Live-Action Pink Panther films rereleased?? (1 Viewer)

[MarcoBiscotti]

This was posted at The Digital Bits today though I'm not quites ure what to make of it, I'm hoping someone could explain...

" In addition, Universal has announced the DVD release of The Return of the Pink Panther (SRP $14.98) on 7/26. This is timed to coincide with MGM's Pink Panther promotion on 7/26, which will include the release of The Pink Panther, A Shot in the Dark, Revenge of the Pink Panther, Trail of the Pink Panther, Curse of the Pink Panther, Son of the Pink Panther, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, The Pink Panther: Classic Cartoon Collection - Volume 1, The Pink Panther: Classic Cartoon Collection - Volume 2, The Pink Panther: Classic Cartoon Collection - Volume 3 and The Pink Panther: Classic Cartoon Collection5 pack.

Speaking of The Pink Panther: Classic Cartoon Collection (SRP $69.96), the 5-disc set will contain some 124 cartoons produced by Friz Freleng and David H. DePatie between 1964 and 1980, plus the Behind the Feline: The Cartoon Phenomenon documentary, the Pink Patter with Art Leonardi: The Story Behind the Animation, Remembering Friz: A Tribute to Friz Freleng, Think Pink: How to Draw the Pink Panther and Page to Screen: The Making of Two Cartoons featurettes, plus the animated main title sequences from five of the feature films."


So are these going to be individual releases of The Pink Panther, A Shot in the Dark, Revenge of the Pink Panther, Trail of the Pink Panther, Curse of the Pink Panther, Son of the Pink Panther and The Pink Panther Strikes Again or are we getting another boxset and will Universal's Return Of The Pink Panther be included or is that just going to be a seperate release? Does anyone have anymore info on any of this? I'd really like to get specs for Return Of The Pink Panther (I could do without Son Of PP altogether!)

Anyone have any additional info?

 

[Michael Allred]

I'd like confirmed specs too but I'm pretty confidant that "Return" will be OAR.

 

[Patrick H.]

I'd heard rumor a while ago that these will be new individual releases. I'm looking forward to them, if only to upgrade my 'Shot in the Dark' disc. The old one's anamorphic, but it's a pretty grotty-looking print and there are no extras.

 

[Mark Edward Heuck]

I think the Digital Bits may have goofed. Universal owns RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER in the UK, likely a holdover from the period when Polygram acquired ITC. I don't see how Universal in the US would have gotten the movie, since AFAIK they have no current relationship with its copyright owners Carlton Communications. I suspect some possibilities are:

1. The Bits reviewer saw a blurb for a UK promotion and mistook it for a US promotion;
2. Lions Gate (Artisan's inheritor) is planning a reissue of the movie for the US - maybe using the same transfer Universal would use for the UK - and again, studios got mistaken in the press announcement.

Or then again, maybe this is some whole new deal that didn't get any press coverage.

In any case, I just hope this new DVD has a better picture than the old Artisan disc, and includes both trailers for the film, because one had great outtakes of Sellers and the cast flubbing takes.

EDIT: as proven below, I am wrong, it is indeed a domestic Universal release. I'm dumbfounded as to how they got the rights to it, anyone got information?

Although, the more I think about it, we haven't seen much action on the Carlton ITC titles from Artisan or Lions Gate in the last year. Maybe that old deal expired and Universal quietly made a new one with them?

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Are you referring to the transfer that was featured in the Film Collection last year?

If so I hadn't noticed, but what makes you think these will be newly remastered? I had though all of the films recently released in the previous set were all newly done transfers...

 

[Herb Kane]

http://homevideo.universalstudios.co...07%2F01%2F2005

 

[CaseyL]

I'm happy for the rerelease of RotPP. It's always been a favorite of mine, and the current one is about equivalant quality of my VHS release. (What do you want for $10)

 

[Patrick McCart]

A Shot in the Dark and The Pink Panther Strikes Again are pretty mediocre on DVD. While they're anamorphic, both suffer from a huge amount of filtering and DVNR. The opening credits are edge enhanced to the point of looking "ghostly". Also, A Shot in the Dark has a few sections with very bad image quality as if they were taken from a bad dupe. I'm guessing MGM just used the same old transfers used for the original DVD's.

However, the original Pink Panther looks great.

I just wish that they put more effort into the transfers. They went through the trouble to create 5.1 mixes for all of the films, so who knows?

 

[Patrick H.]

Actually, I was referring to the OLD single-disc version from MGM...mono sound with a P&S version on the flipside. ('A Shot in the Dark' is my favorite of the bunch and the only one I own.) However, judging by what Patrick just mentioned, the boxed set version sounds like the same master. Indeed, there's a section on my disc where the colors completely fade to yellow at one point...not good. In that case, fingers crossed these new reissues have truly upgraded transfers...

 

[Jon Martin]

Does anyone know anything about the PINK PANTHER cartoons, how many were produced?

If 124 are on the discs, is that all of them?

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Yes Jon, that would account for all of the Pink Panther theatrical films.

I believe there were some 30-odd later television shorts produced between 1978-1980 which aired on "The All New Pink Panther Show" of obviously lesser quality, though still mildly enjoyable. I personally wouldn't mind seeing them released seperately in their own collection.

There were also 3 television specials produced for ABC between '78 and '81 through DePatie-Freleng; "A Pink Christmas", "Olym-Pinks" and "Pink At First Sight". I'm sure I must've seen all 3 though my memory is faint, but I would absolutely love to see "A Pink Christmas" released in a standalone keepcase as it was if memory serves, a wonderful holiday special and deserves to be seen by a wider audeince and more frequently! I really hope this is one day released, but now that Universal holds the rights... who knows?

Anyways, as far as the original classics, this collection should compile ALL the DFE Pink Panther theatrical shorts accross the 5 discs.

I only hope that we will see seperate collections for The Inspector and Ant & Aardvaark toons. I'm sure double-disc sets for each would suffice. I really hope they're covered!

 

[Lino Reno]

Me too - I LUV the Inspector cartoons!!! And that tune - I just can't get it out of my mind! I know it's from A shot in the dark, but it really works as a cartoon tune, as well!

 

[pitchman]

Is it possible that these MGM re-releases are full-frame only editions? That is indication over at BargainFlix and Buy.com. Not to be an alarmist, but has Sony now begun doing to the MGM library what it is already doing to its Columbia library??

 

[TonyD]

the cartoon set was cancelled/delayed, wasnt the movie set also, due to the movie being pushed to next year?

 

[pitchman]

Unless there has been a recent change, these are all scheduled for release on 07/26/05. BargainFlix and other sites still shows that as the date.

 

[Mike_Richardson]

Sony only took over MGM on July 1st so these DVDs were in production WELL in advance of that change.

I'm curious if these are still coming on 7/26 as well. The Cartoon set was postponed to coincide with the release of the remake (since pushed back to February), but everything else still says 7/26 on all the various websites...

 

[TonyD]

ok i found the post at digital bits.

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa104.html#pink2

 

[TonyD]

i never heard of bargain flix.
they're still promoting online dvd
rental from walmart .com
digital bits seems to be the most reliable for release info.
also dvdpricesearch.com works well.

 

[pitchman]

Tony, thanks for the link to the Bits article. I guess I haven't been frequenting that site as often as I used to. I am very glad I bought the Panther Collection on sale when I did, because who knows when and how this will be re-released by Sony.

Re: BargainFlix. They have been in existence for quite a while. IIRC, they pretty much started around the same time as DVD Price Search. IMO, I always thought the BargainFlix site was a bit easier to navigate, which is why I ended up spending more time there. As always, YMMV.

 

[Jay*W]

For those who are wondering, I picked up the individual disc of the Pink Panther, and despite the absence of any mention of special features on the packaging, the disc does indeed include the Blake Edwards audio commentary and trivia track from the box set.

Jay