Chariots of Fire,The Life of Emile Zola&The Broadway Melody of 1929 in February (1 Viewer)

[John Hodson]

From DVD Times:

Warner Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of two Oscar winning pictures for 1st February 2005. Priced at $19.97 SRP each are The Life of Emile Zola, a film which episodically explores the career of the novelist who championed the cause of France's oppressed, and The Broadway Melody of 1929, the first musical to win a Best Picture Oscar.

Both are presented in their original 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratios with English Mono sound and optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. We have no details on extra features at this time..

Covers shots here.

Thank you Warners!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Beat ya.

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...98#post2435398

 

[John Hodson]

Damn!

 

[PaulP]

Yes this was posted in other threads but this is major news that deserves its own thread. Those collecting Best Picture Winners (as I do) will be extremely happy.

The Life of Emile Zola: SE
The Broadway Melody of 1929: SE
Chariots of Fire: Two-Disc SE

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=13137
http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=13138

No cover art for Chariots of Fire yet, but the other two look fantastic!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Excellent news! I didn't see this elsewhere. We run a page with reviews of every Oscar Best Picture winner (http://www.dvdmg.com/bestpictures.shtml) so I'll be happy to check two more off of my list. Three left after 2/1!

 

[PaulP]

I hope you mean three. Chariots of Fire is only available in a barebones pan-and-scan atrocity. One should never even have to touch that, much less watch, or, God forbid, purchase.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

No, I mean two - I did watch and review the fullframe Chariots of Eggs. I wanted to write up every available Best Picture winner, so I couldn't be picky about which version to watch when there was only one! (Didn't buy it, though - rented it. Don't much like Chariots, to be honest - it never should have beaten the infinitely superior Raiders of the Lost Ark.)

BTW, I think Chariots is an open matte effort, not pan and scan...

 

[Ruz-El]

BAsed on RAH's interview on Digital Bits, Broadway Melody should be loaded with all sorts of goodies!1 I can't wait!

 

[Haggai]

quote:Don't much like Chariots, to be honest - it never should have beaten the infinitely superior Raiders of the Lost Ark.

I think Raiders and Atlantic City are both quite a bit better, among the movies that were nominated in 1981. But I do like Chariots, and I'll be glad to pick up the SE, which I'm sure will get the usual quality treatment of the Warner 2-disc SEs.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I think that Chariots is pan and scan....consider the scene where they are getting ready to run the "college dash" around the quad. The guy with the chalk makes his chalk line at the very bottom of the frame. If this were "unmatted", you would have cut him in half in the theater.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

quote:I think Raiders and Atlantic City are both quite a bit better, among the movies that were nominated in 1981. But I do like Chariots, and I'll be glad to pick up the SE, which I'm sure will get the usual quality treatment of the Warner 2-disc SEs.

I've actually never seen Atlantic City, but I do think Raiders is probably better than Chariots. However, flaws aside, I too like Chariots, and find it to be a very worthwhile film. Looking forward to it finally getting a worthwhile DVD.

"I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast; and when I run, I can feel His pleasure."

 

[Amy Mormino]

Does anyone know what those early Movietone shorts that will be on the Broadway Melody DVD were about? I've seen clips from that movie on the Singin in the Rain DVD and, truth be told, the clips were rather primitive compared to the later ones. The special features, though, could make the release a must-buy.

 

[Charles H]

What potential best picture winners remain from WB? CIMARRON? Maybe with the 1960 CinemaScope remake?

 

[PaulP]

Yeah, there are just three left after this, Cimarron (WB) being one. Wings and Cavalcade are the others (I think Paramount and Fox, respectively). However many other already released Best Picture Winners are in need of a re-release, in my opinion. Mostly the earlier ones. I mean, just glancing over the site Colin Jacobson linked to, a good 40% are in dire need of a Special Edition.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Finally, a release date for Chariots of Fire. Love Raiders, but love this film much, much, more.

Regarding the current DVD's A.R.:

Comparing the DVD against a letterbox presentation of Chariots of Fire on Turner Classic Movies, the top and bottom of the frame have been opened up, and the film was zoomed in cutting off a bit more than 5% of the image on either side of the frame. It is very noticeable in certain scenes, such as when the train carrying Eric Liddell pulls into the station. Having owned this film on VHS, LD, and DVD I am very happy that a widescreen version is finally arriving on home video ( in Region 1. )

- Walter.

 

[oscar_merkx]

Great news indeed

 

[Herb Kane]

Here is the official press release from WB:
---------------------------------------------


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



Studio with Most Oscars® for Best Picture Celebrates

Academy Awards Season in a Big Way

Chariots of Fire

Two Disc Special Edition

Leads Warner Home Video’s

Best Picture 2005 Promotion

3 ½ Hours of Extras Including Director Commentary, Two New Documentaries and Additional Scenes

The Life of Emile Zola

The Broadway Melody

Make DVD Debut Day & Date

15 Other Best Picture Winners Complete the Promotion

Including Three New Oscar Gift Sets


BURBANK, Calif., November 16, 2004 – The 77th Annual Academy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on February 27, 2005. On February 1, Warner Home Video will celebrate its 18 Oscar®-winning Best Pictures on DVD – more than any other studio – with DVD debuts of three Best Picture winners. WHV’s 15 other Best Picture Oscar winners will also be available on DVD February 1.

Leading the way will be a brand new Chariots of Fire Two Disc Special Edition. Highly anticipated since its September 2003 hiatus and now available for the first time in widescreen, Chariots of Fire features more than three-and-a-half hours of extras including commentary by director Hugh Hudson, new making-of and cast/crew documentaries, twenty minutes of additional scenes and actor screen tests. The DVD will be priced at $26.99 SRP.

Also included are two Oscar® Best Picture titles making their DVD debut: 1938’s The Life of Emile Zola and 1930’s The Broadway Melody-- with special features including radio productions, musical and dramatic shorts, cartoons, trailers and more. The Life of Emile Zola and The Broadway Melody will both be available for $19.97 SRP.

And for the new DVD collector, WHV is offering special Best Picture collections at discounted pricing for essential collections. The Best Picture Oscar Drama pack includes Amadeus, Casablanca Two-Disc Special Edition, Driving Miss Daisy, The Life of Emile Zola and Mrs. Miniver. The Best Picture Oscar Musical pack includes My Fair Lady Two-Disc Special Edition, An American in Paris, The Broadway Melody, Gigi, and The Great Ziegfeld. The Best Picture Oscar Adventure pack includes Ben-Hur, Around the World in 80 Days Two-Disc Special Edition, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Mutiny on the Bounty and Unforgiven. Each Oscar pack contains five Best Picture films and will sell for $64.98 SRP.

Chariots of Fire won four Academy Awards® including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. The film is based on an inspiring true story of faith and determination and perfectly captures the zeal of post-World War I Britain and the glory of the Olympic games. Chariots of Fire instantly won over the hearts of critics and audiences and went on to be nominated for seven Academy Awards in 1981. Its other Oscars were for Vangelis’ groundbreaking, unforgettable score and Milena Canonero’s costumes.

Ben Cross (Exorcist: The Beginning, First Knight) and Ian Charleson (Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes) star as two British track athletes competing for fame in the 1924 Paris Olympics. One is a devout Scottish missionary who runs to honor God while the other is a Jewish student at Cambridge University who runs to escape prejudice and prove his place among Britain’s elite. Directed by Hugh Hudson (I Dreamed of Africa, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes), Chariots of Fire also stars Academy Award-winner Sir John Gielgud (Hamlet, Elizabeth) and Academy Award-nominee Ian Holm (The Aviator, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring).

Chariots of Fire Two-Disc Special Edition DVD special features include:

Commentary by Director Hugh Hudson
Wings on Their Heels: The Making of Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire – A Reunion (Filmed during afternoon tea on Lord Puttnam’s estate)
Seven additional scenes
Actor screen tests
Theatrical trailer
Easter Egg #1 – Director Hugh Hudson, Producer Lord Puttnam and Actor Nigel Havers relive the famous sprint around the quad
Easter Egg #2 – Ben Cross talks about running for the famous open shot



The Life of Emile Zola, Warner Bros.’ first film to win the Best Picture Academy Award, explores the career of activist and French author Emile Zola. Winner of three Academy Awards including Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor, the film stars Paul Muni, the king of screen biographies in Hollywood’s Golden Era (The Good Earth, The Last Angry Man). Muni portrays Zola, France’s champion of the oppressed, who risked everything to embark on a relentless campaign to free the wrongly convicted Captain Dreyfus. The Life of Emile Zola was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 1938 and also stars Oscar winners Joseph Schildkraut (The Diary of Anne Frank) and Gloria Holden (The Letter, Anna and the King of Siam).

The Life of Emile Zola DVD special features include:

3 Vintage Vault Treasures:
Dramatic Short The Littlest Diplomat
Musical Short Romance Road
Cartoon Ain’t We Got Fun
Audio-Only Bonus: Radio Production Starring Muni
Theatrical Trailer
The Broadway Melody, the first musical to win a Best Picture Oscar, stars Bessie Love (Reds, The Hunger) and Anita Page (Free and Easy) as the Mahoney sisters (Hank and Queenie), a two-woman song and dance team who arrive in Manhattan with dreams of Broadway fame and stardom. However, their dreams are sidetracked when they both fall in love with fellow Broadway performer Eddie Kearns. The Broadway Melody pioneered the movie musical and became an instant hit, drawing enough 35-cent admissions to gross $4 million at the box office. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards in 1930 including a Best Actress nomination for Bessie Love and a Best Director nomination for Harry Beaumont.

The Broadway Melody DVD special features include:

Medley of Marvelous Musical Shorts from the Vault:
The Dogway Melody
Musicals: Van & Schenck
Gallery of 5 Metro Movietone Revues
Broadway Melody Musicals Trailer Gallery
Additional Best Picture Oscar 2005 titles available individually as well:

Amadeus Two-Disc Special Edition ($26.99 SRP)
An American in Paris ($19.98 SRP)
Around the World in 80 Days Two-Disc Special Edition ($26.99 SRP)
Ben-Hur ($19.96 SRP)
Casablanca Two-Disc Special Edition ($26.99 SRP)
Driving Miss Daisy ($19.96 SRP)
Gigi ($19.98 SRP)
Gone With the Wind Four-Disc Collector’s Edition ($39.92 SRP)
Grand Hotel ($19.98 SRP)
The Great Ziegfeld ($19.98 SRP)
Mrs. Miniver ($19.98 SRP)
Mutiny on the Bounty ($19.97 SRP)
My Fair Lady Two-Disc Special Edition ($26.99 SRP)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Two-Disc Special Edition ($26.99 SRP)
Unforgiven Two-Disc Special Edition ($26.99 SRP)

 

[oscar_merkx]

great stuff yet I cannot buy everything I want at the moment

 

[Tim Glover]

Finally, a widescreen Chariots of Fire.

 

[Roger Rollins]

Those METRO MOVIETONE shorts are amazing! Anyone who has the DAWN OF SOUND 2 & 3 LD sets is familiar with them. I never thought they'd make it to DVD.

WOW!