Warner Catalog Titles on BD/UHD

[hearthesilence]

The cynic in me believes that this may have been pieced together with interviews used for one of The Departed's bonus documentaries.

[eerik]

5/5/15
Goodfellas 25th Anniversary Blu-ray (from a new "4k scan of the original camera negative, supervised by Martin Scorsese.")

Fantastic. I find it strange how Scorsese is one of the biggest contributors to restoration and preservation of world cinema, yet his own films are treated like shit on Blu-ray. The Color of Money from Disney and Kundun from Studiocanal are among the worst-looking discs out there. The first edition of Gangs of New York was terrible too.

[captveg]

Per WBShop.com Facebook post:

5/19/15

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
Ninotchka (1939)

[Drucker]

Yes!

[sir_luke]

So glad to see Ninotchka! I would have preferred Criterion to get it, but I'm glad it's coming out at all.

[Finch]

Hopefully these will be 2k or 4k restos. The Val Lewton set next please!

[FrauBlucher]

I can't imagine these not being either 2k or 4k restos. The Hunchback resto is premiering at the TCM Film Festival, which TCM seems to be highlighting. I am looking forward to seeing what it looks like. Warner has been spot on with their restorations.

[Drucker]

Ninotchka played in a new restoration at Film Forum like two years ago. Looks like it was actually a new print.

[captveg]

6/2/15

Cahill: U.S. Marshal (1973)
The Train Robbers (1973)


Right now these are only listed as part of a John Wayne Collection with the previously released Fort Apache, Rio Bravo and The Searchers, but WB is usually pretty good about having individual releases for new films in a box set like this.

[solaris72]

A standalone reissue of Rio Bravo is finally coming the same day, 6/2/15.

[hearthesilence]

About time, hopefully it's a good transfer of that new restoration that the TCM festivals played a few years back. The old Blu-Ray should be easy to improve on.

[captveg]

99% chance its simply a re-issue of the previous disc, IMO

[hearthesilence]

That's pretty ridiculous if it is. They already have the restoration done, and it's in the digital domain. (TCM's festivals screened a DCP.) It would be lazy and cheap not to take those few last steps.

[Drucker]

Aren't Clockwork Orange and Goodfellas 4k restored BDs coming? I know Warner has a terrible track record with reissues, but those make me optimistic that this would be a new transfer.

[hearthesilence]

Nothing planned for Clockwork Orange. That 4k restoration has been ready to go for years, it's been screening as a DCP, but no Blu-Ray.

[captveg]

I just think that if they were doing a remaster they would promote it as such. For example, the GoodFellas remaster specifically says it, and the cover art is new to distinguish it from the previous releases.

[Drucker]

Facebook convo I had with WAC:

Me:

Hey does anyone here know if the new release of Rio Bravo will be sourced from the latest restoration?

Them:

We can clarify this issue now for you. The latest restoration was indeed what was created for the first Blu-ray, and that restoration was sourced for the DCP that has been seen at various film festivals and screenings, etc. The blu-ray reissue later this year will come from that same source restoration, but we have confirmed that it will have DTS audio. We hope this information is helpful to you. Thanks.

So maybe the original blu-rays weakness was a result of disc problems, not the restoration itself?

[Gregory]

So TCM showcased a World Premiere Restoration of Rio Bravo in 2012, but WAC is claiming that that's what was used for the Blu-ray five years earlier?

[onedimension]

So TCM showcased a World Premiere Restoration of Rio Bravo in 2012, but WAC is claiming that that's what was used for the Blu-ray five years earlier?

My guess, without looking into it or being an expert: the film was restored, but Warner messed up the blu ray production. Now they're re-issuing the blu ray, from the same restored print, but are being quiet on whether they've tinkered with the blu ray master.

[captveg]

I would agree, though I'm not sure if they so much messed up as simply used a less reliable process to bring films to HD home video back in those early HD-DVD/BD days of mid-2007.

[AVphile]

Hopefully it's not like what they did for The Fugitive - same video but audio recoded in DTS.

[John Doe]

The Golden Year Collection is coming on June 9th.

It includes: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ninotchka, Dark Victory, Dodge City and Gone with the Wind.

[domino harvey]

Just continuing the 1939 myth I see

[EddieLarkin]

Why needlessly shove Gone with the Wind in there if you're not going to needlessly shove The Wizard of Oz in too?

[EddieLarkin]

Hopefully it's not like what they did for The Fugitive - same video but audio recoded in DTS.

Just to clarify, although the newer Fugitive disc is not great looking or anything, it is a different video from the older one and there is a definite improvement.