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THE FALLEN SPARROW is another title that should have made a Noir Box. It's one I've never seen and I'd really hoped it would make the cut next time out. Damn WB!

Beaver on Westbound.

This looks about a thousand times better than the old VHS copy that has been floating around the internet for awhile now. I completely understand why so many people are disappointed with WB about this whole "collection" but to me, it seems pretty great so far. I'll never see myself paying more than $15 for these releases though, which is why a classicflix account comes in handy.

Is there any reason why Netflix can't simply buy up all these archive titles from WB and then rent them out?

Because Netflix does not rent DVD-Rs

AAAAARGH ! How fustrated do you get ?
I've been waiting for Coppola's "The rain people" for years, and now it's available in this kind of "made on demand" "Warner Archive Collection", which SHOULD be fine but ISN'T because they will SHIP TO THE US ONLY - and, madly enough, that goes for downloads too !
I wrote to them in order to complain about that state of affairs, but I have little hope of any answer - not to mention an answer suggesting a solution.
So let's use pragmatism against the villains : would someone here - living in the US of course - be OK to receive that DVD for me and re-ship it to me (to France) ? Shipping costs would of course be repaid through PayPal (including PayPal fees).
You can answer here and/or reach me by PM, thanks in advance.

What's the deal with the blacked-out top of the frame in The Big House at 1:11:11? It looks like it was needed to hide part of the sound stage or something, but I can't figure out a way that makes any kind of real sense.

"Party Girl" was a real blast when it stopped at 5:11 a remained there. I am not too thrilled by WB burned discs, I have tons of bootlegs that can make it to the end of the movie. Can't they lacquer the discs or do something with them so they have a little staying power (at least longer than five minutes!)

What's the deal with the blacked-out top of the frame in The Big House at 1:11:11? It looks like it was needed to hide part of the sound stage or something, but I can't figure out a way that makes any kind of real sense.

Maybe Roland West had some sort of widescreen clause entered in Chester Morris' contract ...

JacquesQ wrote:AAAAARGH ! How fustrated do you get ?
I've been waiting for Coppola's "The rain people" for years, and now it's available in this kind of "made on demand" "Warner Archive Collection", which SHOULD be fine but ISN'T because they will SHIP TO THE US ONLY - and, madly enough, that goes for downloads too !
I wrote to them in order to complain about that state of affairs, but I have little hope of any answer - not to mention an answer suggesting a solution.
So let's use pragmatism against the villains : would someone here - living in the US of course - be OK to receive that DVD for me and re-ship it to me (to France) ? Shipping costs would of course be repaid through PayPal (including PayPal fees).
You can answer here and/or reach me by PM, thanks in advance.

Sorry I can't help you out as i'm in Canada: but the Warner Archive discs will (apparently) be available through re-sellers such as the "Movies Unlimited" website (which seems to be accepting 'pre-orders'), and it is rumored that they will also be available through Amazon.com, with Movies Unlimited commencing shipping on June 1st.
I've not dealt with Movies Unlimited myself, but other posters on other fora state that they're pretty good. personally, I'm hoping Amazon.com starts to sell these - and not just through their "Re-selling Associates", who seem to be asking for a lot for these discs.
I've been keeping an eye on this lack of international service from the WB Archive as I'm in the same boat that you are: although my desired title(s) differ from the one you're after.

skweeker wrote:

JacquesQ wrote:[...] they will SHIP TO THE US ONLY [...]

Sorry I can't help you out as i'm in Canada: but the Warner Archive discs will (apparently) be available through re-sellers such as the "Movies Unlimited" website (which seems to be accepting 'pre-orders'), and it is rumored that they will also be available through Amazon.com, with Movies Unlimited commencing shipping on June 1st.
[...] I'm hoping Amazon.com starts to sell these - and not just through their "Re-selling Associates", who seem to be asking for a lot for these discs. [...]

Thanks a lot for all this information. Still my opinion is that if WB sells those at $20 a piece and you say that Amazon.com merchants are "asking a lot" (with an additional $13 shipping costs per disc, gasp), then we may be slowly drifting away from reasonable prices, particularly for DVD-Rs that at least one person on this forum found to be technically deficient...

For the time being I've found (but not on Criterionforum, oh you selfish American film buffs !) a kind soul willing to re-ship me my Coppola + a previously unreleased Walsh (A lion is in the streets) but I will most certainly find other films that I would like to buy among the titles they will keep releasing, so I will hope for "intermediates" like MoviesUnlimited to sell them at a resonable price. But on the other hand my request for kind help from someone here who lives in the US and would re-ship to me in tne future (with me buying the DVDs and refunding the shipping costs, obviously) remains open...

The Strawberry Blonde is supposedly coming on the 28th. That's according to Amazon.

Does Warner have any release schedule/calendar available for the Archives? I can't find one anywhere. And these last-minute additions are really hard on the pocketbook when you can't plan ahead.

Amazon has other Warner Archive exclusives along with Strawberry Blonde:

Look for the Silver Lining
Bordertown (1935)
Colorado Territory
Crime School
Doctor Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
The Male Animal
The Unsuspected
20,000 Years in Sing Sing
The Verdict (1946)

All of them are 28.98 and some came out as early as May 8. No additional information about these, if they are DVD-R or pressed discs and why the price is so high.

All of those titles except Colorado Territory, which should have been thrown on the High Sierra disc, would be welcome additions if Amazon is giving real DVDs. But I'm sure this is just like their Nickelodeon cartoon BOD titles, overpriced DVDRs. No wonder Warner Archives feel at home there

Ashirg wrote:Amazon has other Warner Archive exclusives along with Strawberry Blonde:

The Verdict (1946)

Damn! I'd been hoping for a Sydney Greenstreet/Peter Lorre set from Warners, but suddenly that seems far less likely. I wouldn't mind owning The Verdict, but not at that price. Almost thirty bucks for a DVDR?! Ouch.

Arthur Bannister wrote:Damn! I'd been hoping for a Sydney Greenstreet/Peter Lorre set from Warners, but suddenly that seems far less likely.

Everything from Warners seems far less likely. I have a love/hate relationship with the Archive.

If you buy these through the TCM site, they're only $17.99. Maybe that's only temporary. Dunno. Not all titles are available, though.

so lightly here wrote:"Party Girl" was a real blast when it stopped at 5:11 a remained there. I am not too thrilled by WB burned discs, I have tons of bootlegs that can make it to the end of the movie. Can't they lacquer the discs or do something with them so they have a little staying power (at least longer than five minutes!)

I ordered another and have to admit that the disc ran perfectly, and it was a great transfer. However, I really can't figure out why they would do such a good job on a major director and then offer it only on DVD-R. What is up with the former wonderful WB?

Matt wrote:If you buy these through the TCM site, they're only $17.99. Maybe that's only temporary. Dunno.

Why, hello there: TCM ships internationally! Postage rate seems to be "$6.50 base charge per order plus $6.00 for each item ordered".

Those shipping rates are insane. For 1 title I would be paying $12.50 US for shipping. For 2 titles, I could buy a whole other DVD. Pass.

So I thought the Warner Archive was going to be shipping to Canada "soon"? I guess it's the same "soon" they're using for Greed and Magnificent Ambersons. Argh.

Sooooo. I can't order "Strawberry Blonde" from the warner site (wbshop)? I have to order it from amazon?
Then where do I find a list of the warner archive titles available exclusively from amazon?

New Archive Titles, buncha Gary Cooper, Dick Powell, and Borzage

Bright Leaf
Colleen
Flirtation Walk
Happiness Ahead
One Sunday Afternoon
Operator 13
Ready, Willing, and Able
Saratoga Trunk
Shipmates Forever
Task Force
Today We Live
Four's a Crowd

In the old days (up to about six months ago) Warner would have thrown in the Paramount-produced 1933 One Sunday Afternoon with their first remake Strawberry Blonde... but their new philosophy seems to be why do that when they can sell them separately and charge twice as much, even making the Walsh film an ultra-expensive Amazon exclusive!

Given they've previously released much inferior Cagney and Cooper titles in retail boxes on pressed DVDs, it really does look like there's no hope for proper releases of the vast majority of remaining Warner-owned classics.

Some Marie Dressler and silent titles added:

When a Man Loves
the Sea Hawk
Reducing
Politics
Old San Francisco
Min and Bill
Let Us Be Gay
the First Auto
the Divine Lady
the Better Ole
Beau Brummel

Old San Francisco is one of the more visually interesting, mediocre silents I've seen... probably somewhat insulting to Chinese people with all the racial flimflammery flying fore & aft.

Little Angelo Rossito has a crazy little part in this film too-- a vicious little midget bouncing around in a cage he's kept in, laughing and sneering and getting erections of schadenfreude over Warner Oland's misfortunes.