Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

Big Magilla wrote:Beyond the Forest may be the only Bette Davis movie I've never seen. Davis herself so hated making that movie that she forced Jack Warner into ending her contract in order to complete making it.

Aside from The Little Foxes and maybe The Man Who came to Dinner, not sure those other titles would be higher in the Warner owned queue for Blu-ray release than Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Little Women, Dinner at Eight, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, Show Boat, San Francisco, Captains Courageous, Goodbye, Mr. Chips and Random Harvest, all of which are MIA releases from 1931-1942.

I'm really surprised you have never seen Beyond the Forest Magilla. Doesn't it play on TCM?

I first saw it at a repertory cinema back in the 1980s and when it came out on DVD in France snapped up a copy for my collection and another viewing. Funnily enough I cannot recall it ever playing on TCM for the 10 or so years that I had the channel as part of a cable subscription package. However, that was the Australasian version of TCM not the US version.

There have been rumours of Criterion releasing Show Boat so here's hoping. I really wish Warners could release about a dozen films a month, their back catelogue (Warners/MGM & some RKO) is one of the most impressive of all the old studios.

Beyond the Forest may be the only Bette Davis movie I've never seen. Davis herself so hated making that movie that she forced Jack Warner into ending her contract in order to complete making it.

Aside from The Little Foxes and maybe The Man Who came to Dinner, not sure those other titles would be higher in the Warner owned queue for Blu-ray release than Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Little Women, Dinner at Eight, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, Show Boat, San Francisco, Captains Courageous, Goodbye, Mr. Chips and Random Harvest, all of which are MIA releases from 1931-1942.

Bette Davis is certainly having her Blu Ray moment. Not only with the Criterion releases but Warners have just released Jezebel with The Letter to follow soon.

I hope The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Great Lie, Beyond the Forest, The Little Foxes, The Old Maid & Mr. Skeffington follow soon.

Does anyone know why Beyond the Forest remains MIA in the US? Its been out in France for a number of years now on DVD with a beautiful transfer.

November Criterions:
All About Eve
Betty Blue
Cold War
The Daytrippers
Now, Voyager

Almost all of these releases were surprises, especially Cold War. There had been some talk about how, when he agreed to the distribution deal with Netflix, Alfonso Cuaron stipulated in his contract that Roma would receive a physical release at some point, and most people were expecting that Criterion would handle that release relatively soon. But no one was talking about Cold War as a possible Criterion release. Like a lot of Amazon's most recent films, it hasn't had a physical release in the US either.

Great release for fans of Godzilla films and I get to save some coin. A win/win.

It's 15 Godzilla movies from Japan made between 1954 and 1975.

https://www.criterion.com/

If it's something new for them, then Roma would be the most likely. If it's an upgrade of a previous release, then Spellbound, which is the one remaining Hitchcock title that hasn't gotten one.

Anyone prepared to guess what Criterion's 1,000th spine is going to be?

Lots of titles are being banded around including Citizen Kane but I just can't see the point in something that has already been released by Warners in a very nice package needs yet another release.

I can't see Warners allowing the director's cut of The Devils yet and beside the scenes that were removed back in 1971 will need major work to get them up to scratch (or so we have been told).

My guess is probably the most acclaimed film from 2018, Roma, that would also sell up a storm.

Warners have once of their best release line-up in August: The Witches, Jezbel & Moonfleet.

Roman Polanski's The Tenant (1976) is also making it world Blu Ray premier in Australia in late August (along with Hud which has already been released in Germany).

Precious Doll wrote:Some really interesting releases in France recently.

The Jean Vigo Collection which includes his sole feature film and all his shorts including the celebrated Zero For Conduct. English subtitles are provided and the restoration looks superb.

Criterion released this set on Blu-ray and standard DVD in 2011.

Although Zero for Conduct is only 44 minutes long, it has always been treated as a full-length feature. Here's the New York Times review for Zero for Conduct and L'Atalante released for the first time in the U.S. on a double bill in June, 1947:


https://www.nytimes.com/1947/06/23/arch ... collection

Some really interesting releases in France recently.

The Jean Vigo Collection which includes his sole feature film and all his shorts including the celebrated Zero For Conduct. English subtitles are provided and the restoration looks superb.

Milos Forman's Ragtime (1981) has also been restored and looks smashing. Whilst the menu only allows the film to be watched in French or English with French subtitles, the subtitles can be removed via the remote. Its also Region A friendly.

Cecile B. DeMille's King of Kings (1927 & 1928 versions). Completely English friendly and very nicely restored.

Criterion is releasing a fully restored and remastered version of Sergei Bondarchuk's War and Peace in June. This is the first proper video release it's had in the States. The previous DVD release was just awful.

They're also putting out Swing Time, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and two Bruno Dumont films, La Vie de Jesus and L'Humanite.

The Kino Lorber deal is limited to 130 titles so any that have already been licensed to Lionsgate, Shout! Factory or other studios will be excluded.

Kino have apparently done a deal for over 100 films with Studiocanal. Will be interesting to see what they release as Studiocanal has apparently done deals with two other US companies. The first title Kino are releasing is Dead of Night (1945) and they have some Ealing Studio product coming.

I was under the impression that Lionsgate held the US rights for Studiocanal. Anyway, SC have an enormous catalogue some expect some gems in 2019 from them.

I've pre-order the Bergman box set as well as John Ford's Stagecoach & Andrei Rublev. I already have the British Blu Ray release of the Tarkovksy film which is the director's preferred cut. But the Criterion is the complete version which will never turn up intact in the UK under the current censorship laws regarding cruelty to animals.

Another great release (non-criterion) coming up soon both in the U.S.(via Twilight Time) & U.K.(via Eureka/Masters of Cinema) is John Schlesinger's Yanks (1979). One of those films that was a commercial failure on its initial cinema release its nice to see it getting a Blu Ray release for a chance for younger people to see the film. If I recall correctly the films critical reception was mixed.