Warner Brothers Archive Collection (DVDs only)

[domino harvey]

Got my copy today and can confirm it's a pressed disc. Only did a cursory scan to take these caps but man does it look gorgeous:

[domino harvey]

To give a sense of the upgrade, here's the TCM rip that's been the only circulating copy in the interim:

[Ashirg]

Previously lost Hello Pop short is now released by Warner Archive with 4 additional MGM Ted Healy and His Stooges shorts and Roast Beef and Movies (with lone Stooge Curly Howard) as Classic Shorts From The Dream Factory: Volume 3.

[felipe]

To give a sense of the upgrade, here's the TCM rip that's been the only circulating copy in the interim:

The difference really is astonishing!

[kristophers]

I don't know if this was ever mentioned, but the Warner Archive Crash is not pan and scan as was originally stated on their website. I received a copy in the mail yesterday and can confirm that it is in 1.78, includes both the NC-17 and R-rated versions, and looks generally good. It's no Criterion but is certainly a workable DVD edition.

Any reason to get this if I already have the New line release? I've always been missing cover art for this one, so I might pick it up anyway.Looks like a blu-ray release is a ways away.

[swo17]

Best Foot Forward is the latest title to be demoted from pressed DVD to a DVD-R.

[domino harvey]

That's a good one worth tracking down on eBay as a pressed disc for sure, though it's been OOP for a while

[swo17]

And now Waiting for Guffman gets a DVD-R. ](*,)

[domino harvey]

I wouldn't have been surprised if it got a Blu-ray. But that would imply Warners understands any audience beyond some weirdos on their floor of the office building

[captveg]

I wonder if this means they were underwhelmed by the Blu-ray sales of Best in Show

[Gregory]

I can't recall just how funny I found this film but I just ordered a used copy, so thanks for the tip. It'll be a shame if they strip off the special features for the DVD-R. How often do they do that in cases where WAC releases a title that had been a special edition DVD?
I know that in many cases of downgrades to DVD-R the earlier DVDs had no special features in the first place (e.g., Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, KITH Brain Candy), or had only the slightest bits of filler (e.g. Gummo). Too bad in the case of something like Brain Candy, as it would be nice to see the alternate ending and deleted scenes.

[domino harvey]

I'm pretty sure all of the rereleases have maintained the original disc's contents and only adjust the main menus (and sometimes not even that)

[captveg]

For the most part Warner only drops special features when rights issues come up (expiration, music issues, etc.)

[rockysds]

Ugh.

[warren oates]

I just can't imagine Criterion not coveting Blow-Up and Warners not being willing to give it to them. I wouldn't necessarily despair about all those other titles either.

[domino harvey]

Hitchcock on MOD, you gotta be kiddin me here Warners

[felipe]

Sometimes it seems people prefer having a title as OOP than having it released through MOD.

[swo17]

I mean, yeah, I prefer keeping this picture of my mom and dad on my nightstand as opposed to their rotting corpses, but that doesn't change the fact that Warner Brothers murdered my parents.

[Gregory]

Sometimes it seems people prefer having a title as OOP than having it released through MOD.

I'd prefer to see more titles reissued on Blu-ray, to try and keep that format alive, especially since next year is touted as the year that will show that Warner is serious about their back catalog. Keeping a film like Blow-Up out of print for years the way they've done doesn't make any sense.

[Ashirg]

At least Warner's releases indicate when they are being replaced with DVD-R with a new cover. Sony just replaced a bunch of titles as DVD-R keeping the same artwork (including original Pennies from Heaven)...

[Noiradelic]

I just can't imagine Criterion not coveting Blow-Up and Warners not being willing to give it to them. I wouldn't necessarily despair about all those other titles either.

That they wouldn't either release it as a WAC Blu themselves or let Criterion or another boutique label have a crack at it is pretty shocking. Not many foreign art films of the era penetrated popular culture as much as it did. It's almost as if MGM had demoted Persona or Last Tango in Paris to MOD (I realize neither of these films is a perfect analogy, but Blow-Up, being English language but without a star of Brando's magnitude falls somewhere in-between those two in my mind in terms of contemporaneous pop cultural impact).

[Noiradelic]

Sometimes it seems people prefer having a title as OOP than having it released through MOD.

As long as Blow Up was OOP, there was still hope, especially in light of Badlands and last week's Wexner chat, that Criterion would land it.

[rockysds]

Blow-Up could potentially be following the sorta odd release pattern of Get Carter where the WAC MOD was followed by a WB blu-ray later (50th anniversary in 2016 for example), if folks wanna keep hoping. Both Love in the Afternoon and Mr. and Mrs. Smith are available pressed in TCM sets, so they weren't hard/expensive to get, but this would seem to squash blu-rays. I thought the Wilder would have been close to a shoo-in for blu mostly due to the Audrey Hepburn factor.

[domino harvey]

Murder, My Sweet, Kings Row, and Clash By Night are now MOD only. I could understand the last two since the current market may not be too big for the pleasures they offer, but Warners once more clearly shows they don't understand their noir holdings (no news there) with Murder My Sweet getting DVD-R'd and freaking Possessed getting a Blu-ray

Also Wicked Wicked, which they've been teasing since the Archives began, is finally out, and it's not even getting a pressed Archives release. All that work and buildup for a DVD-R. Well, as Flicker Alley has proved, consumers are fucking idiots and still support this format so oh well

[Ashirg]

As Get Carter proved, having a DVD-R doesn't mean the blu-ray won't get released. They just released a bunch of musicals that were released on blu-ray by Warner Archive on DVD-R - Billy Rose's Jumbo, Hit the Deck and Kismet. Blu-ray release requires extra restoration as Out of the Past showed, but DVD-R can use the same masters from DVD, so it's much easier to do.