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RAINTREE COUNTY on Blu? (2 Viewers)

Andrew Budgell

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Richard, it seems to be selling well--the rankings on Amazon were quite good around the release date. I don't know how much the fact that the film had been released on Blu-ray for more than a year all over the world impacted sales, though...
 

Lromero1396

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Andrew Budgell said:
Richard, it seems to be selling well--the rankings on Amazon were quite good around the release date. I don't know how much the fact that the film had been released on Blu-ray for more than a year all over the world impacted sales, though...
Well in any case, Fox seems to be getting on the ball with their classic releases, despite that they've really only commited to a measly one vintage title a month, where it should be 2-4 a month. Regarding Warner, Paramount, Universal, Sony, and MGM, don't even get me started! Fox, despite some rather criminal licensing decisions regarding Twilight Time (The Song of Bernadette, Leave Her to Heaven, Drums Along the Mohawk), is getting my vote for best studio of the year so far.

Warner has their own library, the old MGM library, and licensing of Paramount material. They have so much that they could profit off of. Heck, they have the ability to compete with Fox hands down and they're not exercising it!
We're still waiting on Flynn, Gable, Bogie and Bacall, Jimmy Stewart, and Gary Cooper Blu box sets from them!

Universal has the Paramount library from 1929-1949 which contains some great noir titles (The Blue Dahlia, Double Indemnity, The Glass Key, This Gun For Higher...) as well as DeMille pictures (Cleopatra, The Story of Doctor Wassell, So Proudly We Hail, Unconquered, Northwest Mounted Police, Sign of the Cross, The Crusades). The DeMille titles could sell more units on BD than most other items from the old Paramount library. Universal just doesn't seem to have any respect for these films they acquire from other studios, or even their own classics in a lot of cases (for examples of both these cases, see last year's Hitchcock releases).
 

Matt Hough

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Well, Fox is giving us FOUR vintage titles this month: Blood and Sand, Niagara, Bus Stop, and Love Me Tender. And, of course, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing and The Driver via Twilight TIme.

I have NO complaints about Fox's Blu-ray release schedule for 2013.
 

Matt Hough

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And I forgot they're (Fox) also releasing The 300 Spartans this month (though some might argue the merit of that decision).
 

Mark Collins

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Great on the news from WHV. Why do they not restore Raintree County??? The film should be restored!!! I have been waiting for this movie as many fans have. I am sick of looking at my old VHS tapes!!
 

Mark Collins

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I wanted to say that but you are right Byron! I have read the book which is a great read! I am sick of waiting for this classic. Like the movie or not it has a great music score and filled with a cast that MGM called a second Gone With Wind.

WHV
 

Andrew Budgell

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I plan to ask George Feltenstein about the status of RAINTREE COUNTY during his upcoming online chat on Aug 14th. I'm not sure how this chat is going to be organized, so maybe a few of us can try to ask and hopefully one of us will be successful? http://warnerarchive.tumblr.com/post/56254947978/the-exciting-news-we-are-happy-to-announce-thatWhen I ask about this film on the Warner Archive Facebook page they say if it will be released, it will be buy WHV, not through the Archive. But at what point do they decide it's not financially viable for WHV to release it and give it to the Archive to release? Because right now it's just languishing and has been in "maybe" limbo for the decade I've been asking about it on HFT chats and now their FB page...

It's such a shame that this film is just languishing and not getting the restoration that it deserves. Even if it's flawed, it's an important MGM film.
 

Robert Crawford

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Andrew Budgell said:
I plan to ask George Feltenstein about the status of RAINTREE COUNTY during his upcoming online chat on Aug 14th. I'm not sure how this chat is going to be organized, so maybe a few of us can try to ask and hopefully one of us will be successful? http://warnerarchive.tumblr.com/post/56254947978/the-exciting-news-we-are-happy-to-announce-thatWhen I ask about this film on the Warner Archive Facebook page they say if it will be released, it will be buy WHV, not through the Archive. But at what point do they decide it's not financially viable for WHV to release it and give it to the Archive to release? Because right now it's just languishing and has been in "maybe" limbo for the decade I've been asking about it on HFT chats and now their FB page...

It's such a shame that this film is just languishing and not getting the restoration that it deserves. Even if it's flawed, it's an important MGM film.
Good for you Andrew. I hope other HTF members get on that chat to ask their questions too.
 

OliverK

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Andrew Budgell said:
I plan to ask George Feltenstein about the status of RAINTREE COUNTY during his upcoming online chat on Aug 14th. I'm not sure how this chat is going to be organized, so maybe a few of us can try to ask and hopefully one of us will be successful? http://warnerarchive.tumblr.com/post/56254947978/the-exciting-news-we-are-happy-to-announce-thatWhen I ask about this film on the Warner Archive Facebook page they say if it will be released, it will be buy WHV, not through the Archive. But at what point do they decide it's not financially viable for WHV to release it and give it to the Archive to release? Because right now it's just languishing and has been in "maybe" limbo for the decade I've been asking about it on HFT chats and now their FB page...It's such a shame that this film is just languishing and not getting the restoration that it deserves. Even if it's flawed, it's an important MGM film.
Raintree County is too expensive to prepare so they will not just release it as a Warner archive title.Of course the big question is if it will be a big seller only because it comes out as a higher profile release and has Monty Clift and Liz Taylor as the leads.I propose that this could make for an interesting test scenario with regard to what can be achieved in sales success with a rather obscure but at one time enormous production. I wish there would have been similar considerations for Mutiny on the Bounty that got the short end of the stick when it comes to picture quality - from what I remember the least satisfying large format title released by Warner.
 

Andrew Budgell

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Robert Crawford said:
Thank you, I'm going to try to get in on that chat too?
Hope to see you there!
OliverK said:
Raintree County is too expensive to prepare so they will not just release it as a Warner archive title.Of course the big question is if it will be a big seller only because it comes out as a higher profile release and has Monty Clift and Liz Taylor as the leads.I propose that this could make for an interesting test scenario with regard to what can be achieved in sales success with a rather obscure but at one time enormous production. I wish there would have been similar considerations for Mutiny on the Bounty that got the short end of the stick when it comes to picture quality - from what I remember the least satisfying large format title released by Warner.
I realize that it a restoration is a hugely expensive endeavor, but what I meant was that I imagine there has to come a point where WHV says, "Okay, we just can't allot X number of dollars into a full-blown restoration", and hand it off to the Archive for a less expensive remaster (hope I'm using these terms properly) and release. Because as of now, in this limo that it's in, it's not making any money for them on home video.But I like your proposition. Let's just hope they go with that! :)
Mark Collins said:
Thank you Andrew. I knew you would not give up on the film.
Thanks, Mark! Here's hoping our persistence pays off. Hope you can join the chat, too. Strength in numbers, right? :)
 

OliverK

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Andrew Budgell said:
I realize that it a restoration is a hugely expensive endeavor, but what I meant was that I imagine there has to come a point where WHV says, "Okay, we just can't allot X number of dollars into a full-blown restoration", and hand it off to the Archive for a less expensive remaster (hope I'm using these terms properly) and release. Because as of now, in this limo that it's in, it's not making any money for them on home video.But I like your proposition. Let's just hope they go with that! :)
I have a feeling that Raintree County will already be very difficult to bring to an acceptable level so maybe that is why Warner will want a "proper" release in order to generate the revenue that is need with such an expensive endeavor.At the end of the day I will always be happy when I get a version that is at least up to par with what we saw from Gypsy, but better is always welcome.
 

RolandL

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WB won't do it, but they could save a lot of money if they asked Image Trends and Dave Strohmaier (they did the 3-panel Cinerama traveloges digital restorations) to restore Raintree County.
 

JoHud

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Andrew Budgell said:
I realize that it a restoration is a hugely expensive endeavor, but what I meant was that I imagine there has to come a point where WHV says, "Okay, we just can't allot X number of dollars into a full-blown restoration", and hand it off to the Archive for a less expensive remaster (hope I'm using these terms properly) and release. Because as of now, in this limo that it's in, it's not making any money for them on home video
I don't think it's quite that simple. It seems this movie, like The Wonderful World of Brothers Grimm, has elements too poor in physical condition to safely remaster and needs and expensive restoration to make it possible. If there was a low-cost alternative to getting a newly remastered transfer from decent elements, I'm sure they would have already gone that route. In contrast, I think the Show Boat trilogy isn't in that same situation and could be released remastered in the WAC, except that WHV insists on sitting on that project for ages without budging an inch.

If it ever went to the Warner Archive, they'd have little alternative than to release the old TV transfer on disc and I'm sure most would hope they ever had to make that decision. It seems that restoration technology is still advancing and getting less cost prohibitive in the coming years and, hopefully, a Raintree County restoration will one day be more economically viable to WB.
 

RolandL

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JoHud said:
It seems this movie, like The Wonderful World of Brothers Grimm, has elements too poor in physical condition to safely remaster and needs and expensive restoration to make it possible.
Like I mentioned in my previous post, Image Trends, Dave Strohmaier and Cinerama Inc. could do a digital restoration of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm. It would not cost WB a lot of money but WB are not interested.
 

classicmovieguy

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OliverK said:
I have a feeling that Raintree County will already be very difficult to bring to an acceptable level so maybe that is why Warner will want a "proper" release in order to generate the revenue that is need with such an expensive endeavor.At the end of the day I will always be happy when I get a version that is at least up to par with what we saw from Gypsy, but better is always welcome.
It should be noted that the remaster of "Gypsy" was originally done for Warner's Natalie Wood Collection DVD set (back when Warners was still active in it's regular catalogue releases as opposed to MOD), and as such only needed minimal extra attention to bring it up to Blu-ray quality.
 

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