Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[Rayjg]

The stills were jarring, as they always are for a sound film. At least with Lost Horizon they had the original audio. I wonder what Norman Foster thought of Welles shooting a new ending? He couldn't have felt too slighted because he acted in The Other Side of the Wind and got the best part too.

[Mr. Thomsen]

Originally Posted by tangerinewolf

Okay, here's some of my wish list:

Freaks (1932) if Criterion doesn't have it.
The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) Would be timely since Kino is releasing two Fu
Manchu films in June featuring Warner Oland.
The Devil Doll (1935)
Mark of the Vampire (1936)
The Walking Dead (1936)
The Return of Doctor X (1939) with Humphrey Bogart!
Phantom of Rue Morgue (1954) in color and 3D

...provided of course WAC has good elements to work with.

Originally Posted by The Grey Wolf

I wish for two Val Lewton films:

I Walked with a Zombie
The 7th Victim

Gentlemen, if I had ovaries, your list of titles would make them rattle like castanets!

[Rayjg]

Originally Posted by Mr. Thomsen

Gentlemen, if I had ovaries, your list of titles would make them rattle like castanets!

Well, that can be arranged.

[cjamescook]

Originally Posted by captainsolo

I revisited a classic ... JOURNEY INTO FEAR for Joseph Cotten’s birthday (he co-wrote the screenplay with Orson Welles) ... It originally ran 91min and was directed by Norman Foster. ... RKO and the State Department had their hands in cutting it severely and the film was dumped out to formally end the Mercury contract. Two versions exist with the European cut only recently resurfacing in the 2000's. The US cut is significantly shorter and has a narration voiceover applied. While the European cut has more footage it lacks scenes in the US cut and both cuts have different endings. ...

It is unbelievable that there isn’t even a DVD release for the only other Mercury production in the US. This film cries out for a deluxe edition with both cuts and a hybrid cut. It deserves the same release as Mr. Arkadin got from Criterion. There was a Spanish dvd of the European cut and a reconstruction of both cuts in Europe from video sources with no disc release. It would be held [by] Warner here in the US because it is an RKO title.

Given that WAC adds little in the way of extras, this would seem to be another film best handled by Criterion. As I infer from your mention, they did a good job with Mr. Arkadin.

[Rayjg]

Originally Posted by cjamescook

Given that WAC adds little in the way of extras, this would seem to be another film best handled by Criterion. As I infer from your mention, they did a good job with Mr. Arkadin.

I love Mr. Arkadin. Pure fun.

[Hammerlover]

Just watched DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1941), and while it is a beautiful-looking transfer to be sure, it's disappointing that WAC did not give us the full version, especially in light of their recent restoration of the complete THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME (1947).

[misterlibby]

Have we had any intel lately about the state of WA under the new Discovery regime? It was dead, then George got a reprieve, now they’re cutting costs again and the new CEO sounds like a philistine.

[jkoffman]

Originally Posted by misterlibby

Have we had any intel lately about the state of WA under the new Discovery regime? It was dead, then George got a reprieve, now they’re cutting costs again and the new CEO sounds like a philistine.

The only reassurance has come from George saying that his department is still profitable and revenue has increased.

[Rayjg]

Originally Posted by misterlibby

Have we had any intel lately about the state of WA under the new Discovery regime? It was dead, then George got a reprieve, now they’re cutting costs again and the new CEO sounds like a philistine.

Zaslav appears to care about Warner's legacy so that's a good thing at least. He even had one of the original Warner brother's desk brought out of storage and placed in his office. He also had the brother's daughter or granddaughter brought onto the lot. Interestingly too he wants more theatrical films made and is not a fan of the direct to streaming model for feature films.

[Benoit Blanc]

Originally Posted by Mr. Thomsen

Gentlemen, if I had ovaries, your list of titles would make them rattle like castanets!

Going in the sig.

[Hammerlover]

Originally Posted by jkoffman

The only reassurance has come from George saying that his department is still profitable and revenue has increased.

Well, that's pretty important if you're a business!

[darrellmaclaine]

Just thinking that a Bluray compilation of all the WB 'Breakdowns' blooper reels would be a joyous thing to own. They are scattered around messily across too many DVDs to count...!

[romuald121]

I wanted to double check: I watched the bluray for Beyond a reasonable doubt 1956 and the subtitles were in yellow. Is that the case for all subs for WAC blurays. If so, what an abysmal corporate decision to do so, I wish they would have left them in white instead, is there a way to change the color of my subtitles, it's an eyesore when I am trying to view the movie with subs.

[filmlover22]

yes, that is the ONE thing I hate about WAC blurays, those abysmal large yellow subtitles. I can't even turn them on - they ruin the film for me.

[EVOLVIST]

Originally Posted by Hammerlover

Just watched DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1941), and while it is a beautiful-looking transfer to be sure, it's disappointing that WAC did not give us the full version...

What are the differences been the full version and the WAC version? I looked for other versions on the interwebs, but the only thing I pulled up for an alternate version was one that had been colorized.

Or is it that we only know the original runtime and that every release thereafter has been several minutes shorter?

[Frankinho007]

Originally Posted by EVOLVIST

What are the differences been the full version and the WAC version? I looked for other versions on the interwebs, but the only thing I pulled up for an alternate version was one that had been colorized.

Or is it that we only know the original runtime and that every release thereafter has been several minutes shorter?

Here is a comparison between a longer version that aired on German television and the old DVD version which seems to be the same cut as the Blu-ray.
https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=897474

[EVOLVIST]

Originally Posted by Frankinho007

Here is a comparison between a longer version that aired on German television and the old DVD version which seems to be the same cut as the Blu-ray.
https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=897474

Thank you! I haven't seen the 1941 version at all, only the 1920 and 1931 versions.

That made for an interesting read, though. Puritanical US censorship was the worst. I was going to say not as bad as German political censorship during the 1940s, and leave it at that, but then it dawned on me that this film was released in August 1941, before any Hollywood embargo was placed upon Germany.

[Hammerlover]

Originally Posted by EVOLVIST

Thank you! I haven't seen the 1941 version at all, only the 1920 and 1931 versions.

That made for an interesting read, though. Puritanical US censorship was the worst. I was going to say not as bad as German political censorship during the 1940s, and leave it at that, but then it dawned on me that this film was released in August 1941, before any Hollywood embargo was placed upon Germany.

You really need to watch the 1941 version. Even with the cuts, it's still an excellent, extremely underrated film, and a fine example of the highly polished MGM style ("the Tiffany's of motion picture studios," with "more stars than there are in heaven") of the early 1940s. In addition to that, the new WAC Blu-ray really is a thing of beauty and deserves to be seen.

[playingphysicist]

Originally Posted by EVOLVIST

Thank you! I haven't seen the 1941 version at all, only the 1920 and 1931 versions.

That made for an interesting read, though. Puritanical US censorship was the worst. I was going to say not as bad as German political censorship during the 1940s, and leave it at that, but then it dawned on me that this film was released in August 1941, before any Hollywood embargo was placed upon Germany.

None of those 'cuts' from the German version seem like censorship, going from that comparison - nearly all seem like pacing cuts, ie longer scene transitions, or are related to on screen letters - ie they have a German version of written letters/newspapers.

[drush9999]

Originally Posted by darrellmaclaine

Just thinking that a Bluray compilation of all the WB 'Breakdowns' blooper reels would be a joyous thing to own. They are scattered around messily across too many DVDs to count...!

I love watching those breakdowns, gives you an idea of the history of expletives and what was in common usage at the time