Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

[Finch]

Thad Komorowski reviews the first disc of the Tom and Jerry Golden Era collection.

[EddieLarkin]

Hold onto your old Golden Collection Vol 1, because some of the shorts on that set are scrubbed to shit on this new one.

[tenia]

Ugh.

[Zot!]

Hold onto your old Golden Collection Vol 1, because some of the shorts on that set are scrubbed to shit on this new one.

Oh well...the review posted mentions "By far: this is the best comprehensive presentation Tom & Jerry has ever received on home video.", so between this and my old discs, I imagine I'll have to make do.

[Matt]

As a Technicolor film, [National Velvet] relies surprisingly on natural light and outdoor photography—as noted above not typically a strength of three-strip Technicolor. But it’s all seamlessly integrated with the studio photography, and very beautifully so. I don’t think I’ve yet seen another three-strip film with such lush outdoor photography, though I have yet to revisit the Lassie films and the WAC Blu-ray of The Yearling (which also feature the work of cinematographer Leonard Smith, who perhaps unexpectedly became MGM’s specialist in outdoor Technicolor photography).

Returning after an extended break to my survey of WAC's three-strip Technicolor releases, I finally got around to my disc of The Yearling that's been sitting in my "unwatched" drawer for nearly 2 years. The outdoor cinematography does look nice, but not as nice as lush as I thought it would be. The greens are beautifully green, but there's not a whole lot of variety in the Florida and California locations beyond deep green and brown. And there are a LOT of browns in this film, from the trees and brush to the entire wardrobe to the titular yearling itself. I admire the filmmakers' efforts to provide a realistically rustic setting, but it's just another, less thrilling, use of Technicolor's capabilities. The only saturated color comes from blue skies. The most striking cinematography is reserved for the studio interiors where lighting can be controlled. So, again, "nice" but not stunning. Still one of the clearer, sharper WAC Technicolor restorations.

As for the film, well, it's not really my kind of thing. Lots of stiffly delivered "t'ain't" and "I reckon" kind of dialogue and so forth, gruff men and emotionally withholding women, wet-eyed simple children. Claude Jarman, Jr. is not particularly charismatic or believable, and all the other characters are very one-note. But it's based on a children's book, so I can be forgiving of it feeling a little thin. Too thin to maintain a 128-minute runtime, though.

I recommend the disc if you already like the film, but I can't recommend it as a classic coming-of-age film over something like How Green Was My Valley, The Secret Garden, Treasure Island, or National Velvet.

[Finch]

I'm going to stick with my pre-order for the time being until Thad has finished reviewing all six discs and Amazon are late with shipping their copies anyway so with the new estimated shipping date of mid-December, that's going to give folks enough time to inform themselves and cancel if they wish to. Looks like around 5 out of the problematic 12 shorts have been identified so far as having been fixed with new scans, and all the cartoons appear to be uncut, so even if the set turns out to be frustratingly inconsistent overall, it may be the best case scenario. And the pre-order price is competitive, especially when this thing could go for triple figures on ebay in the future.

[Finch]

Thad on the second disc of Tom & Jerry

[andyli]

Hold onto your old Golden Collection Vol 1, because some of the shorts on that set are scrubbed to shit on this new one.

I thought it would just be the old disc packed in the new set for the previously released shorts... why would they redo what's already out there?

[EddieLarkin]

Some of the Vol 1 shorts have received new superior restorations. Some of the ones that didn't have been degrained. So you'll need to swap out the discs to get the best experience.

[FrauBlucher]

New announcements...
The New Fred and Barney Show
For the First Time... Mario Lanza
By the Light of the Silvery Moon
The Verdict ... Don Siegel
Manpower...Raoul Walsh
The Narrow Margin
Red Dust

[What A Disgrace]

Narrow Margin! At long last.

[Peacock]

And Red Dust, at last!!!
4K scan.

[Finch]

The Narrow Margin. At long fucking last. Let's crack open the champagne, people.

[domino harvey]

And Red Dust, at last!!!
4K scan.

Would rather get Mogambo…

I think Narrow Margin means only Dillinger remains from the second noir box, and Lady in the Lake from the third

[Peacock]

I’d rather get Mogambo too, but hopefully it’s a step in the right direction! They did say a few months ago that they are working on the Ford so fingers crossed it won’t be too long.

How many titles remain missing from the other Noir sets? Where for art thou Crime Wave?

[domino harvey]

Siegel's first two pictures are a little too eager to please, but there's some value to be had nevertheless. Period-noir the Verdict (1946) is a twist ending murder mystery, and like all surprise ending films, it loses a lot of its impact when you figure out what's going on thirty minutes before the film tells you. Despite how ridiculous the plot is, it's strongly acted and the direction, while dipping a bit too deep into expressionism, is competent.

By the Light of the Silvery Moon (David Butler 1953) No one to blame but myself for this. I hated the first film, On Moonlight Bay, so I'm not sure why I thought it'd be a good idea to indulge in the sequel. I am generally quite responsive to antiquated family hokum that came out of the studio system, but very few musicals pull it off well (Small Town Girl is the exception, and maybe the first hour of Summer Holiday). This episodic nightmare Xeroxes many of the original's flaws and it doesn't help that the songs are rotten and the numbers in which they're uttered unimaginative (and in the case of one Canterbury Tale-inspired doozy, a total embarrassment). How could Butler make both this and a masterpiece like Calamity Jane in the same year?

[domino harvey]

How many titles remain missing from the other Noir sets? Where for art thou Crime Wave?

Vol 4:
the Big Steal
Crime Wave
Decoy
Illegal
Tension
Where Danger Lives

Vol 5:
None of the ten titles have been upgraded

[FrauBlucher]

Siegel's first two pictures are a little too eager to please, but there's some value to be had nevertheless. Period-noir the Verdict (1946) is a twist ending murder mystery, and like all surprise ending films, it loses a lot of its impact when you figure out what's going on thirty minutes before the film tells you. Despite how ridiculous the plot is, it's strongly acted and the direction, while dipping a bit too deep into expressionism, is competent.

By the Light of the Silvery Moon (David Butler 1953) No one to blame but myself for this. I hated the first film, On Moonlight Bay, so I'm not sure why I thought it'd be a good idea to indulge in the sequel. I am generally quite responsive to antiquated family hokum that came out of the studio system, but very few musicals pull it off well (Small Town Girl is the exception, and maybe the first hour of Summer Holiday). This episodic nightmare Xeroxes many of the original's flaws and it doesn't help that the songs are rotten and the numbers in which they're uttered unimaginative (and in the case of one Canterbury Tale-inspired doozy, a total embarrassment). How could Butler make both this and a masterpiece like Calamity Jane in the same year?

Keel and the music make it so

[DeprongMori]

I think Narrow Margin means only Dillinger remains from the second noir box, and Lady in the Lake from the third

I believe Born to Kill (also with Tierney) is also still not available from the second set.

[domino harvey]

Whoops, that’s right!

[Maltic]

The race against time

[beamish14]

The Narrow Margin. At long fucking last. Let's crack open the champagne, people.

They couldn’t have thrown in Armored Car Robbery, too?

[Monterey Jack]

The Narrow Margin. At long fucking last. Let's crack open the champagne, people.

Been waiting on this one for ages.

[pistolwink]

It's a perfect film...basically the ideal midcentury "B" picture.

[domino harvey]

Another new 6 pack, all musicals:

the Boy Friend
Brigadoon
Damn Yankees
Guys and Dolls
Gypsy
Pajama Game

Fred Astaire 4-pack:

the Band Wagon
Easter Parade
Finian’s Rainbow
Silk Stockings

Spencer Tracy 4-pack:

Bad Day at Black Rock
Fury
Libeled Lady
Northwest Passage