dvd product is released customers will step up,


So far this young year I have ordered and or received already

The Song of Bernadette (Fox)
The Betty Grable Box (Fox)
I LOVE LUCY - Complete Series (Paramount)
Charlie Chan 4 (Fox)
The Lubitsch Musicals (Criterion)
I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang (Warners)
Dairy of Anne Frank(Fox)
Mark of Zorro (Fox)
A Yank in R.A.F. (Fox)
Gangster 3 Collection (Warners)


So far this year that makes 6 for Fox, 1 for Paramount, 1 for Criterion and 2 for Warners getting my money. I will continue to support the studios as long as they release great product.

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

Isnt this the year for the Show Boat collection? I'm dying to see the 29 verison with all the sound discs finally in place.

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And what about the Star Is Born collection with a restored 1937 version and more extras for the 1954 version? This has been talked about for ages!

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

I understand Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind and North by Northwest are being revisited due to 2009 being the 70th, 70th and 50th anniversary of those films, but what about Woodstock? It was released in 1970, so wouldn't it make more sense to release it in 2010?

Goodfellas, Heat, Once Upon a Time in America, The Departed and True Romance are just repackages, right? Not re-releases?

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

BluRay versions? Isn't The Departed one of the HD-DVD exclusives?

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

What I gather from the press release is that these titles are being packaged into a Gangsters promotion.

I'm wondering if the titles are the old DVDs bunched together or new DVDs?

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I thought the 1937 A STAR IS BORN is owned somehow by Disney? I thought they restored that title and also 1937's NOTHING SACRED although maybe it was only NOTHING SACRED that Disney has restored but never issued on disc.

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

As I understand it, Warners bought Star from David O. Selznick for remake purposes, resulting in the Garland picture. This was a practice he did often later in his career, selling off older properties to other studios so they could be remade. This is how Paramount got Nothing Sacred for the Martin & Lewis comedy Living It Up, and how MGM got both The Prisoner of Zenda and Little Women for their color remakes. In fact, Selznick was goinmg to do a color version of Little Women starring Jennifer Jones as Jo March but a labor strike scuttled the project, so he sold the property to MGM:

Greenbriar Picture Shows

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

The Departed was released on BD the same day as the HD-DVD.

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

Interesting post, if Warners owns 1937's A STAR IS BORN then why even when TCM shows the film all we get is a VERY VERY substandard transfer you would think they have all the negs or seps. On NOTHING SACRED Disney did the restoration as I recall a few years back.

Here is part of a piece by Scott McQueen in 2000.

"Nothing Sacred-a 1937 screwball comedy directed by William Wellman, produced by David O. Selznick, filmed by W. Howard Greene, and starring Carole Lombard and Frederic March-was among the first three-strip Technicolor feature films ever produced. Within five years of its release, the film changed hands, setting in motion a long chain of printing compromises that degraded the integrity of the original film elements over the last 63 years. As a result, audiences have not seen the film as the filmmakers intended, and the original negative was rendered unsuitable for rerelease, DVD mastering, or even long-term archiving.

When the Walt Disney Company acquired the ABC/Capital Cities film library, it became clear that Nothing Sacred and other David O. Selznick-produced films required intensive restoration to provide the best possible masters for home video and cable delivery and to guarantee long-term viability of these assets in the company's library."

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

from Barrie Maxwell at the Bits today

The Digital Bits - Celebrating Film in the Digital Age

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

Barrie hit the nail on the head with the above comment. If we don't get a chat this year with Warner this was why because of the lack of appreciation that has been posted here and other sites.





Crawdaddy

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

Yep. No chat means there's no timetable for people to whine about.

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Agreed. So WHV .... don't come to chat.

We're only getting this stuff second or third hand, but if WHV either can't deliver on their timetable or are concerned about putting out a timetable that is wrong the answer is simple, don't do a timetable. Thus no timetable, no need to have a chat. Then they can put things out in the press when they are good and ready to put things out to the press. What have we lost? Nothing worth discussing.

That said, if the criticisms posted on forums is getting to the good people at WHV, I would suggest they are in the wrong business and sure the heck are in the wrong town.

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

Well, that's an uplifting response....

Warner - Rich doesn't speak for all of us. Even though I want The Crowd and Bachelor Mother as much as anyone, I understand if they've fallen on the back burner for any number of reasons, and I will be more than happy to see other films you release that may also end up being favorites, so keep 'em coming while also letting us know which ones you are also trying to get out!

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Too bad. I'd be disappointed but would understand. WHV do get what I would respectfully submit is unwarranted criticism for not doing enough or not getting to someone's personal favorite, etc. But I would add that many more people than not certainly do appreciate their time and effort to attend the chat.

As for them being sensitive, well they are the last man standing, so to speak, with regards to coming to the forum, so I don't think there's anything to that charge.

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While I appreciate the WHV guys coming onto this site for their chats, I've never been a fan of the WHV chats...it's almost impossible to get your own personal question asked, the people who do get through usually ask questions about a lot of cheesy "B" movie titles or "A" list titles that everyone already knows the answer to (Will "Ben Hur come out on Blue Ray?" Duh...)at the expense of other more historically/important titles that are never addressed, and the WHV guys end up shilling for their latest "big" promo...when not answering questions with: a) we currently have no plans for/to revisit that title; b) it's under consideration c) work is slowly progressing on it d) We can't say anything about it right now and finally, d) look for a release sometime in the future.
I'd much rather have the opportunity to submit questions in writing to our site administrator and have the WHV submit the answers which could be published here...then everyone's question could be answered!

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

I agree that it can be hard to ask a question. I am so far away, and there is so much lag in my connection that I have to start "yoing" a few seconds before I see the request for yoing! Else I end up 40th.

Perhaps a better system would be if we have a thread where we all list our question. Then we vote on the top 20 or 30 questions.

Then those questions are given to Warner in advance, and they just come and discuss the answers.

Just a suggestion...

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

I appreciate Warner Brothers for being the only big studio who takes the time to communicate with its consumers and let us know of the product that they've got coming.

That being said, with the level of ingratitude being shown, I can't blame them if they do not back for a chat. Of course, those who have ruined it for everyone else will be the same people who bitch that WB doesn't come around though.

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

It's always hard for me to understand those who always have to find something negative to say about every release or news or studio, rather than to celebrate ALL the good points instead. So many catalog titles, including some very rare ones have been released in the past few years or soon will be - personally, I am constantly overwhelmed!

And heaven knows, of all the studios, Warner has done more to make fans happy than any other (IMO). I'm sure I cannot even begin to imagine all the work that goes into remastering all the catalog titles, but I am so grateful whenever more are released, whether they are actually favorites of mine or not!!! I do hope Warner and all the studios know how much their efforts are genuinely and most enthusiastically appreciated.

Re: Speculation for Warner Bros. 85th Anniversary Celebration

I have to sheepishly say that I have never participated in the chats (my computer is too slow for live connections especially with dial-up) but have always appreciated someone from Warner (and other studios years past) doing this.

I feel that most of the ready or easy projects have already been tackled over the years and now films that need extra attention or complete restorations are what is left and you have to weigh cost vs. sales. But I am willing to wait as long as I "know" something is on its way!

Just a bit puzzled as to "This Is The Army" because UCLA did a restoration years ago in anticipation for an official DVD release and now see Warner is working on it now but elude to it being a major project?

Eric