Fox R1 in April - 8-disc Mel Brooks set, Laurel & Hardy, Robert Altman Collections (1 Viewer)

[John Hodson]

From www.davisdvd.com :

20th Century Fox has announced The Mel Brooks Collection for release on April 4th. The eight-disc set will include Blazing Saddles (on loan from Warner Bros), new editions of History of the World Part I, Robin Hood Men in Tights and Young Frankenstein, along with the debuts of High Anxiety, Silent Movie, To Be or Not to Be and Twelve Chairs. All will feature anamorphic transfers and trailers. "Robin Hood" also includes an HBO special, while "To Be or Not to Be" has a featurette. Retail is $99.98.

Also due on April 4th are The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother and The World's Greatest Lover, each with anamorphic and fullscreen transfers, Dolby Digital stereo and mono tracks, an audio commentary with Gene Wilder and trailers. Retail is $14.98 each.

Due on April 11th is The Laurel and Hardy Gift Set, a three-disc set with the films The Big Noise, Great Guns and Jitterbugs. Extras include commentaries with Randy Skretvedt, photo galleries, "Opening the Freemont Theatre" and "Inauguration of the Railway" Movietone News clips and trailers. Retail is $34.98.

And finally, due on April 25th is The Robert Altman Collection, a four-disc set with the films MASH (single disc), A Perfect Couple, Quintet and A Wedding. All feature anamorphic transfers and trailers. Extras include commentary, AMC Backstory featurette, still gallery (MASH); "Perspective on Altman's Perfect Couple," "Developing the World of Quintet" and "A Wedding Altman Style" featurettes. Retail is $34.98.

 

[Eric Peterson]

Great news!

I only own one of the Brooks' movies (Young Frankenstein), and will gladly double-dip for an anamorphic version.

As for the Altman set, I hope that they're available separately. I have the 2-disc set, and don't plan on replacing it. I'll guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

[Bradley-E]

Ouch! It looks like April will be an expensive month for DVD shopping.

 

[Ric Easton]

I already have Young Frankenstein. The only other film I would want is High Anxiety. Hopefully, it will be offered separately.

 

[Porfirio]

I hope they release those Mel Brooks films individually.

 

[george kaplan]

The Twelve Chairs isn't being debuted on dvd - I already own it on dvd.

I really want High Anxiety, and I'll gladly double-dip on Young Frankenstein, but I'm not sure I'd buy a box with those plus 3 dvds I already own and 3 I don't want.

Still if they're stand alone (or the price at Costco is low enough - a real possibility), then I'm all over it.

 

[FrancisP]

It is a little pricey since I have Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein however I will shell it out if I have to
for High Anxiety, Silent Movie, and Twelve Chairs. Especially since the tape that had 12 Chairs went kaput last month. I wish they would include some episodes of When Things Were Rotten with Men In Tights. I thought that was even funnier.

 

[Paul McElligott]

The current Young Frankenstein is non-anamorphic, so a new version is welcome.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

It doesn't sound like there's any indication of Young Frankenstein being a new transfer from the details posted.

 

[george kaplan]

I think people are looking at new editions of History of the World Part I, Robin Hood Men in Tights and Young Frankenstein

True a new edition doesn't guarantee a new anamorphic transfer, but it's certainly some indication of such.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

This is great news! And I may be the only person who likes THE WORLD'S GREATEST LOVER. I'm looking forward to that one, too.

 

[Mark Edward Heuck]

I'm glad that Fox is finally releasing the usual Altman films they control, but they didn't include HEALTH. Granted, it may have even fewer fans than QUINTET, but I don't understand how and why they left it out.

Maybe if the Brooks box sells, Paramount will do a complete series run of WHEN THINGS WERE ROTTEN.

And I'm glad that the extremely hard to see SHERLOCK HOLMES' SMARTER BROTHER is finally coming out.

 

[Steve...O]

What really excites me is that Fox is finally moving into the box set format instead of relying solely on single releases. The prices on these are very reasonable also.

 

[Charles H]

Does anyone know if BLAZING SADDLES will be double-disced special edition?

 

[Claude North]

It is strange that Fox would leave out HEALTH. Perhaps they licensed it to another company?

On the subject of HEALTH, does anyone remember when one of the afternoon talk shows (Mike Douglas or Dinah Shore?) taped a week of shows in Florida on the HEALTH shooting location as a big tie-in for the movie? I was rather young at the time and didn't know who Robert Altman was, but I remember being fascinated by the clips they showed.

 

[Jay Gregory]

Is the Wedding featurette the same one that appears on the UK disk?

I wish we could get HEALTH instead of another MASH, but I suppose I should just bide my time in anticipation of the two disk special edition. Perhaps it's on Criterion's slate. Or maybe it's among Fox's first wave of HD disk titles?

 

[RobertSiegel]

Finally! I can't wait for Silent Movie, which is a great new transfer, it was shown about 7 months ago on HDnet Movies, and it was beautiful, also, the remastered stereo track is quite good for the 70's, in full stereo surround. I am also excited about High Anxiety. Hope they are sold separately.

As for the Laurel and Hardy, it's so sad that the majority of their shorts are unavailable, except in the UK, where they have a 20-some disc collection that includre almost everything. Looks like I may just have to end up buying that!

 

[David Williams]

I can only hope that Fox will release the Mel Brooks titles individually, because the only one only availbe in the set that I'm interested in is Robin Hood: Men in Tights. *sigh*

 

[Casey Neutron]

Great news on the Mel Brooks films--I've been wanting HIGH ANXIETY and SILENT MOVIE forever--though I actually might be more excited about the two Gene Wilder films (with Wilder commentaries to boot!)

The Robert Altman set I look forward to as well. Like most other Altman fans I already own MASH, but look at it this way: You're getting three other films all for just $35. I paid that much just for the Criterion edition of 3 WOMEN.

 

[Eric Peterson]