Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[Beckford]

Favorite Bogart Performance: "High Sierra"(1941)

Favorite Stanwyck Performance: Titanic"(1953)
(though "Clash By Night"(1952) is a close second
Love 50's Stanwyck (including
"Blowing Wild"(1953), "The Violent Men"(1955) and "Crime of Passion"(1957)

[DaBargainHunta]

Originally Posted by belcherman

I think that you are being too hard on Crime of Passion. Not that it’s a great movie, but I think it has a lot to say about the roles of women in the 1950s. I won’t give away any spoilers, but sufficient to say, “No one puts Missy in the kitchen!” I do think that Sterling Hayden was miscast, however.

To me, it introduces a bunch of great ideas and either never goes anywhere with them or goes in the blandest direction possible.

I also never believed for a second in their so-called "whirlwind romance."

The final 10-15 minutes are good, but the movie is mostly dull before that IMO.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

To me, it introduces a bunch of great ideas and either never goes anywhere with them or goes in the blandest direction possible.

I also never believed for a second in their so-called "whirlwind romance."

The final 10-15 minutes are good, but the movie is mostly dull before that IMO.

Yeah, the whirlwind romance was just a lazy way to get to act two. I said that I thought that Hayden was miscast, and that’s part of it. She’s supposedly swept off her feet by him, but where is that fire in act two? Hayden suddenly becomes this go-along to get-along guy trying to impress his boss and obviously confusing Stanwyck with Mrs. Cleaver. I think a less forceful actor such as Van Heflin, or even Van Johnson, would have been better in the role and they could have treated the courtship as something more companionable than combustible.

I still think that the movie is worth seeing and I also think Stanwyck is great in it.

[CineClassics]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

Not that anyone cares, but my Bogie and Babs rankings (so far).

Bogie

1. In a Lonely Place
2. Casablanca
3. The Harder They Fall
4. The Petrified Forest
5. Key Largo
6. Three on a Match
7. The Desperate Hours
8. Kid Galahad
9. The Maltese Falcon (yes, I need to re-watch this)
10. Knock on Any Door
11. The Two Mrs. Carrolls

Babs

1. Double Indemnity
2. Baby Face
3. Meet John Doe
4. Walk on the Wild Side
5. Remember the Night
6. No Man of Her Own
7. Night Nurse
8. The Violent Men
9. The Lady Eve
10. Christmas in Connecticut
11. The Mad Miss Manton
12. Sorry, Wrong Number
13. Clash by Night
14. The Two Mrs. Carrolls
15. Crime of Passion

So, I was wrong: The Two Mrs. Carrolls isn't the worst Babs I've seen - Crime of Passion is (to the point where I can't even remember what the hell it is and have to look it up now, even though I saw it recently).

Are your Bogie/Stanwyck rankings based on their performances in each film or the rankings of the quality of the films themselves?

Regardless, I strongly recommend the following Bogart films: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, All Through the Night, Dead End, Sahara, The Roaring Twenties, The African Queen, High Sierra, Dead Reckoning, Dark Passage, To Have and Have Not, The Caine Mutiny.

For Stanwyck: Ball of Fire, There's Always Tomorrow

[playingphysicist]

I'm in the minority in that I believe Bogie is better as a bad guy, where he started in movies and continued to play off and on until nearly right up to his death (ie Desperate Hours). When he was playing anti-hero roles I think he sometimes got lazy and started to just play himself (a complaint I hear from people who outright dislike his movies).

[DaBargainHunta]

Originally Posted by CineClassics

Are your Bogie/Stanwyck rankings based on their performances in each film or the rankings of the quality of the films themselves?

Mostly the quality of the films, because Bogie and Babs are generally good to great no matter what.

Originally Posted by CineClassics

Regardless, I strongly recommend the following Bogart films: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, All Through the Night, Dead End, Sahara, The Roaring Twenties, The African Queen, High Sierra, Dead Reckoning, Dark Passage, To Have and Have Not, The Caine Mutiny.

I own a few of these already and just haven't gotten to them yet. The rest I definitely plan to get to in time.

Originally Posted by CineClassics

For Stanwyck: Ball of Fire, There's Always Tomorrow

So many classics, so little time.

But I am going through their respective filmographies (and Edward G. Robinson's, among others) slowly but surely.

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by Hammerlover

THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON (1949) isn't bad either.

The File on Thelma Jordon has long been on my list of Blu-ray titles I've wanted to get. Glad you've brought this film up.

[Hammerlover]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

The File on Thelma Jordon has long been on my list of Blu-ray titles I've wanted to get. Glad you've brought this film up.

The Olive Films release is okay, but this film really needs a full restoration.

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by playingphysicist

I had similar hopes I'd finally get my most wanted noir, Conflict (1945) from WAC, probably won't get any noirs this year from the look of things.

There may be times when you start to despair (I certainly have at times with the older TV series from the Warner Brothers library, when I shouldn't be complaining, what with the amount of season and complete series DVD and Blu-ray sets released by the WAC to date), but you just have to remain as optimistic and positive as you can. I've discovered some WAC manufactured-on-demand DVD releases of Hanna-Barbera animated series which I'm looking into trying one series out (there is another one which has only had the first season released on DVD, Wait Till Your Father Gets Home). Still to get the WAC's Blu-ray release of The Jetsons.

I'd like to see Conflict get a Blu-ray upgrade (along with The Cobweb, Crime Wave, Decoy, Heaven with a Gun (Glenn Ford western) and Twenty Plus Two (the cast including David Janssen).

[playingphysicist]

Originally Posted by Hammerlover

The Olive Films release is okay, but this film really needs a full restoration.

I have it, and I can confirm it is from a quite damaged print. Good resolution, but full of imperfections.

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by Hammerlover

The Olive Films release is okay, but this film really needs a full restoration.

Originally Posted by playingphysicist

I have it, and I can confirm it is from a quite damaged print. Good resolution, but full of imperfections.

From my memory, the Olive Films release was the only release of this film I could think of, and I remember reading comments about the transfer (not overly positive comments).

[playingphysicist]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

There may be times when you start to despair (I certainly have at times with the older TV series from the Warner Brothers library, when I shouldn't be complaining, what with the amount of season and complete series DVD and Blu-ray sets released by the WAC to date), but you just have to remain as optimistic and positive as you can. I've discovered some WAC manufactured-on-demand DVD releases of Hanna-Barbera animated series which I'm looking into trying one series out (there is another one which has only had the first season released on DVD, Wait Till Your Father Gets Home). Still to get the WAC's Blu-ray release of The Jetsons.

I'd like to see Conflict get a Blu-ray upgrade (along with The Cobweb, Crime Wave, Decoy, Heaven with a Gun (Glenn Ford western) and Twenty Plus Two (the cast including David Janssen).

Not to mention, conflict hasn't been released on home video a whole lot either, I did a little research and it's only been released twice in the entire history of home video. One VHS release in 1992 and a DVD release that is still available released in 2011. It is probably my favorite Bogey bad guy noir, so I hope it gets a full restoration at some point.

[CineClassics]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

Mostly the quality of the films, because Bogie and Babs are generally good to great no matter what.


I own a few of these already and just haven't gotten to them yet. The rest I definitely plan to get to in time.


So many classics, so little time.

But I am going through their respective filmographies (and Edward G. Robinson's, among others) slowly but surely.

Speaking of Edward G., I saw a really great John Ford directed film with Edward G. playing two roles, the film is called, The Whole Town's Talking. Also saw a really good WB gangster flick with Bogie and Edward G. called Bullets or Ballots.

[Mr. Thomsen]

Originally Posted by gkolb

So when George says down to 10-15% of prior staffing level, if they had 100 staff previously then they only have 10-15 people now!

Let that sink in for a minute. 85 to 90 fewer people.

I believe George mentioned in a previous podcast episode that they were down to four people in total now, which means that they originally probably were between 30 and 40 employed at WAC. And I am not even sure those four people are fulltime.

[Hammerlover]

Originally Posted by CineClassics

Speaking of Edward G., I saw a really great John Ford directed film with Edward G. playing two roles, the film is called, The Whole Town's Talking. Also saw a really good WB gangster flick with Bogie and Edward G. called Bullets or Ballots.

While we're on the subject of the great Mr. Robinson, I really like THE AMAZING DR. CLITTERHOUSE and CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY, and hope they get released by WAC one of these days.

[dvining]

Originally Posted by Mr. Thomsen

I believe George mentioned in a previous podcast episode that they were down to four people in total now, which means that they originally probably were between 30 and 40 employed at WAC. And I am not even sure those four people are fulltime.

I'd be open to a job change to help.

[hoytereden]

Originally Posted by CineClassics

Speaking of Edward G., I saw a really great John Ford directed film with Edward G. playing two roles, the film is called, The Whole Town's Talking. Also saw a really good WB gangster flick with Bogie and Edward G. called Bullets or Ballots.

Bullets or Ballots is one of my favorites. Bogie is particularly heartless in his role. A heck of an ending too.

[Starchild]

A Bogie list without African Queen? Unbelievable!

A Babs list without Roustabout? I’m just saying it should be somewhere on the list anyway.

And I would give a shout out to Eddie for The Whole Town’s Talking too. I would add to it The Last Gangster. One I wish Warner Archive would upgrade to Blu.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by CineClassics

Speaking of Edward G., I saw a really great John Ford directed film with Edward G. playing two roles, the film is called, The Whole Town's Talking. Also saw a really good WB gangster flick with Bogie and Edward G. called Bullets or Ballots.

"The Whole Town's Talking" is an absolute gem. Edward G. shows off his full range of acting talent in that one.

[Akijama]

WAC ressurected. Coming in September.