Fox Studio Classics and Film Noir 2005 (1 Viewer)

This information will appear in this week's upcoming Classic Coming Attractions Column at The Digital Bits, but I thought people would be interested to have the following news right away.

Fox will be altering its approach to releasing titles in its Studio Classics series in 2005. Instead of one release per month, waves of three to four titles will be released four times a year. The first wave will appear in February (likely the 1st - there's some question about the actual date) and will include Leave Her to Heaven (1945, with Gene Tierney), A Letter to Three Wives (1949, with Jeanne Crain), and Return to Peyton Place (1961, with Jeff Chandler). The new Film Noir series will debut on March 15th with three titles: Call Northside 777 (1948, with James Stewart), Laura (1944, with Dana Andrews), and Hush … Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964, with Bette Davis). The latter is not usually grouped with film noir, but that's what Fox is currently reporting.

Some long awaited news here for many, I know.

Barrie

Barrie,
Great news and thanks for the update.






Crawdaddy

OK, but still no news on:
Heaven Can Wait
Valley of the Dolls
The Gang's All Here
The Best of Everything
No Way Out- with Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier
Blood and Sand
Ten North Frederick
Compulsion
The Lodger
Hangover Square
ANY Betty Grable Technicolor musical
Nightmare Alley
Wild River
Move Over Darling
Forever Amber
- and that's just the beginning! Warners is beating Fox Home Video by a mile with its classic releases!

Great news, I'm especially looking forward to Laura, Calling Northside 777, Leave Her to Heaven and Letter to 3 Wives.

I just wish Fox would release more than 12 titles a year in their classic line.

That is good news! I hope that THE EGYPTIAN
THE INNOCENTS
MOVE OVER DARLING
AGONY AND THE ECSTASY
TWO FOR THE ROAD
BEDAZZLED
FOREVER AMBER
CAPTAIN FROM CASTILLE
RALLY ROUND THE FLAG BOYS
are not forgotten

Thanks for the update, Barrie! The Fox Studios Classics is one of the only studio labels that still stands out from the pack.

Barrie,

Thanks very much for the info. Needless to say I'll purchase each and every one of these on street date but does anyone else find it odd that Leave Her To Heaven will be among the FSC line and Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte will be among the noir line...? Odd.

Great news though!!

Herb.

Yay! Laura finally gets back on the schedule!

Yes, the titles should be reverse in their respective lines.

Whew! That had me puzzled too; great news all round.

They should be reversed, but that's not what Fox is currently saying.

Barrie

Hopefully LIFEBOAT will be a Studio Classic in 2005. It's Fox's only Hitchcock film, and one of the few sound-era Hitchcocks not yet released.

Fox Movie Channel has been showing a hi-def Widescreen version of BEDAZZLED lately, so maybe a DVD is on its way.

@Barrie
Thanks for the heads up. Are those Noir releases part of a collection with an own style and numbering system ?

I'll never understand why the other studies haven't started something similar to the Fox Studio Classics. These ongoing spine numbers did the trick for me. As a collector I have to buy them all just to have them completely on my shelf.
Warner could easely do the same thing ...

Thanks Barrie! Great news indeed. Fox doesn't do a lot with their classic catalog, but what they do is usually very well done. I agree with Jay E; Fox really needs to kick up their output.

"Hush...Hush...Sweet Charlotte" has been a particular favorite of mine ever since it scared the beejeebies out of me when I first saw it.

Steve

That's a matter of opinion that I don't necessarily agree with, but that's a discussion for another thread.






Crawdaddy

I really hope that Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte and Leave Her to Heaven are goofs and accidentally got switched on the press release. I can't imagine they'd call HHSW a film noir when it was well outside of the period generally considered film noir. However, I also have to take issue with Leave Her to Heaven if it is considered a noir because it's in color and that just isn't right. Oh well.

What typically defines a film as 'film noir'?



I beg to differ, as I think this has everything to do with this thread.

Andy

I'm disappointed that Fox will be abandoning their "one every month" release schedule for their Studio Classics series. Up to now, I've been looking forward to the first week of every month to pick up the latest entry in that fine series. The existing release pattern is much easier to manage financially for loyal regular customers than a group at a time would be.

With the new method I'm worried that Fox might mess up the mumbering system like they did their 2-disc series (two number 15's) or some other such foolishness.

Ahh, I knew it was too good to last. It was working too well. What's that saying about "if it ain't broke....?"

Dave Bula