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Warner Home Video announces CASABLANCA and LETHAL WEAPON as 2012 Anniversary Releases (1 Viewer)

Ronald Epstein

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WARNER HOME VIDEO ANNOUNCES 2011 MORATORIUMS FOR TWO MAJOR LIBRARY TITLES IN ANTICIPATION OF MOMENTOUS 2012 ANNIVERSARIES


CASABLANCA

70th Anniversary


LETHAL WEAPON

25th Anniversary


Burbank, Calif., February 17, 2011 – In anticipation of major upcoming anniversaries, Warner Home Video (WHV) has announced a moratorium initiative starting March 28 for two of their titles: Casablanca (70th Anniversary) and all four films in the Lethal Weapon series (25th Anniversary). Within the coming year, WHV will announce the details for special commemorative editions for these titles, which will include stunning remasterings, spectacular Blu-ray debuts, new special features, Ultimate Collectors Editions and more.


Casablanca (1942)
Casablanca: easy to enter, but much harder to leave, especially if you're wanted by the Nazis. Such a man is Resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), whose only hope is Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a cynical American who sticks his neck out for no one - especially Victor's wife Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), the ex-lover who broke his heart. Ilsa offers herself in exchange for Laszlo's transport out of the country and bitter Rick must decide what counts more - personal happiness or countless lives hanging in the balance. Winner of three Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Director (Michael Curtiz) and Best Writing, Screenplay.


Lethal Weapon 1-4
Mel Gibson is Riggs, the reckless one. Danny Glover is Murtaugh, the family man. They’re partners whose work routine is never routine in the hugely successful film series. Directed by Richard Donner and produced by Joel Silver, the series reloaded the buddy-cop genre. Filled with wild car chases, spectacular car explosions and hilarious cast chemistry, EW.com ranked the first film as one of the Top 25 Greatest Action Films Ever (6/18/07). Joe Pesci, Renee Russo, Jet Li and Chris Rock round out the all-star cast.
 

Charles Smith

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"which will include stunning remasterings, spectacular Blu-ray debuts, new special features, Ultimate Collectors Editions and more."


[SIZE= 14px]Casablanca (Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray] (2008)[/SIZE]


http://www.amazon.com/Casablanca-Ultimate-Collectors-Blu-ray-Humphrey/dp/B001EL6EH2/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1297981394&sr=1-3


I guess this one will be an even MORE ultimate collector's edition.


Oh well. That's fine, as long as there's nothing else in the catalog that needs releasing.
 

GMpasqua

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of course the question is "WHY?" when so many other films have yet to be released. Besides "Casablanca" was pretty complete and looked great - really where's the Brando "Mutiny on the Bounty?" or "My Fair Lady" or "Who's Afraid of Virigina Woolf?" "A Streecar Named Desire", "Yankee Doodle Dandy", "Gypsy", "The Great Race"......
 

Ferdinand Hudson

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Originally Posted by Ransom Stoddard

Er, didn't the LW boxset just come out?


So far only in the UK and Australia (the Australian one unfortunately uses the old masters of LW and LW2).
 

Brianruns10

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Wait, what? How many more times do they have to remaster Casablanca? There's other stuff out there Warners. Magnificent Ambersons. Greed. The Best Years of Our Lives.


God dammit.
 

dana martin

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Greed was mentioned in one of the chats with WB, then they had a vote thing and it was on there as well, so i don't know what is going to happen with that, as for the Best Years Of Our Lives, that is a Goldwyn Title, so it should still be with MGM
 

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They're going to have to do something pretty amazing to make me buy Casablanca for the 5th time.
 

Brianruns10

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@ Dana


You are correct, but didn't Warners' acquisition of the MGM catalogue include this title?
 

ahollis

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Originally Posted by Brianruns10

@ Dana


You are correct, but didn't Warners' acquisition of the MGM catalogue include this title?

Nope. MGM still controls the pre-1997 Samuel Goldwyn films, which includes several Danny Kaye films, Eddie Cantor films and the holy grail Porgy and Bess that have not yet made it to DVD. It was an outright sale of the company and titles to MGM in 1998. Warner controls the pre-1986 MGM titles.
 

dana martin

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and actually i think it was Turner that bought that back catalog, then the merger if i remember correctly, also as far as i remember reading the deal between MGM and Criterion the Goldwyn's were not part of that deal, which is a shame, BYOOL and P&B scream out for Criterion treatment


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turner_Entertainment


intresting read, how many films are involved, from the simple beginnings of a cable network to media giant
 

ahollis

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It is even more insidious than that. Warner Brothers sold of their pre-1949 films, cartoons, & shorts to a.a.p (Associated Artists Productions) in 1956, in turn United Artists bought a. a. p. in 1958, and then they went to MGM in 1981. Turner bought MGM in 1986 and got everything MGM owned (except the UA features) prior to the sale. Then in 1996 Warner bought Turner. So all the Warner product came home and they in turn now owned the great MGM product.


Samuel Goldwyn Productions was purchased by Metromedia around 1991 which also was parent to Orion Pictures. In 1997 Metromedia sold Orion, along with SGP and Motion Picture Corporation of America to MGM. So that is why BYOOL is now an MGM film.


What this has to do with the topic, I have forgotten, so I will quietly post and leave.
 

dana martin

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Allen,

it's because somone ask why WB was not doing BYOOL, and you and i went into ownership of some of the classic catalog
 

Jim_K

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Meh. I'm holding out for the 75th Anniversary Edition which will come wrapped in a replica of Rick's trench coat
 

ScottHM

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Nah. The 75th will be in 3-D and colorized.

Originally Posted by Jim_K

Meh. I'm holding out for the 75th Anniversary Edition which will come wrapped in a replica of Rick's trench coat

/t/308933/warner-home-video-announc...pon-as-2012-anniversary-releases#post_3875802
 

Scott Calvert

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I'm very much looking forward to this. The current HD transfer of Casablanca is so scrubbed it looks like a digital production...just like the old DVD of Citizen Kane.
 

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