Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

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senseabove
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#801 Post by senseabove » Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:57 pm

It seems to happen in cycles with all the smaller labels, while the Criterion list always gets a pass. IIRC, catalogs for Eureka and Indicator have also been added and removed at various times.

buskeat66
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#802 Post by buskeat66 » Tue Nov 20, 2018 3:13 pm

The Sea Hawk (1940) just announced on WAC's Facebook page.
THE SEA HAWK (1940)
NEW 2018 1080p HD Master!
Run Time 127:00 (Original Theatrical Release Cut, Restored)
Subtitles English SDH
Sound Quality DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English
Aspect Ratio ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO - 1.37:1, 4 X 3 STANDARD
Product Color BLACK & WHITE
Disc Configuration BD 50
Special Features:
Leonard Maltin hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1940 (SD) with Newsreel, Alice in Movieland theatrical short, Porky's Poor Fish cartoon(HD), Virginia City Theatrical Trailer (SD).
Featurette (SD) "The Sea Hawk: Flynn in Action".
Sea Hawk Theatrical Trailer (HD).

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Roscoe
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#803 Post by Roscoe » Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:05 pm

Meanwhile -- THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD remains invisible on amazon and the Warner Archive website.

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domino harvey
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#804 Post by domino harvey » Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:44 pm

Popeye the Sailor Vol 1 coming to Blu too
POPEYE THE SAILOR: The 1940s, VOLUME ONE (1943-1945)
NEW 2018 1080p HD MASTERS CREATED FROM 4K SCANS OF THE ORIGINAL NITRATE TECHNICOLOR NEGATIVES
Run Time 99:00
Subtitles English SDH
Sound Quality DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English
Aspect Ratio 4 X 3 FULL FRAME, ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO - 1.37:1
Product Color COLOR
Disc Configuration BD 50

Lost at sea for decades – this set collects the first two Technicolor® seasons of Popeye’s animated theatrical shorts (1943-44 and 1944-45), making them available for the first time ever on home video: complete, intact and outrageously funny. What else would you expect from a two-fisted, spinach-munching sailor man?

The 1940s brought new sights and sounds to America’s favorite cartoon star. Regulars Olive Oyl and Bluto return, while Popeye resumes his riotous relationship with his shipmate Shorty and his naughty nephews Pipeye, Poopeye, Peepeye and Pupeye. With the addition of full color, cartoonists were now free to let loose with journeys to exotic lands and give Popeye a fresh stock of new friends and foes.

But it’s the eternal love triangle, Popeye and Bluto competing for the attention of Olive, that drives the majority of these zany situations – as well as the hilarious action-packed gags. Whether our heroes are posing as circus acrobats or puppeteers or even taking turns at being Superman, these gems from the Golden Age of Hollywood will blow you down with laughter.

Collection includes Her Honor, The Mare; The Marry-Go-Round; We're On Our Way To Rio; The Anvil Chorus Girl; Spinach Packin' Popeye; Puppet Love; Pitchin' Woo At The Zoo; Moving Aweigh; She-Sick Sailors; Pop-Pie A La Mode; Tops In The Big Top; Shape Ahoy; For Better Or Nurse; Mess Production. Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s
Volume 1 is intended for the Adult Collector and May Not Be Suitable for Children. Also available on DVD!

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FrauBlucher
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#805 Post by FrauBlucher » Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:53 pm

Volume 1 is intended for the Adult Collector and May Not Be Suitable for Children. Also available on DVD!
Really!?
Image

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Big Ben
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#806 Post by Big Ben » Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:57 pm

Popeye as I recall had racist caricatures in it and I'm assuming that's what it's referring to. Unless the disc contains adult Popeye shorts or something.

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domino harvey
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#807 Post by domino harvey » Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:59 pm

I suspect the fact that Popeye smokes a pipe makes it objectionable, per the silly new MPAA rules at least

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Big Ben
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#808 Post by Big Ben » Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:07 pm

After some research it's probably because one of the episodes included in this set is Pop-Pie A La Mode which is really racist.

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cdnchris
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#809 Post by cdnchris » Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:18 pm

I mean really, how racist could it b... <clicks link> oops! Yep!

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The Fanciful Norwegian
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#810 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:59 pm

This has also been a standard disclaimer for WB for quite some time now—it appears on the previous DVD-only Popeye collections, the Looney Tunes Golden and Platinum Collections, and even some of the Tom and Jerry compilations.

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FrauBlucher
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#811 Post by FrauBlucher » Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:00 pm

All those cartoons from that era had all kinds of things that could be considered offensive today. The irony is there are adults that should be more of a concern than the children.

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Gregory
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#812 Post by Gregory » Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:07 pm

It's highly encouraging to see that Warner is still willing to release this kind of material on Blu-ray, and by that I mean not just 1940s animation with offensive content in some of it, but also classic animation in general and 1940s films in general. The Sea Hawk announcement gives us the first Errol Flynn starring vehicle in the WAC Blu-ray line, finally—six years into the series. These are the first new Blu-ray releases of 1940s films from them in a while and are worthwhile ones. This perhaps gives hope that something could change to make the ill-fated Tom and Jerry Golden Collection Vol. 2 a reality.

As for the first volume of a series titled Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s not including any of the black-and-white stuff from 1940 through 1943, no comment. ](*,)
It looks like there's no hope for the earlier stuff—i.e. the best Popeye stuff ever animated in any era—ever joining their Blu-ray line. The DVD sets covering that material remain extremely worthwhile, though the second one is out of print and commanding high prices on Amazon.
Last edited by Gregory on Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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knives
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#813 Post by knives » Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:13 pm

it seems that there is an implication that this set is a Famous Studios set which is the reason for the lack of the early '40s stuff. In the DVD era they treated them separately as well. I imagine eventually they'll get to the Fleischer stuff though.

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Gregory
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#814 Post by Gregory » Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:18 pm

I don't see that implied, and if that were so, then the set should include more than a dozen black-and-white Famous Studios Popeye shorts from 1942 and 1943 that were included in Vol. 3 of the old DVD sets. They weren't treated separately in the DVD sets, as the Famous era begins mid-way through Disc 2 of Vol. 3.

The implication that I see is that this new series resumes where that one left off, and that we're not getting the earlier stuff. Otherwise, I think a series branded as Popeye: The 1940s would include the early ’40s in proper chronology, not just the color stuff. They've left out (or missed a chance to do new masters of) all those earlier Famous shorts because they were already released on DVD, because they're not in color, or both.

Looney Tunes Platinum sets included things like Tex Avery shorts in standard-def, which I'm not a big fan of, but Warner apparently hasn't even done that here with the masters they already had to make their 1940s series more complete. If they did announce a different Blu-ray series that would go up through 1943, reissuing the DVD sets essentially, I'd be happy and very surprised, and the chronological branding would end up being a little muddied.

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captveg
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#815 Post by captveg » Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:35 pm

Per Jerry Beck, if this Popeye set doesn't sell to expectations it'll be the final nail in the coffin for classic animation from Warner's holdings on home video. The decision to go all-color, all-unreleased is a wager on eliminating people who have certain shorts on DVD already from having to decide to double-dip or not by removing that type of choice from the equation.

A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE EDITOR OF CARTOON RESEARCH

Presenting POPEYE THE SAILOR: The 1940s Vol. 1 (Warner Archive Collection) Street Date: 12/11/18.

Here we go again. To all of you who wish and hope the vaults of Warner Bros. could reopen to allow more of the classic cartoon treasures to emerge – Now is your time. Here’s what you can do to help (Take Two).

Last year I used whatever super powers I had to make a set of black and white Porky Pig cartoons available in an effort to convince to the studio there was an audience out there for such compilations. After several bumps in the road the set eventually broke even. But “brake even” isn’t good enough for a mega corporation. Long story short – we have one more shot. One. This is it. Perhaps a set of color cartoons, films the collectors do not have, or never had on home video (no VHS, no previous DVD or cable broadcast). A small set – 14 cartoons perhaps.

Here it is – a continuation of the Paramount Popeye cartoons. The next 14. No frills, no bonus materials, no audio commentaries. Transferred from the original Technicolor negatives. Jim Tyer animation. Politically incorrect shorts, uncut. The set will be available, separately, on both DVD and blu-ray.

The website to pre-order is supposedly going up today and we will update this post with the link when we get it. I highly recommend this set – I think you will be pleased. The frame grabs below were snapped off my living room flat screen by my iPhone, off the blu-ray. If this looks good to you – I ask that you pre-order, or order it in December. Let’s prove to Warner Bros. that we want further volumes of Popeye 1940s and 1950s – and we want more Warner and MGM cartoons restored and released. It’s seriously up to you.

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captveg
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#816 Post by captveg » Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:39 pm

Horror of Dracula has also been announced, BTW

McCrutchy
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#817 Post by McCrutchy » Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:56 pm

EDIT: I see captveg covered most of my points before me, but this Blu-ray is very important to me, so I'll leave this here.

It seems there were a couple thought processes here:

1. As Jerry Beck stated, Porky Pig 101 "broke even", which is not ideally what WB wants.

2. They have "one more shot".

3. "This is it. Perhaps a set of color cartoons, films the collectors do not have, or never had on home video (no VHS, no previous DVD or cable broadcast). A small set – 14 cartoons perhaps."

So from these perspectives, it makes perfect sense to skip black and white (after all, color surely sells better), and to not release anything that has been released on DVD already. At the same time, they want to keep it down to a single-disc release, possibly because of Blu-ray (and according to WAC, these are 4K transfers), but that's pure speculation on my part. Now, do they have older HD masters of the black and white cartoons that could be included as a sort of "bonus"? Perhaps, but that might be unfair, to showcase some shorts but relegate others, and if this sells well, it may just perhaps impact going back and releasing the black and white shorts on Blu-ray later, assuming most or all of them are HD ready. But even if they only continue further into the color years, that's still far better than nothing, and hopefully, strong sales of this could re-invigorate plans to release other cartoons on Blu-ray.

I think the only potential mistake being made here--other than perhaps altering the title to reflect that they are only the color shorts--is to release the same program on DVD. Unless they are going to put the DVD out at retail, which would give it an unfair advantage over the Blu-ray, I don't see too much point in going to the added expense of producing both formats. One issue is that surely the DVD will be $5 or so cheaper, and I expect some who are Blu-ray-capable will go for that format just to save a small amount of money. I could be wrong, but I think at this point, most WAC Blu-rays don't have a corresponding DVD from the same master, unless it was one of their remastered DVDs back in their earlier Blu-ray days.

(I know I'm going to hear now old chestnuts about kids, families and old people and the like, but still, I just hope that the Blu-ray sells well enough that we can continue with Blu-ray releases and not go back to DVD-only releases.)
Last edited by McCrutchy on Tue Nov 20, 2018 7:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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captveg
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#818 Post by captveg » Tue Nov 20, 2018 7:09 pm

McCrutchy wrote:
Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:56 pm
I think the only potential mistake being made here--other than perhaps altering the title to reflect that they are only the color shorts--is to release the same program on DVD. Surely the DVD will be $5 or so cheaper, and I expect some will go for that format just to save a small amount of money. I could be wrong, but I think at this point, most WAC Blu-rays don't have a corresponding DVD from the same master, unless it was one of their remastered DVDs back in their earlier Blu-ray days.
Jerry Beck's statement indicates there will also be a DVD release.

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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#819 Post by McCrutchy » Tue Nov 20, 2018 7:18 pm

Yes, I know. My concern is that if this project is really the last shot for restored WB cartoons on Blu-ray, then I don't really understand going to the additional expense of producing a DVD. Even if that expense is small, it's still only relatively small, and again, you will likely have the penny-pinchers who have a Blu-ray player but want the DVD only to save literally a few dollars. I know someone's grandparents are likely to be left out in the cold somewhere if it went Blu-ray-only (even though there's a relatively painless solution of a $50 player), but I still wonder if it's worth it.

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captveg
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#820 Post by captveg » Tue Nov 20, 2018 8:38 pm

Gotcha. I had misread what you said.

I would think they would look at total sales across the formats combined. The cost to do two separate small runs (I would think they are doing 300-500 each format to start, assuming the DVD is pressed) isn't all that different than doing BD only. The cost is in the mastering in 4k, not the encoding for 1080p and/or 480p.

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Feego
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#821 Post by Feego » Tue Nov 20, 2018 11:20 pm

Re Horror of Dracula:
WAC wrote:This is the UK version titled “DRACULA”, and featuring footage previously restored by the British Film Institute and Hammer Films. Warner Archive’s new release restores the original color palette of the film, using dye-transfer Technicolor prints as reference, and has been meticulously cleaned of film-related damage for a superior presentation
A Facebook poster asked if this meant that they were sticking with the controversial blue color timing from the British release or if Warner adjusted it. WAC replied:
We didn't see any cold color palette in the dye-transfer archival print we used as reference. We have made substantial changes in the color that are far from cold and blue! The image has been thoroughly cleaned of film damage as well. We think these improvements will be appreciated. Thanks.
So it appears this will be the longer UK cut with restored footage but with potentially warmer colors.

Vachel in Valdosta
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#822 Post by Vachel in Valdosta » Wed Nov 21, 2018 3:53 am

The differences between the UK restorations (there were actually two) and the R1 Warner dvd is much more than a difference in color temperature (warm vs. cold) but of actual changes in color. I don't have the capability to produce screen comparisons and the more subtle shifts are too numerous to enumerate but the most egregious example would have to be the shift from delicate baby blue in Lucy's night gown and bed quilt to a hard mint green! (Christopher Frayling even draws attention to this discrepancy by referring to the nightgown as blue in one of the supporting docs when it clearly is not)

As this is a title I have a long familiarity with in both 16mm and 35mm (most notably the splendid 35 from the John McElwee collection) I suspect that despite derivation from original materials and color timing from reference prints that a rather wide latitude in "palate interpretation" was at play when preparing the UK Icon Edition. Despite Warners claim to the contrary I'm betting the transfer will be a direct port of the Icon and thus something of a shock to those familiar with the color scheme of previous Warner iterations from 1958 IB Tech prints to turn of the century home video. On the other hand if Warner includes even half of the superlative special features of the Icon then the disc should be of special interest to Hammer fans.

McCrutchy
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#823 Post by McCrutchy » Wed Nov 21, 2018 7:01 am

The Blu-ray of Popeye The Sailor: The 1940s Volume 1 is now available to pre-order at WB Shop for $21.99:

https://www.wbshop.com/products/popeye- ... olume-1-bd

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fdm
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#824 Post by fdm » Wed Nov 21, 2018 11:57 am

I noticed that Dark Of The Sun blu-ray is listed at WB Shop as being available and selling for 12.99, if anyone wants to try that out.

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captveg
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#825 Post by captveg » Wed Nov 21, 2018 3:30 pm

Vachel in Valdosta wrote:
Wed Nov 21, 2018 3:53 am
On the other hand if Warner includes even half of the superlative special features of the Icon then the disc should be of special interest to Hammer fans.
The only bonus feature on the WB release is the Trailer. Warner Archive gets no budget for bonus content, so I would assume that would include the cost of licensing bonus content that were included on releases from other companies.

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