TCM Greatest Classic Films Collections

[knives]

To be honest I hadn't heard of Gaslight until it went into the archive so maybe it's lost some public muscle over the years. Either that I really have my head in the ground.

[matrixschmatrix]

It seems like what goes in there is mostly stuff that used to be in a box set, so maybe the individual releases are the ones that get Archived. As I recall, though, one of the recent Christmas collections included something they'd already shunted into the Archive, so it may not be very thought out.

[colinr0380]

To be honest I hadn't heard of Gaslight until it went into the archive so maybe it's lost some public muscle over the years. Either that I really have my head in the ground.

Isn't the British version from 1940 supposed to be just as good, if not better than the '44 one? And didn't MGM try to have all of the prints of the UK version suppressed or destroyed at the time they were remaking it? Either way if they're putting the 1944 version into the Archive, it doesn't bode well for the 1940 one (I assume that this release is now OOP?)

[domino harvey]

Yes, it is OOP. The 1944 version certainly has a legacy: Being directed by Cukor helps, as does all its Oscar nominations (Best Pic, both main acting, direction) and the fact that Ingrid Bergman won her first Oscar for the film (unearned, I'd argue, but that's Chinatown)

[Napier]

There is 1 copy in stock on Amazon. It's a flip disc, with the British version on the other side. Anton Walbrook is much more menacing than Charles Boyer IMO.

[neal]

There is 1 copy in stock on Amazon.

That's actually not true. Amazon itself has no copies in stock. However, the third-party seller with the lowest price on the DVD among all third-party sellers using fulfillment-by-amazon has only one left in stock, which they are attempting to sell for $59.95.

[DeprongMori]

Just picked up Astaire and Rogers set for under $10 from Amazon and figured the four films would be on flipper discs. But no! Each is on a separate disc, though stacked on a single hub. I swapped out the case for one of the extra 2x2 DVD cases I picked up for repackaging my Ford at Fox set into something more practical, and voila, a great little package attractively done up and convenient.

Hoping someday these will find their way to BluRay, but until then this should do nicely.

[Jakamarak]

I purchased both TCM Astaire and Rogers sets this summer and was pleased to discover the same thing. I, too, hope at least some of these films make their way to Blu (THE GAY DIVORCEE, please!), but I worry the presence of four separate discs -- obviously the same discs for individual releases, the Fred and Ginger Collection v.1 and v.2 releases, and the Astaire and Rogers Ultimate Collector's Edition -- indicates these higher priced editions didn't sell.

Does anyone know how these TCM Collections typically work? I thought they printed their own discs, two features per disc. In the case of Fred and Ginger, it looks like a way to move WB product that didn't sell, but I'm just guessing.

Now I just need CAREFREE which isn't available through TCM.

[domino harvey]

They used to just press the existing DVDs on either side of a flipper (so all the same content/extras/etc as the single releases from Warners), now they're not even doing that (which is good-- just pressing the same disc as in the usual retail release is the best possible option)

[nosy lena]

Just picked up Astaire and Rogers set for under $10 from Amazon and figured the four films would be on flipper discs. But no! Each is on a separate disc, though stacked on a single hub. I swapped out the case for one of the extra 2x2 DVD cases I picked up for repackaging my Ford at Fox set into something more practical, and voila, a great little package attractively done up and convenient.

Hoping someday these will find their way to BluRay, but until then this should do nicely.

http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASI ... dbeaver-22" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DeprongMori]

Just picked up the TCM "Romantic Comedies" set with four Katherine Hepburn classics -- The Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby, Adam's Rib, and Woman of the Year, and can confirm these are also now four separate discs on a single spindle rather than two flipper discs like days of old.

[hearthesilence]

I don't know if they ever shot the original ending to Woman of the Year, but I wish it popped up somewhere - vastly preferable to the awful one they shoved on to the movie. And despite the cast and its reputation for reviving/jump-starting Hepburn's career, The Philadelphia Story always seemed a bit dull to me compared to her other classics…regardless, they pretty much picked the four Katharine Hepburn classics most people would want. Surprisingly consumer friendly! Personally though, I think the previously underappreciated Sylvia Scarlett may very well be her best film, certainly on par with Bringing Up Baby and Adam's Rib. Its reputation has certainly grown over the years as it now reveals itself to be ahead of its time.

[bottled spider]

Has anybody had problems with the Top Hat/Swing Time double-sided disc sticking in multiple places, on both sides? Is it odd that a new disc without obvious flaws would do this?

[domino harvey]

I think they switched to no more flippers in those sets because people were reporting issues, so you may be SOL

[bottled spider]

Yeah, I'm returning the discs to Amazon for refund, and it looks like I'll be buying them individually for much more.

The Garland set with Harvey Girls/Summer Stock/For Me and My Gal/In the Good Old Summertime came in four separate discs, and gave no issues.

[Jakamarak]

I think they switched to no more flippers in those sets because people were reporting issues, so you may be SOL

I purchased both the TCM Fred & Ginger sets from a brick and mortar Barnes & Noble a while ago. 8 films/8 discs. So these sets are definitely available without flippers, but I don't think there's a way of knowing if you're getting individual discs or flippers until you get the case open.

[Feego]

Yes, I think Warners has steadily been replacing their previous flipper discs with one-sided discs. A few years ago, I bought their double feature Them!/Beast from 20,000 Fathoms set from Amazon. Both films were on a flipper disc, and one side was scratched to high heavens. I requested a replacement from Amazon, and the second set came with 2 discs instead of a flipper, although the packaging still indicated a Side A and Side B. Mama always said Warner Home Video was like a box of chocolates...