WHV Press Release: How The West was Won (DVD/Blu-Ray)+Western & Errol Flynn Classics (1 Viewer)

[Simon Howson]

At least they aren't as bad as Sony's upcoming Hammer Icons of Adventure 2 disc set:



I can't think of worse cover art from a major company. It makes some public domain covers look good.

 

[Robert Crawford]

John,
How do you know it won't sell more copies to the casual buyer? I agree that it will piss off some genuine film fans, but not all genuine film fans are into the packaging artwork as some others so the level of such anger is hard to gage.





Crawdaddy

 

[Simon Howson]

Is there any data showing that casual DVD consumers buy 50 year old westerns?

If they were big sellers, wouldn't there be more available?

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

This is one instance where I think they've managed to remain classy but in general I'd agree and would still prefer the original one-sheet art work. These are certainly miles ahead of those Sinatra or Dirty Harry releases and others who've abandoned their original art work, at least in terms of design! At least they've utilized parts of the original art work, such as in the design for 'Many Rivers To Cross'. And as much as I love the original marketing for 'The Law and Jake Wade', I actually prefer this new cover design. The original promotion for STW: "Brothers With Guns Who... Saddle The Wind" was probably the greatest of the original concepts not utilized for this series. There are some really great posters and lobby cards that could've been sourced, but again, I feel that WHV managed to turn out some classy originals this time around. The worst offender in this series (while not terrible) would have to be the Glenn Ford head shot cover of Cimarron, the original MGM one-sheet was actually very cool! And the same with 'The Stalking Moon'; "You Can't Escape The Stalking Moon"! Very cool Sixties modern design that's much more reflective of the film itself than a large picture of Gregory Peck's head!

 

[Robert Crawford]

I don't know what marketing data Warner has, but they surely have more than any of us.





Crawdaddy

 

[Richard--W]

Richard Widmark looks way cool leaning up against that box set. I prefer original posters but somebody had an eye for detail when they chose that shot of Widmark from The Law and Jake Wade. Why does WHV advertise westerns differently from their other catalog titles. Maybe it's the genre. I've been wanting these specific titles on DVD for a long time. It makes me wish that Warner Brothers would start making new westerns again.

A new Warner Brothers western in theaters every month, that's what I want.

 

[Simon Howson]

They adopted a pretty strange cover design for Pete Kelly's Blues remember.

 

[Richard--W]

Warner Brothers, please start making new westerns again.

One new Warner Brothers western in theaters every month.

Wait at least a year before you release them to home video.

Call me if you need help with it.

 

[John Hodson]

Can I rephrase that to 'abandoning the use of original artwork may not necessarily mean you'll sell more copies to the casual buyer' (because, frankly, we may never know unless we take a straw poll on the casualfilmbuyersforum.com) and as for the level of anger, I've noted at least one comment elsewhere that it means 'no sale'; I would never go that far with regard to artwork, but when I see decent original poster art expertly adapted for a DVD cover it whets the appetite and puts a smile on my face, and vice-versa...

 

[Bill Huelbig]

After the colossal flop of "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford", WB probably won't be making any new westerns for a while. I haven't seen it yet and I'm sure it's a fine movie, but we all know that money talks louder than anything else in Hollywood.

 

[Richard--W]

That's true enough as a broad generalization, Bill, but it falls apart when you break it down. "The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford" was deliberately slow and meditative. If it were a contemporary story taking place in the here and now, the box office result would be the same, assuming that Warner Brothers had marketed it the same way -- limited playdates, minimal promotion, etc. Everyone who caught up with the film sings its praises, but it was not easy to find.

In contrast, look at the popularity of the new 3:10 to Yuma. I hated the film personally, but it made a lot of money in theaters last year and is making money again on DVD.

Not all westerns have to be slow and meditative. Just look at the titles in this new box-set. Not a slow or meditative film in the bunch.

There's plenty of money to be made in westerns, providing you don't turn them into politically correct manifestos or mindless action movies. Audience demand for new westerns is very real in the USA between the major cities of Los Angeles at one end and New York at the other. This demand is not being fulfilled because of confusion within the industry. Writers want to write them, directors want to direct them, stars want to act in them, but there is resistance at the administrative level, who are simply out of touch and mis-informed about the viability of the genre. The orientation bubble is something you have to experience to appreciate.

 

[Bill Huelbig]

Or maybe it was just that darn title. When I typed up my office Oscar pool and handed it out, one of my co-workers thought I was editorializing and calling Robert Ford a coward.

 

[JohnRa]

I also prefer original art work, but don't find the art on the Warner Western Classics collection objectionable. I'll buy it just to help more westerns get released, even though some in the set are not high on my wish list.

 

[Richard--W]

I also prefer original poster art, but this cover art is okay with me, and I don't see anything about it that will hurt sales. I want these classic sets and westerns in particular to do well for everybody. There's so many great westerns still in need of release on home video.

It's a good summer for western DVD's.

 

[Dave B Ferris]

It would be an even better summer for Western DVD's if Columbia would release a Boetticher/Scott collection.

 

[Simon Howson]

Not wrong. It would make an excellent boxed set. I watched Commanche Station last week, it is one of the best Westerns I've ever seen. I'm sure in its time it was considered a nothing B film, but it is better than many A Westerns.

 

[Simon Howson]

Classicflix.com have confirmed that the HTWWW UCE has a SRP price of $39.92, not $59.92 as suggested in Warner's initial press release. See here:
Classicflix.com : - Read Articles

 

[Robert Crawford]

Same on their website.

http://whv.warnerbros.com/WHVPORTAL/...st%20was%20won

 

[Doug Bull]

Regarding Region Encoding on Blu-Ray for HTWWW, like all other Warner Blu-Ray releases it will most likely be region free.

Beth, if you need to be sure, there are Australian Hi-Def forum sites that list all the Blu-Ray discs that are region free and anyway I would think that HTWWW will get an Australian release at sometime.

I imported a Blu-Ray Player from B&H in New York just so I could watch treasures like HTWWW and to be able to access many of the hundreds of other Blu-Ray titles not yet released in OZ.

I've had to take a chance on Warranty, but the price and service was second to none.

Simon,
1080i still looks incredible, so would a Component connection work for you?

August looks like it's going to be an expensive Month.

 

[Simon Howson]

I guess so. But do all players output 1080i over component? I view all my NTSC DVDs upscaled to 1080i, for some strange reason my player only upscales PAL DVDs properly to 720p. But most of my collection is NTSC anyway!

Also, don't some discs force the blu-ray player to down convert the footage to 480 or 576p when viewed over component?

A better option may be this $170 blu-ray / HD-DVD / DVD burner for my PC:
$169 LG GGC-H20N-L Blu-Ray/ HD DVD Combo Player from ShoppingSquare | OzBargain