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MGM Press Release: January 2012 Blu-ray Releases

post #1 of 14
Thread Starter 


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January Blu-ray Releases

HITCHCOCK, ALLEN and WILDER TITLES MAKE BLU-RAY DEBUT THIS MONTH WITH 6 MOVIE CLASSICS

AVAILABLE FROM TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT JANUARY 24

 

 
 

 

Los Angeles, CA (January 9, 2012) – Another round of MGM must-see fan favorites comes to Blu-ray January 24, 2012 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Six classics make this month’s new-to-Blu-ray releases some of the most exciting yet.

 

ANNIE HALL FAST FACTS:

UPC:                                           883904256427

Rating:                                      PG

Total Run Time:                                    93 minutes

Aspect Ratio:                       Widescreen 1.85:1

 

ANNIE HALL SYNOPSIS:

Considered to be "Woody Allen's breakthrough movie" (Time), Annie Hall won four ACADEMY AWARDS® ® including Best Picture and established Allen as the premier auteur filmmaker. Thought by many critics to be Allen's magnum opus, Annie Hall confirmed that Allen had "completed the journey from comic to humorist, from comedy writer to wit [and] from inventive moviemaker to creative artist" (Saturday Review).

 

Alvy Singer (Allen) is one of Manhattan's most brilliant comedians, but when it comes to romance, his delivery needs a little work. Introduced by his best friend, Rob (Tony Roberts), Alvy falls in love with the ditzy but delightful nightclub singer Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). When Alvy's own insecurities sabotage the affair, Annie is forced to leave Alvy for a new life – and lover (Paul Simon) – in Los Angeles. Knowing he may have lost Annie forever, Alvy's willing to go to any lengths – even driving L.A.'s freeways – to recapture the only thing that ever mattered...true love.

 

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MANHATTAN FAST FACTS:

UPC:                                           883904259671

Rating:                                      R

Total Run Time:                                    96 minutes

Aspect Ratio:                       Widescreen 2.35:1

 

MANHATTAN SYNOPSIS:

Nominated for two ACADEMY AWARDS® ,and considered "one of [Woody] Allen's most enduring accomplishments" (Boxoffice), Manhattan is a wry, touching and finely rendered portrait of modern relationships set against the backdrop of urban alienation. Sumptuously photographed in black and white and accompanied by a magnificent Gershwin score, Allen's aesthetic triumph is a "prismatic portrait of a time and a place that may be studied decades hence" (Time).

 

Forty-two-year-old Manhattan native Isaac Davis (Allen) has a job he hates, a seventeen-year-old girlfriend, Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), he doesn't love, and a lesbian ex-wife, Jill (Meryl Streep), who's writing a tell-all book about their marriage...and whom he'd like to strangle. But when he meets his best friend's sexy intellectual mistress, Mary (Diane Keaton), Isaac falls head over heels in lust! Leaving Tracy, bedding Mary and quitting his job are just the beginnings of Isaac's quest for romance and fulfillment in a city where sex is as intimate as a handshake – and the gateway to true love...is a revolving door.

 

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NOTORIOUS FAST FACTS:

UPC:                                           883904252498

Rating:                                      NR

Total Run Time:                                    102 minutes

Aspect Ratio:                       Fullscreen 1:33:1

 

NOTORIOUS SYNOPSIS:

From legendary director Alfred Hitchcock comes this "torrid, tense, tinglingly suspenseful" (Cosmopolitan) film that ranks as one of his best. ACADEMY AWARD® Winner Ingrid Bergman* "is literally ravishing" (Pauline Kael), and Cary Grant and Claude Rains give "excellent performances" (Variety) in this "taut spy movie that delivers a romantic punch" (The New Yorker).

 

When troubled beauty Alicia Huberman (Bergman) is recruited by American agent Devlin (Grant) to infiltrate a German spy ring in postwar Rio, she accepts…but soon finds herself falling in love with Devlin. And when she receives orders to seduce a Nazi kingpin (Rains), Alicia must sacrifice the only happiness she's ever known for a perilous mission that could ultimately cost her and Devlin their lives.

 

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REBECCA FAST FACTS:

UPC:                                           883904252542

Rating:                                      NR

Total Run Time:                                    131 minutes

Aspect Ratio:                       Fullscreen 1:33:1

 

REBECCA SYNOPSIS:

For his first American film, Alfred Hitchcock teamed up with producer David O. Selznick (Gone With the Wind) to create a "spine-tingling" (LA Weekly) romantic thriller that Won the ACADEMY AWARD® for Best Picture. Based on Daphne Du Maurier's timeless novel, this dark, atmospheric tale of fatal obsession features Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine and Judith Anderson, as well as a "haunting score by Franz Waxman" (Leonard Maltin).

 

After a whirlwind romance, mysterious widower Maxim de Winter (Olivier) brings his shy, young bride (Fontaine) home to his imposing estate, Manderley. But the new Mrs. de Winter finds her married life dominated by the sinister, almost spectral influence of Maxim's late wife: the brilliant, ravishingly beautiful Rebecca, who, she suspects, still rules both Manderley and Maxim from beyond the grave!

 

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SPELLBOUND FAST FACTS:

UPC:                                           883904252528

Rating:                                      NR

Total Run Time:                                    118 minutes

Aspect Ratio:                       Fullscreen 1:33:1

 

SPELLBOUND SYNOPSIS:

"The secret recesses of the mind are explored with brilliant and terrifying effect" (New York Herald Tribune) in this fascinating psychological thriller from Alfred Hitchcock. Featuring powerful performances from Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck, this masterpiece of mystery, romance and suspense boasts an ACADEMY AWARD® -Winning score by Miklos Rozsa and a haunting dream sequence by Salvador Dalí.

 

Dr. Constance Peterson (Bergman) is a dedicated psychiatrist who puts all her passion into her work — until she falls in love with Dr. Edwardes (Peck). Unfortunately, it soon becomes clear that Edwardes is an impostor — an amnesiac — who may or may not be a cold-blooded murderer. Pursued by the police, Constance must decide whether to turn in her mysterious lover...or risk her life by trying to unlock the dark secrets in his mind.

 

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THE APARTMENT: COLLECTOR’S EDITION FAST FACTS:

UPC:                                           883904252627

Rating:                                      NR

Total Run Time:                                    125 minutes

Aspect Ratio:                       Widescreen 2:35:1

 

THE APARTMENT: COLLECTOR’S EDITION SYNOPSIS:

Winner of five 1960 ACADEMY AWARDS®, including Best Picture, The Apartment is legendary director Billy Wilder at his most scathing and satirical best. With audio commentary from film producer and AFI member Bruce Block and two featurettes— including a loving tribute to actor Jack Lemmon—this special Collector’s Edition is your chance to own one of "the finest comedies Hollywood has turned out" (Newsweek)!

 

C.C. Baxter (Lemmon) knows the way to success in business...it's through the door of his apartment! By providing a perfect hideaway for philandering bosses, the ambitious young employee reaps a series of undeserved promotions. But when Bud lends the key to big boss J.D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), he not only advances his career, but his own love life as well. For Sheldrake's mistress is the lovely Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), elevator girl and angel of Bud's dreams. Convinced that he is the only man for Fran, Bud must make the most important executive decision of his career: lose the girl...or his job.

 

About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world’s largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in domestic and international TV channels reaching over 130 countries. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

 

About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC (TCFHE) is a recognized global industry leader and a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. Representing 75 years of innovative and award-winning filmmaking from Twentieth Century Fox, TCFHE is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming, acquisitions and original productions on DVD, Blu-ray Disc Digital Copy, Video On Demand and Digital Download. The company also releases all products globally for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce throughout the world.

 

 

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post #2 of 14
Thread Starter 

I am a big fan of Jack Lemmon.  Fell in love with 

him as an actor the moment I saw him in The Prisoner

of Second Avenue.

 

Finally, after all these years, I got to see The

Apartment.  Thought it was very good, but just

short of being great.

 

Surprised to see that it is not yet available

on Amazon for preorder.  Other than that the

only interest I have here is Annie Hall.

post #3 of 14

All these are must buys for me, although I never warmed up too much to Spellbound.  Manhattan is my favorite Allen film.  

post #4 of 14
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein View Post

I am a big fan of Jack Lemmon.  Fell in love with 
him as an actor the moment I saw him in The Prisoner
of Second Avenue.

Finally, after all these years, I got to see The
Apartment.  Thought it was very good, but just
short of being great.

Surprised to see that it is not yet available
on Amazon for preorder.  Other than that the
only interest I have here is Annie Hall.

I'm interested in all three of the Hitchcock's and above all in The Apartment. "just short of being great"? Absolutely great in my opinion: perhaps the best ever blend of comedy, drama and romance. Plus the only time I've really liked Shirley MacLaine.
post #5 of 14
Thread Starter 

Agreed with Shirley MacLaine.  Was never a big fan of hers,

but she is absolutely adorable here. 

 

Don't get me wrong -- loved The Apartment -- but I suppose

having seen it so late in my life it seems a tad dated.

post #6 of 14
I'll wait until reviews come for these titles. MGM doesn't have the greatest track record when it comes to blu-ray releases, so I'm willing to wait. Will buy all of them if they're up to snuff, though I could totally do without those unappealing new Hitchcock covers.
post #7 of 14

You can say that again.  Out of those six, only the Woody Allen covers have appeal, because they represent the way the films were originally marketed.  The others are modern-day Photoshopped video rack dreck.

post #8 of 14

Ditto on waiting on the reviews. Also, MGM catalog releases tend to go to lower price points fairly quickly, so by waiting a few months I'm sure these can all be had for under $10. 

 

Also I am hoping that they fixed the subtitle error that was on the Annie Hall DVD.

 

I assume the Allen films have no extras (per the director's preference), and The Apartment should have the same extras as the current DVD CE, but is there any word on extras on the Hitchcocks?? I have the excellent (but OOP) Criterions of these titles, so unless the reviews show marked improvement on the transfers I may just stick with them.

post #9 of 14

I really had no idea The Apartment  was coming. I had heard about the Selznick/Hitchcocks and the two Woody Allens but wasn't expecting The Apartment, so that's like a belated Christmas present.

post #10 of 14
Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig S View Post

..., but is there any word on extras on the Hitchcocks?? I have the excellent (but OOP) Criterions of these titles, so unless the reviews show marked improvement on the transfers I may just stick with them.

Fox Connect is showing:

Notorious:

* * Commentary with Film Professor Rick Jewell
* * Commentary with Film Professor Drew Casper
* * Isolated Music and Effects Track
* * The Ultimate Romance: The Making of Notorious
* * Alfred Hitchcock: The Ultimate Spymaster
* * The American Film Institute Award: The Key to Hitchcock
* * 1948 Radio Play Starring Joseph Cotten and Ingrid Bergman
* * Hitchcock Audio Interviews
* * Restoration Comparison
* * Original Theatrical Trailer

Audio: English Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen: 1.33:1

Spellbound:

* * Commentary with Author and Film Professor Thomas Schatz & Film Professor Charles Ramirez Berg
* * Dreaming with Scissors: Hitchcock, Surrealism and Salvador Dalí
* * Guilt by Association: Psychoanalyzing Spellbound
* * A Cinderella Story: Rhonda Fleming
* * 1948 Radio Play
* * Hitchcock Audio Interview
* * Original Theatrical Trailer

Audio: English Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen: 1.33:1

Rebecca:

* * Commentary with Film Critic Richard Schickel
* * Isolated Music and Effects Track
* * The Making of Rebecca
* * The Gothic World of Daphne Du Maurier
* * Screen Tests
* * Radio Plays
* * Hitchcock Audio Interviews
* * Original Theatrical Trailer

Audio: English Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen: 1.33:1

The Apartment:

* * Audio Commentary from Film Producer and Historian Bruce Block
* * Inside the Apartment
* * Magic Time: The Art of Jack Lemmon
* * Theatrical Trailer

Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish: Mono, French: Mono
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen: 2.35:1

Nothing showing for either Woody Allen movie (as you might guess)
post #11 of 14
I'll get most all of these when they come down in price AND if they have good transfers.
Edited by Frank Ha - 1/12/12 at 1:48pm
post #12 of 14

The Hitchcock extras are identical to those in the Premiere collection, so this replaces 3 of those 8 DVDs.  The Criterions all have different commentaries and a few other features, so mine, at least, are here to stay.  I just hope these transfers are stupendous.

post #13 of 14

John, Charles, thanks for chiming in on the Hitchcock extras. Seems like a pretty good set of features. I'm surprised the presser doesn't mention them at all (Amazon doesn't show anything either - at least they didn't when I checked yesterday). Will probably pick these up when the price is right assuming the transfers turn out good.

post #14 of 14
It would have been cool had there been an additional bonus on The Apartment dealing with Bacharach's Promises Promises since it recently had a Broadway revival.
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