A Few Words About A few words about...™ Warner Bros. Home Video & The WB Archive Collection -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Will Krupp]

A few years back I watched on TCM probably one of the most emotional experiences I ever had with a screening of a silent film. It comes on only once every two or three years. It's called LOVE, the 1927 adaptation of Tolstoy's "Anna Karenna", with Greta Garbo.

At the risk of repeating a story probably everyone already knows, the 1927 version of Karenina was renamed LOVE so that, at the height of the Garbo-Gilbert romance, movie marquees could read "Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in LOVE."

 

[skylark68]

I'm not sure if this is the proper thread, but is there any remote chance that Warner Archive might release "The Sea Gypsies" with Robert Logan? I believe WB still owns the rights to this fun, family film. It's never had a DVD or Blu Ray release. I still have a very old VHS copy of the film. It was a fun film that I grew up with when it used to be shown on television quite often in the early '80s.

 

[ajabrams]

At the risk of repeating a story probably everyone already knows, the 1927 version of Karenina was renamed LOVE so that, at the height of the Garbo-Gilbert romance, movie marquees could read "Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in LOVE."

This reminds me of one of my favorite pieces of sheet music that proudly states "Richard Barthelmess in DRAG"

 

[bujaki]

At the risk of repeating a story probably everyone already knows, the 1927 version of Karenina was renamed LOVE so that, at the height of the Garbo-Gilbert romance, movie marquees could read "Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in LOVE."

Its original title was HEAT. Imagine the marquee.

 

[benbess]

Now watching on Warner Archive streaming the 1955 drama Illegal, starring Edward G. Robinson, Nina Foch, and others. At the start DeForest Kelley is convicted of murder and faces the death penalty. Fun watching Robinson, who as always commands the screen.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Jayne Mansfield = "Dramatic Bombshell."

 

[ScottHM]

Now watching on Warner Archive streaming the 1955 drama Illegal, starring Edward G. Robinson, Nina Foch, and others. At the start DeForest Kelley is convicted of murder and faces the death penalty. Fun watching Robinson, who as always commands the screen. Nice restoration on this little-known crime noir! Good pq.

They should pair it up with The Mouthpiece and release it on Blu-ray as a double feature.
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[Keith Cobby]

Illegal is a good film and deserves to be released. Much as I welcome many of the WA blu-ray releases, there haven't been many b & w film noir. The Narrow Margin needs a release.

 

[John Morgan]

Illegal is a good film and deserves to be released. Much as I welcome many of the WA blu-ray releases, there haven't been many b & w film noir. The Narrow Margin needs a release.

The Narrow Margin is an excellent suggestion. Some others from that period (mostly) RKO would be The Big Steal, The Window, and Talk About a Stranger (MGM).

 

[benbess]

My Warner Archives Streaming movie for tonight was Night Moves, released in 1975, starring Gene Hackman, Edward Binns, Jennifer Warren, James Woods, a very young Melanie Griffith, and others. It was directed by Arthur Penn. This poster captures something of the mood of it. I liked it! A moody movie from its era. A little influence from Hitchcock is found imho in the MacGuffin.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Night Moves is an incredible film. Great companion to The Conversation.

 

[benbess]

I thought they might play Bob Seger's song Night Moves, which was from right about that time, but looking it up actually the song came out a year after the film.

 

[bujaki]

Ben, I agree that Night Moves is a very good film. You might want to edit your post. The director is Arthur Penn, not Arthur Miller.

 

[benbess]

Ben, I agree that Night Moves is a very good film. You might want to edit your post. The director is Arthur Penn, not Arthur Miller.

Thanks! Yes, I had a "mental typo" and was for some reason thinking of the playwright rather than the director. Anyway, fixed....

 

[Matt Hough]

I recorded Night Moves the last time TCM aired it and was reminded when I watched it again how good it was. Really enjoyed it.

 

[Nick*Z]

There really are too many great movies in the Warner library as yet to be released while decidedly B and C grade fluff like World Without End and From Hell It Came inexplicably get pushed to the front of the line for Blu-ray releases. I really cannot believe WAC is getting more money from these releases than say the release of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or Around the World in 80 Days. And yes, Night Moves is a great movie. So is Reversal of Fortune, another 'more recent' catalog I would absolutely love to see on Blu from WAC. We all have our wish lists and that's fair. But more recently it just seems like WAC is going for lesser known and even lesser desired titles when considering just how vast their holdings are and how very much superior stuff is not even getting consideration, much less a release in hi-def.

As we continue to move away from standard def equipment and into 4K monitors, there really is no point to DVD anymore. It's time to focus moneys and time on upgrading deep catalog to a method of presentation that can take advantage of the superior technologies out there. A lot of stuff needs to get out there: more Gable, more Garland, more Davis and Crawford, and where, oh where is Errol Flynn in this equation?!? Or Lana Turner, or Stewart Granger, or Gene Kelly, or Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddie, Spencer Tracy/Katherine Hepburn, Mario Lanza, Jane Powell, Esther Williams etc. and so on?!?! Shocking how much sublime talent is yet to be adequately represented on Blu-ray. Let's not even talk about in 4K. But a good Blu of these stars better films would suffice for most and really...at this late stage in the game, it really is high time to expect more Grade 'A' catalog outweighing some of the junk that's come before it. Okay, okay; one man's poison... But seriously. There's been more B catalog in WAC's pipeline of late, and I cannot help but feel at the grave expense of spending quality moneys on better, bigger, more popular film fare instead. Thoughts? Ideas? At this point, I'm hanging on hopes and dreams.

 

[benbess]

There really are too many great movies in the Warner library as yet to be released while decidedly B and C grade fluff like World Without End and From Hell It Came inexplicably get pushed to the front of the line for Blu-ray releases. I really cannot believe WAC is getting more money from these releases than say the release of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or Around the World in 80 Days. And yes, Night Moves is a great movie. So is Reversal of Fortune, another 'more recent' catalog I would absolutely love to see on Blu from WAC. We all have our wish lists and that's fair. But more recently it just seems like WAC is going for lesser known and even lesser desired titles when considering just how vast their holdings are and how very much superior stuff is not even getting consideration, much less a release in hi-def.

As we continue to move away from standard def equipment and into 4K monitors, there really is no point to DVD anymore. It's time to focus moneys and time on upgrading deep catalog to a method of presentation that can take advantage of the superior technologies out there. A lot of stuff needs to get out there: more Gable, more Garland, more Davis and Crawford, and where, oh where is Errol Flynn in this equation?!? Or Lana Turner, or Stewart Granger, or Gene Kelly, or Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddie, Spencer Tracy/Katherine Hepburn, Mario Lanza, Jane Powell, Esther Williams etc. and so on?!?! Shocking how much sublime talent is yet to be adequately represented on Blu-ray. Let's not even talk about in 4K. But a good Blu of these stars better films would suffice for most and really...at this late stage in the game, it really is high time to expect more Grade 'A' catalog outweighing some of the junk that's come before it. Okay, okay; one man's poison... But seriously. There's been more B catalog in WAC's pipeline of late, and I cannot help but feel at the grave expense of spending quality moneys on better, bigger, more popular film fare instead. Thoughts? Ideas? At this point, I'm hanging on hopes and dreams.

Good post. I agree, but with the PS that I've enjoyed a lot of Warner Archive blu-ray releases over the past few years, including: Out of the Past, Possessed, Picture of Doran Gray, Far From the Madding Crowd, Murder, My Sweet, Deep in My Heart, etc. , etc. There are several more I need to pick up when I can....

In terms of picture quality, many of the movies at Warner Archive streaming are in somewhat rough shape. Illegal, for instance, starts out strong, and seems to have been restored for the first 10 minutes or so, but then strangely isn't restored for most of the rest of it. It's still watchable, but some TLC is needed. Night Moves did not really look HD to me, although otherwise the movie seemed undamaged and the color seemed good.

 

[benbess]

I've just started watching for the first time (again from Warner Archive Streaming) the grade B Karloff suspense film Isle of the Dead from 1945...."That's all, gentleman," are Karloff's first words, after sentencing a friend of his to death. I love these old posters, as you can tell.

 

[Nick*Z]

Dear Benbess: I totally agree. There has been a ton of great deep catalog come the way of the archive. But in more recent months I think we can both agree the scale has tipped toward the B and C grade fluff. I'm not saying it doesn't deserve consideration. But ahead of the absolute wellspring of greatness that, as yet, doesn't even seem to be getting consideration...well, that's where I think the focus needs to be. Perfectly willing to accept everyone has different tastes in what is 'film art', but Valley of the Gwangi I've never seen on anyone's top 100 movies of all time. I'm not saying don't release any B-grade stuff. But let's see: The Wheeler Dealers, The Rounders, From Hell It Came, Vision Quest, Valley of the Gwangi, World Without End, Demon Seed and 36 Hours ahead of High Society, Marie Antoinette, National Velvet, Julius Caesar, Captains Courageous, Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939), Scaramouche, The Prisoner of Zenda (Ronald Colman)...hmmm. Even if there had been one of these A-list titles thrown into the mix with the others I would have been happy. But to see a flood of the others and not a one of these. Oh well, here's to hoping. Hope springs eternal. And WAC has shown that it tends to favor the really good stuff from August on, I suspect heading into the Christmas season where the real money is. We'll wait and see.

PS - oh, and a lot more Val Lewton, please: starting with a new remaster of I Walked With A Zombie and The Seventh Victim and Curse of the Cat People - hopefully from Criterion.

 

[TravisR]

I really cannot believe WAC is getting more money from these releases than say the release of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or Around the World in 80 Days.

Believe it or not but it's true and if it wasn't, they would be releasing those more prestigious movies and letting the junk sit on the shelf. The reason that studios continue to release genre movies and small labels license everything from a studio movie to the most obscure direct to video 1980's junk is because fans of horror, sci-fi or schlock is the group that you can still count on to still buy Blu-rays.