Warner Brothers Archive Collection (DVDs only)

[jorencain]

Very good. Thanks!

[feihong]

I forgot this was happening for a while, but Warner went and shunted Sammo Hung's Pedicab Driver onto an Archive DVD, after an abortive preorder listing of the film as a blu ray. The result is, of course, the only official DVD release of Pedicab Driver, and a disc with very handsome picture quality. It looks like this could have been released on blu-ray, judging by the quality of the transfer. The DVD is one of the better-authored DVDs out there, with a pretty solid image, nice depth of field, great color...lots to recommend it.

The subtitles have some occasional errors, and they are subtitles for the deaf or hearing-impaired, complete with sound effects described in brackets, etc. There's only the one subtitle track. The audio is Dolby Digital Stereo, Cantonese. No other audio tracks.

It's great to finally see Pedicab Driver released officially. It's just a shame they couldn't have gone with the planned blu-ray.

Warner Archive has also released Blade of Fury, I think, and a couple of other gems from their conspicuous martial arts holdings.

[Ashirg]

So far through Warner Archives they released on DVD-R -
Big Bullet (1996)
Blade of Fury (1993)
Downtown Torpedoes (1997)
Pedicab Driver (1989)
Tsui Hark's The Blade (1995)
He's a Woman, She's a Man (1994)
Terracotta Warrior (1989)

The last 3 street March 1st.

[feihong]

Oh, right. I wonder what their disc of The Blade will look like? I'll have to order it.

[feihong]

I watched the Warner Archive Collection DVD of Tsui Hark's The Blade last night. Up until now I've had the HK Video DVD to rely upon, and while I love the box, I can retire that disc for good, I hope. The Warner disc is not blu ray but its quality for a DVD is extremely high. It has far better detail than the HK Video disc, and much richer, more saturated colors. It's quite beautiful in motion.

One painful problem, though, is the subtitles, the only version available being subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired. Just like on Pedicab Driver, the subtitles call out stuff like "[dramatic music]" and "[dramatic music continues]" and "[angry mumbling]." There are single quotes around every subtitled line spoken off camera.

The subtitles are different than any set we've seen until now. A lot of the language is given a more efficient English translation, but it's generally been cleaned up a little more poetically than in past translations. There are a few more bizarre changes. The villain, Fei Lung, has his name translated as "Falcon." The place in the flashback battle where Ling's father calls out to his brother-at-arms, "Brother Fung!" has changed in the subs to him screaming "Falcon!" Not really sure that adds anything, though it most likely takes away the meaning of the cry. On's father is no longer called "Hundred–Catty Lai," in the subtitles, they really just forego mentioning the hundred–catty saber except in preparation for the flashback.

Of course, the subtitle that vexes basically every translator, which was originally translated as "enprise' field," and which corresponds on the sound track to the narrator referencing "jiang hu," I believe, gets yet another translation in this version. I've seen a fan translation that read it as "this world of violence," or something to that effect. Now, for the Warner Bros edition, it's been retranslated as "the inner circle." This makes for much easier quick reading than anything so far, but it remains, I think, about as obscure as the always frustrating "enprise' field." It does make for a lovely turn of phrase near the end, where the narrator, seeing On facing Lung––excuse me, facing "Falcon"––says, "Abruptly, the shape of the inner circle became clear to me." While that works better than any translation proposed so far, what exactly is the inner circle? I picture a sort of a member's club, where, after a long day at the iron forge, the saber makers can sit in plush armchairs with sifters of brandy.

Overall the translation reads more cleanly than in previous versions, conspicuous naming errors and "inner circle" mumbo–jumbo notwithstanding. But there is a sense that the abrupt harshness of the movie is somewhat neutered by the softening of the previous translations. In previous translations, after Iron Head and On discover the death of the monk, Iron Head yells "I need to get revenge for that monk!" and On responds, "Are you crazy? We need to deliver our goods!" The confrontation is flat but angry, emphasized by the repetition of the word "need" and the close syllable count of the two opposing phrases. In the Warner Bros translation, Iron Head says something like, "They'll pay for that!" and On responds "We need to make our deliveries!" It's easier to read, with the statements clearly differentiated and with less words all around, but the in–your–face aggro of the original confrontation is no longer supplemented by the linguistic tone of the translation. It seems as if that aggressive, anti–romantic tone, meant to clash heavily with the more poetic narration, is being sacrificed in this new translation so that the final product will be easier to read.

There are two audio tracks on the disc, a Cantonese language track with no special luster, and a very thin, very weird English dub track I had never heard tell of before. The dub is a miserable affair, with actors sounding like they're reading off a teleprompter in a garage. No one seems to have any idea why they would be saying what they're saying throughout. It's far worse than the old dubs for The Killer and Hard Boiled, and it's not nearly as fun as the old Shaw Bros dub tracks.

Still, the picture quality is a great improvement over the French disc, and The Blade hasn't really been available to English speakers except as a bootleg since the days of VHS and that original, dastardly UK DVD about a million years ago. So it's definitely a serious upgrade.

[tenia]

Had no idea WAC was releasing that type of movies. If the technical presentation is good on top of that, I need to follow them better then.

[feihong]

There was a weird moment some months ago when they were toying with putting at least some of their Hong Kong catalog on blu ray, but then they stepped back to DVD for the releases. The masters look like they are better than the DVD compression can present. None of the films are restored, per se––there are little pops and scratches, though not a ton of them. Even though they've never done anything with their little Hong Kong catalog of highly-desired cult artifacts before, Warner seems to have taken very good care of these films, even whilst they quietly sat on them. I wish they could have gone full HD, though; it really looks like the transfers could have supported it.

[Ashirg]

Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 10 in April

Remember to knock five times, as the Cinema Speakeasy is open again with a quintet of controversial pre-Code classics. Lionel Barrymore stars as a DA who commits the perfect crime in W.S. Van Dyke's Guilty Hands, costarring Kay Francis. Next Warren William is crowned the pre-Code King with his breakout performance in James Flood & Elliott Nugent's The Mouthpiece. Then Edward Sutherland spills the Secrets of the French Police as a Surete inspector (Frank Morgan) and a thief (John Warburton) scour the underworld for a waif (Gwili Andre), who may be the Princess Anastasia. Warren William follows with Howard Bretherton & William Keighley's acclaimed biopic The Match King, with Glenda Farrell on hand to deliver the glam. Finally, Babyface Barbara Stanwyck sizzles as a spouse torn between love (Otto Kruger) and country in Archie Mayo's Ever in My Heart, with Ralph Bellamy as the other guy (naturally!).

[Ashirg]

Also Warner Archive is having 4 titles for $44 sale (including some blu-rays). Not as good as 5 for $50, but their last sale like that was long time ago...

[Lowry_Sam]

So the Warner Archive store is having a sale: 4 for $44. I might jump because it seems like I've been holding out for well over a year since the last 10 for $100 sale. Did one ever happen in 2015? It seems like they used to do it around Xmas, but the past one I never saw anything, did I simply miss it?

[Black Hat]

I've been slow to pick up Volume 8 & 9 of Forbidden Hollywood and trying to figure out what is and what isn't pressed from the website appears to be a fool's errand. Volume 8 appears to be available as pressed still, but when you click on it there's the made to order sign. Has anybody made heads or tail of this or remember from experience what's what?

Volume 10 which hasn't been released yet is already labeled MOD. Is that possible?

DD and DVDPlanet also already have volume 10 labeled as MOD.

[Ashirg]

I think they are always marked MOD even when pressed just because it's coming from Warner Archive, even at Warner's own web site. Some sites even label their blu-ray releases as BD-R just because it's from Warner Archive even though we know it's not true.

[Black Hat]

No knock on you, but it says a lot about what a mess Warner's made of this that I read your reply three times and I'm still not sure if I understand what you said.

[domino harvey]

Simple version: even their pressed titles say MOD, means nothing . Don't order from Amazon, Archive DVD releases are always burned direct from them. DD/DVDP are the fulfillment warehouse for WBShop, so you get the same thing ordering from any of them. It's unlikely that the first printing of those sets has sold out and are no longer pressed, but you never know. You will be taking a gamble when you don't order these things as soon as they're announced

[Drucker]

I only own one Warner Archive title. The FH sets are new-ish, but what about older catalogue releases? Are films like Run of the Arrow or Merry Widow most likely only available as burned copies at this point?

[domino harvey]

Okay, more clarification is needed: Virtually all Warner Archive DVD releases have only ever been and will only ever be MOD DVD-Rs. They started manufacturing some of their box/multi-disc sets, mostly TV series, as pressed in the initial run because it was cheaper for them to do so. All Forbidden Hollywood sets have been initially pressed and there's no reason to expect the tradition to be bucked with the forthcoming volume. Some scant few single releases have been blessed with pressed releases: the initial run of Paramount licenses, Show Boat, and the Lusty Men are all I can remember, but there might be a few more

[fdm]

I can tell you later today whether Forbidden Hollywood v8 is still shipping pressed from Deep Discount.

Seems I forgot I returned my earlier purchase of v8 (well over a year ago... it had one or more scratched/scraped up discs), until I got v9 a couple months ago (just one not so scratched up disc this time, but it played). I do wish WB would get their shit together with their scratched up discs (among other things).

[Kauno]

Is it easy to see whether the disc is pressed or not?

[fdm]

Is it easy to see whether the disc is pressed or not?

Typically silver if it's pressed, purplish otherwise.

[fdm]

Not really surprised, but Forbidden Hollywood v8 is still pressed. (Just a few hopefully minor scratches on a couple of the discs; best they can do any more apparently, at least with dvds (pressed or otherwise).)

[domino harvey]

Just got the latest volume of Forbidden Hollywood in from DD and can confirm, as expected, it is pressed

[L.A.]

Are those Forbidden Hollywood collections also sold at physical stores?

[domino harvey]

I don't think any Archive releases, DVD or Blu-Ray, are (unless some boutique store orders them online specifically to have in-store)

[L.A.]

Gotcha, and thanks.

[domino harvey]

Bad news: Warners just announced in the newsletter that Volume 10 will be the last Forbidden Hollywood set