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A Few Words About A few words about...™ Warner Bros. Home Video & The WB Archive Collection -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

David Weicker

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So,

What has happened to WHV?

Last year was supposed to be a BIG year for Classics

But we really only got four collections
Musicals
1939
Sinatra
Sci-Fi/Horror.

The last announcement was in June (eight months ago).
The last release was in October (four months ago).

So far nothing coming for 2016.

As for the Archives, a good start with the two Hitchcock films and the two Bogart/Bacall. But nothing (yet) for the next several week at least.

Does anyone know about any future releases?
 

atfree

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So,

What has happened to WHV?

Last year was supposed to be a BIG year for Classics

But we really only got four collections
Musicals
1939
Sinatra
Sci-Fi/Horror.

The last announcement was in June (eight months ago).
The last release was in October (four months ago).

So far nothing coming for 2016.

As for the Archives, a good start with the two Hitchcock films and the two Bogart/Bacall. But nothing (yet) for the next several week at least.

Does anyone know about any future releases?
Good question! RAH's post in 2014 got my hopes up for big things. We did get more than usual (which is damning WB with faint praise IMO), but I think it's the market for pre-1970 titles that's to blame. For every one of me that wants the "Errol Flynn Collection" on Blu-ray, there's 10 (or more) that want "Ice Pirates" or some other 80's cheese which are cheaper to produce.

Get off my lawn, you pesky kids!
 

davidmatychuk

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Warner is doing a beautiful job with the transfers on their recent Blu-Ray releases, but there isn't one of them that has bonus features that weren't on a previous DVD. I have pretty much every DVD Special Edition title from the last twenty years (Fox also released some incredible DVD's, with lobby cards even!) that I ever wanted, but I don't think I'll be seeing many more in the current home video climate. It's too bad, because it's another sign that the studios have forgotten how to make people into movie lovers. If they don't care, who will? Besides me, of course.
 

Brandon Conway

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Warner simply does not produce bonus content for catalog titles anymore. They haven't for years. I think the only exception was for the Wizard of Oz 3D release, where the new bonus was the celebs talking about how they liked it. WB just doesn't see that there's any value in spending money on bonus content. Their philosophy is to present the films in the best quality possible, and bring over any legacy bonus content, and the film fans will buy the releases. If the market could be catered to the general public again like it was in DVD's heyday they would produce bonus content again. But that ship sailed long ago.


Everyone bagged on WB a couple years ago and said "look at Fox!" Then what happened is what was always going to happen - Fox didn't get the sales they expected after pushing hard for deep catalog titles, and *poof* - no more catalog from Fox directly.

Warner and Universal are the only majors that consistently put out their own catalog titles right now. And every major sublicenses to some degree. Warner does the least. (Actually, I take that back - Lionsgate does the least. They don't license or release their own at all!).
 

davidmatychuk

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Warner did issue a few of their "Diamond Luxe Edition" Blu-Rays a couple of years ago, with one or two newly produced featurettes on a second Blu-Ray in an elegant little case with a straight rerelease of the original Blu-Ray. I guess even that modest effort didn't pay off with the public, maybe because it was such a modest effort. The "Gone With The Wind" bonus disc turned up later in the 75th Anniversary box, and "Goodfellas" probably would have been a "Diamond Luxe" effort if they hadn't just made it a little 25th Anniversary box (with a properly remastered version of the movie, thank you Warner Home Video!) instead. I just don't like watching home video dwindle into nothing in the name of appeasing people who couldn't care less about movies. I know, I know, what year am I living in, right? Well, come see me in ten years or so. I'll show you some rare and interesting featurettes if I'm still around.
 

Alan Tully

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I'm not bothered about extras these days, it's the film that I'm buying (& you don't get extras at the cinema). I suppose the best extras package I have is that big Alien set...& I haven't gotten around to seeing any of the extras yet! Funnily enough, two of the best extras sets I have are from Warner, the Gone With The Wind set (I see most of the extras have been dropped from the new set) & Casablanca, the Dutch two-disc set with hours of extras, including the documentary , You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story. I'm not asking for too much, a couple of catalogue releases a month (which seems to be what we're getting) & a box set or two, a few box sets last year & I hope they continue.
 

davidmatychuk

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As a sign of the decline of home video, I think the lack of attractive extras and packaging of physical copies of movies is every bit as telling as the vanishing rental trade. I don't watch all the extras right away, or maybe ever, but I sure like knowing they're there. Some nights I make an evening's entertainment out of delving into extras I've never watched on some old favourite. To me, the great advantage of having a video collection is enjoying it at my leisure, and I like having as much to enjoy as I possibly can.
 

Bob Cashill

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OTOH, the new Blu of THE BIG SLEEP does have the full-length segment comparing the two versions. The DVD only has an excerpt from that discussion. Not new content, but an improved version of the prior content.
 

Dr Griffin

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Warner is doing a beautiful job with the transfers on their recent Blu-Ray releases, but there isn't one of them that has bonus features that weren't on a previous DVD. I have pretty much every DVD Special Edition title from the last twenty years (Fox also released some incredible DVD's, with lobby cards even!) that I ever wanted, but I don't think I'll be seeing many more in the current home video climate. It's too bad, because it's another sign that the studios have forgotten how to make people into movie lovers. If they don't care, who will? Besides me, of course.
I, too, always had interest in the extra content going back to its largest output during the DVD heyday of 15-20 years ago. I thought Blu-ray promised too much, and got a little goofy with the extra content. Now the studios don't even know if they will make the investment back just by releasing a catalog title on physical media, let alone spending more for new extra content. The extreme costs of the technology today in bringing catalog content to home video is mind boggling.
 

davidmatychuk

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I'm not bothered about extras these days, it's the film that I'm buying (& you don't get extras at the cinema). I suppose the best extras package I have is that big Alien set...& I haven't gotten around to seeing any of the extras yet! Funnily enough, two of the best extras sets I have are from Warner, the Gone With The Wind set (I see most of the extras have been dropped from the new set) & Casablanca, the Dutch two-disc set with hours of extras, including the documentary , You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story. I'm not asking for too much, a couple of catalogue releases a month (which seems to be what we're getting) & a box set or two, a few box sets last year & I hope they continue.
In North America, the 75th Anniversary "Gone With The Wind" box has the same 2 Blu-Rays and 1 DVD as the earlier box, plus the extra Blu-Ray from the recent "Diamond Luxe" release (and a book of GWTW fashions, a little music box and Rhett's actual hankie!). I also have that "You Must Remember This" DVD, but it's in a "Warner Legends Collection" box with two-disc special editions of "The Adventures Of Robin Hood", "The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre", and "Yankee Doodle Dandy". They're great sets, both of them. I love the extras. Back in the laserdisc days, I always watched every single extra feature before considering any new purchase not defective, so it's an old habit of mine. I still think people like extras, but now they call them "YouTube".
 

Rick Thompson

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I've been interested in the extra featurettes, though not in the commentaries. Listened to a couple, and they were not worth the extra time in watching the same show/film again.
 

Robert Crawford

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I've been interested in the extra featurettes, though not in the commentaries. Listened to a couple, and they were not worth the extra time in watching the same show/film again.
A good commentary is something I'll watch all the time. The problem is except for Twilight Time, many of the releases don't have good commentaries.
 

Nick*Z

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I'm very contented with Warner's 2016 deep catalog releases so far. They're all on order. I sincerely hope they remain consistent in pumping them out for the rest of the year. It's a little young to carp or crap on their efforts yet. Would love to see WAC tackle some of these hi-def releases: Marie Antoinette (1938), Romeo & Juliet (1936), The Prisoner of Zenda (1936), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), National Velvet, Random Harvest, The Thin Man franchise, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, San Francisco, Maytime, Weekend At the Waldorf, Holiday in Mexico, Executive Suite, Mildred Pierce, A Woman's Face, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, The Sea Hawk, Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Gunga Din, The Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby, Adam's Rib, That Midnight Kiss, Bathing Beauty, Million Dollar Mermaid, Easy to Love, Show Boat, High Society, Silk Stockings, The Night of the Iguana, Around the World in 80 Days, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The VIP's...for starters. Just to show I'm not greedy - if only four of these titles were released in the next 12 months I would sincerely be over the moon.
 

atfree

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I'm greedy. I'd like to see one a month released.

---------------
Same here. If a small company like TT can license, author, do commentaries, booklets, etc for 6 releases a month, no excuse why a monolithic entity like WB can't do the same. Hell, for some of WB's catalog (Flynn, Ford, etc), I'd gladly pay TT prices as well.
 

Keith Cobby

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I'm very contented with Warner's 2016 deep catalog releases so far. They're all on order. I sincerely hope they remain consistent in pumping them out for the rest of the year. It's a little young to carp or crap on their efforts yet. Would love to see WAC tackle some of these hi-def releases: Marie Antoinette (1938), Romeo & Juliet (1936), The Prisoner of Zenda (1936), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), National Velvet, Random Harvest, The Thin Man franchise, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, San Francisco, Maytime, Weekend At the Waldorf, Holiday in Mexico, Executive Suite, Mildred Pierce, A Woman's Face, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, The Sea Hawk, Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Gunga Din, The Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby, Adam's Rib, That Midnight Kiss, Bathing Beauty, Million Dollar Mermaid, Easy to Love, Show Boat, High Society, Silk Stockings, The Night of the Iguana, Around the World in 80 Days, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The VIP's...for starters. Just to show I'm not greedy - if only four of these titles were released in the next 12 months I would sincerely be over the moon.

I think your interests and mine overlap quite a bit but I am not optimistic any of us will live long enough to see many of these on disc. Some titles are coming out (and we are very grateful) but it still feels very slow to me.
 

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