Warner Archive Discussion Thread (The Announcements/The Films) (2 Viewers)

[Tom St Jones]

Where is "OH GOD!"? They missed the 40th anniversary last year (not that this necessarily stops them from still releasing a belated anniv edition). Does anyone have any info on the state of the elements, if maybe they're not in good enough shape to allow an HD/Bluray release at this time? The movie was extremely popular in its day, and I understand elements, in addition to normal deterioration, can suffer from overuse (production of too many prints) to the point of being infeasible for HD transfer without major restorative work/ cleanup.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Where is "OH GOD!"?

Great question. I'd love to upgrade my DVD.

 

[ponset]

Please to see the Archive release "Love and Learn" with Jack Carson.
Always appreciate that Carson usually did well doing a variety of different things.
Singing, dancing, comedy, and drama. Carson was able to all them well enough to entertain me.

 

[Blimpoy06]

I was reading about the works of director Burt Kennedy today and thought the 1965 film "The Money Trap" with Glen Ford would be a good blind buy. The film was made available on MOD by Warner Archive in 2009. It's no longer listed on the Warner site or in stock anywhere else. How can MOD disc go out of print? I thought the whole point was to keep them available with MOD. Is this happening to a lot of titles and I'm just unaware of it? How widespread of a loss has there been in availability for these films?

 

[Astairefan]

I was reading about the works of director Burt Kennedy today and thought the 1965 film "The Money Trap" with Glen Ford would be a good blind buy. The film was made available on MOD by Warner Archive in 2009. It's no longer listed on the Warner site or in stock anywhere else. How can MOD disc go out of print? I thought the whole point was to keep them available with MOD. Is this happening to a lot of titles and I'm just unaware of it? How widespread of a loss has there been in availability for these films?

What *COULD* have happened is, they either lost the rights, or they might have licensed it out (I though, for example, that WAC had released The Breaking Point on dvd, but it seems to have disappeared when Criterion licensed the blu/dvd rights for it)

 

[Blimpoy06]

What *COULD* have happened is, they either lost the rights, or they might have licensed it out

It shows as a MGM release. I woulnd't think they would have lost the rights.

 

[Astairefan]

It shows as a MGM release. I woulnd't think they would have lost the rights.

Well, like I say, it was one of several reasons why something might have gone OOP. A third option that I forgot about, since it was made available in 2009, is that they have sometimes pulled some of their earliest releases when they plan to re-release them remastered (since their earliest releases were just put on disc without any work done).

 

[rdimucci]

they have sometimes pulled some of their earliest releases when they plan to re-release them remastered (since their earliest releases were just put on disc without any work done).

At the time of its release DVD Beaver reported that although the transfer was 16x9 enhanced, the image was interlaced and not progressive. Perhaps they plan to correct that.

 

[Joel Arndt]

https://www.wbshop.com/collections/warner-archive-sale?page=1

Ok, this has to be the most pathetic one-day sale the Archive has ever had. Not for the reason of celebrating International Women's Day which is a great thing, but 25 releases???!!! And I say "releases", not "titles" because there are double dips between Blu-rays and DVDs of actual titles. The individual title count is only 20 films!!!! So, out of the couple of thousand films the Archive has released with so many fantastic performances by and stories of women, only 20 titles are included? And this sale includes The Opposite Sex (1956), but not The Women (1939)???!!! I know the Blu of The Women was released through WHV originally, but the MOD DVD is through the Archive.

This sure looks like a last minute decision where someone late yesterday afternoon said in a meeting, OMG! We forgot that tomorrow is International Women's Day and we should have a sale. Tag the first 20 or 25 titles you see that may pertain. Amazing!

 

[Astairefan]

https://www.wbshop.com/collections/warner-archive-sale?page=1

Ok, this has to be the most pathetic one-day sale the Archive has ever had. Not for the reason of celebrating International Women's Day which is a great thing, but 25 releases???!!! And I say "releases", not "titles" because there are double dips between Blu-rays and DVDs of actual titles. The individual title count is only 20 films!!!! So, out of the couple of thousand films the Archive has released with so many fantastic performances by and stories of women, only 20 titles are included? And this sale includes The Opposite Sex (1956), but not The Women (1939)???!!! I know the Blu of The Women was released through WHV originally, but the MOD DVD is through the Archive.

This sure looks like a last minute decision where someone late yesterday afternoon said in a meeting, OMG! We forgot that tomorrow is International Women's Day and we should have a sale. Tag the first 20 or 25 titles you see that may pertain. Amazing!

I get the rest of your complaint, but why would you think their MOD dvd re-release of The Women should have been included? According to their site, that won't be released until March 13, and they almost NEVER include pre-orders in their sales.

 

[Joel Arndt]

I get the rest of your complaint, but why would you think their MOD dvd re-release of The Women should have been included? According to their site, that won't be released until March 13, and they almost NEVER include pre-orders in their sales.

Absolutely right. I stand corrected. Still, it was a dismal sale.

 

[Stephen Bowie]

Anyone get The Gay Bride (1934) or A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob (1941)? These are easily the worst-looking Warner Archive discs I've come across since the first round of Turner pillbox transfers. Are any of the other recent releases similarly afflicted? Have they started quietly dumping old tape masters into the line, like Fox and Universal?

 

[Joel Arndt]

Anyone get The Gay Bride (1934) or A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob (1941)? These are easily the worst-looking Warner Archive discs I've come across since the first round of Turner pillbox transfers. Are any of the other recent releases similarly afflicted? Have they started quietly dumping old tape masters into the line, like Fox and Universal?

I don't own those two titles, but the same thought crossed my mind with A Lady's Morals (1930) and the 1951 version of Slightly Dishonorable. Morals is very soft looking and Dishonorable even has the reel change markers, a dead giveaway of an older master. It looks like a print you would've seen on tv 40 years ago.

 

[moviefanatic1979]

I don't know about those titles, but I watched the Mario Lanza movie Serenade (1956) tonight.
The back of the case gives the aspect ratio as 1.85:1 but what I saw on my TV screen was in 1.77:1, it filled the wide screen.
Judging from this DVD release it's a widescreen movie in no particular widescreen process.

It's says it's remastered on the case front. That is clear. It's a colorful transfer.
But it's apparent that the movie is in need of restoration to look pristine, but this will never happen with a minor movie like this.
The story is like a greek tragedy. It's a story we've read or seen on the screen lots of times. The melodrama quotient is high.
But, it was directed by Anthony Mann and it's a handsome production.

I must admit I bought it to see another movie featuring Sarita Montiel, and she is gorgeous.
But, there's also no doubt that Mario Lanza was a great tenor. This man was a singer!

The melodramatics worked on me. It was an emotional experience.

It surely is no classic. But as a showcase for Lanza and other great actors like Joan Fontaine and Sarita Montiel it's an enjoyable watch.

The smarmy role played by Vincent Price fitted him like a glove.

I'm not sure if Fontaine and Montiel were truly great, but I liked them in this movie.

There's not much available on DVD in english from Montiel, but she sure was a stunner!

 

[bujaki]

Fontaine was gorgeous and quite a good (if not great) actress. Montiel was a national treasure in Spain. A tidbit of information on Serenade, the Cain novel. The opera singer played by Lanza is actually involved in a bisexual triangle. That did not sit well with the MPAA!

 

[moviefanatic1979]

I think you you're right about Fontaine. I've seen quite a few of her movies and I find her constant heightening of an eyebrow distracting.

I read that there's not much left of the Cain book in the movie. But Lanza demanded the filming of it under his new contract with Warner. He had asked MGM to film it with him for years, but they wouldn't budge.

 

[Travis87]

Joan Fontaine is one actress that really gets to me like no other. Don't remember if it was Rebacca or The Constant Nymph I first saw her in a few years ago but I think I could watch her in anything. I picked up her autobiography last year too but haven't gotten to it.

 

[Robin9]

Joan Fontaine is one actress that really gets to me like no other. Don't remember if it was Rebacca or The Constant Nymph I first saw her in a few years ago but I think I could watch her in anything. I picked up her autobiography last year too but haven't gotten to it.

I'm still hoping that Ivy will appear on disc.

 

[RICK BOND]

The last release I bought from Warner Archive was ….The Law and Jake Wade (1958) From Kino Lorber I bought 7 classic titles this year so far ! And more coming ! Warner has some GREAT titles WB, MGM but they never release them. ??? I prefer Kino, for me they release the movies I Like Best !

 

[Richard M S]

I did not actually realize it, but yes, I too have purchased more of Kino's releases than WarnerArchive's releases. Even with the definite plus of Kino having more frquent sales, I also have purchased some of their bluray releases just because they sometimes contain new extras, like the commentary track on The Woman In The Window. Then for me it becomes an easy decision to upgrade.