Warner Bros. Crawford and Davis Sets / No distinction (1 Viewer)

Ok so this may be a rant but I like to think it valid since it ruins my collection! I think it is very awesome we are getting another Joan Crawford and Bette Davis DVD set from Warner Bros. My drawback is that each set is in those tacky fold out cases that never let the individual films get any let's say individuality. I loved the old sets cause we got each DVD with it's original poster artwork or a variation of it.

I even thought about just buying each title sep. on amazon.com even though it woudl cost a fortune. Turns out the single titles were pulled. Now it seems Warners is going back and re-issuing the Davis sets with the new look A big faced pic of the star then the fold out digipack foldout style case.

I love the Box sets covers but is it too much to ask for Warner Bros. to stay consistent and give each film it's own artwork? I guess I am different than most and love to take the reg sized keep case releases and have them all in alphabetical order.

Anyhow I hope Warner Bros takes notice. I am too picky that is for sure.

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So you whether watch an inferior video presentation of the movies on LD instead of an improved video presentation on DVD due to the packaging? If so then the movies aren't the important issue in comparison to the artwork on the packaging.

I've got to agree with Robert here. Not buying a title for that reason is absolutely asinine.

I think the main point is while the outer case is nice... Any box set could have house the individual titles in their own keep cases (I am opposed to the slim line cases on Warner Bros full length features. They are great for TV on DVD) Warners just went cheap is all. Not much ingenuity with the box sets in my opinion. Sort of a easy way out for them, unfort. this could become the norm in the future. Sort of depresssing :frowning:

I have to also say that some of us are hardcore lovers of film and we love a great presentation. It just feels like a let down when we get sets like these. I will still buy them. Just will hate the case.. those plastic slipcovers wear easily also

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I think it's more about people selling the movies they don't want when they're individually packaged.

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If you don't like the films enough to spend the money to buy them with a superior video presentation I can understand that, but you didn't state that in your original post. In that post, you clearly stated that the reason why you won't buy the dvds is because of the packaging, but since you clarified your post I won't debate the issue any further.




Crawdaddy

Same here. When I'm not absolutely sure whether to buy a box set, if discs have individual original artwork that can push me to buy it.

I just wish WB would just stick to their formula. I hate having to go out tomorrow and buy that set lol. I love the old posters etc of the films and with these new cases we just get big pics of Joan (nothing wrong with that) but no film history to really look at.

I did buy Joan Crawford Vol 2 and have Bette Davis Vol 3 on pre-order. However, I did rush out and bought Bette Davis Vol 1 and Vol 2 and Joan Crawford Vol 1 while the old packageing is still available.

I would like to say one thing to Warner Brothers. I think the new packaging is just plain aweful.

I think it's silly not to buy a DVD because you don't like the way the packaging looks, but there's another concern here -- what if you don't want some of the films in the set? If each DVD has its own case, there's no problem because you can sell, trade, or give away the ones you don't want. But you can't do that with digipacks -- it's all or nothing unless you create your own packaging. If there's a set that I'm marginal on -- for example, I'd like copies of Watch on the Rhine and All This and Heaven Too but I'm unfamiliar with the other titles in the new Davis box -- the inability to get rid of the ones I don't like will sway me towards not buying the set.

Look, I'm not gonna argue about video presentation or anything like that but just address the original criticism which I have to agree with.

Warner Bros. seem to be going back to all of their sets and reissuing them for some reason with inferior packaging and putting a lot of focus into what seems to be sort of new promotion for their classic box sets.

The old formula was tried and true, why bother?

WHV was producing some of the most efficient box sets with great titles, terrific transfers, extras, etc. and packaged perfectly in the cardboard outer cases with amarays or thinlines inside and orig. artwork.

I personally don't like that their revisiting all these sets and putting them in foldouts and redesigning future collections. Can't any studio out there keep some consistency in their releases?

That said, I am still buying everything of interest, but I will have to side with the original poster in expressing my dislike of Warner's reissuing and redesigning of all these sets.

Again, the ONE box set that could actually benefit from this is the Warner Legends Collection with it's mishmash ensemble of packaging and the fact that it can hardly be found in retail any more! Why not focus effort into stuff of more worthwhile than reissuing already perfect box sets in less ideal packaging??

As a consumer I can understand your concerns, though, admittedly I can careless about most packaging issues. However, as a business manager, I can see reasons why Warner would decide to change their packaging such as cost savings and perhaps being more environmentally responsive with their newest packaging. These are just guesses on my part, but, manufacturing costs such as packaging might have increased while environmental issues continues to pressure corporations to become more environmentally sound in how they manufactured and package their products.





Crawdaddy

What does it mean when someone says they are not "interested" in certain titles? Does it actually mean that they've seen the films and disliked them or they want the titles that they've actually seen? Davis, Flynn, Cagney, Doris Day, Barbara Stanwyck, and others are genres unto themselves and the great thing about box collections (including gangsters, noir, controversial classics) is the possibility of "discovering"--perhaps even being educated--as a result of being exposed to a title that you might never be exposed to otherwise.
The problem with contemporary is that they are so overmarketed that we've already seen the movie before we shell out 10 bucks to go see it. The only reason to go to a movie theater today is to confirm the marketing.

Agreed. If the new packaging styles keep the MSRP of these sets down I'm all for it. With the Amercian economy struggling and gas prices rising consumers are going to have less discretionary income and so it will be up to sellers to find ways to stay competitive.

Also agreed with previous posts that it's asinine not to buy a high quality disc of a movie simply because of packaging. Digipacks aren't necessarily my favorite either (prefer slimlines myself) by that won't stop me from buying something I want or enjoying the film.

I would prefer that WHV and other studios eliminate standard size cases for their box sets because they take up too much room (and retail space).

Steve

Funny, i can recall many times i didnt buy a movie cause it was in a snapper. If i was on the fence, that one detail pushed me over the, "i wont buy it", edge. I also like uniformity in sets, but these days i know i have alternatives to DVD cover art.

The digipacks are not really any more or less creative than the previous sets which just boxed up individual releases. I actually like the external packaging better than the outer box for the previous Crawford set. Original poster art is used for the main menu designs, so it is there when you actually spin up the disc. I was also encouraged to see that Warner went to the trouble of putting together three new featurettes for the latest Crawford set. One is on Crawford and Gable, one is on Crawford at Warners, and the other is on everyting that is wonderfully wrong about "Torch Song".

...and yes, I will eventually get a review posted, but probably not until late next week due to some business travel.

Regards,

There seems to be a disturbing trend recently on this forum in which members are posting things simply because they think the studios are reading it. I can understand wanting them to understand better the likes/dislikes/desires of the consumer, but too often it comes off as a childish threat. It's no wonder WB is not overly anxious to continue the chats.