The Silver Screen Oasis

moviemagz wrote:Six titles are RKO Hepburns, that seems a bit much for one month. A wider variety of titles each month with little in common would seem to pull in bigger sales. And frankly I think the Hepburn titles could sell in a commercially released set fairly well.

I think a lot of the titles could have sold in commercially released sets. I can only wonder if it was just a matter of time and keeping up with technology? I mean, now they're rereleasing DVDs that we already own in the new Blu-Ray. This takes time and money away from the as-yet released treasures that we've been awaiting. In a year or two Blu-Ray will be old hat and we'll make way for something new.

Moraldo Rubini wrote:

I mean, now they're rereleasing DVDs that we already own in the new Blu-Ray.

Hasn't it always been this way? First video (which saw the release of many of the "Archive" titles) then laserdisc, then DVD, then DVD Deluxe Editions, now Blu-Ray. Next....coming soon...

MichiganJ wrote:Moraldo Rubini wrote:

I mean, now they're rereleasing DVDs that we already own in the new Blu-Ray.

Hasn't it always been this way? First video (which saw the release of many of the "Archive" titles) then laserdisc, then DVD, then DVD Deluxe Editions, now Blu-Ray. Next....coming soon...

Definitely. I'm one of those that had to switch from Betamax to VHS...

In reviewing several new titles that have been announced through the Warner Archive, I noticed the prices have begun to drop from $19.95 to $15.96 (and $14.95 for some on demand items) and a few items, such as dvds of King Vidor's Hallelujah (1929) and Vincente Minnelli's interesting version of Flaubert's Madame Bovary (1949), can each be had for as little as $15.16 , which makes me wonder how they arrive at these prices. This price difference seems a bit arbitrary, since it includes older and more recent movies, but not all dvds.

Their website is really annoyingly jumpy, btw, no matter if viewing it in Firefox, IE or Google Chrome! It may be interesting to see what happens to these dvds once they reach the secondary market on the internet. I'll probably wait until then to make a purchase, since I tend to be a bit reluctant to pay full price for this kind of expenditure.

moirafinnie wrote:In reviewing several new titles that have been announced through the Warner Archive, I noticed the prices have begun to drop from $19.95 to $15.96 (and $14.95 for some on demand items) and a few items, such as dvds of King Vidor's Hallelujah (1929) and Vincente Minnelli's interesting version of Flaubert's Madame Bovary (1949), can each be had for as little as $15.16 , which makes me wonder how they arrive at these prices. This price difference seems a bit arbitrary, since it includes older and more recent movies, but not all dvds.

Their website is really annoyingly jumpy, btw, no matter if viewing it in Firefox, IE or Google Chrome! It may be interesting to see what happens to these dvds once they reach the secondary market on the internet. I'll probably wait until then to make a purchase, since I tend to be a bit reluctant to pay full price for this kind of expenditure.

My persecution complex suggests they lower the price once I've purchased the disk, Moira. I bought both Hallelujah! and Madame Bovary when they were at their inflated prices. So you haven't ordered from the Warner Archives yet? They keep thinking up new ways to give discounts. This past week they sent me a survey, and once it was completed they gave me a 10% discount and waived shipping fees. By the way, I took advantage of the occassion to let them know how unweidly their site is and how the price is high when there are no extras.

Moraldo Rubini wrote:This past week they sent me a survey, and once it was completed they gave me a 10% discount and waived shipping fees. By the way, I took advantage of the occassion to let them know how unweidly their site is and how the price is high when there are no extras.

I received that same survey request, with promise of a 10% discount code at the end. I completed the survey, but received only a "thank you" -- no discount code. Well, I wouldn't have had anything to use it on, anyway. I'm waiting for more AM titles to be released, which is really all I want.

MissGoddess wrote:If any of you Stateside are curious about these dvds, you can now rent them through ClassicFlix.com. I'm not sure if Netflix is doing the same, yet.
P.S. They are still getting the titles in at ClassicFlix so check back for more if you don't see what you're looking for yet.

Is ClassicFlix similar to Netflix, but specializing in older fare? I've never been a member of Netflix, but assumed they had all periods and genre. Do they not carry older films?

By the way, my Tugboat Annie arrived and it only has the movie (no trailer). Cain and Mabel was fun for me to see, and it has a swell trailer.

Is ClassicFlix similar to Netflix, but specializing in older fare? I've never been a member of Netflix, but assumed they had all periods and genre. Do they not carry older films?

Yes, exactly. I've sometimes found a title at one place that wasn't available at the other. Netflix does have a huge selection of classics, nevertheless. Classicflix also has a good email notification system, from which
I learn about new classic releases fairly quickly.

http://www.classicflix.com/

Some new titles added to the Archive:

Above and Beyond (1952)
All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953)
Badman’s Territory (1946)
Billy the Kid (1941)
Breakfast for Two (1937)
Broadway Rhythm (1944)
Castle on the Hudson (1940)
The Fallen Sparrow (1943)
Four Daughters (1938)
The Great Garrick (1937)
Hard to Get (1938)
Johnny Eager (1942)
Party Girl (1958)
Pride of the Marines (1945)
Princess O'Rourke (1943)
Tarzan and the Slave Girl (1950)
Tarzan's Magic Fountain (1949)
Tarzan's Peril (1951)
Tarzan's Savage Fury (1952)
Tom, Dick and Harry (1941)
Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)

Thanks very much for the update, MichiganJ.

Nothing for me on that list. . . .

<sigh>

Party Girl (1958)
Thanks for that, Kevin, I've been waiting for this AWESOME Nicholas Ray film for some time!!

Dewey,

just ordered Party Girl myself. I'm unsure if it's okay to post this, but there is a promo code XB592, which gives you 25% off of 5 (Warner Archive) dvds (plus free shipping). I don't know when the promo code expires.

That promo code posting is just fine, MichiganJ. We just try not to sell stuff to one another on the site. It helps us to sleep at night and hang onto our non-profit status.

I hope you'll let us know what you think of Party Girl when you get it. I've always been fond of this one. Robert Taylor and Cyd Charisse make a great couple, and both deliver good performances, which they rarely had a chance to do in their movies. I always thought that Taylor really put great feeling into his role. Lee J. Cobb really chews the scenery as a fine mobster, and Corey Allen is always a hoot as a clueless up and comer. Too bad it was Nicholas Ray's swan song working for the studio system, (though I don't suppose he saw it that way).

Two people, just looking for somewhere to hide. You sort of know these two have to get together. No one else in Chicago could have been as pretty as these kids.

I also got quite a jolt the first time I saw this one, when suddenly--in the middle of the Roaring '20s, we were transported to Las Vegas and Cyd was doing her lounge act circa 1957.

I'm ordering it, too. PARTY GIRL was the Rosetta Stone for me getting Nicholas Ray. After seeing it, suddenly the connections between REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE - IN A LONELY PLACE and HOT BLOOD - KING OF KINGS became clear (well...kinda; maybe "clearer" is more accurate) and he catapulted into my Most Favoritest grouping.