Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

[FrauBlucher]

I thought it was a RKO Radio Picture picture. And it's a black and white so should be less of a problem for a restoration. This was on TCM earlier today. It certainly lacked in appearance

[FlickeringWindow]

I thought it was a RKO Radio Picture picture. And it's a black and white so should be less of a problem for a restoration. This was on TCM earlier today. It certainly lacked in appearance

Goldwyn distributed through RKO for most of the 40s films, United Artists before that. Similar situation as Disney and Selznick International.

[FrauBlucher]

The Extras posted a message on HTF that October release announcements will come early next week via their podcast

[Furstemberg]

Dance, Fools, Dance (1931)
Double Trouble (1967)
In Love And War (1996)
Mad City (1997)
Rapa Nui (1994)

The doldrums. You know it’s bad when Dance Fools Dance is the most critically acclaimed movie on your release slate.

EDIT: The Devil Doll (1936) as well. Some light at the end of the tunnel.

[cdnchris]

Ah, Rapa Nui. A friend and I rented that based on Siskel & Ebert's trashing of it, and I recall it being unintentionally funny and a mess, but now can't recall much about the film itself. I have always been curious to revisit it to see if it's as bad as I remember or if I had been clouded by the critical thrashing of it at the time. But I don't know if I want to spend $20 to find out.

[FrauBlucher]

Dance, Fools, Dance (1931)
Double Trouble (1967)
In Love And War (1996)
Mad City (1997)
Rapa Nui (1994)

The doldrums. You know it’s bad when Dance Fools Dance is the most critically acclaimed movie on your release slate.

EDIT: The Devil Doll (1936) as well. Some light at the end of the tunnel.

Also confirmed is a late November release of Looney Tunes Collectors Choice Volume 2

[What A Disgrace]

The Devil Doll saves the line-up. Besides Freaks, it's Browning's best talkie.

[hearthesilence]

The Devil Doll saves the line-up. Besides Freaks, it's Browning's best talkie.

It fell short of my expectations - I'm likely not a big fan of Browning's work outside of Freaks - but I would agree that it is one of his very best films. I do see quite a few critics liking the film a lot more than I did. I'm actually disappointed Criterion didn't include it in their box set, it would be nice to have the key Browning films all in one place.

They also announced a second volume of Looney Tunes cartoons too - details to come, but it'll have 25 shorts. That's a definite buy for me.

[beamish14]

Ah, Rapa Nui. A friend and I rented that based on Siskel & Ebert's trashing of it, and I recall it being unintentionally funny and a mess, but now can't recall much about the film itself. I have always been curious to revisit it to see if it's as bad as I remember or if I had been clouded by the critical thrashing of it at the time. But I don't know if I want to spend $20 to find out.

It’s really not a bad film at all, but I’m possibly blinded a bit by my admiration for Kevin Reynolds

The Archive DVD is absolute shit, and I’m amazed that they upgraded it. How many other mid-budget films about Indigenous communities were being made at the time? For that alone it deserves some reappraisal

[FrauBlucher]

George Feltenstein said on the just released The Extras podcast that he worked with Criterion on the Browning Set, especially Freaks, and they'll have a future podcast to discuss that...He is hoping to get out more horror

He also said that the November Looney Tune Set will have 25 shorts first time on Bluray which sounds like a lot to me to be first time. He also said they are already working on volume 3. Clearly volume 1 sold very well

[teddyleevin]

Completely flabbergasted again that they haven't jumped the gun on GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 and DAMES and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. I think the pretty, old movies would sell like hot cakes. I'm not just anti-1990s but seeing this slate this morning gave me an upset stomach (must have been a wandering through the aisles of Blockbuster in 1998 flashback). Just trying to stay glad that they didn't die after all but I have no idea who is asking for these titles over the ones with nerd appeal (the two 30s titles scratch the itch close enough). This is even worse than the months of middling late 40s/early 50s musicals with lots of too-loud trumpets. (One of these months they're going to announce one of my weird mid/late-century causes célèbres and change this tune completely but for now I'm just going to continue to assert they will generate more money and more happiness if they keep the 1930s quotient high).

[therewillbeblus]

Completely flabbergasted again that they haven't jumped the gun on GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933

They did, over a year and a half ago. Hope that turned your day around!

[Maltic]

They have, like, 10 must-haves on the 2023 slate so far, I reckon. One of the best years for WAC, imo.

[EddieLarkin]

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

I wish they would, as the film seems impossible to find now. I've gone through 4 different discs and all have rotted, refusing to play properly passed the layer change. The film isn't part of the MOD programme and I can't even find a copy via backchannels that isn't compressed into cruddiness (and it isn't available to stream anywhere in the UK either).

[Dr Amicus]

I don't think this has been noted here before, but in the UK Warners are now selling UK versions of some of these, I'm assuming online only. Previously some ended up in the HMV Premium Collection, but with the demise of that line Warners obviously think there is a market (albeit specialised) for these and are selling them direct.

On Rapa Nui, I went to the cinema to see that - one of the few in London showing it when it opened. It's, errm, unusual - how did this get $35m to get made? - but it's two hours of Jason Scott Lee wearing not a huge amount, which made it worthwhile in my book. [sorry... very shallow I know!]

[Finch]

We've still got November and December TBA (outside of the LT Vol 2 set). I honestly think most labels' 2023 slate has been a bit meh, especially Criterion's and Eureka's, so I don't think WAC is noticeably worse than anyone else. George did say on the podcast yesterday that The Devil Doll very nearly wasn't ready to go for October, and the street date supports that. I remain hopeful that if November and December are not it, that 2024 is when we see the two Lewtons, The Narrow Margin, The Tall T, Air Force, The Roaring Twenties (some seem to think Criterion might have this), Stage Door etc.

[CantelopeSkiz]

The Tall T

Criterion recently released this as part of their Ranown Westerns box set. Did you perhaps mean The Tall Target (1951), directed by Anthony Mann?

[Peacock]

We've still got November and December TBA (outside of the LT Vol 2 set). I honestly think most labels' 2023 slate has been a bit meh, especially Criterion's and Eureka's, so I don't think WAC is noticeably worse than anyone else. George did say on the podcast yesterday that The Devil Doll very nearly wasn't ready to go for October, and the street date supports that. I remain hopeful that if November and December are not it, that 2024 is when we see the two Lewtons, The Narrow Margin, The Tall T, Air Force, The Roaring Twenties (some seem to think Criterion might have this), Stage Door etc.

The 2 Lewtons are clearly with Criterion at this stage.

[Finch]

The Tall T

Criterion recently released this as part of their Ranown Westerns box set. Did you perhaps mean The Tall Target (1951), directed by Anthony Mann?

Yes, I did. #-o

[swo17]

I honestly think most labels' 2023 slate has been a bit meh

Indicator and Radiance though

[JSC]

There are a lot of titles Warners could be releasing...like some of these?

Adam's Rib
O’ Lucky Man!
Zabriskie Point
Stage Door
Petulia 
The Gay Divorcee / Top Hat / Shall We Dance, etc.
The Roaring Twenties
A Day at the Races (and the rest of the Marx Bros MGM films)
The Nun’s Story 
George Washington Slept Here
Savage Messiah 
Lisztomania
The Search

[therewillbeblus]

The possibilities are endless. Air Force, Tomorrow is Another Day and Sitting Target are others at the top of my list

[yoloswegmaster]

Indicator and Radiance though

Indicator has been especially meh

[hearthesilence]

There are a lot of titles Warners could be releasing...like some of these?

Adam's Rib
Zabriskie Point
The Gay Divorcee / Top Hat / Shall We Dance, etc.
The Roaring Twenties

These have been on my wishlist for a while, partly because it sounded like they were getting prepped, but it's been years, even DECADES, and still nothing. There's even an article (I think the NY Times) about the arrival of HD formats and how they had to go back and re-do those Astaire and Rogers musicals because what they did for DVD would not be adequate. (It made some point about how you could now see smears and dirt on the floors.) At the time, I thought that meant Blu-rays were inevitable, but that was at least 10 years ago. Swing Time finally got picked up by Criterion, but it honestly seemed like WB was going to put it out themselves.

[beamish14]

Did anyone catch Last Summer on TCM recently? It was one of those rare titles with the DVR replay block, so I didn’t get to see it, but I was curious to see if it looked better than the mid-80’s VHS or the 16mm print I’ve watched