Good Classic Box Sets

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

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

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

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!

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

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

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

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.

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

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.

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

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.

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

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)

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

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

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

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

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

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.

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

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

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

Another vote for the Val Lewton set and the WB film noir sets.

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

The Classic Comedies Boxset from warners

you get four masterpieces (the 2 disc editions of Bringing up Baby and Philadelphia story as well as Stage Door and Libeled Lady) and two other excellent films, Dinner at Eight and To Be or Not to Be. one of the best box sets and values out there, in terms of pure entertainment.

Re: Good Classic Box Sets

There are two Val Lewton releases. The latest one contains Martin Scorceses's documentary. It's a great set.
Amazon.com: The Val Lewton Horror Collection with Martin Scorses Presents Val Lewton Documentary (Cat People / The Curse of the Cat People / I Walked with a Zombie ... / The Seventh Victim / Shadows in the Dark): Movies & TV: Martin Scorsese,Elias Ko

I don't know whether I should kick this thread, or just start a new one, but I thought maybe it's a good idea to bring this thread up to date. I'm very interested in all kinds of movie genres, but there are so many box sets out there that I don't know which ones are good, and which ones aren't. Maybe a sort of 'definitive list' could be made, if that's feasible.

Have done a HTF thread search and can not find any exact matches for threads just about the film I Walked with a Zombie (1943). It's a title I've beeb interested in getting on DVD. The Val Lewton Horror Collection Region 1 boxset (released back in January 2008) looks like the one to get (unless it gets another DVD release or maybe a Blu-ray release instead), and the aforementioned film has also been released as part of a double feature Region 1 release with The Body Snatcher (1945) back in 2005. There is a DVD Beaver review of the Val Lewton Horror Collection set, but I thought I'd ask for people's thoughts on the set, regarding the picture/print quality.

I'm not too expert on the films, but for the set itself - be sure to check with your retailer of choice to make certain they are selling the second release of the set. The first release was just the films; the second release included a bonus documentary (by Martin Scorsese, I believe) about Val Lewton.

 

 

The second release with the documentary about Val Lewton appears to be available on Amazon.com, but that's only based on the front cover artwork on the listing page for the boxset. Thanks for your reply and comments.