Warner Catalog Titles on BD/UHD

[captveg]

The following 4K UHD releases are starting to get listed at some retailers:

11/1/22

A Christmas Story (1983)
Elf (2003)
The Polar Express (2004)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

11/8/22

Casablanca (1942)

[FrauBlucher]

Casablanca UHD details...
Quite impressive... Although I wish they took their queue from WAC for cover art.

The new Casablanca 4K Blu-ray image was restored and remastered from a 2022 4K 16bit film scan of the best-surviving nitrate film elements. The 4K-scanned digital images went through an extensive digital restoration process to clean and repair the picture for an unprecedented and pristine ultra-high-resolution presentation. The restored images were then graded in High Dynamic Range for today's premium 4K display experience, providing the highest fidelity in image contrast and detail retention. This work was meticulously handled by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging. The original theatrical mono audio has also been newly restored as well, providing a richer and broader frequency response than previously possible.

Special Features and Technical Specs:
-BRAND NEW 4K 16-BIT RESTORATION OF THE FILM (2022)
-NEWLY RESTORED ORIGINAL MONO TRACK (2022)
-HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
-Commentary by Roger Ebert
-Commentary by Rudy Behlmer
-Introduction by Lauren Bacall
-Great Performances: Bacall on Bogart (1988 PBS special)
-Michael Curtiz: The Greatest Director You've Never Heard Of
-Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic
-You Must Remember This: A Tribute to Casablanca (1992 TEC documentary)
-As Time Goes By: The Children Remember
-Deleted Scenes
-Outtakes
-Who Holds Tomorrow? (1955 "Casablanca" TV episode)
-Carrotblanca (1955 WB Cartoon)
-Scoring Stage Sessions (audio only)
-Lady Esther Screen Guild Theater Radio Broadcast – 4/26/43 (audio only)
-Vox Pop Radio Broadcast – 11/19/47 (audio only)
-Trailers
-Warner Night at the Movies
-Now, Voyager trailer
-Newsreel
-Vaudeville Days (1942 WB short)
-The Bird Came C.O.D. (1942 WB cartoon)
-The Squawkin' Hawk (1942 WB cartoon)
-The Dover Boys at Pimento University (1942 WB cartoon)

[ryannichols7]

I'll honestly take that cover over a lot of the previous ones this movie has gotten. looking forward to the release - any new extras out of that? they look all the same to me, which is expected (and certainly okay, the Behlmer commentary is awesome)

I believe this is going to be the same deal as Singin' in the Rain where the UK is getting a special edition but the US just gets a standard one

[JSC]

I'll honestly take that cover over a lot of the previous ones this movie has gotten

Although the tower of Bogart over the title is a little off-putting. I don't see why they
couldn't have just used a full-sized image of Bergman and Bogart from the bottom of
the cover. Also... Bogie doesn't actually wear a black tux in the film. It's taken from
this publicity shot (which I think is from a few years earlier).

[Finch]

The newly restored mono track is a nice addition. Hopefully this shifts enough copies for Warner to do 4k releases of Adventures of Robin Hood and other Curtiz films that are IMO superior to Casablanca, like Mildred Pierce or Angels with Dirty Faces etc, or let Criterion have the last two.

[FrauBlucher]

Rocky and Rocky II are being prepped for UHD release… target Feb 2023

[yoloswegmaster]

WB will be releasing many of their classic titles on 4K UHD next year for their 100th Anniversary, including The Exorcist, Enter the Dragon, and a Superman 5-Film Collection. They will also be releasing four 25-film volumes and a 100-film collection.

[Furstemberg]

Which pre-70s titles have a good chance at 4K? The new restoration of East Of Eden probably.

[senseabove]

Hoping Rebel Without a Cause and Best Years of Our Lives are high on the list, and at least crossing my fingers that the Rio Bravo restoration they're touting gets a UHD.

[senseabove]

FWIW, for pre-1970s films not already on UHD, their 100th Anniversary video includes clips from:
The Maltese Falcon
Rebel Without a Cause
North by Northwest
The Jazz Singer
Ben Hur
An American in Paris

[Furstemberg]

Frustrating that they’re including MGM titles again. Especially the obvious and overexposed ones.

[FrauBlucher]

B&W films hardly represented in the nearly 5 minute clip. Casablanca (here's looking at you kid), The Maltese Falcon (the stuff that dreams are made of) and The Jazz Singer Hopefully, not representative of what they are releasing. Although, I do think Criterion will have a role in this Anniversary year with some of these releases.

[Calvin]

Which pre-70s titles have a good chance at 4K? The new restoration of East Of Eden probably.

The first film that came to mind was The Searchers

[FrauBlucher]

Warner Bros. is preparing 4K Blu-ray releases of the original four Rocky films: John G. Avildsen's Rocky (1976), and Sylvester Stallone's Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), and Rocky IV (1985). The release are scheduled to arrive on the market in February.

[knives]

Four?

[flyonthewall2983]

I’m wondering where WB comes down on the whole brouhaha between Stallone and Winkler

[Marwood]

Why are Warner now doing the Rocky films? Earlier DVDs and blus were MGM, no?

[EddieLarkin]

MGM have long relied on another studio to handle distribution for them. Until 2020, all MGM stuff was distributed by Fox. Since then, MGM have struck the same deal with WB. But these are still MGM films, they're using MGM masters, and the decision to release them is made by MGM. It's definitely misleading for anyone to report "WB are releasing Rocky" (certainly I'd say this is the wrong thread for these releases).

[Ribs]

4K releases of The Maltese Falcon, Cool Hand Luke, and Rebel Without a Cause coming in April.

[ryannichols7]

Sierra Madre no longer paired with Falcon? I hope the latter retains all the extras from the original DVD, but I doubt it happens..

good to see Rebel though, crazy that Giant came first

[therewillbeblus]

good to see Rebel though, crazy that Giant came first

Makes sense- one's bigger, the other's difficult

[FrauBlucher]

Wow, Maltese Falcon, a black and white film not named Casablanca is getting a UHD release. I thought Criterion had a chance for Falcon

[black&huge]

wow.... what a goddamn triple knockout of uhd's and all in the same month

[Finch]

That's quite a step up for WB quantitatively for a single month. More of the same, please. I want Maltese Falcon and especially Rebel without a Cause.

[Ribs]

Random thought - is it possible Sierra Madre has been unpaired from Maltese Falcon because it’s been given over to Criterion? I can imagine they may want it for a release alongside Da 5 Bloods, which I think most of us have assumed is in the queue to come eventually…