Kino-Lorber Insider Announcement Thread (Read Guidelines Post #3) (7 Viewers)

[Dick]

Yes, I keep waiting and waiting for releases of those. I know they show them occasionally on TCM and they are wonderful films (even Greed in its currently butchered form). It is flabbergasting why they haven't released them on the Warner Archive.

Based on richardburton84's post above (#2753), I listened to the latest Archives podcast and, indeed, Mr. Feltenstein does answer a listener's inquiry regarding THE CROWD and THE WIND, saying that something will happen with them, but no further information at this time. That, at least, is a hopeful sign, and the first we've had about these films from Warner, ever. Even really good-quality DVD's would be an improvement over the very rough laser disc images.

 

[Kevin Hovis]

Based on richardburton84's post above (#2753), I listened to the latest Archives podcast and, indeed, Mr. Feltenstein does answer a listener's inquiry regarding THE CROWD and THE WIND, saying that something will happen with them, but no further information at this time. That, at least, is a hopeful sign, and the first we've had about these films from Warner, ever. Even really good-quality DVD's would be an improvement over the very rough laser disc images.

Thanks. I just did. Crossing my fingers. Getting back to the subject at hand, hopefully Kino can get their hands on more of the BFI's restorations.

 

[Dick]

Thanks. I just did. Crossing my fingers. Getting back to the subject at hand, hopefully Kino can get their hands on more of the BFI's restorations.

I just now finished watching the BFI Blu of ROGUE MALE starring Peter O'Toole and Alistair Sim, from a 1976 t.v film. The case does not indicate whether or not this is a "restoration," but it looks damn fine to me (1.33:1), and it's a pretty cool film to boot. It's Region B, but a fine choice for anyone who can play it, as I doubt we'll see a Region 1 edition.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Does George answer listener questions on his podcast? Maybe we can ask him why Warners hasn't done a deal with 3D Film Archive to help produce proper 3D blu ray releases of that trove of classic 3D WB and RKO titles in its library...?

We know the answer to this. Warner’s internal corporate policy does not allow them to work with external vendors (like the 3D Film Archive) for restoration projects, even when an external vendor would be able to do the same or better quality work for a fraction of the price. Another internal policy also dictates that they will not release a catalog title on Blu-ray in anything short of perfect condition, and as amazing as the 3D Film Archive’s work is, their mission statement is a little different (3DFA are in favor of the best possible release even if perfection is not possible). And finally, except under extremely limited circumstances, Warner does not license out their titles.

Warner just isn’t interested, unfortunately. They do a lot of great work but they have a couple blind spots and this is one of them.

 

[battlebeast]

Yes, I keep waiting and waiting for releases of those. I know they show them occasionally on TCM and they are wonderful films (even Greed in its currently butchered form). It is flabbergasting why they haven't released them on the Warner Archive.

“Butchered” form? It’s been butchered since day one. What do you mean by “butchered”?

 

[bujaki]

Does the 1929 THE INFORMER have anything to do with the 1935 John Ford film THE INFORMER?

The 1935 is a direct remake of the 1929 version. I have seen the silent version (but not the sound) of the 1929 The Informer. The 1929 version is excellent. I actually prefer it to the overwrought Ford version, good as it is.

 

[Gary OS]

I don’t know what I’m going to do with my wallet this year thanks to Kino.

 

[bujaki]

I don’t know what I’m going to do with my wallet this year thanks to Kino.

Yes you do. Just give it over to Kino.

 

[Gary OS]

Yes you do. Just give it over to Kino.

 

[Traveling Matt]

We know the answer to this. Warner’s internal corporate policy does not allow them to work with external vendors (like the 3D Film Archive) for restoration projects, even when an external vendor would be able to do the same or better quality work for a fraction of the price...

Warner just isn’t interested, unfortunately. They do a lot of great work but they have a couple blind spots and this is one of them.

And what a blind spot. Poor Looney Tunes.

 

[Arthur Powell]

Based on richardburton84's post above (#2753), I listened to the latest Archives podcast and, indeed, Mr. Feltenstein does answer a listener's inquiry regarding THE CROWD and THE WIND, saying that something will happen with them, but no further information at this time. That, at least, is a hopeful sign, and the first we've had about these films from Warner, ever. Even really good-quality DVD's would be an improvement over the very rough laser disc images.

This is one of my "I'll believe it when I see it" issues. Here's the reason why I feel that way:

"[BrianPB] Thanks for coming back. Warner continues to sit on a unrivaled cache of silent masterpieces which are begging for release. Examples would include von Stroheim's GREED (which made a respectable showing--9th--in DVD Decision 2004, and is currently the top vote-getter in TCM's poll of "most requested films not on DVD"), Victor Seastrom's THE WIND and THE SCARLET LETTER, King Vidor's THE BIG PARADE (restored in 2004), THE CROWD, and SHOW PEOPLE

[Warner] Every one of the films you mentioned will be released either at the end of this year or during 2007. We recognize their importance and are certainly doing more with our silent films than any other major studio. We have 6600 films in our library and only so many release slots per year, so bear with us."

This HTF chat exchange happened in early 2006. 2007 came and went without any of these films being put out (I can understand why the studios like to keep their cards close to their chest). To be fair to Warners, the WAC has been a great resource when it comes to silent films. I would like to see them get rid of that bone-headed policy of not allowing money to be spent on new scores, but otherwise they've done ok - some room for improvement of course, but still ok. Also, the blu-ray of The Big Parade was magnificent, but sadly I hear it didn't sell well or didn't fulfill expectations (for all we know, the sales numbers may have been fine for a silent but not sufficient to cover expenses - I think that was the case for Wings). Still, quite a few of these heavy-hitters are still MIA, and after two decades of DVD and blu-ray, they should have had enough time to do something with them. I'm curious if something will happen with Greed soon since it is set to go public domain at the first of next year. If there are any quality elements outside of Warners control, perhaps something will happen (I'm not talking about a garbage release from Alpha). I wish Warners would enter into an agreement with Kino or Criterion for these limbo-status silents. If you're not comfortable releasing these films themselves (which I wouldn't blame them for - I remember hearing what David Shepard had to say about the sales figures for some of his releases), let somebody else do the grunt work.

 

[Camps]

We know the answer to this. Warner’s internal corporate policy does not allow them to work with external vendors (like the 3D Film Archive) for restoration projects, even when an external vendor would be able to do the same or better quality work for a fraction of the price. Another internal policy also dictates that they will not release a catalog title on Blu-ray in anything short of perfect condition, and as amazing as the 3D Film Archive’s work is, their mission statement is a little different (3DFA are in favor of the best possible release even if perfection is not possible). And finally, except under extremely limited circumstances, Warner does not license out their titles.

Warner just isn’t interested, unfortunately. They do a lot of great work but they have a couple blind spots and this is one of them.

Well said, Josh. Yes, some studios seemingly refuse to allow outside experts direct access to assets, presumably out of piracy and security concerns. I've jokingly asked these studios, via this board, to reconsider their policies -- if they'll allow Bob, Greg and the rest of the 3DFA team onto their lots if they outfit them with electronic ankle bracelets....

But it's become rather farcically Catch-22-ish. The studio refuses 3DFA access to materials because they're "outsiders." Same studio refuses to produce its own 3D masters because it's prohibitively expensive to do it with in-house staff. Rinse & repeat....

 

[ahollis]

Can we get this thread back on track and continue discussing the great titles that Kino is releasing. There are other threads where WAC is discussed. Thanks.

 

[willyTass]

wow , very impressive transfer for The Big Country . I wander what the source was ...

 

[Astairefan]

Since I've seen that you have Love Me Tonight and a few more Bob Hope movies in your deal with Universal, can you give an estimate as to when they might get released?

 

[Keith Cobby]

Is My Favorite Blonde on the release schedule?

 

[Kino Lorber Insider]

Coming April 23rd!
ONLY ON DVD!

ACCEPTABLE RISKS (1986 TV Movie) Color 92 Minutes 1.33:1 Not Rated
Brian Dennehy (F/X movies, Gorky Park) is Don Sheppard, a chemical plant manager ordered to cut costs and sacrifice safety to keep up production. But when the plant starts leaking toxic waste into a nearby town and management tries to hush it up, Don decides to fight back. Cicely Tyson (A Man Called Adam) is Janet Framm, the city manager who tries to warn the town’s citizens of the possibility of a catastrophic accident, only to be silenced by the local politicians. Do they still have time to stop a toxic disaster from happening? Or is it inevitable? Kenneth McMillan (Dune) and Christine Ebersole (Black Sheep) co-star.

THE SINKING OF THE RAINBOW WARRIOR (1993 TV Movie) Color 93 Minutes 1.33:1 Not Rated
An act of sabotage that shocked the civilized world! The Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior is the dramatic true account of the bombing of the Greenpeace flagship and the murder of one of its crew. The ship (commanded in the film by Jon Voight, Runaway Train) was bombed in Auckland harbor in 1984 and the relentless investigation by the New Zealand police (led in the film by Sam Neill, Jurassic Park) revealed a surprising culprit. The Rainbow Warrior symbolized the massive anti-nuclear efforts of the worldwide Greenpeace organization. Veteran film and television director Michael Tuchner (Fear Is the Key, Villain) directed this suspenseful drama co-starring Bruno Lawrence (The Quiet Earth) and Kerry Fox (Shallow Grave).

 

[Kino Lorber Insider]

Coming April 30th on DVD and Blu-ray!
2K Restorations!

FANTOMAS 1960s: THREE FILM COLLECTION (1964-1967)
• Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas (Fantomas '64)
• Fantômas (1964) - Trailer
• Fantômas Unleashed (1965) - Trailer
• Fantômas vs. Scotland Yard (1967) - Trailer
• OSS 117 Is Unleashed - Trailer
• OSS 117: Panic in Bangkok - Trailer
• OSS 117: Mission For a Killer - Trailer

Color 322 Minutes 2.35:1 Not Rated In French with optional English subtitles
Pierre Souvestre’s Fantômas was originally adapted for the screen by legendary filmmaker Louis Feuillade (Les vampires) in 1913. André Hunebelle (OSS 117: Mission for a Killer) introduced a revamped and modernized version of Fantômas to the 1960s OSS 117 and 007 audience. All three films starred the great Jean Marais (Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast) as Fantômas, a criminal mastermind and man of a thousand faces. The three films co-starred Louis de Funès as Le commissaire Juve, Mylène Demongeot as Hélène, Jacques Dynam as L’inspecteur Bertrand and Robert Dalban as Le directeur du journal. The first film, Fantomas (Fantômas), was released in 1964, followed by Fantomas Unleashed (Fantômas se déchaîne) in 1965 and Fantomas vs. Scotland Yard (Fantômas contre Scotland Yard) in 1967. All three films were beautifully shot in ’Scope, the first two in Eastmancolor and the finale in Technicolor.

 

[Ed Lachmann]

Just one more thing about the above posts. Warner sits on already-restored-by-Photoplay/Brownlow silent masterpieces like The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg as well as Greed, The Wind and The Crowd. Why not a boxed set or something, and WITH the gorgeous Carl Davis scores. They did it with The Big Parade after all.

 

[TheSteig]

Hi KLSI - with newer technology creating 2k and 4K scans what are the chances now of The Man on the Eiffel Towel receiving a Blu ray release ?

Also with some of those late 20s to early 40s titles you are releasing on Blu ray I would like to suggest some more from the same era

Love from A Stranger
The Ape Man
Midnight Warning
Tomorrow at Seven
The Bat Whispers
The Monster Maker
I Accuse My Parents
Ring of Terror
The Girl in Lovers Lane