Dear Warner Bros. -- Why Are You So Reluctant To Give Us the Silents Via Archive? (1 Viewer)

For many years you have seen posts begging you to give us GREED, THE CROWD, THE WIND. Finally you did produce a magnificent transfer of THE BIG PARADE, and while I keep hoping you'll do Blu-ray on the three titles I mention, I would accept decent-quality DVD's released through your Archives program. They would certainly be better quality than the double-laser release of the last two titles 13 years ago, and certainly better than nothing, which is what we have right now.

I surely do wish Mr. Feltenstein was still communicating with this forum so that we had some idea what is in store for WB catalog titles (Paramount, anyone?) including your remaining, in-demand silent films. How can you lose by putting these out through Archives? If you don't, the rest of us lose.

Purty please...?

I can only imagine the sales figures aren't what Warner needs to release these great films onto BRD. Unfortunately, our only hope probably is Warner Archive.

Dick said:

For many years you have seen posts begging you to give us GREED, THE CROWD, THE WIND. Finally you did produce a magnificent transfer of THE BIG PARADE, and while I keep hoping you'll do Blu-ray on the three titles I mention, I would accept decent-quality DVD's released through your Archives program. They would certainly be better quality than the double-laser release of the last two titles 13 years ago, and certainly better than nothing, which is what we have right now.

I surely do wish Mr. Feltenstein was still communicating with this forum so that we had some idea what is in store for WB catalog titles (Paramount, anyone?) including your remaining, in-demand silent films. How can you lose by putting these out through Archives? If you don't, the rest of us lose.

Purty please...?

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You can write to the Warner Archive podcast and ask. They only accept snail-mail and guarantee to read and answer all correspondence on the podcast. Surprising this only amounts to a couple of letters a week!

Warner Archive put out quite a few wonderful silents early on. Alas, I can't remember the last one, it's been so long. I join you in hoping more are in the pipeline!

You need to get Warner Archive Streaming. There are a lot of silents there. The other day, I watched Tod Browning's "The Show". Great movie! Lots of pre-code on WAS too. More and more of WAS is in hidef. It's a great deal.

Well, we've been in this DVD/Blu era for 15+ years and to me it's the only black mark when it comes to Warner. How GREED, THE WIND and a few other "big" titles still aren't available is just shocking.

The TCM Greed is available on the iTunes store, I believe. Standard def though.

Michael Elliott said:

Well, we've been in this DVD/Blu era for 15+ years and to me it's the only black mark when it comes to Warner. How GREED, THE WIND and a few other "big" titles still aren't available is just shocking.

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WARNER has the black mark? They have had many more silent releases through WAC and Blu from WHV than other companies. Paramount still owns their silents so where are their titles. I would love to see COVERED WAGON or OLD IRONSIDES.

WB, as represented by both M-G-M and Warner silents, has been the most active studio when it comes to silent productions. A number of original nitrate negatives were located in the past few years, which I'm certain will make their way to Blu-ray and DVD, as has The Big Parade.

RAH

ahollis said:

WARNER has the black mark? They have had many more silent releases through WAC and Blu from WHV than other companies. Paramount still owns their silents so where are their titles. I would love to see COVERED WAGON or OLD IRONSIDES.

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Right, Warner has done more for silents than any other studio with Warner Archive and Instant.

bigshot said:

You need to get Warner Archive Streaming. There are a lot of silents there. The other day, I watched Tod Browning's "The Show". Great movie! Lots of pre-code on WAS too. More and more of WAS is in hidef. It's a great deal.

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People are frequently suggesting I stream these movies. I am one of those collectors for whom streaming does not cut it. I want a hard disc in my hand that will play in my player. I hope Robert is correct and that more are coming...

Amen, Dick. Collectors will never be satisfied with streaming. I know, I'm not. Tying up my computer with a digital download, in inferior quality and with the added hindrance of not being able to watch it at my leisure (because they can't be burned to disc) is a pain. Ditto for the infrequent crash which disrupts the download, forcing you to start over.

Streaming is not the wave of the future but a decided step down from Blu-ray's quality. It's about time we acknowledged this. And anyway, the collector's mindset is decidedly different than the teen/twenty something who actually wants to screen a movie on their phone or tablet.

Robert Harris said:

WB, as represented by both M-G-M and Warner silents, has been the most active studio when it comes to silent productions. A number of original nitrate negatives were located in the past few years, which I'm certain will make their way to Blu-ray and DVD, as has The Big Parade.

RAH

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The Big Parade was such a welcome release; I hope it sold well enough to justify additional silent movies on DVD and Blu-ray.

Nick*Z said:

Amen, Dick. Collectors will never be satisfied with streaming. I know, I'm not. Tying up my computer with a digital download, in inferior quality and with the added hindrance of not being able to watch it at my leisure (because they can't be burned to disc) is a pain. Ditto for the infrequent crash which disrupts the download, forcing you to start over.

Streaming is not the wave of the future but a decided step down from Blu-ray's quality. It's about time we acknowledged this. And anyway, the collector's mindset is decidedly different than the teen/twenty something who actually wants to screen a movie on their phone or tablet.

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I hope everyone with decent home theatre equipment (and it really doesn't have to be that elaborate) will always use the occasion of showing a really nice Blu-ray to company as a teaching moment about the superior quality of the format over streaming. As long as the future of home video is in the hands of people who don't care much, I think it is incumbent on those of us who do care to try to make other people care as well.

Add to this request: Summer of 42.

Oops sorry, wrong thread .

I actually subscribe to Warner Archive Instant and have no problem. I fought within myself on whether to do this or not. I'm glad I did for there are titles that WAC has not offered on DVDr and the episodes of 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, Surfside 6 among other classic TV shows is worth it. I would rather have the disc in my hand but I realize, even at my advance age, that streaming is the future. To ignore it is to is to put your head in the sand.

At this point, I'd settle for a DVD-R of The Crowd or Greed.

Ideally, Warner would work with Kino, Flicker Alley, or Criterion on the remaining big silents. I've held off seeing The Crowd for over a decade because the MGM/UA tape is such abysmal quality.

Robert Harris said:

WB, as represented by both M-G-M and Warner silents, has been the most active studio when it comes to silent productions. A number of original nitrate negatives were located in the past few years, which I'm certain will make their way to Blu-ray and DVD, as has The Big Parade.

RAH

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They wouldn't include London After Midnight would they (not that I want to start any rumors)?

London After Midnight is a 'lost' film, meaning no surviving elements are known to exist. If you have information to the contrary, you are the only one and should contact WB immediately, as I am certain they would be happy to hear from you, as much as the rumored guy who's been hiding the outtakes and deleted scenes from 1954's A Star Is Born and the original stereo soundtrack to House of Wax.

Ahollis is mistaken about one thing; physical media will NEVER be entirely replaced by streaming unless those of us who know better resign ourselves to settling for what the studio is willing to offer. Just remember, what they offer isn't ALL that the market will bear. NEVER confuse the two. Demand is still high for physical media. Those of us who refuse to suffer from imposed obsolescence or the present day malaise of collective cultural amnesia are still alive and kicking. The studios don't readily wish to acknowledge this as fact, but it is so nevertheless. Viva la collector! Now and always.