WARNER ARCHIVE – MORE QUALITY RELEASES PLEASE (1 Viewer)

[TJPC]

How about the promise of letting people from Canada and other countries order directly from them some day? Somehow our public library gets them. I usually order when Amazon.com gets them. Once I ordered, to my sister in Chicago, had her re-package and send it on to where I live near Toronto.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

Warner Archive: more 3-D, please!

 

[PMF]

What is happening at Warner Archive? While we wait for the many hundreds of quality critical and commercial successes to be given the blu ray upgrade, we have a stack of non-event films that were critically dismissed and commercially barely seen....shortly we have not one but two films rated 4.4 on imd....The Swarm and The Cyclops (the full 66 minutes of a black and white flop). How do they expect to "sell" quality releases (like the swag of MGM quality real classics - i.e. commercially and critically) when they are jumbled in with the many schlock titles? Is this what today's buying market want? Are Warner so in touch with the buying public of today?

But, just for the record (and for this now re-located post), please list your 10 top desired.

 

[ahollis]

I would be in for THE LAST OF SHEILA and MY FAVOURITE YEAR.

 

[M90GM]

WAC's quality in picture and sound is well worth the wait; whatever our desired titles may be. And their prices can't be beat. Therefore, it only stands to reason that WAC would also have their fingers on the marketing pulse, as well. No doubt, we're a classy, tasteful and particular breed at HTF; and so it comes as no surprise that some of their releases might be considered as schlock to some. Imagine what that counter-audience thought when we, ourselves, were treated to "Father of the Bride", "Brigadoon", "Battleground", "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", "Far From the Madding Crowd", "The Boy Friend", "Finian's Rainbow", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", "Yankee Doodle Dandy", "The Ballad of Cable Hogue", "Victor/Victoria", "S.O.B.", "The Sunshine Boys", "The Goodbye Girl", "Love in the Afternoon", "Silk Stockings", "Spencer's Mountain", "The Unsinkable Molly Brown", "The Wrong Man" and "I Confess". While we say "schlock" to theirs, I bet they're saying "Old School" to ours. I know its hard to imagine, but there are actually people out there who couldn't give a hoot about Bogie and Bacall; so try to further imagine the horror from their side of the coin when we were treated to all four of the Bogie and Bacall films. One right after the other; month after month. And to make matters even worse, WAC saw to it that we got treated to both versions of "The Big Sleep", as well. Such audacity, indeed.

In other words, I feel that everyone's getting their quota; just not quite as fast, though, as our instantaneous imaginations may wish. I, myself, have given up on "Ryan's Daughter"; but never have I given up on WAC.

With WAC, patience gains us quality; and one can not argue that they've produced both visual and audible excellence across the boards.

Of course you are correct - they have given us many obvious big 2nd tier releases and the quality has been consistently brilliant. The schlock releases dont make sense given my communications with George at WA who is clearly passionate about his "old boss' films" (Turner / MGM).
Most of the replies to my repetitive posts (as schlock builds) seem to miss the point I make ...the level of blu ray releases is falling lower than ever as clearly shown with this week's announcement of The Cyclops. Just a 66 minute b/w film that went nowhere and had one of the all time lowest imd ratings of 4.4.......I'm like a dog at a bone I know but yes it seems the modern audience for great old films is almost non existent ...in my business we look at the options of what the consumer our customer might want. Warner have to be given a bravery award for spending the money to upgrade a film like The Cyclops hoping for a modern day audience given the reality of the product.

I think I need to lie low and get on with my business and stop relieving my movie collecting frustration.

 

[PMF]

Of course you are correct - they have given us many obvious big 2nd tier releases and the quality has been consistently brilliant. The schlock releases dont make sense given my communications with George at WA who is clearly passionate about his "old boss' films" (Turner / MGM).
Most of the replies to my repetitive posts (as schlock builds) seem to miss the point I make ...the level of blu ray releases is falling lower than ever as clearly shown with this week's announcement of The Cyclops. Just a 66 minute b/w film that went nowhere and had one of the all time lowest imd ratings of 44...I'm like a dog at a bone I know but yes it seems the modern audience for great old films is almost non existent ...in my business we look at the options of what the consumer our customer might want. Warner have to be given a bravery award for spending the money to upgrade a film like The Cyclops hoping for a modern day audience given the reality of the product.

I think I need to lie low and get on with my business and stop relieving my movie collecting frustration.

Still, you have not listed your own Top 10 most desired BD's that may be in the WAC library. Perhaps, by listing such titles, the HTF membership may also contribute their comments; in the hopes that your choices are further read as not just the wishes of a single voice.

As RAH once wrote in my thread and campaign for the BD release of "Ryan's Daughter", "WB is, and has been, fully aware". And their being aware is all that we can ask; as I am certain this fully expands to the titles and wish-lists of all others.
As time has passed, I looked at the larger picture; being WAC, Twilight Time, Criterion and whomever; as you can bank on many things:

A) The enormity of any given library is immense, as are the demands being placed, as well.
B) These are not pizza orders-to-go; and excellent work is painstaking.
C) They have their reasons for each and every release; even though we may not know why.
D) All groups are in business; so believe that they are being competitive and plan to stay in business, too.
E) Every title transferred to BD will have its newer issues and criterias, unlike those presented in the DVD format.
F) Our BD collections are light years ahead of what we ever could have dreamt from over a decade, ago.

These 6 aforementioned points, of course, are only from a lay-persons perspective. I am not an insider nor a financial nor technical whiz-kid. These are all nothing more than summations coming hopefully from a common-logic mind.

As it is, I could easily cite a good many dozen or more desires, myself;
but, as of late, I have taken great stock in the riches we've amassed.

In the final analysis, it comes down to two things:
Either have patience, or just accept the idea that our personally desired titles ain't never gonna see the light of day. I, myself, would opt for the latter; as there is less frustration involved - and any surprises to the contrary will be all the more exciting, if it happens.

FILE UNDER: "Dr. Strangelove...or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the DVD".

 

[davidmatychuk]

How about the promise of letting people from Canada and other countries order directly from them some day? Somehow our public library gets them. I usually order when Amazon.com gets them. Once I ordered, to my sister in Chicago, had her re-package and send it on to where I live near Toronto.

Try ordering from TCM.com. It's worked well for me in far-flung Vancouver. They have frequent sales, too.

 

[JohnMor]

I would love to see The Last of Sheila.

 

[AnthonyClarke]

I Third the recommendation of 'The Last of Sheila'. Not so much for picture quality, which is pretty good on DVD, but in the hope that something can be done to improve audibiiity of the awful muffled soundtrack which sounds like it was recorded in a swamp.

 

[TheSteig]

Im always happy to share my own wishlist.. Id love Blu-ray releases from WAC or WHV whichever really..
The Giant Behemoth
Mark of the Vampire
The Last Dinosaur
The Thing from Another World
Attack of the 50 ft Woman
The Damned Dont Cry
Eight Legged Freaks
Captain Sindbad
The ENTIRE Thin Man series
The first four Tarzan Johnny Weissmuller movies
High Sierra
Side Street
They Drive by Night
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 1932
Dr. X
The Mask of Fu Manchu
Now Voyager
Mr. Skeffington
In this Our Life
Strange Cargo
Sadie Mckee
The Late Show
The First Deadly Sin
The Bermuda Depths
The Lady in the Lake
Clash by Night
One Way Passage
Daddys Gone A Hunting
Across to Singapore
Red Headed Woman and other Forbidden Hollywood fruits
The Charlie Chan movies w/ WB
Okay the majority of my WAC DVDs
There's a mouthful !

 

[Stefano B]

Now that Kino Lorber Insider just announced the release of Bend of the River (1952) and also hinted that both Winchester 73 (1950) and The Far Country (1954) may be not far behind (the former possibly from Criterion), wouldn't it be great if Warner Archive announced The Naked Spur (1953) so as to finally get all of the Mann/Stewart westerns on blu-ray? I know the available elements required some proper restoration, let's hope they're working on it...now, THAT would certainly be a quality release to look forward to!

 

[Alan Tully]

As I've said before (& am saying again), Warner's problem is that they have so many great films. For everyone they delight, there's ten they disappoint.

 

[Dick]

Im always happy to share my own wishlist.. Id love Blu-ray releases from WAC or WHV whichever really..
Daddys Gone A Hunting

I have to wonder how many of us remember this really well-done thriller from 1969? It never got past the DVD stage, but well deserves to. It was directed by the wonderful Mark Robson, and has an amazingly tense climax. This was released by National General. Does Warner Bros. own all of its library?

 

[TheSteig]

Im not 100% sure, but I do own Daddys Done a Hunting on DVD from WAC
You never know, maybe it will wind up on Blu-ray for their October slate ?

 

[Dick]

Im not 100% sure, but I do own Daddys Done a Hunting on DVD from WAC
You never know, maybe it will wind up on Blu-ray for their October slate ?

I think the Halloween titles for 2018 have pretty much all been announced, seeing as how we're only 6 weeks out. There's always 2019, for those of us still around.

 

[PMF]

Im always happy to share my own wishlist.. Id love Blu-ray releases from WAC or WHV whichever really..
The Giant Behemoth
Mark of the Vampire
The Last Dinosaur
The Thing from Another World
Attack of the 50 ft Woman
The Damned Dont Cry
Eight Legged Freaks
Captain Sindbad
The ENTIRE Thin Man series
The first four Tarzan Johnny Weissmuller movies
High Sierra
Side Street
They Drive by Night
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 1932
Dr. X
The Mask of Fu Manchu
Now Voyager
Mr. Skeffington
In this Our Life
Strange Cargo
Sadie Mckee
The Late Show
The First Deadly Sin
The Bermuda Depths
The Lady in the Lake
Clash by Night
One Way Passage
Daddys Gone A Hunting
Across to Singapore
Red Headed Woman and other Forbidden Hollywood fruits
The Charlie Chan movies w/ WB
Okay the majority of my WAC DVDs
There's a mouthful !

From your wish-list of 31 titles, my top 5 votes would be:

High Sierra
Now Voyager
Mr. Skeffington
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)
and the ENTIRE Thin Man series.

 

[RICK BOND]

Billy Batson.....SHE (1965) Hammer. That would be nice ! The Hammer WB titles are Long over due ! ?? : (

 

[PMF]

My top 5 Wish-List titles from WAC:

"Sergeant York"
"Angels With Dirty Faces"
"Four Daughters"
"Jezebel"
"The Letter"

 

[RICK BOND]

Captain Blood, Charge of the Light Brigade, The Sea Hawk, The Master of Ballantrae, The Warriors, High Sierra, They Drive by Night, Across the Pacific, Action in the North Atlantic, Black Legion, The Roaring Twenties, Each Dawn I Die, G Men, City for Conquest, Bullets or Ballots. A few from MY Wishlist. : )

 

[Quatermass II]

How come there aren't more people asking for Friendly Persuasion on Blu-ray from Warner Archive?

I watched the DVD of it tonight, and it's such a lovely film with wonderful performances, a tender, funny, and heartwarming story, and superb William Wyler direction. The DVD transfer certainly needs work with debris and dirt and some damage, but it's not too far gone, and the color isn't terrible.

It's on my 'want' list, too - I'd buy it for sure.