Warner Catalog Titles on BD/UHD

[felipe]

Does this mean Kate isn't coming anytime soon or just that it's going to take a little longer?

[movielocke]

according to the endless wayne interview on HTF, the studio balked at putting Hondo out in 3D. It looks fucking fantastic in 3D (digital 2k, iirc), USC has screened it a couple times.

[captveg]

I always thought Dial M was an anaglyph 3D film, which would be viewable on any display. This looks like I'd need a 3D tv to watch it, which would be really disappointing.

All of the 1950s studio 3D films were polarized.

As for Blu-ray 3D, there's simply no reason for the studios to do anaglyph anymore.

[Fierias]

Yeah, the Japanese bootleg is the one I've seen. I never even considered that polarized 3D is possible with analog projection. Wish I could see it that way.

[McCrutchy]

I'm (reasonably) reliably informed that Warner are prepping BD-Rs as their next step in Archive releases, so God knows that they'll expect you to pay for them...

From what I understand, they won't be BD-Rs (far too unreliable, worse scratch resistance than DVD-Rs, and won't play on PS3 with AACS copy protection), but they will be Archive exclusive.

This is absolutely fine with me. I love everything about Warner Archive except that they release films on DVD-R, so if the move to Blu-ray naturally means pressed discs, then I'll be happy to stock up during an Archive sale.

[AfterTheRain]

The wait is over! Both Dan Curtis movies based on the popular daytime soap opera will be making their DVD and Blu-ray debut on October 30th! Here's the details.

[knives]

The wait is over! Both Dan Curtis movies based on the popular daytime soap opera will be making their DVD and Blu-ray debut on October 30th! Here's the details.

I am actually happy for this news. TCM showed both recently and they're surprisingly good.

[manicsounds]

I can't remember if there was any kind of announcement or not, but was there anything about Warner doing a 70th Anniversary (or Memorial, if you'd like to see it that way) edition of "Yankee Doodle Dandy"?

[ianungstad]

I'm surprised they haven't announced Cabaret yet. There was a big 40th Anniversary celebration at the TCM festival earlier this year and no dvd/blu seems to be on the horizon.

[Calvin]

Of Film Restoration and Blu-Ray Conversion

An interesting Q&A with Jeff Baker, Executive Vice President and General Manager Warner Bros. theatrical catalog, Ned Price, Vice President of Mastering at Warner Bros. and Andy Parsons, chair of the Blu-ray Association of America. They reveal that Warner will be announcing plans to celebrate their 90th anniversary in October, including releasing 5 Best Picture winners that haven't been on Blu-Ray yet. They're not yet ready to convert Archive titles to BD.

[eerik]

They reveal that Warner will be announcing plans to celebrate their 90th anniversary in October, including releasing 5 Best Picture winners that haven't been on Blu-Ray yet.

Good news. I might have missed some titles but I narrowed it down to:
The Broadway Melody (1929)
Cimarron (1931)
Grand Hotel (1932)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

[andyli]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Warner don't control The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).

[Calvin]

Isn't it part of the Samuel Goldwyn library they acquired recently?

[knives]

Yes.

[warren oates]

They reveal that Warner will be announcing plans to celebrate their 90th anniversary in October, including releasing 5 Best Picture winners that haven't been on Blu-Ray yet.

Good news. I might have missed some titles but I narrowed it down to:
The Broadway Melody (1929)
Cimarron (1931)
Grand Hotel (1932)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

The box set should be marketed as "Blu-rays for your dead grandparents." (Okay, okay, I know The Best Years of Our Lives is a good and important film.... But Cimarron? Even the Anthony Mann remake sucks. Do we really need Miss Daisy in hi-def?

[knives]

I'm with Dom on the Mann film. It's legitimately great and goes beyond its source material.

[Calvin]

Hopefully some HD James Cagney will come out of the anniversary celebrations.

[warren oates]

I'm with Dom on the Mann film. It's legitimately great and goes beyond its source material.

I'm not saying that Mann doesn't do his best with a very weak story. But after that opening land rush sequence, I'm bored out of my mind and it's not really the director's fault. I say this as a huge Mann fan who has copies of all his other Westerns and just about everything else he's done that's available on DVD.

[ShellOilJunior]

Of Film Restoration and Blu-Ray Conversion

An interesting Q&A with Jeff Baker, Executive Vice President and General Manager Warner Bros. theatrical catalog, Ned Price, Vice President of Mastering at Warner Bros. and Andy Parsons, chair of the Blu-ray Association of America. They reveal that Warner will be announcing plans to celebrate their 90th anniversary in October, including releasing 5 Best Picture winners that haven't been on Blu-Ray yet. They're not yet ready to convert Archive titles to BD.

Perhaps MY FAIR LADY will get a blu-ray release.

That abomination released by CBS/Paramount doesn't count.

[Calvin]

Another Warner interview regarding Blu-Ray. I had to double take when The Wizard of Oz and '3D' were mentioned in the same sentence...

[movielocke]

They reveal that Warner will be announcing plans to celebrate their 90th anniversary in October, including releasing 5 Best Picture winners that haven't been on Blu-Ray yet.

Good news. I might have missed some titles but I narrowed it down to:
The Broadway Melody (1929)
Cimarron (1931)
Grand Hotel (1932)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

My guess is it'll be those five, the first and last are the most obvious. I don't think they've had Best Years of Our Lives for long enough to ready it, and I imagine they'll stick to WB&MGM branded films.

The only argument for Zola over Ziegfeld would be that Zola was the first WB film to win, (but lets neglect to remember that the only reason it won was an industry wide sentiment that it was WBs turn to win). But iirc, Ziegfeld came to DVD before Zola did, so I expect the same with blu.

[Calvin]

I've been reminded that Around the World in Eighty Days won Best Picture. That's a shoo-in

[domino harvey]

BOTH versions (1946 and 1981) of the Postman Always Rings Twice coming November 13th!

[captveg]

Perhaps MY FAIR LADY will get a blu-ray release.

That abomination released by CBS/Paramount doesn't count.

WB doesn't have the rights to release it.

[Jeff]

According to HTF and Robert Harris the current CBS rights period expires some time next year and Warner can re-optionalize it. I hope they do (Although it's my least fave Cukor.)

Do you remember where on HTF that was discussed, David? I hadn't heard that. The last word I can find from Harris was when he said, "I'm unaware of any 'maze of rights.' MFL is owned by CBS. Simple as that."