Fox Studio Classics

[DrewReiber]

Good news - Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte has a commentary by Glenn Erickson. Seems odd that they didnt include it in any of the publicity or retailer listings.

Great to hear! Now, Universal, where is that Last Sunset?

[dx23]

From dvdtimes:

3 Fox Studio Classics in November
Fox Home Entertainment have announced the Region 1 DVD release of 3 Fox Studio Classics for 1st November 2005. Priced at $14.98 SRP each are...

Orchestra Wives

A new bride faces the strain of life on the road in this musical romance that features the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Miller is featured as band leader Gene Morrison, who embarks on a whirlwind national tour with his orchestra. While on the tour, trumpeter Bill Abbott (George Montgomery) impulsively marries one of his many ardent fans, a naïve young women named Connie (Ann Rutherford). At first Connie is more than willing to put up with such problems as not spending time with her new husband and the malicious gossip of other wives. But when she comes to believe that Bill is still involved with an old flame, the ensuing quarrel threatens to end both the new marriage and the entire band.

Features include:
1.37:1 Full Frame
English Mono and Stereo
English and Spanish subtitles
Commentary By Actors Fayard Nicholas and Ann Rutherford
Theatrical Trailer
Studio Classics Trailers
Still Gallery

Two for the Road
On their third identical voyage from London to the Riviera, Joanna Wallace (Audrey Hepburn) and husband Mark (Albert Finney) explore their 12-year marriage in a series of wry and illuminating flashbacks. They reminisce about the glorious beginning of their love affair, the early years of marriage and the events that led to their subsequent infidelities. As they try to understand their relationship, they must accept how they have changed if they are to rekindle their original love.

Features include:
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
English Mono
English and Spanish subtitles
Commentary by Director Stanley Donen
Restoration Comparison
Theatrical Trailer
Fox Studio Classics Trailers
Still Gallery

The Rains Came
In the town of Ranchipur, four people find their lives become entwined by unexpected feelings and events they cannot control. Tom Ransome (George Brent), son of an English earl, is living a painter's life. He is pursed by Brenda Joyce, a flirtatious young English girl who adores him. Lady Esketh (Myrna Loy) is a beautiful bored sophisticated and Tom's former girlfriend. And Major Rama (Tyrone Power) is the dedicated Hindu surgeon who captures her heart. When a catastrophic earthquake and flood bring disaster to India, all their lives are forever transformed by the striking clash between good and evil, duty and forbidden love.

Features include:
1.37:1 Full Frame
English Mono
English and Spanish subtitles
Commentary by Film Historians Anthony Slide and Robert Birchard
Theatrical Trailer
Fox Studio Classics Trailers
Still Gallery

Cover art is included in the link.

[dx23]

Ever since Return to Payton Place, Fox Studio Classics is becoming eerily similar to a TNT Classic. They are labeling this current batch of films FSC just because they are pre-1960 and they don't know how else to release them. Like I said before, the monkeys at FOX don't know what they have in their vaults and what to do with it.

[justeleblanc]

At least they're releasing their catalogue. Who cares if it's mislabeled as a classic.

[devlinnn]

These three gems are classics, one a masterpiece with director's commentary. No quibbles here, for now.

[Narshty]

According to John Hodson over at The DVD Forums, a flyer inside the new batch of releases says the next three titles in February '06 will be:

Pinky
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Daddy Long Legs

Why they haven't just changed the name to "Fox Studio Clearout" is beyond me.

[Gregory]

I haven't seen Pinky, but the idea of Jeanne Crain playing a light-skinned black woman makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. Of course, it's no worse than all the films in which Linda Darnel, May Wynn, Donna Reed, Julie Newmar and so on ad infinitum were cast as Native American women.

[Narshty]

Snakes alive! I've just recieved Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte and I have never seen the gory version of

Spoiler

Bruce Dern's death in the prologue

before. It must have been edited out of all UK prints, including those still doing the rounds on television. Channel 4 never edit their films (and even screened a very nice widescreen print of it back in the mid-90s) and it wasn't in their version either.

[Gordon]

What baffled me, was the passing over of The Innocents as a Fox Studio Classic and leaving it more or less bare-bones, the trailer is a joke; the epitome of 'unintentionally hilarious'. Great to have the film finally on DVD in anamorphic 2.35:1, but it could have been a much better package. The BFI are said to be handling the as-yet unannounced UK edition.

Looking at the list of unreleased Fox titles, it is clear that there are loads of great films that Fox could issue under their region 1 Classics banner:

Steamboat Round the Bend (1935)
The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936) - Masters of Cinema in the UK
Night Train to Munich (1940)
Man Hunt (1941)
Dragonwyck (1946) - Available in Australia, bare bones
Viva Zapata! (1952) - Bare bones in the UK
Bigger Than Life (1956) - Coming soon from the BFI
Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957)
Compulsion (1959)
Pretty Poison (1968) - Available in the UK
Bedazzled (1967) - Available in the UK
Emperor of the North Pole (1973)

No, we get Pinky. What the hell is that? Come on, Fox, get with it.

[Theodore R. Stockton]

Viva Zapata! was among the first five or so titles that Fox announced (possibly through an HTF chat) that would be apart of the Classics line.

[oldsheperd]

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? is coming next year along with The Girl Can't Help It in a Jayne Mansfield box.

[devlinnn]

No, we get Pinky. What the hell is that? Come on, Fox, get with it.

Fox are with it - Pinky is an above average drama from Elia Kazan (via Zanuck with a script by Phillip Dunne and Dudley Nichols) with terrific, Oscar nominated performances from Ms. Crain (never better), Ethel Barrymore and Ethel Waters. Sure, the treatment of the story may be dated, but it is worthy of special treatment by Fox.

[sherlockjr]

Devlinn, I hear you, but I think the quibble here is that "above average" should not equal "classic."

[Gordon]

"Above average drama" - Pftt! I want a transcendental experience - with bonus features!
And I want original artwork or a new, classy cover!

[Jeff]

Fox has announced the first waves of their new "Cinema Classics" and "Marquee Musicals" collections. They have finally embraced the beautiful simplicity of Warner-style classic poster art. I look forward to Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and the Tashlin films joining the "Cinema Classics" line later this year. Hopefully, Fox will figure out that Bigger Than Life and Pretty Poison belong in this line as well.

[devlinnn]

More than a few queens and princes have fainted to the floor with news of these releases. Higher price point on, for the most part, bare-bone releases compared to the Fox Classics range is a little sad though. Yet, it looks like The Gang's All Here is in the works with the trailer found on Pin-Up Girl. Now we're talkin'...

[devlinnn]

In here, not sure. This side of the Yarra, at least a dozen who share the tipples and giggles.

[Lino]

Well, better late than never.

Glad to see some Carmen Miranda finally getting a decent DVD release - Weekend in Havana - and just why Fox are sitting on the rest of her titles makes my mind boggles. There is definitely a market for her on DVD and although a boxset would have been dreamy at least we can now safely assume that this is the first one of many to come.

Just plugging my own roots here but I thought you'd like to know that she was born a portuguese and then emigrated to Brazil where she later made her career shine as brightly as her glowing smile. No wonder the american crowd took her to their hearts - she was irresistible!

[Ashirg]

Some classics to be released in June -
June 6th
Emperor of the North

June 13th
Betty Grable Collection 1
(includes My Blue Heaven, The Dolly Sisters, Moon Over Miami, Down Argentine Way)
Valley of the Dolls - Special Edition
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls - Special Edition

June 20th
Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 1
(inculdes Charlie Chan in London, Charlie Chan in Paris, Charlie Chan in Egypt, Charlie Chan in Shanghai and Eran trece)

Looks like Betty Grable titles will be available separately, but not Charlie Chan. Boxsets have a steep MSRP of 59.99

[Lino]

Some classics to be released in June -
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls - Special Edition

=D> Finally.

And here's the original trailer

[otis]

Jeez, Annie , them were the the days when they had half-decent trailers: "Love, rape, murder, dope, grass, abortion, suicide - something for everybody!" This is my happening, and it freaks me out!

[Gordon]

Some classics to be released in June -
June 6th
Emperor of the North

OH, YES! Finally! Best DVD news this year, so far.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Best trailer ever!! I'd kill for a Criterion edition of just the trailer! Wow, I've never seen the movie before so it looks like I'm in for a treat. After seeing the trailer, I sure hope I can remember the title and the director.

[mikeohhh]

Is BTVOTD going to have one of those boring white "Fox Studio Classics" covers?

[Lino]

I do hope not. But that won't stop me from double-dipping on this one, provided the audio and video are better than the R2 (that I incidentally own).