Warner Random Speculation

[dx23]

i really love voting for films to be released. warners should do it twice a year. i'm hoping there's an announcement within the next couple of weeks.

Criterion should do these promotions with titles sitting in their catalog. For example, have a vote as to which Ozu title they should work on next, or which Malle title. Sometimes they can't do this, but clearly for titles we know they have and which they could start working on at any minute, why not have a vote?

That should go for Fox, Universal, and Paramount. They need to listen to the consumer to know that we will buy the classics they have in their vaults.

Agreed. They could even do online store exclusive with those films so they don't have to overproduce them.

[patrick]

Doing Amazon (or whatever e-tailer they choose) exclusives based on customer demand is a great idea, hopefully studios will start picking up on it.

[Jeff]

Not upgrades exactly, but a few more Warner discs are slowly being purged of their snappers. I came across The Goonies, Full Metal Jacket, and Beetlejuice in keepcases at the Virgin Megastore in Denver today.

[fdm]

Actually, "How The West Was Won" is now in a keepcase, as part of the recent John Wayne collection reissues. Even alleges to be 16x9 on the back cover. Alas (just checked amazon), it's not. [Suspected as much with the zero pre-release hoo-rah-rah.]

Kind of entertaining to peruse the reviews on amazon, e.g., "What Has Happened to Warners"...

[barnyard078]

I saw at Best Buy that Ocean's 11 and The Matrix have also converted to keepcases. About friggin' time!

[Antoine Doinel]

Rumor is that an Ocean's trilogy boxset - with upgraded versions of the first two films - will be arriving by year's end so you might want to hold out for that.

[skuhn8]

Mildred Pierce and again Mildred Pierce. One of my favs. I've heald off on buying one until a stellar edition comes out.

[patrick]

Not upgrades exactly, but a few more Warner discs are slowly being purged of their snappers. I came across The Goonies, Full Metal Jacket, and Beetlejuice in keepcases at the Virgin Megastore in Denver today.

I guess they're trying to squeeze the last drops of blood from the stone, since both Full Metal Jacket and Beetlejuice are going to have new editions in the next year or so.

[Narshty]

Mildred Pierce and again Mildred Pierce. One of my favs. I've heald off on buying one until a stellar edition comes out.

Why isn't the current edition good enough? It's got a glorious transfer and a feature-length documentary on Joan Crawford.

[skuhn8]

Mildred Pierce and again Mildred Pierce. One of my favs. I've heald off on buying one until a stellar edition comes out.

Why isn't the current edition good enough? It's got a glorious transfer and a feature-length documentary on Joan Crawford.

I thought there was only a barebones one out there. I'm out of date. But THANKS!

[Awesome Welles]

Mildred Pierce and again Mildred Pierce. One of my favs. I've heald off on buying one until a stellar edition comes out.

Why isn't the current edition good enough? It's got a glorious transfer and a feature-length documentary on Joan Crawford.

I thought there was only a barebones one out there. I'm out of date. But THANKS!

Obviously I'm out of date too, I was thinking the same as Skuhn. I've just found it, it looks pretty good, thanks for the update on the transfer. Last time I looked for this there was no disc at all!

[What A Disgrace]

Regarding the Director's Series...supposing these series aren't always devoted to a single director? For example...a set devoted to maverick directors in the 70s, with special editions of Badlands, Brewster McCloud, Being There...and uh...Barry Lyndon?

[rwaits]

Has Warner indicated what other directors/films might comprise this new series? How often will further editions in the series be released?

[Luke M]

I have a pretty strong feeling Clint Eastwood will be the next director in the series. Possible choices include:

The Outlaw Josey Wales
A Perfect World
The Gauntlet
Firefox
Heartbreak Ridge
True Crime
Pale Rider
The Rookie
Bird
White Hunter Black Heart
Honkytonk Man
Sudden Impact
Bronco Billy

Other less-likely possibilities:
Blood Work
Space Cowboys
Unforgiven
Million Dollar Baby
Mystic River

[flyonthewall2983]

You forgot The Bridges Of Madison County. I think someone at WB hinted that Clint was helping them work on a new DVD for it, since the one out already isn't 16X9.

[What A Disgrace]

I've been thinking and speculating about possible entries into the series...and I've compiled a list of likelihoods, in my free time (and in my work time). This is how it might go down for a few directors.

King Vidor box - An obvious choice, considering Warner holds most of his silent work; certainly nearly all of his significant silent films, none of which are released.

- The Big Parade (two disc set, including The Men Who Made The Movies doc and more)
- / La Boheme (special edition; likely including Jack Knife Man if Warner would bother getting it...is it public domain?)
- The Crowd / The Wine of Youth (double disc double feature...starring the same actress, actress's character having the same name)
- The Patsy / Show People (double feature)

Nicholas Ray box - Also obvious, considering which of his films Warner owns, and has yet to release.
- Born to be Bad (debut; doesn't Warner own this?)
- The Lusty Men (debut)
- Party Girl (debut)
- King of Kings (two disc set...maybe not everyone's favourite Ray, but indisputedly his second or third most well known film. With a Ray doc.)
*Rebel Without a Cause already released; probably doesn't need re-inclusion.

William Wyler box - Obligatory; Wyler is one of the most neglected great directors as far as DVD goes.

- Jezebel (special edition as issued previously. I think it belongs, even if it was previously released)
- The Letter (two disc set; finally including the Engels version)
- Mrs. Miniver (two disc set; including a doc on Wyler; new or old, and the TV remake if Warner owns it)
- Friendly Persuasion (special edition remaster)
*Ben Hur probably does not need to be re-released.

Ernst Lubitsch box - See my description of Wyler.

- The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (debut)
- The Merry Widow (two disc set, with new/old docs on Chevalier and Lubitsch)
- The Shop Around the Corner (special edition, with commentary...preferably by Scott Eyman)
- To Be Or Not To Be (two disc set, with Jack Benny doc and more)

George Cukor Box - Sort of obvious.
What Price Hollywood? (debut)
- Little Women (special edition)
- The Women (two disc special edition; probably re-releasing the Men Who Made the Movies doc from Philadelphia Story)
- A Woman's Face (debut)
- Adam's Rib (special edition)
- A Song is Born (two disc set; already announced as in the works, no?)
*Philadelphia Story already released; probably doesn't need re-inclusion.

Raoul Walsh box - See Wyler and Lubitsch descriptions. Its kind of hard to see Warner doing this...though they hold many unreleased Walsh films, and he deserves it.
Strawberry Blonde (two disc set, with commentary and Men Who Made the Movies doc)
Uncertain Glory (debut)
Colorado Territory (debut)
Cheyenne (debut)
The Man I Love (debut)
*Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N. should be re-released and remastered progressively...though it doesn't seem likely.

Also consider the possibility that boxes in the Director's Series label may not all focus on the same director...a Maverick Film Makers of the 70s box could contain special editions of Badlands, Brewster McCloud, Being There, The Man Who Would Be King, and...uh...Barry Lyndon? And a box dedicated to the 60s could have special editions of America, America, Bonnie and Clyde, and Lolita.

Just some ideas.

[malcolm1980]

Where's In a Lonely Place in the Nicholas Ray box-set?

[Cinephrenic]

How is On Dangerous Ground a debut? It is already on DVD and in one of Warner's Noir boxes.

[Via_Chicago]

Where's In a Lonely Place in the Nicholas Ray box-set?

Because it's a Columbia film already released via Sony DVD?

[What A Disgrace]

How is On Dangerous Ground a debut? It is already on DVD and in one of Warner's Noir boxes.

Whoops. It was late.

[Lino]

Read all about it!

[Luke M]

And they're so happy about it!

[Joe Buck]

All I want is a place I can download Warner covers to replace the few snapcases I have left....namely, Driving Miss Daisy SE.

[Cronenfly]

With Warner only now starting up their Director's Series line, and given that Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, etc's films have already been released in fine boxsets, wouldn't Russell's films that Warner owns be the most obvious candidates for release of any other even near-contemporary director (beyond Clint)? I don't see too big a jump from Kubrick to Russell (well, it's still a jump, but both are well-known among cineastes). Russell just seems the most natural next choice to me (or, at least, somewhere soon down the line).

With O Lucky Man, Performance, Cruising, and the uncut Eyes Wide Shut having been released this year, I can't see Warner holding back on The Devils too much longer. And if they don't want to release any X/NC-17 movies, surely they could come up with some BS packaging like they did for EWS to smuggle it through as R (or pull some strings to get it re-rated R- nigh-impossible, I know, but there's always a chance).

Would the only possible titles be Lisztomania, The Devils, and Altered States (as an SE/DE)? Can anyone confirm for sure whether The Music Lovers, Boy Friend, Valentino, and Savage Messiah are United Artists/MGM or Warner property?

This could've easily gone in the Russell on DVD thread, but I thought it more pertinent to the Directors Series as a possible boxset. Given that Warner has unleashed a bunch of heretofore unlikelies this year, I have high hopes for the Russell ban to be lifted soon. Lino deserves a break from all the bootleg DVDs/LDs/etc.

[Lino]

Would the only possible titles be Lisztomania, The Devils, and Altered States (as an SE/DE)? Can anyone confirm for sure whether The Music Lovers, Boy Friend, Valentino, and Savage Messiah are United Artists/MGM or Warner property?

The Music Lovers is MGM/Fox; The Boy Friend is Warner; Valentino is MGM/Fox; and Savage Messiah is with Warner, too.

If you tally all that, imagine what a truly fantastic boxset it would make: The Devils, The Boy Friend, Savage Messiah, Lisztomania and Altered States! Hot cakes, indeed!Mahler is supposedly with Janus now (?) but that one would make an equally wonderful addition to the set.

What they could do is simply to start releasing them individually and from time to time and evaluate just how much interest there is on the part of the buying public for more Russell. With Cruising already out, it really can't be that long for The Devils, right?

However, let's not get our hopes too high because at this year's chat, Warner bluntly stated that they do not have any plans for the films mentioned here. They didn't even state any possible release dates. Damned republicans!!!

Lino deserves a break from all the bootleg DVDs/LDs/etc

Hear, hear! =D>