Very encouraging news...just wonder how expensive they'll be.
EDIT - $21.99 isn't at all terrible.
Burbank, Calif., November 15, 2012 -- The Warner Archive Collection (WAC) – the Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (WBDD) division dedicated to releasing on DVD previously unavailable films and television shows – today announced the launch of its first Blu-ray™ titles. The two titles, Deathtrap and Gypsy, will debut on November 20. Beginning in February 2013, WAC expects to release a minimum of one to two Blu-ray titles per month. Future titles include The Hudsucker Proxy and Fearless.
WAC reports that the Blu-ray discs will be replicated in limited quantities and fulfilled on demand. All releases will leverage high quality 1080p masters. In many instances, as with Deathtrap, the films will be available for the first time for home viewing in their original widescreen format.
Starting as a modest initiative, WAC has quickly grown to become a new business model for the studio and a recognized industry leader. Since launching in March 2009, WAC has released more than 1,500 films, short subjects, TV movies and mini-series that otherwise would not have been available, providing a valuable service to film lovers everywhere.
Now, WAC’s entry into the Blu-ray market is the latest example of its fast growth and increasing popularity with consumers who have embraced the technology as the standard for the highest quality home movie viewing on disc. This year, domestic sales of catalog titles on Blu-ray grew 22% in the third quarter from a year earlier. In fact, Blu-ray sales have shown impressive gains every quarter in 2012, continuing the trend set in 2011 over 2010 when sales were up 20%.
In making the Blu-ray announcement, WBDD President Thomas Gewecke said, “This is an important innovation that fulfills consumer demand for high definition releases that otherwise would not be available in physical formats. We’re excited to have the opportunity to further expand the Warner Archive Collection into the Blu-ray marketplace with an impressive slate of releases.”
Warner Archive Collection titles can be purchased through their web site (http://www.warnerarchive.com) for $21.99 SRP or through other leading online retailers.
More about the Films
Deathtrap
Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve co-star in the wickedly funny “who’ll-do-it?” adapted from the Broadway smash penned by suspense master Ira Levin by famed director Sidney Lumet. Also stars Dyan Cannon.
Gypsy
This musical version drawn from the life of famed stripper Gypsy Rose Lee tells the bittersweet tale of an aggressive stage mother (Rosalind Russell) and the effects of her devotion to her two young daughters (Natalie Wood and Ann Jillian). Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim provide the show-stopping music and lyrics. Also stars Karl Malden.
The Hudsucker Proxy
Tim Robbins and Paul Newman star in this biting business satire from the Coen brothers . Standing the Horatio Alger myth on its head, Robbins play the naïf with an idea (“You know…for the kids!”) that sails up from mailroom to boardroom, all under the Machiavellian hand of board member Sidney J. Mussburger (Newman). Also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Bruce Campbell, from a script by the Coen brothers and Sam Raimi.
Fearless
Peter Weir (Master and Commander) directs an unforgettable Jeff Bridges in this tour-de-force film focusing on transcendence in the face of our greatest fears. Following a horrific plane crash, two survivors (Bridges and Rosie Perez) help each other search for meaning, while the spouse (Isabella Rossellini) of one searches for signs of the man she married in the man that emerged from the wreck. Also stars Tom Hulce and John Turturro.
I really liked Deathtrap, a fun "lite thriller" with all sorts of surprising twists. I already have it on DVD though. It's not something that would gain a great deal bumped-up to HD.
Fearless is a very underrated movie. Peter Weir has yet to top Witness in my opinion, but Fearless is a tremendously engaging character study, well-acted by a stellar cast, and beautifully rendered. Is also noteworthy for having Maurice Jarre's first orchestral score or a Weir film.
Last edited by Paul MacLean on Thu Nov 15, 2012 9:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
I'd also buy Hudsucker Proxy, a seriously underrated Coen Bros. film that'll look spectacular in HD. Plus, the price for these is a lot more reasonable than those Twilight Time rip-offs, and the mention of "other online retailers" means I should be able to snag it on Amazon with free shipping.
Just received review copies of both. Haven't taken GYPSY for a spin but DEATHTRAP looks great -- just like any of Warner's newer catalog transfers (AVC and no apparent DNR). Generous chapter stops (probably too generous) and the trailer for extras. GYPSY also has a couple of excised musical numbers.
Packaging is line with any Archive title, meaning they're probably just a bit under retail products (looks like they rolled off a good color printer), but overall, a great start.
The transfer is very good. Deakins shot the movie with so many browns and with a general "overcast" type of look that I don't know if it could ever be "eye popping." It's a huge improvement on the DVD and has decent detail so I don't know how much more you could ask for.
HUDSUCKER was by far the Coens' most expensive film at the time -- I think it cost upwards of $40 million which was a hell of a lot for the early/mid '90s and particularly for this type of film. (Joel Silver was one of the producers so he must've helped Warner Bros. cough up the cash). Certainly the fact that it flopped didn't help its rep at the time, but it has a lot of visual invention, laughs and a sweet tone to it. The "Hula hoop" montage is priceless, and the physical production design -- a result of the budget in the era before everything was CGI'd -- is impressive.
The Warner Archive Collection (WAC), the Warner Bros. Digital Distribution division dedicated to releasing previously unavailable films and television shows, will bring to Blu-ray Hugh Hudson's Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), starring Christopher Lambert, Andie MacDowell, and Ralph Richardson. Street date is April 9th.
Exact technical specs and supplemental features to be included with this upcoming release are yet to be revealed.
This actually is my favorite Coen Brothers film because it looks so gorgeous and I think they actually liked the characters they created here. This felt close to a Preston Sturges film (which was the intent) and is so flat-out goofy that I cannot imagine someone watching it and not enjoying it. Looking forward to getting this one!
Plus, the price for these is a lot more reasonable than those Twilight Time rip-offs, and the mention of "other online retailers" means I should be able to snag it on Amazon with free shipping.
