Warner Random Speculation

[Antoine Doinel]

Yet another discussion about a digital download system that promises to take advantage of the huge Warner vaults but in practice will probably only be applied to popular titles. Just the infrastructure and investment required to host and restore the films, would make the project cost prohibitive. Moreover, with high definition becoming a standard within the next five years, this will all become moot. No one is going to pay money to download or burn a film in regular DVD, when they will pay a few bucks more to get it in HD.

I think the studios are really overevaluating how much of a "demand" there is for this. Why would I stand and wait for ten minutes for a disk to burn and print when I could walk over and immediately grab it off the shelf or better yet sit at home and order it off web? Unless it was an obscure title which brings back the rate-of-return argument. As much as I would like to see as much pre-code film as I can Warner isn't going to make them all widely available because the market isn't there to pay off the initial investment.

It will be interesting to see what comes of this but I'm not holding my breath.

[patrick]

I would kill for that Russell box. Warner Bros. seems to have no problem releasing things unrated, so I'm guessing that they must still hate The Devils as much now as they did when it was originally released. I know Warner Brothers doesn't license titles out but it really seems like the best option in this case - hell, sell the film outright to Janus or a similar company, I doubt anyone would balk at paying a fair price for a classic film that is highly desired. To me, licensing out titles to companies like Criterion and Anchor Bay that serve a specific audience is much smarter than just letting things languish in the vault.

From the way it sounded in the HTF chat we'll be getting new Eastwood discs sometime in the near future (if I recall correctly they mentioned that Malpaso was handling them in-house), but I'm guessing they'll do an update of the Clint Eastwood Collection line (like the new Kubrick Collection) instead of putting them in the Director's Series. And the "70's Mavericks" box sounds like a great idea, I've always been shocked that Brewster McCloud seems to be such a low priority for WB.

[Lino]

From here:

The details of this initiative will be announced in January and will introduce a number of branded collections throughout 2008 -- new-to-DVD, High Definition debuts and Ultimate Collector's Editions. Additional information will be revealed soon

[shearerchic]

I can't wait to see what else is going to be released. I'm expecting sets for John Garfield, Bette Davis Vol 3, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney Vol 2, Bogie Vol 3, Ann Sheridan, Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn Vol 3, Doris Day Vol 3, Kay Francis, William Powell and Busby Berkeley Vol. 2.

Also with the recent success of The Jazz Singer, I hope that opens the floodgates where Jolson's early musicals will also come out to dvd.

[domino harvey]

cmon Mitchum Vol 2

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

I would die happy for a release of Ambersons. Nothing more, nothing less. Let's pray for a deluxe package too, much like Rio Bravo and The Jazz Singer got this year.

Gives me an excuse to get rid of my old laserdisc version too (although there is great artwork by Norman Rockwell inside).

[sherlockjr]

With an anniversary that goes back to the age of the Silents, how 'bout that elusive box set of . . . silents!

[Cold Bishop]

Ken Russell and Zabriskie Point, dammit...

[Joe Buck]

I would die happy for a release of Ambersons.

Word. I made sure to stay alive this year. I avoided potential car accidents, food poisoning, and electrocution, all to ensure I was here to see The Magnificent Ambersons on DVD proper in 2008. I hope we don't have to wait too long. Let's hope it was worth the wait.

[Cinephrenic]

I'm thinking Warner will bring the last of its classic catalog out this year. They probably focus on HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs and possible re-issues.

[OliverB]

I'm thinking Warner will bring the last of its classic catalog out this year. They probably focus on HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs and possible re-issues.

why would they ever do that when it's their biggest money makers?

I can assure you... not the case.

[HerrSchreck]

I'm thinking Warner will bring the last of its classic catalog out this year. They probably focus on HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs and possible re-issues.

If they get out half of their "classic" catalog's silent holdings (meaning mgm) in 08, we'll be very lucky. This stuff was supposed to be out already. I'm talking the most basic stuff already announced, like the Stroeheim, the second Chaney set off TCM, the Vidors, the two classic Seastrom/Gish's WIND & SCARLET LETTER.

If they find a way to release those, plus at least vol2 of pre-codes, find a way to get out The Big House and a complete uncensored Tex Avery, 2008 will be a banner year for me.

O yea and Busby vol2.

[Lino]

Ken Russell and Zabriskie Point, dammit...

And Brewster McCloud, too! And more RKO!

[MichaelB]

I would kill for that Russell box. Warner Bros. seems to have no problem releasing things unrated, so I'm guessing that they must still hate The Devils as much now as they did when it was originally released.

I suspect they hate it even more now that the "rape of Christ" footage has been reinstated - bearing in mind that they never saw that originally, as Russell cut it out prior to screening it for WB execs.

Has The Devils ever been released in the US in anywhere close to its original form? (By which I mean the original British release version, not the 2004 definitive cut) From what I hear, Warners cut it to ribbons to avoid an X rating, and the MPAA gave it one anyway.

[Cold Bishop]

Has The Devils ever been released in the US in anywhere close to its original form? (By which I mean the original British release version, not the 2004 definitive cut) From what I hear, Warners cut it to ribbons to avoid an X rating, and the MPAA gave it one anyway.

This brings me to another question, has the 2004 cut, rape of christ/charred-bone scene and all, played here in America yet.

[MichaelB]

I had thought at the time - but could well be wrong - the US release version was complete. In any case it was indentical to a version released a couple of years later in Australia - I certainly remember stuff like naked Glenda over the sewer grille being masturbated by someone with a crucifix etc,

I think you're fusing the image from the closing scene of The Music Lovers with your memory of The Devils - Glenda Jackson is in the former, but not the latter. Also, Glenda gets naked but Vanessa Redgrave (her counterpart in The Devils) doesn't.

but I don't recall any "rape of Christ" scene. Was it the case only the original Brit cut was complete, but was released precensored for other teritories? Do tell...

No-one other than Russell, editor Michael Bradsell and the BBFC's John Trevelyan would have seen the "rape of Christ" scene prior to 2004 - it was removed before the final assembly of the film as Trevelyan advised Russell that while he admired the film and would fight tooth and nail to get it passed, he knew that that scene would be a step too far. (It was probably sensible politics, since even without that scene most of the BBFC was strongly opposed to passing the film, and it was only the advocacy of Trevelyan and the BBFC President Lord Harlech - a devout Catholic, which helped - that saved it).

Prior to 2004, the British cut was the longest one (as it formed the basis of all subsequent versions released elsewhere), though the BBFC still removed about 90 seconds from what Russell finally submitted. From what I hear - though my source is Russell himself, who has a polemical interest in making Warner out to be as damaging as possible - in the US Warner Bros basically cut out everything involving frontal nudity, rendering some of the later scenes borderline incomprehensible. The end result still got an X rating, making the whole exercise rather pointless.

In 2004, following the rediscovery of the believed-lost "rape of Christ" footage and one or two other excised bits, Russell and Bradsell prepared a new cut which was screened at the NFT in London (where I saw it) and one or two places elsewhere in Britain - but I'm not sure if it's been exported yet. At the time, Russell believed a DVD release was imminent, and he's also recorded a commentary (and a BBFC spokesman was in the audience to confirm that it would get a straight 18 certificate with no cuts) - but since then, nothing.

[MichaelB]

(Altho not hetero and "qualified" to comment I find them both profoundly unattractive actresses. Far far preferred Glenda as a politico and the best ever disruptresse of the Academy Awards.)

Er... I think you're still thinking of Vanessa! (Was it the "Zionist hoodlums" speech?) And Glenda's career as a politician has been less than distinguished, though as I worked in her constituency for a few years I've had more of an opportunity to see it in close-up.

Anyway, this gives me a perfect excuse to print part of the late Auberon Waugh's take on The Music Lovers, which should give you a pretty accurate insight into what a heterosexual writer makes of that film:

One can't really blame Tchaikovsky for preferring boys. Anybody might become a homosexualist who had once seen Glenda Jackson naked. Since she has been kind enough to show it to us, I must remark that she has a most unusual configuration in her pubic hair. It seems to grow in a narrow tuft, like the hairstyle of the Last of the Mohicans. I wonder if Ms Jackson has any Red Indian blood. If so, it might explain why there are no more Mohicans.

[BWilson]

Why would I stand and wait for ten minutes for a disk to burn and print when I could walk over and immediately grab it off the shelf or better yet sit at home and order it off web?

That's not how it would work. Download on demand would be the only way to get an obscure title. There wouldn't be a manufactured copy siting on a shelf.

[Antoine Doinel]

Why would I stand and wait for ten minutes for a disk to burn and print when I could walk over and immediately grab it off the shelf or better yet sit at home and order it off web?

That's not how it would work. Download on demand would be the only way to get an obscure title. There wouldn't be a manufactured copy siting on a shelf.

Right. But as I mentioned it would be worthless for WB to invest in burn-on-demand for obscure titles. Given the infrastructure set up it would only make sense if popular titles were available.

However, given Apple's annoucement yesterday, if Warner moved to an iTunes styled web format, where one could download high quality transfers of the films - for rent or purchase - directly to their computer it would be a great way to get their entire catalog out there and reduce the overhead immensely.

[mogwai]

From Warner Brothers:

“You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story” - New Documentary Is Centerpiece Of Warner Home Video’s Year-Long Celebration Of Studio’s 85th Anniversary

(February 5, 2008 – Burbank, CA) – On April 4, 1923, four brothers from Youngstown, Ohio (Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack L. Warner) officially incorporated their new motion picture company which to this day continues to entertain the world with great films.

Throughout 2008, Warner Home Video (WHV) will celebrate Warner Bros. (WB) Studios’ 85th anniversary with an initiative that will debut more than 50 new-to-DVD feature films along with its centerpiece, “You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story,” an illuminating new documentary produced, written and directed by award-winning filmmaker and Time magazine Senior Film critic Richard Schickel. Clint Eastwood narrates.

As part of the partnership with American Masters, “You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story” will be broadcast nationally as a three-part special in September 2008.

Susan Lacy, the creator and executive producer of “American Masters,” which is produced by Thirteen/WNET New York, noted "Given our long co-producing relationship with Warner Bros. -- on such projects as George Cukor, Gene Kelly, Judy Garland and John Ford/John Wayne - it is thrilling and appropriate that American Masters can bring ‘You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story’ to PBS."

“PBS’ ‘American Masters’ is acclaimed for its exceptional documentaries illuminating our collective past, whether through individual achievements, or in this case, through the vision of a film studio,” said John F. Wilson, Sr. Vice President and Chief TV Programming Executive, PBS. “Exploring this impressive body of Warner Bros. films to more fully understand America’s unique place in history will be a wonderful and entertaining journey for our viewers.”

The DVD debuts in September. Simultaneously, a 550-page full-color companion book -- written by Schickel and George Perry, with an introduction by Eastwood -- will be published worldwide. George Perry is the former The Times of London film critic and is the author of many books on film.

In the documentary, Schickel chronicles the history of Warner Bros. in an unprecedented way, using excerpts from hundreds of Warner Bros.’ films to illustrate how many of the studio’s films have served as a mirror of the values, mores and attitudes of the eras in which they were produced.

“This documentary is definitely in Richard’s DNA. His fascination with Warner Bros. goes back to his boyhood in Milwaukee where the only theatre in town was owned by Warner,” said George Feltenstein, Senior Vice President, Theatrical Catalog Marketing, and Warner Home Video. “It’s a groundbreaking work that, rather than dealing with executive intrigue, contract disputes or casting couch adventures, focuses on the studio’s films as a microcosm of America’s cultural and social history. It’s a unique cinematic achievement which has never been attempted on this level ever before - for this or any studio.”

To help celebrate the 85th anniversary year, from the vast WB library among the industry’s most celebrated movies, more than 50 are being restored for their DVD release this year including: “All This And Heaven, Too,” “The Beast With Five Fingers,” “Black Legion,” “Brother Orchid,” “Deception,” “Flamingo Road,” “Gold Diggers Of 1937,” “Inside Daisy Clover,” “Kid Galahad,” “Lady Killer,” “The Mayor Of Hell,” “Night Nurse,” “None But The Brave,” “Pete Kelly’s Blues,” “San Antonio,” “Thank Your Lucky Stars,” “Three On A Match,” “Virginia City” and “Watch On The Rhine.”

New special editions of Warner Bros. Pictures favorites including “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “Gypsy,” “Risky Business,” and “Splendor in the Grass” are also set for the anniversary year celebration. A number of other new-to-DVD special editions and thematic box sets drawn from Warner’s classic MGM and RKO collections will also be part of this anniversary slate.

Each quarter of 2008 will be marked with the release of several timeless collections, such as Frank Sinatra, Dirty Harry, Gangsters, Super Heroes, Musicals, Westerns, Oscars and more.

On August 31, the Hollywood Bowl’s “Big Picture” night will honor the studio’s magnificent movie music legacy with a special Warner Bros. musical concert to be held at the famed 18,000 seat amphitheatre. The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, led by one of Hollywood’s foremost composers, David Newman, will perform music to accompany pivotal and well-known scenes from classic Warner Bros. films.

More about the Schickel Documentary

Clint Eastwood, who has worked with Richard Schickel on a number of projects, will narrate the documentary. The creative force behind many earlier works about Warner’s talented stars and directors, Schickel now takes on the task of telling the studio's entire history, with each sequence underscoring the crucial roles Warner Bros. and its films have played in portraying our society, a role the studio still plays today, some 85 years after its incorporation.

Through the use of rare archival interviews, some of which have not been seen for decades, as well as a great deal of newly photographed material, Schickel celebrates the colorful legacy of Warner Bros. throughout the decades, featuring cleverly assembled film clips from literally hundreds of films. Each of the documentary's hour-long sequences focus on a specific period in the studio's history, from the silent movie days and the development of sound, the depression, WWII, the advent of television, the onset of new technologies, and even the broadening and diversification of media companies in recent years.

Schickel engagingly retraces the legendary insights and demystifies the myths of some of Hollywood’s most magnificent productions such as “The Jazz Singer,” “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” “Casablanca,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “To Have and Have Not,” “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Giant,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “The Exorcist,” “All The President’s Men” and the Batman and Harry Potter films; and talent from the likes of legends such as Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Paul Newman, James Dean, Doris Day, James Cagney, Joan Crawford, Paul Newman, Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro, Barbra Streisand and George Clooney. As the films from Warner Bros. studios have served as a roadmap and mirror of our social history, “You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story” is sure to be viewed as an entertaining and unique roadmap to the colorful history of Hollywood and filmed entertainment.

For more information about Richard Schickel and his work, visit www.richardschickel.com

Q1 - Oscars and Warner Gangsters

• Bonnie and Clyde UCE, Special Edition
• GoodFellas: Special Edition
• Heat: Special Edition
• Once Upon a Time in America: Special Edition
• True Romance: Special Edition
• Film Noir Classics Collection: Volume 1
• Film Noir Classics Collection: Volume 2
• Film Noir Classics Collection: Volume 3
• Film Noir Classics Collection: Volume 4
• Warner Bros. Tough Guys Collection (6-Pack)
• Warner Gangsters Collection (6-Pack)

Q2 - Sinatra and Dirty Harry

• 2 New-To-DVD Frank Sinatra Box Sets:

“The Golden Years” & “The Early Years”

• The Man with Golden Arm
• None But the Brave
• Some Came Running
• The Tender Trap
• Marriage on the Rocks
• Double Dynamite, Step Lively
• It Happened In Brooklyn
• The Kissing Bandit

• New WHV 3-Film Box Set:

Sinatra & Kelly Collection

• Take Me Out to the Ball Game
• On the Town
• Anchor’s Aweigh

New “Rat Pack Ultimate Collector’s Edition” with exclusive “first-run” stamps, a music CD, and rare collectibles

• Ocean’s Eleven
• 4 for Texas
• Robin and the 7 Hoods
• Sergeants 3

All five Dirty Harry films in an Ultimate Collector’s Edition

• Dirty Harry 2-Disc Special Edition (1971)
• Magnum Force Deluxe Edition (1973)
• The Enforcer Deluxe Edition (1976)
• Sudden Impact Deluxe Edition (1983)
• Dead Pool Deluxe Edition (1988)
• Bonus Disc Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows

Q3 – Superheroes, Musicals, Westerns

• “Batman Begins Limited Edition Gift Set”
• “Batman Anthology BD”
• “How The West Was Won UCE”
• “How The West Was Won Special Edition”
• “How The West Was Won HD-BD”
• “Errol Flynn Westerns”
• “Western Classics Collection”

”Classic Musicals From The Dream Factory Volume 3

• Hit The Deck
• Kismet
• Deep in My Heart
• Broadway Melody of 1936/ Broadway Melody of 1938
• Born to Dance/Lady Be Good
• Nancy Goes To Rio/Two Weeks With Love

Q4 - Horror/Sci-Fi and Holiday

• A new classic DVD Horror collection starring Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre among others
• “Warner Bros Holiday Collection”
• “A Christmas Story Ultimate Collector’s Edition”

Not sure what's up with the Q1 titles, seeing as they've all been released (aside from the upcoming Bonnie and Clyde).

[miless]

Oh man... WB is going to be releasing The Man With The Golden Arm?
I've been holding off on the PD 'special edition' but now WB will do it justice (even though probably only available in that Sinatra set)

[jaredsap]

This makes things a little clearer. Pretty disappointing lineup so far, although the fact that Beatty was on hand for the announcements tonight makes that SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS double-dip sound more promising.

[Gigi M.]

Still no sign of the promise silents.

[Zazou dans le Metro]

Still no sign of the promise silents.

An ominous silence.

[dx23]

Still no sign of the promise silents.

But there is a SE of Risky Business coming on.

I would love to know what happened with Greed and the promised DVD release as well as the Dark City re-release. Most of the first quarter films are just re-released of in print discs with probably a new banner in the cover indicating either Warners 85th b-day or a "gangters" theme banner.

The other thing that intrigues me is the listing of How the West Was Won on HD-DVD in the 3rd quarter releases.

On a side note, was there a DVD Decision in 2007? That was a great promotion for the WB catalog.