Warner Brothers Archive Collection (DVDs only)

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Domino, how was Bhowani Junction? Was the DVD another Archives miss? I'm curious as I'd like to pick it up during the DD sale.

[Roger Ryan]

that's disingenous no titles have been restored, but many have been remastered.

I realize the use of the term "restoration" was incorrect in my first post. Here's how Warner is selling this new set of Archive releases:

OUR BIGGEST ANNOUNCEMENT YET

Since launching in March 2009, the Warner Archive Collection has released more than 550 previously unavailable films, short subjects, TV movies and mini-series. While thousands of great titles still wait in the wings, many of our most requested films pose a unique production challenge because they lack suitable masters. In response to the tremendous support from our customers, we are proud to introduce a new series of remastered editions making their DVD debut.

These movies span seven decades of filmmaking, representing a wide variety of major genres. The highly-skilled talents at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging created new high quality digital scans which result in top quality presentations available for home viewing. Pre-order before 6/22 and get them for $19.95 - regular price $24.95.

[htdm]

So they actually raised their prices?
I thought archive titles were always $19.99 (still about $10 too high if you ask me).

[Roger Ryan]

So they actually raised their prices?
I thought archive titles were always $19.99 (still about $10 too high if you ask me).

Maybe they feel they have to charge more now that the "highly-skilled talents at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging" are involved.

[movielocke]

Yes, they charge more the highly skilled talents of MPI when MPI was already doing exactly what they describe for every single widescreen title in the archives.

[domino harvey]

Turns out movie lovers are total suckers, so we're gonna charge them more because we can. Eat shit and love it, consumers!

[domino harvey]

Domino, how was Bhowani Junction? Was the DVD another Archives miss? I'm curious as I'd like to pick it up during the DD sale.

I haven't watched it yet, but I can fit in a viewing before the sale's over if you're curious. I think David Hare had good things to say about the transfer if that's all you're worried about

[MoonlitKnight]

Turns out movie lovers are total suckers, so we're gonna charge them more because we can. Eat shit and love it, consumers!

Sad but true. :-&

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Domino, how was Bhowani Junction? Was the DVD another Archives miss? I'm curious as I'd like to pick it up during the DD sale.

I haven't watched it yet, but I can fit in a viewing before the sale's over if you're curious. I think David Hare had good things to say about the transfer if that's all you're worried about

I saw his comments on the PQ, but I was curious about the film itself. Jonathan Rosenbaum seems to like it and I'm intrigued by Cukor directing Gardner, but I have no clue if it's any good. You've been telling us how each of these titles have been so I thought you'd seen it already. I'd love to hear your thoughts because there's no way in hell I'd pay more than $15 for these discs when there's that sale still on.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

The only film worthy of double billing with it Renoir's The River.

Do you mean that the two films have similar (or complementary) politics or that Cukor's film-making here is on par with Renoir? I ask because this is one of my favorite Renoir films. Thanks for the lengthy reply. That Ava/Granger scene sounds interesting - I hope there's more in the film where that came from.

[Gregory]

Some of the scenes censored from Bhowani Junction would have added some nice lascivious touches to the film. One was Bill Travers' character making love to Ava, and then his head suggestively moves out of the frame and the camera stays focused on her face as she's overcome with ecstasy. Another was Ava brushing her teeth with her lover's toothbrush and then rinsing with whiskey.

[Jonathan S]

Some of the scenes censored from Bhowani Junction would have added some nice lascivious touches to the film. One was Bill Travers' character making love to Ava, and then his head suggestively moves out of the frame and the camera stays focused on her face as she's overcome with ecstasy.

And yet Joseph H Lewis had already got away with that in The Big Combo, presumably because it was a B picture nobody cared about. And it's Richard Conte! I haven't seen Bhowani Junction for decades, as I'll forego anything to avoid Bill Travers. Does Cukor actually manage to get a performance (even a bad one!) out of him?

[Jonathan S]

It does get shown quite regularly on UK TV, most recently only three days ago, but I decided to give it another miss when I saw it was still cropped (like many Warner TV masters here) to a rather soft and muddy-looking 16:9!

[JMULL222]

On a good note, seems we're definitely getting a remastered 'McCloud'. I asked what was good with the release on their facebook, and if there was any chance it was one of the films that got restoration, and they said "Check back here in a few weeks for the news on BREWSTER... The news is what's good....Very, very good in fact!"

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

It looks I'll be adding Bhowani Junction to my order with Witchita and Rancho Notorious. Has anyone seen the Norma Shearer films A Lady of Chance (1928) and Lady of the Night (1925)? I haven't seen her in too many films, but I'm interested in the quality of these two.

[domino harvey]

Rancho Notorious

Don't do it, get the R2 which is like $7 American

[domino harvey]

On a good note, seems we're definitely getting a remastered 'McCloud'. I asked what was good with the release on their facebook, and if there was any chance it was one of the films that got restoration, and they said "Check back here in a few weeks for the news on BREWSTER... The news is what's good....Very, very good in fact!"

Man, if they dump Brewster McCloud, a cult title that everyone wants to see on DVD, into the Archive, just give up. Next they'll plop down Lili, a title that has consistently been in the Top 10 Most Requested Titles on TCM... Do they not know that people may actually buy a real DVD if they bother to put one out, just for kicks?

[souvenir]

Rancho Notorious

Don't do it, get the R2 which is like $7 American

Inferior transfer on the R2 though.

[JMULL222]

On a good note, seems we're definitely getting a remastered 'McCloud'. I asked what was good with the release on their facebook, and if there was any chance it was one of the films that got restoration, and they said "Check back here in a few weeks for the news on BREWSTER... The news is what's good....Very, very good in fact!"

Man, if they dump Brewster McCloud, a cult title that everyone wants to see on DVD, into the Archive, just give up. Next they'll plop down Lili, a title that has consistently been in the Top 10 Most Requested Titles on TCM... Do they not know that people may actually buy a real DVD if they bother to put one out, just for kicks?

I'd rather be chillin with my Warner Archive copy of Brewster than sitting on a message board lamenting my lack of an "official" copy, so it gets the thumbs up from me.

[domino harvey]

David, re: the Chapman Report. Have you seen it recently? Because I saw it last fall and can only imagine someone calling it sublime if enough time had passed to romanticize its faults. Because it's handily the worst Cukor film I've seen and is offensively bad in places-- and not due to any censorship cuts but because of what's there on the screen. I detest audiences who laugh at older films but man, Jane Fonda deserved all the Barmy jeers she got when I saw this live.

[domino harvey]

One the of the - annoyingly intended - consequences of the cutting is it gives far too much unbroken narrative time to the Glynis Johns character in comparison to the other women, effectively unbalancing the film for both mood and tone. As a result I probably unfairly hate the Johns/Ty Hardin material.

Ha, the Johns storyline is the only part of the film I liked. To repeat my thoughts from the Cukor thread where I talked about it before, I think it would have made more sense to excerpt it totally and dump it into one of those omnibus films that were so popular in the early 60s. As for Bloom, few things get me more worked up than Slut Gets Punished plot mechanics-- she was more the victim of a very bad idea than editing.

So I think it's safe to say we're obviously getting drastically different things out of this film! But I like Cukor a great deal and think I can still keep my membership card regardless

[domino harvey]

New new new

Bureau of Missing Persons (Roy del Ruth 1936) Bette Davis
the Girl From 10th Ave (Alfred E Green 1935) Bette Davis
Fog Over Fricso (William Dieterle 1934) Bette Davis
Conquest (Clarence Brown 1937) Greta Garbo, Charles Boyer
Come Live With Me (Clarence Brown 1941) James Stewart, Hedy Lamarr
the Gorgeous Hussy (Clarence Brown 1936) Joan Crawford, Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore
Navy Blues (Clarence Brown 1929)
Double Feature: Hell's Heroes (William Wyler 1930) / Three Godfathers (Richard Bowlslaski 1936)
Double Feature: Madame X (Lionel Barrymore 1929) / Madame X (Sam Wood 1937)
Double Feature: Make Me a Star (William Beaudine 1932) / Merton of the Movies (Robert Alton 1947)
Double Feature: Love is on the Air (Nick Grinde/Jo Graham 1937) / You Can't Escape Forever (Jo Graham 1942)

[justeleblanc]

Oddly, Warner Archive has Sidney Lumet's 1968 THE SEA GULL available for download only even though it bears a cover similar to an archive DVD. Are there any other download only titles?

http://www.wbshop.com/Sea-Gull-The-1968 ... d=MOVIEALL" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[domino harvey]

I think Saint Joan showed up for download before the DVD was available

[HarryLong]

Those double-features at least make the price more reasonable.