No 4K release for Gone With The Wind’s 80th Anniversary? (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

I find no deficiencies. But since a 4K/UHD of GWTW is the topic of this thread, there obviously was a belief and hope from many that another level of excellence was possible.

I found no deficiencies with the BD of “The Wizard of Oz”, either, but the 4K/UHD miraculously upped the ante.

As for “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, I found my personal preferences leaned more towards the BD over the 4K/UHD.

All 3 titles, as everyone knows, are products of 1939. And yet, we are learning that one size does not fit all; or, in this case, not all films from the same year are going to yield the same results on a 4K/UHD disc.

So, as I attempt to learn about this technology; I began to wonder about GWTW. With “Lawrence of Arabia” and “The Godfather Part II”, both of substantial length and both being in a two-disc presentation, I had surmised that this had something to do with ensuring superior picture quality. Therefore, I wondered if GWTW; also of substantial length and possibly not an ideal candidate for 4K/UHD; was something that could benefit further if, perhaps, it were to be divided over two Blu-ray discs.

The need for higher data throughput is generally based upon aspect ratio, format, ie overall resolution, and cutting & movement.

 

[Rick Thompson]

Call it the times we're in, but I can't help feeling that political correctness has something to do with no 4K. Even MGM will have put big bucks into preserving GWTW -- too much of a cash cow.

 

[MatthewA]

MGM has had no connection to the film for at least 20 years now. Warner owns it all.

 

[darkrock17]

MGM has had no connection to the film for at least 20 years now. Warner owns it all.

That's not entirely true, MGM is always named for still photos used in any publications.

 

[Rick Thompson]

MGM has had no connection to the film for at least 20 years now. Warner owns it all.

And we KNOW they take good care of their assets.

 

[Jeffrey D]

I'm pretty sure it was a Golden Rod ...
View attachment 90769

That’s the skit from the Carol Burnett show, right?

Forgive me if this has been covered in this thread, but the most current BluRay release- has there been anything
censored/altered from the theatrical version due to PC reasons? Thanks for any responses.

 

[SFMike]

GWTW is now on the same CANCELLED list as Song Of The South so we are lucky we can still see it at all. I don't foresee a 4K restoration in our future.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Please. GWTW is readily available for purchase on physical and digital media, is available on subscription streaming, and in non-pandemic times plays theatrical as a Fathom event more than most other titles circulated through the Fathom system.

 

[bujaki]

It's on TCM this month.

 

[Garysb]

It has been on HBOMax with this TCM intro.

 

[Robert Harris]

It has been on HBOMax with this TCM intro.

Nicely done, and appropriate. Next candidate: Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

 

[Andrew Budgell]

Nicely done, and appropriate. Next candidate: Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Not HBOMax, but this month TCM will air both GWTW and Breakfast at Tiffany's, along with 16 other films, as part of a series called "Reframed: Classic Films in the Rearview Mirror, which will "explore their history, consider their cultural context and discuss how these movies can be reframed so that future generations will keep their legacy alive."

Other films include: The Jazz Singer (1927), Dragon Seed (1944), The Searchers (1956), The Children's Hour (1961), Swing Time (1936), Stagecoach (1939), Gunga Din (1939), The Four Feathers (1939), Woman of the Year (1942), Sinbad, the Sailor (1947), Rope (1948), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959), Psycho (1960), My Fair Lady (1964), and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967).

Reframed: Classic Films in the Rearview Mirror

Many of the beloved classics that we enjoy on TCM have stood the test of time in several ways, nevertheless when viewed by contemporary standards, certain aspects of these films can be troubling and problematic. This month, we are looking at a collection of such movies and we’ll explore their hist

www.tcm.com

 

[darkrock17]

Not HBOMax, but this month TCM will air both GWTW and Breakfast at Tiffany's, along with 16 other films, as part of a series called "Reframed: Classic Films in the Rearview Mirror, which will "explore their history, consider their cultural context and discuss how these movies can be reframed so that future generations will keep their legacy alive."

Other films include: The Jazz Singer (1927), Dragon Seed (1944), The Searchers (1956), The Children's Hour (1961), Swing Time (1936), Stagecoach (1939), Gunga Din (1939), The Four Feathers (1939), Woman of the Year (1942), Sinbad, the Sailor (1947), Rope (1948), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959), Psycho (1960), My Fair Lady (1964), and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967).

Reframed: Classic Films in the Rearview Mirror

Many of the beloved classics that we enjoy on TCM have stood the test of time in several ways, nevertheless when viewed by contemporary standards, certain aspects of these films can be troubling and problematic. This month, we are looking at a collection of such movies and we’ll explore their hist

www.tcm.com

Just beat me by a second of posting TCM's "Controversial" film Spotlight they're doing this month.

 

[Garysb]

Per the link here is the schedule on TCM

Featured Films
3/4
Gone With the Wind (1939) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) Rope (1948) The Four Feathers (1939)

3/11
Woman of the Year (1942) Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) Gunga Din (1939) Sinbad, the Sailor (1947) The Jazz Singer (1927)

3/18
The Searchers (1956) Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) Swing Time (1936) Stagecoach (1939) Tarzan, the Ape Man (1959)

3/25
My Fair Lady (1964) The Children's Hour (1961) Psycho (1960) Dragon Seed (1944)

If I were programming I would have included "The Good Earth" instead of Dragon Seed just because I think it is a better picture. They have similar problems.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

GWTW is now on the same CANCELLED list as Song Of The South so we are lucky we can still see it at all. I don't foresee a 4K restoration in our future.

If GWTW never gets a 4K disc release, I'd wager it isn't because of some mythical cancellation list, but because AT&TWB cares more about streaming and HBOMax than a disc release.

I mean, as you can see, they're taking the necessary steps to keep the film out there. But they're moving to keeping it out there in a format you have to keep paying them for every month if you want access, not a single release they only get paid for once.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

But they're moving to keeping it out there in a format you have to keep paying them for every month if you want access, not a single release they only get paid for once.

It can be easily purchased on a digital storefront like iTunes or Vudu - and that’s a one time purchase, like a disc would be.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

It can be easily purchased on a digital storefront like iTunes or Vudu - and that’s a one time purchase, like a disc would be.

True.

Perhaps it's better to say they're shifting to digital purchases and streaming services and discs aren't a priority.

 

[MatthewA]

Nicely done, and appropriate. Next candidate: Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

The Children's Hour (1961)

My Fair Lady (1964),

Some thanks Audrey Hepburn gets for joining the resistance to Nazism in WWII and volunteering the later years of her life for UNICEF!

Around the same time as My Fair Lady, and season after Judy Garland's legendary one-season CBS show, Mickey Rooney actually did a short-lived sitcom with Sammee Tong, formerly of Bachelor Father, but Tong died under tragic circumstances when it didn't get another season.

GWTW is now on the same CANCELLED list as Song Of The South so we are lucky we can still see it at all. I don't foresee a 4K restoration in our future.

I wouldn't say that was totally the case, but I believe the reason SotS gets treated more harshly is that it is perceived as being a children's film simply because of the dual "Disney = kids" and "animation = kids" fallacies. And possibly also a genre bias against musicals in certain circles. Rightly or wrongly, that automatically makes it lower-hanging fruit than a Best Picture Oscar Winner.

 

[darkrock17]

Some thanks Audrey Hepburn gets for joining the resistance to Nazism in WWII and volunteering the later years of her life for UNICEF!

The Children's Hour and My Fair Lady are quote on quote are now problematic because of "hiding" the original lesbian relationship that was in the novel and that Higgins is down right abusive to Eliza.

 

[MatthewA]

The Children's Hour and My Fair Lady are quote on quote are now problematic because of "hiding" the original lesbian relationship that was in the novel and that Higgins is down right abusive to Eliza.

I still don't buy that argument regarding the latter film, and neither does this author.

The Children's Hour also bowdlerizes its source material less than the first film version, 1936's not-even-in-name adaptation These Three which removes all references to lesbianism and turns it into a heterosexual love triangle. Ironically, that bowdlerization also had Lillian Hellman's name on it.