Warner Brothers Archive Collection (DVDs only)

[Ashirg]

I guess their logic is "We'd rather keep all money to ourselves than share it with anyone, like Criterion".

It's true about US rights with Beyond the Forest. I think there is a conflict with the estate of the author of the novel this film is based on (Stuart Engstrand). But the film was recently released in France on DVD-R in French equivalent of Warner Archive program - La collection TCM...

[Gregory]

That link is to a different film. Here?

[MoonlitKnight]

How do we know that this commentary wasn't recorded way back and the DVD simply never surfaced.

Several years ago at the last Warner chat I asked about Alex in Wonderland, and they said "we have no plans for this film, but we think it might be perfect for our new Warner Archive label" or something to that effect.

No film by any major filmmaker is "perfect" for this archive. [-(

[Matt]

No film by any major filmmaker is "perfect" for this archive. [-(

Can we please, now that we're 2.5 years into this, put a moratorium on this kind of whining? I think we all understand at this point that for most of these films, it's the Warner Archive or nothing at all. It's not 2005 anymore.

[Ashirg]

That link is to a different film. Here?

Yes. Thanks! Gregory got the correct link...

[otis]

A press release from Warner Bros. France has just appeared on DVDclassik, announcing the launch of the Warner Treasures collection, offering on-demand pressed DVDs:

Warner Bros. France has launched a collection of rare and unforgettable films, the Warner Treasures, never published on DVD in France and pressed on demand for Internet users. This first French collection of 30 numbered titles was made in partnership with TCM (Turner Classic Movies)...

The Warner Treasures collection is the equivalent of the Warner Archive initiative conducted in the United States, and whose purpose is to safeguard and enhance the heritage of the studio, offering DVD movies old and rare.

The choice of titles was guided by our discussions with TCM, and the desire to offer a wide selection of directors, eras and genres. New titles will be added to the first 30 by the end of the year, and we invite you to vote for your favorite titles soon on our Facebook page. The Treasures collection is sold exclusively on WarnerBros.fr, and it is not currently planned to be sold through other means.

We have taken great care in the production of this collection: the DVDs offered are pressed Zone 2 DVDs, and not DVD-R (burned). They are pressed on demand for each order.

Our teams and our suppliers have made a real restoration work on the masters we had in order to offer the films in the collection in the best possible quality. For some titles, we used the masters of TCM, which were of good quality, and for others we have ordered new masters in the United States. But be aware that the material in question is sometimes old, and minor defects of image or sound may remain. We emphasize that we have eliminated from the collection titles whose quality did not seem sufficient.

Warner Treasures DVDs are specifically made for the French market. As such, they include all the original version with subtitles. Some movies are also available in French (in addition to the VOST), when the material is relevant...

Titles available so far:
Today We Live (Hawks)
Brewster McCloud (Altman)
Background To Danger (Walsh)
Manpower (Walsh)
Lone Star (Sherman)
The Wagons Roll At Night (Enright)
The Rise & Fall Of Legs Diamond (Boetticher)
Bhowani Junction (Cukor)
Two Faced Woman (Cukor)
Colorado Territory (Walsh)
Beyond The Forest (Vidor)
Young Tom Edison (Taurog)
Tribute To A Bad Man (Wise)
Conflict (Bernhart)
The Seveneth Cross (Zinnemann)
The Mortal Storm (Borzage)
The Cobweb (Minnelli)
The Valley Of Decision (Garnett)
The Swan (Vidor)
The Tall Target (Mann)
Tiger Shark (Hawks)
Homecoming (Le Roy)
The Rain People (Coppola)
The Hucksters (Conway)
Mission of Danger (Tourneur/Waggner)
The Reluctant Debutante (Minnelli)
The Boy Friend (Russell)
Tea and Sympathy (Minnelli)
Green Mansions (Ferrer)
Private Lives (Franklin)

[htdm]

Why couldn't they have done this for zone 1?

[knives]

I hope to god these things ship US.

[Gregory]

I didn't think it was possible to "press on demand for each user" without "burning on demand" via DVD-R. Can someone please explain this? Is there any precedent for something like this?

[movielocke]

lol, it's probably burn on demand but because its in french (and w/ spine numbers, ZOMG!) it's automatically more awesome than the exact same WB archive, right?

[Peacock]

lol, it's probably burn on demand but because its in french (and w/ spine numbers, ZOMG!) it's automatically more awesome than the exact same WB archive, right?

Did you only read the first paragraph or something?

[Perkins Cobb]

Plus they'll be PAL, so you're better off getting the US version anyway, apart from the handful that haven't made it into the American Warner Archive yet.

[David M.]

Very interesting that they are able to press on demand!

[domino harvey]

Now this is just perverse: the Singing Nun has now cropped up on one of those Warners 4-Film Favorites (really just a repackaging of the big box Holiday sets)-- so you can once more get four films for the price of the one Warner Archive release!

[AfterTheRain]

New releases today, folks! New to the archives are:

Standard:
The Super Cops
Black Eye
Shaft: The TV Movie Collection
The Snow Devils
Moon Zero Two

Remastered:
Black Zoo
The Couch
Hysteria

[ellipsis7]

I highly recommend blind buying the Renoir if you haven't yet seen it.

October Sight & Sound review confirms Warner archive DVD of THE WOMAN ON THE BEACH "image is a quantum leap over the 2006 Edition Montparnasse release"...

Have just ordered my copy through TCM (Warner will not service non-US orders directly, but TCM handle the whole collection and will deal with overseas customers)...

[Graham]

Has anyone seen The Super Cops and/or the Shaft TV series? Any good?

[Perkins Cobb]

Yes, I recommend The Super Cops. A shaggy-dog 70s movie that makes fun of Serpico and the police in general, with some witty Lorenzo Semple satire that comes through intact and Rob Leibman as the world's most unlikely action hero. It's inconsequential but a lot of fun.

[Michael Kerpan]

Hmmm ... Another post mysteriously gobbled.

I bet that what happened is this. When you clicked to post , another post had already been added since the time you started writing your reply. One gets a message saying "another post has been added, do you still want to post your response?" If one is distracted (as I often am), one might not note this message -- and might take some step that causes your post to be trashed and not posted (like leaving the website).

[Mr Sausage]

A piece of advice to everyone: ctrl-c your post before posting it. If there's ever a problem, like it get eaten by the board, or there's an error, no matter, you can repost it quickly. That policy has saved me any number of times.

[Perkins Cobb]

Probably some kind of operator error on my end, like hitting preview instead of submit. But whatever it is I manage to keep doing it every once in a while.

[Forrest Taft]

I've always wanted to see the "Shaft" series, and actually went on the net looking for it last week. Will definately get it when I can get it at a more affordable price. Never heard of "The Super Cops", but I am a fan of Lorenzo Semple, so this sounds interesting. Also, Gordon Parks directed.

[domino harvey]

Sale this weekend-- 3 Archive discs for $35 with free shipping (and it's repeatable, so 6, 9, 12, etc DVDs)

[Perkins Cobb]

Does it work on the Sony titles?

[domino harvey]

Nope, unfortunately. I was able to pick up a half-dozen of their newer musical releases, though, in time for the current List Project, so I'm pleased as punch