filmlover

I was reading in the Rumor Mill at digitalbits.com that The Adventures of Robin Hood is coming on Blu-ray from WB: "Warner has also confirmed to us that all the elements for the Blu-ray Disc release of the 1938 classic The Adventures of Robin Hood (staring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone) have now been completed, so it's likely that the title will street sometime before the end of the year as well." I think the special edition on standard DVD WB came out with a few years ago is fantastic, but I hope they remaster it for Blu-ray. I saw the HD DVD version and it was only a little better than the DVD. I also hope that they do something special for the Blu disc since it is the movie's 70th anniversary.

Costco seems to be testing the market with Criterion discs. They only had four or so titles, nothing remarkable, except for Ace in the Hole, but all were priced about $24.99 each, which matches Amazon's price for Ace.

(Please note: this is a review of the Blu-ray high-definition version) Warner Bros. has done an excellent job of remastering Bonnie and Clyde. Very clean, very bright, and nice colors. On a high definition video scale of 1 to 5, I would rank this as a 4 because while the print used is incredibly sharp for most of it, there are some scenes that the image is a bit soft. This is understandable, though, because the film was not made on a huge budget, and as mentioned in the documentary, Warren Beatty was going for a non-studio look by utilizing natural light whenever possible. The audio is in mono due to the original sound elements being no longer available, but the sound is very clear. The Blu-ray has all of the Ultimate DVD features in standard definition. The new three-part hour-long documentary on the making of the film is the best, and features interview with Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Michael J. Pollard, and Estelle Parsons, plus various behind-the-scenes personnel, including director Arthur Penn. There are also two rediscovered scenes that had been cut from the film (no audio survives, but there are subtitles) and wardrobe tests for Beatty. There is also an interesting History Channel program about the real-life Bonnie and Clyde. (The special features are in standard definition.) The Blu-ray version has the 34-page book as the Blu-ray?s packaging (the inside cover is plastic holding for the Blu-ray disc). I know that WB will be releasing other books like this for some future releases, but I truly regret to say I was unimpressed by the book. It consisted mostly of photos, ads, and bios. There was very little text about the making of the film, but I guess they knew the documentary would take care of that. Still, overall, I felt the book was very light, content-wise. The only differences between this and the standard DVD Ultimate edition (other than the high definition video on the Blu-ray, of course) are minor with the standard edition having a pressbook reproduction and a mail-in offer for a poster. I would rate this as a must-have.

Thanks for moving it in here, Kim!

I was just over at Costco, and as Kim mentioned in another thread, they have The Clark Gable Collection and the Bob Hope Collection for $15.99 each. But that's not all!!! At the same $15.99 price, they have the box sets of Mr. Moto vol. 1, vol. 2, the Frank Sinatra Collection, The Jayne Mansfield Collection, Frankie & Annette Collection, Joan Collns Collection, and I can't recall what else. All great bargains! They also have the newly reissued Gangsters vols. 1 and 2 WB collections for $29.98, as well as most of the WB Film Noir collections for the same price. Message was edited by: filmlover

They've only done 4 of these star things in the past and now these 4 a few months from now. Maybe two years from now, they will do another 4. Give them time.

Moving up so people can find this Box Sets thread here in the Classic Film DVD Reviews Forum.

Actually, there already is a thread here for Box Sets that has 104 posts and almost 9,000 views. I will move it up so people can add to it. If you look down the list of threads here in the DVD forum, you should be able to find every genre and idea covered. I tried to anticipate everything when I set up the forum. There are individual threads for the following DVD types: Classic Film Stars Pre-code Films on DVD Fantasy Films Criterion DVDs Crime Dramas (thanks to sugarpuss for setting that one up) Home Theater Musicals Comedies Foreign Language Animation Films and Cartoons Film Directors War Films Cult Movies Romantic comedies Science Fiction Box Sets Epics Westerns Serials Silent Films Horror Films Film Noir Adventure/Action Upcoming Releases (thanks to JackBurley for setting that one up) Special Sales of Classic DVDs

Thanks to all for the kind words on the covers.

Fixed the images. Both sets should be seen now.

A sequel to the four stamps issued in 2006 by the Canadian Post Office is coming out in a few months. Here is the picture of the four Canadians who made it big in Hollywood (sorry about the fuzziness but couldn't get a good scan of them: They are from left to right: Norma Shearer, Chief Dan George, Marie Dressler, and Raymond Burr Here is a picture of the four stamps from the first set:

Hi, everyone, as usual once the Challenge is over, I have created a new series of faux Now Playing covers for this past TCM Challenge. Sorry for the delay but I have been busy, and also had to try to work in the new format that Now Playing is using. It was a great contest, sad it is over, but happy Fedya won. Anway, here, they are: For Movieman1957's schedule: For Fredmill's schedule: For ChipHeartsMovies schedule: For my schedule: For Fedya's schedule: For NormaDesmond's schedule: For Sugarpuss' schedule: For moviebuffer12's schedule: AND Though Patful dropped out of the competition, here is the cover for the schedule submitted:

VCI Entertainment has a special on: "HAPPY EASTER!!! From Monday March 17th to Monday March 24th, VCI will offer everyone 33% off on website orders by using the following coupon code: *EASTER* We are talking every single DVD at VCI is 33% off for 8 days! This is a great deal for anyone planning on purchasing any hard to find classic DVD?s. Still trying to figure out what to get Mom or that one family member you just can?t quite figure out what to buy them! Well look no further! Everyone loves movies and VCI has the largest amount of hard to find cult and classic hits that Hollywood has to offer! VCI has set the coupon up to expire on Monday March24th at 11:59 pm (central time). As always nothing is 100% perfect and if something does happen, our customer service department is available for assistance M-F 8:30 am to 5:30 pm central time ? 800.331.4077 *This is a website only special only available at www.vcientertainment.com * All sales over $50.00 qualify for free shipping (only in the continental United States does this apply!) Remember to get the 33% discount you must enter the coupon code EASTER on your CHECKOUT page."

To all concerned, the Upcoming News should be about films from the past, not everything. Posts, including the one for Revolver, are just recent films and should not be included. Remember the title of the forum is "Classic Film DVD Reviews", so we should focus on Classic Films that are coming to DVD, not recent movies.

I had high hopes for the rerelease of "The Robe," especially since it was released recently under Fox's "Cinema Classics Collection." "The Robe" is a Biblical epic I've always enjoyed, even with its cheesy backdrops and the stiff acting of Richard Burton. The lush score by Alfred Newman is as powerful as ever. Unfortunately, this current release has not been remastered, just enhanced for widescreen televisions. The print is very grainy and looks like this was just a quick vault release to tie into Easter. Hopefully, some day Fox will go back and do a decent remaster of this classic.

P.S. -- sorry for the typos but I had only a minute to get it in to meet the deadline. And thank you to those who voted for me! I have been very occupied recently with so many things but I will be doing my usual covers, though it will be on Monday night. Sorry for the delay.

Wow, this is a very difficult choice but I have to go with Fedya, for things like Touerner Classic Movies, Stagecoach casting (reminded me of my GWTW casting fromway back when), Britney Spears, When Good Picnics Go Bad and anybody who incldes on of my favorites, Paula Prentiss, gets my vote. EVERYBODY DID GREAT!

Triple H, you might want to check out oldies.com. They still have some of the WB clearance sale and they are selling G.Hotel for $6.98: http://www.oldies.com/series-listing/warnerdvd.html Also if you are in the California area, you might want to go to Costco. They have My Fair Lady, Cuckoo's Nest and a bunch of the other classic two-DVD sets put out by WB for $8.99.

Those of us who have seen the info about the upcoming book/DVD and book/Blu-ray combos of Bonnie & Clyde can look forward to more good news: from a post at blu-ray.com: Warner Home Video has revealed that they plan to issue 10 Blu-ray/coffee book combination releases this year. The two announced so far, will be the March 25th release of 'Bonnie and Clyde' and the June 3rd release of 'Dirty Harry' (not the previously revealed box set). Other releases getting similar treatment will be 'Woodstock', releases from the 'Harry Potter' franchise, 'Bladerunner' (already released on Blu-ray as a collection), 'Gone with the Wind' and 'North by Northwest'. I think the GWTW and North by Northwest will not be this year, but rather next year (2009) to tie into their anniversaries.

Congrats, Lynn, on running a great Challenge contest. As always, with everything you do, you do wonderfully. It always looks like fun, but I know for a fact it is really a lot of work.

Great schedule, Fedya, with lots of hilarious headings. You cracked me up with with things like "When Good Picnics Go Bad" and the Spears guest programmer spot. Terrific work.

Amazon has a special on film noirs at several different price levels, including a number of the Fox ones at $7.99 each. I'm getting 14 Hours and Shock, two I need for the Fox Film Noir set. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=xs_gb_20_right-3_2.0_18410?ie=UTF8&docId=1000118241&pf_rd_p=305207201&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=701&pf_rd_i=20&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0S13YGHDG68EF90ZDQFW

Chip, thanks for your wonderful comments. My only regret is that I didn't have room for Francois Truffaut and Gayle Hunnicit in the 2/6 birthday schedule, too. Lynn, thanks. Yes, every schedule so far. It's always amazing to me because I start by thinking "I won't have enough to fill a schedule this time" but always end up with having to cut things because I have too much. patful and movieman1957, thank you too for your compliments. I haven't had a chance to say it yet but all the schedules are filled with gems. It is going to be hard to choose one from among them. And, if anyone would like to have the feeling of what it is like to program an entire week, this is a fun exercise and you still can do so. Thanks all, filmlover

Before I get into my notes, I want to say that after completing the schedule a few minutes ago, I have finally had a look at some of the people's schedules. I do see one or two duplicates regarding films but hopefully no major themes. On to the notes: I wanted to do a mini-salute to Conrad Veidt. After seeing him usually as a Nazi general or other enemy, I was surprised by the level of emotion he conveyed in The Man Who Laughs, which I saw a few days ago. Even in The Thief of Bagdad, his human side comes through all that nastiness when he won?t let himself hypnotize the princess to fall in love with him. I made James Mason Star of the Month after realizing I enjoy watching him in everything he does. Tuesday falls on February 2nd, so that is 2/2. And I am focusing on Duality themes. Even my choice of The American Film Theater movies for the evening are a combination of film that is theater and theater that is film. Saturday is an all-day birthday celebration. It is remarkable how many famous people were born on February 6th, and that includes me. This whole day came about by coincidence because I was really working on making Tuesday, 2/2, so I could making everything dual. Finding out February 6th was in my week was a bonus. (Sadly, due to lack of space I had to leave off two others who had a birthday on the 6th: Francois Truffaut and Gayle Hunnicutt.)

Here's my schedule: 2009 SUNDAY, 1/31 ?YIPPEE-KI-YAY, SCHWEINHUNDT!? ? THE WESTERN FILMS OF FRITZ LANG 6:00 am Return of Frank James (Fox, 1942) 92 min. PREMIERE 7:45 am Western Union (Fox, 1941) 96 min. ps 9:30 am Rancho Notorious (RKO, 1952) 90 min. GREAT BRITAIN ? ENGLAND DURING WORLD WAR II 11:00 am Mrs. Miniver (MGM, 1942) 132 min. 1:45 pm In Which We Serve (British Lion, 1942) 115 min. ps 3:45 pm Hope and Glory (Sony, 1987) 113 min. ps 5:45 pm The Battle of Britain (UA, 1969) 132 min. VEIDT NIGHT 8:00 pm The Thief of Bagdad (UA, 1940) Sabu, Conrad Veidt 106 min. ps 10:00 pm Nazi Agent (MGM, 1942) Conrad Veidt 84 min. 11:30 pm Silent Sunday Night: The Man Who Laughs (Univ,.1928) Conrad Veidt 110 min. 1:30 am TCM Imports: Waxworks (UFA, 1924) Conrad Veidt 83 min. 3:00 am TCM Imports: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Dekla Bioscop AG, 1919) Conrad Veidt 73 min. 4:15 am Casablanca (WB, 1942) Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Conrad Veidt 104 min. MONDAY, 2/1 HEARTWARMING GHOST STORIES 6:00 am Heart and Souls (Univ., 1993) Robert Downey, Jr., Kyra Sedgwick 104 min. PREMIERE 7:45 am Field of Dreams (Univ., 1989) Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta 106 min. ps 9:45 The Canterville Ghost (MGM, 1944) Charles Laughton 96 min. ANY RESEMBLANCE TO REAL PERSONS?IS NOT COINCIDENTAL 11:30 am Enter Laughing (Columbia, 1967) (Carl Reiner) Jose Ferrer, Shelly Winters 112 min. 1:30 pm Chapter Two (Columbia, 1980) (Neil Simon, Marsha Mason) James Caan, Marsha Mason 124 min. A DIX MIX 3:45 pm The Devil is Driving (Columbia, 1937) Richard Dix 69 min. 5:15 pm It Happened in Hollywood (Columbia, 1937) Richard Dix 70 min. 6:45 pm Special Investigator (RKO, 1936) Richard Dix 61 min. JAMES MASON: STAR OF THE MONTH 8:00 pm Odd Man Out (Rank, 1947) James Mason 116 min. ps 10:00 Julius Caesar (MGM, 1953) Marlon Brando, James Mason 122 min. 12:15 am A Star is Born (WB, 1954) Judy Garland, James Mason 176 min. 3:30 am 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Disney, 1954) Kirk Douglas, James Mason 127 min. TUESDAY , 2/2 TWOS-DAY (DUALITY IN THE MOVIES) 2 FACES OF EVE 6:00 am The Lady Eve (Par., 1941) Barbara Stanwyck 94 min. ps 7:45 am All About Eve (Fox, 1950) Anne Baxter 138 min. ps TWINS 10:15 am Our Relations (MGM, 1936) Laurel & Hardy 73 min. ALTER EGOS 11:30 am The Scarlet Pimpernel (London Films, 1935) Leslie Howard 90 min. ps 1:15 pm The Mark of Zorro (Fox, 1940) Tyrone Power 94 min. ps MULTIPLE ?MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES? 3:00 pm Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Par., 1920) John Barrymore 69 min. ps 4:15 pm Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Par., 1932) Frederic March 96 min. ps 6:00 pm Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (MGM, 1941) Spencer Tracy 114 min. THE AMERICAN FILM THEATRE 8:00 pm A Delicate Balance (American Film Theatre, 1973) Katherine Hepburn, Paul Scofield 134 min. PREMIERE 10:30 pm Rhinoceros (American Film Theatre, 1974) Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder 101 min. PREMIERE 12:15 am The Iceman Cometh (American Film Theatre, 1973) Lee Marvin, Frederic March, Robert Ryan 234 min. PREMIERE 4:15 am Lost in the Stars (American Film Theatre, 1974) Brock Peters 97 min. PREMIERE WEDNESDAY, 2/3 BILLY WILDER & JACK LEMMON 6:00 am Some Like It Hot (UA, 1959) 120 min. 8:15 am The Apartment (UA, 1960) 125 min. 10:30 am Irma La Douce (UA, 1963) 143 min. 1:00 pm The Fortune Cookie (UA, 1966) 126 min. 3:30 pm Avanti! (UA, 1972) 144 min. 6:00 pm The Front Page (Univ., 1974) 105 min. ps A CELEBRATION OF RICHARD RODGERS & LORENZ HART 8:00 pm The Hot Heiress (First National, 1931) Ben Lyon, One Munson 85 min. 9:30 pm On Your Toes (WB, 1939) Zorina, Eddie Albert 93 min. 11:15 pm Billy Rose?s Jumbo (MGM, 1962) Doris Day, Jimmy Durante 124 min. 1:30 am Babes in Arms (MGM, 1939) Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland 97 min. 3:30 am Words and Music (MGM, 1948) Mickey Rooney, Tom Drake 122 min. 5:45 am Short: An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Bros. Silver Jubilee (WB, 1930) 11 min. THURSDAY, 2/4 ?AND IT SHALL BE MY DUTY?? 6:00 am Mr. District Attorney (Col., 1947) Adolph Menjou 82 min. 7:30 am Attorney for the Defense (Col., 1932) Edmund Lowe 70 min. JUST BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THESE EARLY WARNER BROS.? FILMS 8:45 am Gold Dust Gertie (WB, 1931) Winnie Lightner, Olsen & Johnson 68 min. 10:00 am Jail Break (WB, 1936) Barton MacLane 65 min. 11:15 am Missing Witness (WB, 1937) John Litel 61 min. 12:30 pm Varsity Show (WB, 1937) Dick Powell 81 min. 2:00 pm Tear Gas Squad (WB, 1940) Dennis Morgan 55 min. 3:00 pm Sing Me A Love Song (WB, 1936) James Melton, Patricia Ellis 78 min. 4:30 pm Here Comes Carter (WB, 1936) Ross Alexander, Glenda Farrell 58 min. WOW, THAT WAS? 5:30 pm A Close Call for Ellery Queen (Col., 1942) William Gargan 70 min. 6:45 pm A Close Call for Boston **** (Col., 1946) Chester Morris 68 min. OUTSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO (cast listed below were all students at the A.S.) 8:00 pm On the Waterfront (Columbia, 1954) Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger 108 min. 10:00 pm The Misfits (UA, 1961) Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Eli Wallach 125 min. 12:15 am Paris Blues (UA, 1961) Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Sidney Poitier 99 min. 2:00 am Rebel Without A Cause (WB, 1955) James Dean 111 min. 4:00 am The King of Marvin Gardens (Col., 1972) Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Ellen Burstyn 103 min. FRIDAY, 2/5 H.G. WELLS ? WRITER OF THE FANTASTIC 6:00 am The First Men in the Moon (Columbia, 1964) Edward Judd 103 min. 7:45 am Island of Lost Souls (Par., 1932) Charles Laughton 71 min. ps 9:00 am The Invisible Man (Univ., 1933) Claude Rains 72 min. ps 10:15 am Things to Come (UA, 1936) Raymond Massey 113 min. ps 12:15 pm The Time Machine (MGM, 1960) Rod Taylor 103 min. 2:00 pm War of the Worlds (Paramount, 1953) Gene Barry 85 min. ps HANS CONRIED 3:30 pm The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (Columbia, 1953) 90 min. 5:15 pm Siren of Bagdad (Columbia, 1953) 72 min. 6:30 pm The Twonky (UA. 1953) 72 min DIRECTED BY HERBERT ROSS 8:00 pm Play It Again, Sam (Par., 1972) Woody Allen 86 min. ps 9:30 pm The Goodbye Girl (MGM, 1977) Marsha Mason, Richard Dreyfuss 111 min. 11:30 pm The Seven Per Cent Solution (Univ., 1976) Nicol Williamson 114 min. ps MAGICIANS IN THE MOVIES 1:30 am TCM Underground: Terror Island (Paramount, 1920) Harry Houdini 55 min. 2:30 am TCM Underground: Terror Train (Fox, 1980) David Copperfield 97 min. 4:15 am The Mad Magician (Col., 1954) Vincent Price 72 min. 5:30 am Short: Dark Magic (MGM, 1939) Robert Benchley 10 min. SATURDAY, 2/6 BIRTHDAY DAY PATRICK MACNEE?S BIRTHDAY 6:00 am Les Girls (MGM, 1957) Gene Kelly Mitzi Gaynor, Patrick Macnee 114 min. MAMIE VAN DOREN?S BIRTHDAY 8:00 am High School Confidential (MGM, 1958) Russ Tamblyn, Mamie Van Doren 85 miin. RIP TORN?S BIRTHDAY 9:30 am Sweet Bird of Youth (MGM, 1962) Paul Newman, Geraldine Page, Rip Torn 121 min. ZSA ZSA GABOR?S BIRTHDAY 11:45 am Moulin Rouge (UA, 1953) Jose Ferrer, Zsa Zsa Gabor 119 min. RONALD REAGAN?S BIRTHDAY 1:45 pm Bedtime for Bonzo (Univ., 1951) Ronald Reagan, Diana Lynn 83 min. ps BABE RUTH?S BIRTHDAY 3:15 pm The Pride of the Yankees (RKO, 1943) Gary Cooper, Babe Ruth 124 min. RAMON NOVARRO?S BIRTHDAY 5:30 pm Ben-Hur (MGM, 1925) Ramon Novarro 144 min. FILMLOVER?S BIRTHDAY ? MY NIGHT OF MOVIES I LOVE 8:00 pm The Essentials: Somewhere in Time (Univ. 1980) Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour 104 min. ps 9:45 pm Ball of Fire (Samuel Goldwyn/RKO, 1941) Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck 112 min. 11:45 pm Gunga Din (RKO, 1939) Cary Grant, Douglas Fairbanks. Jr. 117 min. 1:45 am Notting Hill (Univ., 1999) Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant 124 min. PREMIERE 4:00 am Those Lips Those Eyes (UA, 1980) Frank Langella, Tom Hulce, Glynnis O?Connor 105 min.