Warner Box Sets

[DrewReiber]

So I was thinking about how Warner has announced a crapload of boxsets recently, and I began to think about exactly how much of a shift they are making towards collections over single releases. Last year they released the Martin Scorsese, Film Noir and Alfred Hitchcock Collections, which seemed to do very well.

So far, they've already announced 5+ sets through April (at least two a month), and the average effort included remastered transfers, featurettes, commentaries, Warner's A Night at the Movies feature and trailer for nearly $8 a disc when you order online. I've heard that they were planning Buzby Berkley and Sam Peckinpah boxsets, but what else? There must be at least a dozen more planned....

[Gregory]

Last year they said they were working on a Garbo collection and a Thin Man box set for 2005. The long-awaited Val Lewton box set was mentioned on this forum as possibly a 9-disc set coming in October.
They're also working on the next film noir and Looney Tunes sets.

The next announcement I'd like to see is a lavish collection of more of Katharine Hepburn's 1930s RKO films. They've released two of these as stand-alones (Little Women, Alice Adams) and two more are in the Classic Comedies set (Stage Door, Bringing Up Baby), leaving 10 more in limbo. They seem to be releasing the ones they think will sell best first, as they often do, but I hope they don't stop there.

They also said they were clearing the way for East Of Eden. There are several more unrealeased Kazans that Warner owns, so maybe they'll do a box set.

[DrewReiber]

Last year they said they were working on a Garbo collection and a Thin Man box set for 2005. The long-awaited Val Lewton box set was mentioned on this forum as possibly a 9-disc set coming in October.
They're also working on the next film noir and Looney Tunes sets.

Has there been any word on what might be in the next noir set?

The next announcement I'd like to see is a lavish collection of more of Katharine Hepburn's 1930s RKO films. They've released two of these as stand-alones (Little Women, Alice Adams) and two more are in the Classic Comedies set (Stage Door, Bringing Up Baby), leaving 10 more in limbo. They seem to be releasing the ones they think will sell best first, as they often do, but I hope they don't stop there.

I figure that the opportune time for Warner to release those Hepburn titles would be to coincide with the DVD release of The Aviator. I hope Universal is also smart enough to finally put Hawks' Scarface out as a seperate disc at that time.

There is a massive Batman (all 4 films, 2 discs each) box set hitting sometime around May or June, I think. I haven't had a chance to snag the Tarzan set yet, but I do hope they eventually put the second Weismuller series out as a set too.

They also said they were clearing the way for East Of Eden. There are several more unrealeased Kazans that Warner owns, so maybe they'll do a box set.

How many other major directors' filmographies have large amounts of titles in Warner's catalogue?

[Gregory]

Has there been any word on what might be in the next noir set?

Not that I know of, and it's tough to guess because Warner owns well over 100 films that could be considered noir. I guess it all depends on what they think will sell, what they can find in the vaults, and the condition of the films.

I figure that the opportune time for Warner to release those Hepburn titles would be to coincide with the DVD release of The Aviator. I hope Universal is also smart enough to finally put Hawks' Scarface out as a seperate disc at that time.

That would be great. I haven't even seen The Aviator, but hey, whatever it takes!

How many other major directors' filmographies have large amounts of titles in Warner's catalogue?

Oh, quite a few, but most classic Hollywood directors don't have major name-recognition with most of the DVD-buying public, even among fans of classic film. Hitchcock had major star appeal, but for the most part I think we'll see a lot more actor-themed or genre-themed sets.

[DrewReiber]

Oh, quite a few, but most classic Hollywood directors don't have major name-recognition with most of the DVD-buying public, even among fans of classic film. Hitchcock had major star appeal, but for the most part I think we'll see a lot more actor-themed or genre-themed sets.

I agree about the themed boxes, but the Sam Peckinpah box is pretty signifigant to me. He's not Hitchcock, but the box is nothing to sneeze at either. Is there anyone else of that kind of stature you can think of that Warner might be able to highlight?

[buskeat]

Didn't someone mention Astaire/Rogers films finally coming out before the end of 2005? I would imagine there'd be a boxed set for that. And, gosh willing, a set with ALL of them.

[Ashirg]

Didn't someone mention Astaire/Rogers films finally coming out before the end of 2005? I would imagine there'd be a boxed set for that. And, gosh willing, a set with ALL of them.

Let's see how many they got together!
The Gay Divorcee, Top Hat, Follow the Fleet, Swing Time, Shall We Dance, Carefree, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle and their only MGM musical The Barkleys of Broadway.
They were also together in Flying Down to Rio and Roberta.

[justeleblanc]

Didn't someone also mention a Ken Russell box set slated for 2006 from Warner Bros?

[DrewReiber]

Didn't someone also mention a Ken Russell box set slated for 2006 from Warner Bros?

I know they've mentioned The Devils a few times. Does Warner own a lot of his films?

[Lino]

From this thread:

http://www.criterionforum.org/forum/vie ... php?t=1013

I remember hearing from someone who was in the loop with Warner Brothers that they were actually working on DVDs of every Ken Russell film they controlled, in order to release them all at once. This would include "The Devils," "The Boyfriend," "Savage Messiah" and "Lisztomania," plus possibly a new SE of "Altered States."

The bad news: the tentative plan at that point was to have theam ready for release in March or April '06. So there's still going to be some time left to wait.

[oldsheperd]

Whatever happened to SEs of the Searchers, Stagecoach and Rebel Without a Cause? Any news?

[oldsheperd]

So I guess I can wait to buy the Searchers? Any news on Rebel Without a Cause SE?

[Michael Strangeways]

Considering they haven't released a lot of Gable, Tracy or Crawford movies, I wouldn't be surprised if we get Signature Collections dedicated to some of them....Red Dust, China Seas, Strange Cargo, Wife vs Secretary, Boom Town,San Francisco, Boys Town, Captains Courageous, Fury, A Woman's Face, Humoresque, Flamingo Road, and quite a few others are conspicuosly AWOL from the DVD format, considering most of those are pretty significant titles. And though I doubt it will happen, I'd love to see a Frank Borzage set appear. He made a lot of great movies at MGM but probably doesnt have enough name recognition to warrant a box set.

[Derek Estes]

Any news on Rebel Without a Cause SE?

There is a rumor that 2D SEs of Rebel & East of Eden will be released in Europe around May. I imagine they will release a James Dean Set around Sept. to coincide with the 50th anniversary of his death. Unless, they haven't cleared up the rights issue, that has kept Eden out of print for years. During the chat with Warners last March, they were hopeful to have everything cleared up for 50th anniversary releases this year.

[Gregory]

I can't find confirmation of this on the USA Today website, but here is what one DVD Talk poster discovered in the paper today:

On May10th Warner will release its Controversial Classics Collection:

I am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932)
Fury (1936)
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
Blackboard Jungle (1955)
A Face in the Crowd (1957)
Advise and Consent (1962)
The Americanization of Emily (1964)

All will contain a commentary or feature about the films impact and legacy.

$20.00 each or $80.00 for the set

That news just made my week -- I've been eagerly awaiting some of those films for years. I don't like Blackboard Jungle, though, and don't really know much about Americanization of Emily.

[kazantzakis]

Wasnt "Fugitive" one of the losers of the latest TCM - Warners poll?
"Fury" would be great news indeed...

[Gregory]

Yes, it was a total loser in that loser of contests, despite my get-out-the-vote efforts. I hope people will check it out when it becomes available -- it's a remarkable film.

[kazantzakis]

Yes, it was a total loser in that loser of contests, despite my get-out-the-vote efforts. I hope people will check it out when it becomes available -- it's a remarkable film.

That was certainly surprising to me. It was one of the better known films on the list and LeRoy is a well-regarded filmmaker. Hopefully we wont have to wait through more polls to see "Greed" as well.

[Harold Gervais]

Seems as if Warner Bros. basically has plans to release them all and the DVD Decision polls are just a way of gauging interest and of determining what will sell well on its own and what might need the help of a box set.

That's pretty much what I was saying during the timeframe of the last poll. The window between annoucing and then releasing the "winning" movies is far too short for all of the discs up for vote not be in active development. It's a pretty smart marketing plan all the same.

[denti alligator]

So when's Greed coming?

[DrewReiber]

Here are the 20 titles in the 2003 DVD Decision poll: The Actress, After the Thin Man, Another Thin Man, The Asphalt Jungle, Bad Day at Black Rock, The Blackboard Jungle, Days of Wine and Roses, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Executive Suite, Finian's Rainbow, For Me and My Gal, The Good Earth, I'll Cry Tomorrow, Love Finds Andy Hardy, Night of the Iguana, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Where the Boys Are, The Wind and the Lion and Ziegfeld Girl...

...and the 20 in the 2004 poll: Greed, The Letter, Random Harvest, Ivanhoe, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, Test Pilot, The Search, Edge of the City, Dive Bomber, Captains of the Clouds, Bathing Beauty, King Solomon's Mines, Lust For Life, Party Girl, All Fall Down, Operation Crossbow, International Velvet, The Shoes of the Fisherman, Ice Station Zebra, Kansas City Bomber

Which leaves us...

The Actress, After the Thin Man, Another Thin Man, Executive Suite, The Good Earth, I'll Cry Tomorrow, Night of the Iguana, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Greed, Test Pilot, The Search, Edge of the City, Dive Bomber, Captains of the Clouds, Bathing Beauty, Lust For Life, Party Girl, All Fall Down, Operation Crossbow, International Velvet, The Shoes of the Fisherman, and Kansas City Bomber.

Oh, they'll definitely get a few box sets out of those. A war-themed box of somekind... maybe an unbelievably generalized one about "beauties" or some such nonsense... some remaining noir, I think... and a Thin Man two pack?

Here's my idea for a box set.... The Orson Welles Collection!

Warner are likely responsible for the new 35mm print of The Stranger that played last year at the American Cinematheque, because it was an RKO picture... and they're still sitting on Journey into Fear (uncredited co-director, co-writer and producer) and The Magnificent Ambersons. Give Ambersons the 2 disc treatment and throw in the existing Kane release, which I would gladly rebuy, and you would have one helluva a box set!

[Ashirg]

The Stranger is from MGM....

Thin Man boxset is definitely on the schedule to be released, maybe in a Tarzan-like set....

[DrewReiber]

The Stranger is from MGM....

Are you sure they still hold the rights? It was an RKO title, which was bought by MGM, when most of those titles have since been purchased by Warner. Considering their other purchases, it would make sense for Warner to have pulled that title from the catalogue during their massive purchases...

Does anyone know for sure?

[Ashirg]

http://www.criterionforum.org/forum/vie ... php?t=1139

[DrewReiber]

http://www.criterionforum.org/forum/vie ... php?t=1139

Yeah, it wasn't answered there either.