Warner Archive Discussion Thread (The Announcements/The Films) - Page 14

I wonder why so few films were added this month?

I wonder also, but my bank account is happy.

I wonder what Warner's will release this coming Tuesday?

 

Hello, HTFers. Been reading your posts for a long time and thought I'd jump in. I appreciate all the information I've found here, and hope I can add to it from time to time.

In the meantime, I have some questions about the 1929 version of The Letter, starring Jeanne Eagels.

A few years ago, I had heard that Warner Brothers had done extensive restoration work on this film and intended to include it on their DVD release of the 1940 Bette Davis version. But when the Davis version was released, the Eagels version wasn't on it. Does anyone here know whether Warner actually controls the rights to this film, and if so, whether it will ever be issued? I've been glad for the opportunity to own a number of late 20's and early 30's films through the Warner Archive program, and would certainly welcome a release of The Letter.

They finally added an Elizabeth Taylor value pak to the website, to coincide with her birthday today.

I wish they'd add these paks at the same time they release the films...

That is great, but I wish they would just have aprice break, I already own two and do not see myself buying them again.  So WB, you lost the sales for the others.

New titles has been announced today:
American Anthem (1986)
American Dream, An (1966)
At Sword's Point (1952)
Bloodbrothers (1978)
Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969)
Green Fire (1954)
If Looks Could Kill (1991)
Mara Maru (1952)
Rampage (1963)
Sphinx (1981)
Third Day, The (1965)

Other covers I was able to discover:
Arizona Dream (1993)
Awakening, The (1980)
Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later, A (1986)
Rabbit, Run (1970)
Saint Joan (1957)

DADDY'S GONE A-HUNTING and BLOODBROTHERS, nice. Not sure I can endorse it but AN AMERICAN DREAM, which aired in a beautiful print on TCM last week, is of some curious interest, a Norman Mailer adaptation styled like a Joseph E. Levine or Ross Hunter production. 

Well, there's another '50s Otto Premeger.  At least the cover looks sweet!

I would like to see the non-horror Val Lewton films released.

It's unfortunate that Saint Joan didn't warrant a general release on a pressed disc, but I'm glad to see it anyhow.

And yet still no You're A Big Boy Now- Hasn't Warner Bros. ever heard of Francis Ford Coppola?

DADDY'S GONE A-HUNTING and RAMPAGE are now added to my "to buy" list.
 
If it were up to me, during the pre-Warner Archive days, I would have put the former in the Cult Camp Classics Vol. 2: Women in Peril set instead of THE BIG CUBE, and the latter in the Robert Mitchum Signature Collection instead of THE GOOD GUYS AND THE BAD GUYS. Oh well...

I've never seen AT SWORD'S POINT but it looks like a total hoot.  Ordered that and Bloodbrothers.

Well, Warner did release Coppola's FINIAN'S RAINBOW, as a pressed DVD no less...and THE RAIN PEOPLE as an Archive title. The point is to release everything in its vaults, so they'll get to it.  

AN AMERICAN DREAM was hilariously awful, and when I viewed it on TCM I thought it would be a Warner Archive title - and here it is less than a week later! Purchased it, DADDY'S GONE A HUNTING and THE THIRD DAY.

Is Green Fire any good?...love Stewart Granger and Grace Kelly. probably worth it if even just mediocre.

Some very interesting new titles - BLOODBROTHERS  contains one of Gere's best performance and DADDY:S is an underrated thriller with a good cast--
I wish that the Archive would release more 50s WB widescreen films, especially  THE MIRACLE starring Carroll Baker & Roger Moore and KING RICHARD AND THE CRUSADERS starring George Sanders & Virginia Mayo - both with great scores by Elmer Bernstein and Max Steiner, respectively.

Some new announcements here for March 16:
Torchy Blane: The Complete Movie Collection
Too Much, Too Soon (1957)
Saint Joan (1957)
Midnight Alibi (1934)
Chasing Rainbows (1930)
"Ripley's Believe It or Not'' shorts
My Wild Irish Rose (1947)
The Eddie Cantor Story (1953)
Lord Byron of Broadway (1930)
Arizona Dreams (1993)
Rabbit, Run (1970)
Girlfriends (1978)
A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later (1986)
Meeting Venus (1991)
A Night Full of Rain (1978)
The Picasso Summer (1969)
The Priest's Wife (1971)
Surviving Picasso (1996)
Edited by GregoryMesh - 3/7/10 at 8:04pm

I wonder what the price will be on the Torchy Blane series? I hope the Falcon and the Saint ain't far behind.

TOO MUCH, TOO SOON--more Errol Flynn. SURVIVING PICASSO gets a lot of requests. WB is sending out press screeners of the Depp-starring ARIZONA DREAM, something I don't think it's ever done. 

Arizona Dream had a special edition in another region. It had a lengthy then-new Johnny Depp interview and I believe some additional footage.

Does anyone know how many of the "Ripley's Believe It or Not'' shorts were produced.  I know that they were made in 1930 and 1931 and sources say there were 12 each year, making it a total of 24, but I do not trust the source that information came from. 

It will be a different buy for the Torch Blane series and I am happy for more Marie Dressler and Polly Moran in CHASING RAINBOWS, and it also had Jack Benny and Bessie Love in it.

I came across this interview with George Feltenstein about the Warner Archive from the Memphis Commercial Appeal from last December and I don't remember it being mentioned here so I thought I'd link to it:

http://blogs.commercialappeal.com/the_bloodshot_eye/2009/12/warner.html

Apparently Esther Williams is still REALLY popular. Feltenstein comments that the first Williams set cleared over $2,000,000 in profit.
My apologies if this interview has already been noted in this thread.

Philip,

If you like great Elmer Bernstein scores, then you should check out RAMPAGE (1963), now announced for Warner Archives.  It has a great Bernstein adventure score that has never been anthologized on LP or CD.

I would love to see KING RICHARD AND THE CRUSADERS in the archives, since it hasn't been available in widescreen.  I'd also like to see the various Steve Reeves epics in widescreen that Warner owns.

I'm glad to hear that GIRLFRIENDS (1978) is due on March 16.

Roy Liebman's "Vitaphone Shorts" (McFarland Press, hardcover 2003; paperback re-release 2010) indexes 24, released over that 2-year period.  12 titled as BELIEVE IT OR NOT, and 12 as RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT.

Thanks, my sources were right this time.  These should be interesting.

Perhaps the James A Fitzpatrick TRAVELTALKS series will see the light of day in the Archive?

I would be all over that one too.  These are real treat to see today with such a spectacular glimpse in to the past, "so as the sun sets in the west, we say fond goodbye to .. ......

Interesting to see several 90s films with big stars coming this month. One 90s film I'd love Warner to release into the Archive is BEING HUMAN starring Robin Williams.

Everyone who has ever posted to this thread needs to read this interview.  Feltenstein addresses every question/complaint that has ever been raised.  It basically functions as the chat we're not going to get on this forum.