[Jeff Swearingen]

I'm planning on getting the Ford at Fox set and the remaining John Ford set from Warner (already have John Ford/John Wayne). Does anyone have any recommendations for another good box set to get with these (I'd like to just place a big order and work off of it for a few months).

Some of what I already have in the way of box sets to give you an idea of my tastes: Eclipse Ozu, Bergman and Kurosawa, Errol Flynn 1 and 2, Bogart 1 and 2, Tracy/Hepburn, Cecil DeMille Universal Box, Preston Sturges, Frank Capra.

[Garysb]

The Clark Gable, Gangster Vol 1, 2, and the soon to be released Vol 3 from Warner Bros. are all good. The Hitchcock sets both Warner and Universal are also good choices. Forbidden Hollywood Vol 1 and the upcoming Vol 2 are also good choices

[Roger Rollins]

In addition to those mentioned above...

WARNER FILM NOIR V 1-4
WARNER BOGART SIGNATURE COLLECTION
WARNER CONTROVERSIAL CLASSICS
WARNER CLASSIC COMEDIES
WARNER ASTAIRE/ROGERS ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION
WARNER THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT TRILOGY
WARNER TCM SPOTLIGHT: ESTHER WILLIAMS
TREASURES 1 2 & 3 from Nat Film Pres Foundation
All essentials!

[JohnRa]

Definitely all four volumes of Warner's Film Noir, as well as the Val Lewton set.

[Patrick McCart]

Import Universal's 21-disc Laurel & Hardy set from the UK. 80+ films for about $100. Most are of great quality and most of the talkies are their best work.

[Tory]

While you are importing the Laurel & Hardy box, also get the Complete Carry On Collection and the Olsen & Johnson film Hellzapoppin. From the US get the Universal and Warner Marx Brothers Collections, the 2 W.C. Fields Collection, the 2 Will Rogers Collections, Kino's Art of Buster Keaton, New Line's Harold Lloyd Collection, and the Tyrone Power Collection.

[Bob_S.]

Wow, no one mentioned the MICKEY ROONEY and JUDY GARLAND set yet.

Also The Thin Man box set, and Bob Hope/Bing Crosby Road movies box set.

[seanOhara]

This just about covers my must-haves, though I'm sure I'm forgetting some.

Directors:
Lubitsch in Berlin (Kino)
Lubitsch (Eclipse)
Fritz Lang (Kino)
Peckinpah (Warners)
Hitchcock (Warners)
Hitchcock (Universal)
Hitchcock (Lionsgate)
Almodovar (Sony)
Leone (MGM)
Verhoeven (Anchor Bay)
Bava (volumes 1 & 2)
Sam Fuller (Eclipse)
Ford (Warners)
Ford/Wayne (Warners)
Mel Brooks (Fox)
Wilder (MGM)
Wilder (Paramount)

Noir
Film Noir 1-4 (Warners)
Film Noir: The Dark Side of Hollywood (Kino)
Film Noir: Five Classics from the Studio Vaults (Kino)

Comedies:
Art of Buster Keaton (Kino)
Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection
The Marx Bros. (Universal)
The Marx Bros. (Warners)
Hope & Crosby Road to... (Universal)
Alec Guinness (Anchor Bay)
Peter Sellers (Anchor Bay)
Ealing Comedies (Anchor Bay)
Classic Comedies Collection (Warners)
Marilyn Monroe Diamond Collection vols 1&2 (Fox)
Jayne Mansfield (Fox)

Series
Alien Quadrilogy (Fox)
The Thin Man (Warners)
Planet of the Apes (Fox)
Tarzan vols. 1&2 (Warners)
James Bond vol 1-4

Adventures
Douglas Fairbanks (Kino)
Tyrone Power (Fox)
Literary Classics (Warners)

Actors:
Mitchum (Warners)
Brando (Warners)
Newman (Warners)
McQueen (Warners)
McQueen (MGM)
Grant (Sony)
Grant (Warners)
Hepburn (Warners)
Crawford (Warners)
Davis vols 1&2 (Warners)

Other
Controversial Classics 1&2 (Warners)
British War Collection (Anchor Bay)
Heroes Fight For Freedom (Warners)

[Irina]

I would also recommend the following R1 sets:
1. Fox Film Noir series. I believe there are 14 DVDs released so far and three more coming up soon (Dangerous Crossing, Black Widow, and Daisy Kenyon).
2. Two Kino Film Noir sets (there are repackages of previously released titles, with incredibly low prices). unbittable)
3. Hammer Film Noir sets (I would buy the double feature 1-DVD editions instead of the bigger 3-DVD sets since they are ridiculously stacked one on top of another and a pain to use)
4. Criterion 3-DVD Louis Malle Collection
5. Erich Rohmer Collection
6. Alec Guiness Collection
7. Busby Berkeley Collection
8. Charlie Chan Collection
9. Mr. Moto Collection
10. Michael Shayne Collection
11. Errol Flynn Collection
12. James Bond Ultimate Collector's Set
13. The Godfather DVD Collection
14. Glamour Collections (Lombard, Mae West, Marlene Dietrich) - these are an incredible value
15. Greta Garbo Collection
16. Lon Chaney Collection (TCM Archives)
17. Miss Marple Collection (with Margaret Rutherford)

If you are planning to buy non-R1 releases, I would also get the following UK sets:
1. the two UK Mikio Naruse sets
2. Alastair Sim - The Comic Icons Collection
3. Steward Granger Collection
4. David Lean UK collection is now on sale and is a real steal
5. Barbara Stanwyck Collection containing The Bitter Tea of General Yen
6. Marlene Dietrich Collection containing Shanghai Express
7. Mizoguchi set (Sansho Dayu and Gion Bayashi)
8. Ealing Studio Collections
9. Ginger Rogers Collection (with Tight Spot film noir)
10. James Mason - The Screen Icons Collection (most of the titles have been previously released with a couple of exception)
11. Alain Delon Collection (most of the titles have been previously released with a couple of exception)
12. Jean Paul Belmondo Collection (most of the titles have been previously released with a couple of exception)
13. The St Trinians Collection
14. Will Hay - The Comic Icons Collection
15. Terry-Thomas Collection - Comics Icons.

These are French collections:
1. Marlene Dietrich editions (some are not available in R1 like Desire, Dishonored, Song of Songs)
2. Editions Montparnasse editions (various RKO titles that are not available in R1. These are sold individually but could be considered part of one collection).

I would also recommend visiting DVDBeaver.com - Eclectic Cinema and Digital Versatile Discs - DVD - all regions, reviews, comparisons, film, specifically their We Love Boxsets section:

DVDBeaver.com - Article DVDBeaver LOVES Boxsets DVDBeaver Boxset DVD Reviews Warner Criterion Uk France US DVDBeaver Boxset DVD Reviews Warner Criterion Uk France US DVDBeaver Boxset DVD Reviews Warner Criterion Uk France US DVDBeaver Boxset DVD Revi

[GlennH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irina

I would also recommend the following R1 sets:
1. Fox Film Noir series. I believe there are 14 DVDs released so far and three more coming up soon (Dangerous Crossing, Black Widow, and Daisy Kenyon). ...

Actually, there are 21 released so far (only 20 available since Boomerang was pulled), with those 3 on the way. The list is here:

20th Century Fox Film Noir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Irina]

Glenn,

Thanks for the correction! I was too lazy to look for an exact count.

The link, however, does not give a complete list of film noir released by Criterion. Along with The Night and the City, Pickup on South Street, and Thieves' Highway, there were also the more recent releases of Ace in the Hole, The Naked City, and Brute Force.

The RKO titles in the Editions Motparnasse collection are listed here and can be purchased on amazon.fr:

Dvdfr.com - Recherche DVDFr

I also forgot The Powell and Pressburger Collection (UK) - Amazon.co.uk: The Powell And Pressburger Collection: DVD: Dirk Bogarde,Wendy Hiller,Roger Livesey,Moira Shearer,Anton Walbrook,Kathleen Byron,Peter Finch,David Niven,Deborah Kerr,Emeric Pressburger,Michael Powell.

[GlennH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irina

...
The link, however, does not give a complete list of film noir released by Criterion. Along with The Night and the City, Pickup on South Street, and Thieves' Highway, there were also the more recent releases of Ace in the Hole, The Naked City, and Brute Force....

It's true these are Criterion noirs, but they aren't Fox films, which was the subject of that Wikipedia article.