Update: Bringing Up Baby, Philadelphia Story, Libeled Lady, Stage Door and others (1 Viewer)

[LorenzoL]

I already preordered the Box Set. I was anxiously awaiting the release of Bringing Up Baby (one of my favorite movies of all time) and decided to to take a chance blind buying the rest of the collection. I was very happy with the WB Hitchcock Signature collection and did not hesitate again in placing the order for the box.

 

[Scott Leopold]

I was eagerly awaiting Bringing Up Baby, wouldn't pass on the SE of The Philadelphia Story, and will gladly buy anything with William Powell and Myrna Loy, so Libeled Lady is a must buy. Since I'm already in it for those three, it's going to be cheaper getting the box set. I'm not complaining about them doing this to me on this one, or the gangsters box set.

 

[Mario Gauci]

Am I the only one to be disappointed with the relative lack of supplements on TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942)?

I don’t know - maybe it’s just because it’s one of my all-time favorite comedies but surely it deserves much better than what it’s apparently getting…after all, it’s not only one of Ernst Lubitsch’s finest films but, in my opinion, one of the best films that ever came out of Hollywood, period.

Sure, having a Jack Benny short is great but a Documentary or featurette about Lubitsch, Jack Benny, Carole Lombard or even on how Hollywood looked at the funny side of war through the years would not have been amiss. Where’s Mel Brooks when you need him? Couldn’t he have been roped in to do an interview?

The good news is that TO BE OR NOT TO BE will be all the more affordable since Warners deemed fit to include it in a Box Set full of superb films, all of which I’ve watched and enjoyed before. Well, at least BRINGING UP BABY (1938) – another of my favorite comedies featuring my favorite actor (Cary Grant) and directed by my favorite American director (Howard Hawks) – and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940) are getting the royal 2-Disc treatment they thoroughly deserve.

I don’t mean to sound ungrateful or anything – God knows Warners deserve all the praise (and our money) they’re getting for their commitment to the DVD format year after year but I guess they should bear some of the blame for spoiling us so much these last couple of years with their superlative 2-Disc editions (of which I’ve yet to add far too many to my collection:frowning! Maybe they’ll surprise me and add a couple more supplements to TO BE OR NOT TO BE prior to release date like they did to their DVD releases of THE LETTER (1940; the lack of the 1929 version is really regrettable, though:frowning and RANDOM HARVEST (1942)…

 

[Rodney]

Mario:

I am just glad they are finally releasing it! This is one of the few left on my not yet released but must-have list.

I agree a documentary on Lubitsch, Lombard and Benny would have been a great addition, but I am more interested in having a quality presentation of a great film.

 

[Charles H]

TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942) raises the issue--and urgency-- of survivor commentary. It would have been wonderful had Robert Stack, the last survivor and a good friend of Benny, Lombard, and Lubitsch, recorded a commentary before he passed away a couple of years ago. I pray that Betty Hutton could be persuaded to record a commentary for the long-delayed Special Edition of THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK. Or that Ann Miller had recorded a commentary for STAGE DOOR before her death last year. Sadly, there are no survivors for any of the six comedy films being released.
Some LD commentaries have been recycled for the dvd releases (George Siney on THE HARVEY GIRLS, the Criterion SPARTACUS edition) and the audio commentaries of THE GREAT ESCAPE: SE going back to the 70s with director John Sturges were creatively edited. The use of then-child actor Daryl Hickman for the audio commentary on the forthcoming LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN is a valiant attempt to offer a testimony to the making of the actual film, and I wish that Barbara Lawrence could be persuaded to do an audio commentary for the forthcoming LETTER TO THREE WIVES, STREET WITH NO NAME, and/or UNFAITHFULLY YOURS.

 

[Eric Peterson]

Mario,

I am disappointed in the lack of extras for "To Be or Not To Be", but like you stated am eager nonetheless to be getting such a great set of titles for such a phenomonal price. Personally, I've never seen the movie, but I am a huge Billy Wilder fan and through his never dying commitment to Lubitsch, I am working my way through all of his films, and am very much looking forward to this title. This and Libeled Lady are the only titles in the set that I have not seen.

Here's to more Lubitsch titles on DVD. As far as I know, there are only 3 titles available at the moment - "Trouble in Paradise", "That Uncertain Feeling", & "The Shop Around the Corner".

 

[Paul Penna]

Just yesterday I watched his silent "Lady Windermere's Fan" in the second "Treasures from American Film Archives" set and loved it. His other available silents: "Marriage Circle" and "Eternal Love," both on Image.

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

As a huge Lubitsch fan I, too, am disappointed that To Be Or Not to Be didn't get a commentary, but that's the way it goes. Seeing it properly remastered will be worth it (the versions I've seen, both on TV and in revival houses, have been pretty beat-up).

Other Lubitsch... we already know that Ninotchka will come when WB does a Garbo set. And The Merry Widow (an all-time favorite of mine, even though it's a musical with hardly any musical numbers) will presumably turn up if and when they release some Jeanette MacDonald titles, as I'm sure they eventually will.

Fox has Lubitsch's last two movies, the great Heaven Can Wait and the good Cluny Brown. I don't know what the chances are of those coming out. And I'm definitely pessimistic about ever seeing more of Lubitsch's Paramount movies (like The Smiling Lieutenant, which absolutely made the audience roar when I saw it in a theatre), now that MCA/Universal isn't licensing to Criterion anymore. And then there are all the silents, like Kiss Me Again and Lady Windermere... there's just a lot of great Lubitsch stuff in the vaults. Here's hoping for more.

Back on-topic: To Be or Not to Be is a really interesting film to watch with an audience because it can be really disorienting -- the opening, where we're not sure what's going on or why, really makes people nervous. Then as the movie goes on and the audience catches on, the laughs come bigger and bigger until by the end, there are several gags that just blow the roof off the theatre. That's great comedy pacing and structure.

Also, every Lubitsch movie has at least two great censor-baiting lines. My favorite from To Be: "Lieutenant, this is the first time I've ever met a man who could drop three tons of dynamite in two minutes. 'Bye."

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

I found an advance review of Bringing Up Baby, to whet our appetites...

 

[Robert Crawford]

Is Warner selling these titles in a boxset? If so, I'm having a hardtime finding an etailer selling it.

Edit: Okay, found Amazon and DVD Empire selling the boxset. Looks like I'm going to have to send an email to Lasersedge to do the same.



Crawdaddy

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

Thanks for that. A short review, but it sounds like a good release.
I saw the film last year watching the AFI Top 100 Films list, and loved it. The second it finished I turned off the TV, went to the computer, and tried to find it on DVD, and was disappointed to learn that it was unavailable. And now it's coming out. YAY!

 

[Deepak Shenoy]

Any early reviews of this box set (especially Bringing Up Baby) not counting the capsule review above that makes no mention of the picture and sound quality ? We are just a week away from release date and I would expect the Warner embargo on reviews to be lifted by now.

Of course I do expect Warner to do their usual stellar job on this box set and I pre-ordered it as soon as it was announced. However a few reassuring words from Herb Kane or Robert Harris about the quality of this set will only add to my anticipation of the arrival of this set !

-D

 

[Herb Kane]

Deepak, I'm typing feverishly as we speak...

I've watched 4 of the 6 so far. Bringing Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story - both look fantastic... with TPS being an obvious improvement over the original version. LL looks very good but hasn't weathered quite as well and DaE also looks excellent. Still working on SD and TBoNTB. Hope to have this posted by the end of the week.

Very impressive so far!

 

[Haggai]

Thanks for the update, Herb. Looking forward to your review.

 

[Roger Rollins]

Herb sez:



WB's extraoradinary output of great product puts poor Herb at a disadvantage. Their releases are not only multiple but often rich in supplementary material. This has to be time-taxing, although probably in a delightful way.

I love Herb's reviews...they are well worth waiting for.

Kudos to Herb!

 

[Herb Kane]

Thanks Roger.

If only the rest of life's time-taxing commitments were as enjoyable...

 

[Deepak Shenoy]

Thanks Herb ! Your reviews are always a treat to read even when I have already watched the DVD(s) you are reviewing.

I am glad Warner has done a bang-up job on this set as usual. I can't wait to get my hands on the set.

-D

 

[Peter Svensson]

Sadly, the Philadelphia Story is only a keepcase inside a cardboard box according to Dvdbeaver. I guess Bringing Up Baby will be the same. But it´s still better than just a keepcase.

 

[LorenzoL]

DVDBeaver.com has reviews for Dinner at Eight, Libeled Lady and Stage Door.

Dinner at Eight

Libeled Lady

Stage Door

 

[AlexHL]

What happened to Herb's review of this set?