952 The Magnificent Ambersons

[dx23]

I really don't understand Warner's reasoning behind this mediocre release. Wasn't The Maginificent Ambersons like a top 3 in voting every year on TMC.com and Amazon on those polls they had on most wanted film on DVD/Blu-ray? Wasn't the excuse always something about finding the best print? Then why in the blue hell is it being released as a fucking exclusive on an e-tailer? Why couldn't they simply license the film to Criterion? Why can't they release it on Blu-ray? The next thing is going to be Greed release only in digital format on iTunes.... Ooops! They already did that.

[Cash Flagg]

Perhaps WB will include Greed as an extra on an upcoming deluxe edition of the next Harry Potter film.

[Max von Mayerling]

Another odd thing - Amazon - the only retailer selling the Ambersons/Kane package - is pricing it at $5 above the non-Ambersons version. (Although Warner has priced it at $15 more. Ironic that meanwhile they sell DVD-Rs on the Archive for $20 a pop.) You could undoubtedly sell more than a few Ambersons discs as stand-alones (even without features) for more than $5 each.

The only reason I can think of for pursuing this strategy is if Warner thinks it is having a hard time convincing consumers to upgrade to blu (especially for classic films) and so it is trying to use Ambersons to entice what it views as reluctant upgraders. I seem to recall seeing a quote recently from someone at Warner saying something to the effect that they haven't been thrilled by the sales numbers for "classic" films on blu.

[andyli]

I hope this is the same situation as Blade Runner, a barebone dvd preceding a deluxe multi-disc blu-ray by one year.

[JAP]

I really don't understand Warner's reasoning behind this mediocre release. Wasn't The Maginificent Ambersons like a top 3 in voting every year on TMC.com and Amazon on those polls they had on most wanted film on DVD/Blu-ray? Wasn't the excuse always something about finding the best print? (...)

Remember a time when Warner's representatives would say stuff like this (the 2007 Warner Home Video HTF chat):

We have finally found good elements on AMBERSONS, and plan to release both AMBERSONS and JOURNEY in 2008.

[Jonathan S]

The only reason I can think of for pursuing this strategy is if Warner thinks it is having a hard time convincing consumers to upgrade to blu (especially for classic films) and so it is trying to use Ambersons to entice what it views as reluctant upgraders. I seem to recall seeing a quote recently from someone at Warner saying something to the effect that they haven't been thrilled by the sales numbers for "classic" films on blu.

Consumer acceptance of classics on Blu-ray is painfully limited. That breaks my heart. We've put out a lot of great titles that have not performed particularly well.

Remember a time when Warner's representatives would say stuff like this (the 2007 Warner Home Video HTF chat):

We have finally found good elements on AMBERSONS, and plan to release both AMBERSONS and JOURNEY in 2008.

They also said (a year later):

AMBERSONS is still in the development stages...our plans for supplementary materials require much more time (and money) than expected.

[Peacock]

If their original plans for supplements proved too expensive and time consuming, why can't they just ask some of the countless scholars or filmmakers like Bogdanovich - to contribute via interview or visual essay? Would that really cost anything to them? Instead, their original plans for sups proved too expensive, so after much umming and ahing, they go 'Let's just release it with nothing'. I'm sure we'll see a standalone release a couple of months after, but it looks unlikely they'll add anything on.

Has anyone got any replies from WB after their complaints?

[atcolomb]

It could also be that Warner Bros. is having "cold feet" on Ambersons beacuse they are wondering how many "units" will sell and who will buy them. Ambersons is no Harry Potter in terms of sales but i do hope they will set aside profits and release a nice special edition on blu-ray latter.

[MyNameCriterionForum]

WHAT

[Roger Ryan]

WHAT

Well, there we go. No need to purchase the Amazon exclusive. Just pick this up and the KANE Blu-ray.

[Fred Holywell]

Still no supplements, I take it. If any film needs a commentary track and making-of doc, it's this one. All that, and an ugly cover, too. Poor ol' "Ambersons" just can't seem to get a break.

[Arthur Bannister]

I wouldn't put it past them to release a deluxe edition later, as others have suggested. And who knows that they might not have licensed the Criterion LD commentary and extras for just such double-dip bait? It would be simpler (and potentially cheaper) than creating new ones.

[Matt]

I wouldn't put it past them to release a deluxe edition later, as others have suggested.

It's taken them this many years just to get a bare-bones DVD out. Given that Warner Bros. barely releases deluxe editions of anything anymore, I'm willing to bet top dollar that this is the last version of Ambersons in a tangible format.

[Arthur Bannister]

Given that Warner Bros. barely releases deluxe editions of anything anymore, I'm willing to bet top dollar that this is the last version of Ambersons in a tangible format.

I'm sad to admit that you're probably right, but I can dream can't I?

[Roger Ryan]

The real question is whether Warner actually found "better elements" and did a 4K scan transfer as was originally hoped; "Digitally-remastered" doesn't really tell us much. I'm starting to think that in quietly issuing the film on DVD as a TCM exclusive and as part of an Amazon bundle promotion with KANE, the "better elements" were never found and the picture quality isn't worth making a to-do about it, as Aunt Fanny would say. We'll see in September.

[atcolomb]

I saw this on the website DVDTOWN:

"The box-office performance in the first six months of 2011 was soft — revenue fell about 9 percent compared with last year, while attendance was down 10 percent — and that comes amid decay in home-entertainment sales. In all formats, including paid streaming and DVDs, home entertainment revenue fell almost 10 percent, according to the Digital Entertainment Group.
The first part of the year held a near collapse in video store rentals, which fell 36 percent to about $440 million, offsetting gains from cut-price rental kiosks and subscriptions. In addition, the sale of packaged discs fell about 20 percent, to about $2.2 billion, while video-on-demand, though growing, delivered total sales of less than a quarter of that amount".

So with the sales of dvd's down maybe Warner Bros does not want to spent alot...just guessing and i hope they won't put the bare minimum on Ambersons.

[dx23]

Looking at the updated cover on Amazon.com, it just seems that Warner is just adding the additional DVD on the packaging shown in the TMC store outside the Blu-ray Citizen Kane box. The Amazon exclusivity may just be temporary and I don't doubt one bit that we'll be seeing the Magnificent Ambersons DVD for $3 at Big Lots sooner or later.

[Drucker]

from Wellesnet:

CITIZEN KANE 70th Anniversary Blu Ray arriving on September 13

Orson Welles’ Tour de Force Citizen Kane Celebrates 70th Anniversary with Blu-ray Debut of Remastered Ultimate Collector’s Edition

Burbank, Calif., June 13, 2011 – Citizen Kane, Orson Welles’ tour de force which the American Film Institute (AFI) chose as the #1 film of all time, celebrates its 70th Anniversary with an all new 1080p hi-definition restoration from original nitrate elements in stunning 4K resolution and revitalized digital audio. Warner Home Video will bring the iconic masterwork to a new generation with their new Blu-ray™ 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition, complete with more than three hours of bonus content and an array of rare and collectible premiums including a 48-page collector’s book filled with photos and behind-the-scene details, a 20-page reproduction of the original 1941 souvenir program, lobby cards, and reproductions of rare production memos and correspondence (Blu-ray Disc $64.99 SRP; DVD $49.92 SRP).

This classic story of power and the press starring, produced, directed and co-written by then 25-year-old Orson Welles, the film captured nine Academy Award®* nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director, and won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

These newest 70th Anniversary editions will present the film in the highest quality yet. “The work to recreate the original look of the film and to clean up the effects of aging was a painstaking, frame-by-frame process. The source for most of the picture was a 4K scan from a 1941 composite fine grain positive master” says Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) colorist Janet Wilson.

The new edition includes feature-length stories-behind-the-story that include the two- hour Academy Award-nominated documentary Battle over Citizen Kane and RKO 281, the Golden Globe® and Emmy ® winning HBO docudrama that chronicles the clash between William Randolph Hearst and Hollywood. Memorabilia in the premium packaging includes the 1941 movie premiere newsreel, gallery of storyboards, studio correspondence, call sheets, rare photos and more.

Citizen Kane 70th Anniversary Edition is new to digital and will be releasing with iTunes Extras and will be available On Demand from cable and satellite providers and for digital download from online retailers including iTunes™, VUDU and Amazon Instant Video.

THE EXTRAS! READ ALL ABOUT THEM!

Disc 1
· Commentary by Peter Bogdanovich
· Commentary by Roger Ebert
· Opening: World Premier of Citizen Kane Vintage Featurettes
· Interview with Ruth Warrick
· Interview with Robert Wise
· Storyboards
· Call Sheets
· Still Photography with Commentary by Roger Ebert
· Deleted Scenes
· Ad Campaign
· Press Book
· Opening Night
· Theatrical Trailer

Disc 2: The Battle over Citizen Kane (PBS Documentary)

Disc 3: RKO 281 (HBO Feature film)

Amazon only exclusive:

Disc 4: The Magnificent Ambersons

About Orson Welles and CITIZEN KANE

CITIZEN KANE, according to director Martin Scorsese, made Orson Welles “responsible for inspiring more people to be film directors than anyone else in the history of cinema.” Starring, produced, directed and co-written by Welles, CITIZEN KANE opened May 8, 1941 at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood and was nominated for nine Academy Awards®, winning the Oscar® for Best Screenplay.

The picture starred actors from Welles Mercury Theater, who at the time, were entirely new to motion pictures. Joseph Cotten played Jedediah Leland, the best friend of Charles Foster Kane, while William Alland was the investigative reporter who delves into the life of Kane, in a quest for the meaning of Kane’s dying word, “Rosebud.” Welles himself played the title role, from a boyish, ambitious young man to the old, bloated and embittered recluse he became. Other actors Welles cast included Everett Sloane, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick and Paul Stewart. Alan Ladd and Arthur O’Connell appeared in uncredited bit parts as reporters.

The legendary Gregg Toland was the film’s cinematographer, and Robert Wise, later a two-time Academy Award®-winning director, was the editor on the picture. One of the screen greatest composers, Bernard Herrmann created his first movie score for CITIZEN KANE, and was nominated for the Academy Award, but that same year Herrmann beat himself for the Oscar — for his second film score, ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY. After remaining out of circulation for many years, the film was re-issued by RKO in 1956, and in 1962 CITIZEN KANE was selected by a panel of film critics as the greatest film of all time. During the ensuing years, in poll after poll, CITIZEN KANE has consistently ranked as the highest embodiment of film art. Says critic Roger Ebert, “Seventy years later, this towering achievement is as fresh, as provoking, as entertaining, as funny, as sad, as brilliant, as it ever was. Many agree it is the greatest film of all time.” Critic and film historian Arthur Knight observed, “Less by imitation than by inspiration, the Orson Welles film has altered the look not only of American films, but of films the world over.”

[hearthesilence]

Ugh. Will pass. That horrible documentary was bad enough on the last DVD set (still can't believe it was nominated for an Oscar), but with RKO 281, they're pretty much burying the original film in mediocrity.

Except for the now-obsolete format, the only time they've ever done a "collector's set" right was that 50th anniversary box set - the shooting script, a nice book, publicity photos/lobby cards, a poster (mail-in though) and a making-of doc with interviews with Scorsese, Ridley Scott and I think a few others, including the then-surviving participants.

[Roger Ryan]

Ugh. Will pass. That horrible documentary was bad enough on the last DVD set (still can't believe it was nominated for an Oscar), but with RKO 281, they're pretty much burying the original film in mediocrity.

Except for the now-obsolete format, the only time they've ever done a "collector's set" right was that 50th anniversary box set - the shooting script, a nice book, publicity photos/lobby cards, a poster (mail-in though) and a making-of doc with interviews with Scorsese, Ridley Scott and I think a few others, including the then-surviving participants.

Except the publicity photos deteriorated to blurry mush within months, fitting perhaps since that 50th anniversary transfer of KANE was an abomination. I agree that the Amazon exclusive collector's set is unappealing, but turns out it's actually cheaper to buy the set than to buy the KANE Blu-ray and the AMBERSONS DVD separately!

[Roger Ryan]

Sorry, this item is either discontinued or does not exist.

The above is what you now see when going to the TCM.com shop page for AMBERSONS. I'm thinking Amazon was not happy that Warner Home Video intended to sell the disc separately through TCM and it was pulled. I still feel it is only a matter of time before the AMBERSONS DVD will be available as a separate purchase, but for now it appears the Amazon KANE Blu-ray exclusive is the only way to get the new Region 1 release.

[MoonlitKnight]

Sorry, this item is either discontinued or does not exist.

The above is what you now see when going to the TCM.com shop page for AMBERSONS. I'm thinking Amazon was not happy that Warner Home Video intended to sell the disc separately through TCM and it was pulled. I still feel it is only a matter of time before the AMBERSONS DVD will be available as a separate purchase, but for now it appears the Amazon KANE Blu-ray exclusive is the only way to get the new Region 1 release.

Sooo... who was the snitch? #-o

[Oedipax]

Popped in the DVD just now; the Ambersons transfer seems pretty decent. Better than the Éditions Montparnasse disc for sure. Visible grain, nice contrast, progressive, a bit on the soft side but I'm not familiar enough with the film to say whether this is characteristic of the film itself or a weakness in the transfer.

Agreed that the way it's packaged along with Citizen Kane is feels cheap all around, and not even a chapter menu, though the disc itself does have chapters when you play it.

Edit: Quickie comparison using Beaver grabs for the other two discs. Éditions Montparnasse R2, Universal R2, Fox R1. Not bad, although we can see some cropping in the Fox versus Universal. That shot's more tightly framed around the head than Welles would've wanted it, I'm guessing.

[matrixschmatrix]

Yeah, my worry is that Ambersons is going to disappear again after a month, and get relegated to the Archive. I don't want to waste extra money on the big stupid box, but I don't want to miss a chance for a halfway decent Ambersons release either.

[Noiradelic]

Hopefully, when they release the pared-down Kane Blu, they'll at least start offering Ambersons through the TCM site again for a bit.