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Some Fred and Ginger on Blu ray (1 Viewer)

AnthonyClarke

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They're creeping out on Blu ray......
'The Gay Divorcee' is available from Amazon.es on the New Line Films label (a Warners subsidiary?) at a reasonable 16 Euros price tag, and 'Follow the Fleet' is there as well, at 20 Euros.
Meanwhile there's a Blu ray box set of seven titles (Top Hat, Swing Time, Gay Divorcee, Follow the Fleet, Shall We Dance, Carefree and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle) on sale in Japan at $180 US.
Does anyone know if these are legit releases and good transfers? If they're kosher, then why is Warners lagging behind?
 

Conrad_SSS

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They're creeping out on Blu ray......
'The Gay Divorcee' is available from Amazon.es on the New Line Films label (a Warners subsidiary?) at a reasonable 16 Euros price tag, and 'Follow the Fleet' is there as well, at 20 Euros.
Meanwhile there's a Blu ray box set of seven titles (Top Hat, Swing Time, Gay Divorcee, Follow the Fleet, Shall We Dance, Carefree and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle) on sale in Japan at $180 US.
Does anyone know if these are legit releases and good transfers? If they're kosher, then why is Warners lagging behind?
Buyer beware! That Spanish 'New Line' Blu-ray label is notorious for releasing bootlegs. Sadly, piracy is so rampant in Spain that these releases end up being sold into Spain's retail market, and this spreads like a virus.

While the RKO Blu-rays that Lobster Films have released in Japan are legit releases, everything I have read about them is bad....very bad....
 

GlennF

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I wouldn't hold your breath on these. Warner Archive just re-released FLYING DOWN TO RIO on DVD only so I doubt blu-rays are in the immediate future. I think this might be one of those cases where the bigger the hit a film was the more damage was done to the negative. Just a guess.
 

AnthonyClarke

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I wouldn't hold your breath on these. Warner Archive just re-released FLYING DOWN TO RIO on DVD only so I doubt blu-rays are in the immediate future. I think this might be one of those cases where the bigger the hit a film was the more damage was done to the negative. Just a guess.

I would think the film elements would certainly be good enough to make for a considerable quality boost on Blu ray .. if only because the DVD set put out a few years back boasted very good transfers.
The Fred and Ginger titles certainly deserve quality releases ... as do of course the long-promised 'Show Boat' Blu rays
 

Brent Reid

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I can't say it often enough: when any non-Spanish film makes its Blu-ray or DVD début there, always assume it's a pirate. In fact, I can't think of any occasion when it wasn't. Same goes for Italy.

Dealing specifically with Fred and Ginger, right now the following Spanish BDs are available:
  • 42nd Street (1933) – Llamentol, pirate
  • The Gay Divorcee (1934) – New Line Films, pirate
  • Follow the Fleet (1936) – New Line Films, pirate
  • Holiday Inn (1942) – Llamentol, pirate
  • Magnificent Doll (1946) – Feel Films, pirate
  • Easter Parade (1948) – Warners, legit
  • The Band Wagon (1953) – Warners, legit
  • Forever Female (1953) – Feel Films, pirate
  • Funny Face (1957) – Paramount, legit
Never try and kid yourself that some obscure Spanish or Italian label you've never heard of has somehow obtained the masters to major studio product that have so far eluded all other established reissue companies. At their very best, the pirates are low bitrate, vanilla copies of legitimately released BDs and DVDs. They always have basic lossy audio and some terrible local dub takes priority over the original soundtrack. At worst, they're just straight transfers of TV broadcasts and even VHS copies of said broadcasts. To anyone reading this: buy at your peril, but once you have, don't come on here to complain about it.
 
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Robin9

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I wouldn't hold your breath on these. Warner Archive just re-released FLYING DOWN TO RIO on DVD only so I doubt blu-rays are in the immediate future. I think this might be one of those cases where the bigger the hit a film was the more damage was done to the negative. Just a guess.

I think that's a pretty good guess.
 

Dick

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I've seen some HD masters of these films, and they look good but not great, so I imagine Warner Bros. is likely still tweaking them for Blu-ray release. These are 1930's RKO films, after all, and elements from that studio are iffy. I'm thinking we may never see THE INFORMER or LOST PATROL and a bunch of others, as they simply haven't good surviving elements (I do hold out hope for GUNGA DIN and BRINGING UP BABY, though). If we get them, they will, as are most catalog titles from WB these days, be released through the Archives, and most likely as single releases rather than as part of a box set. But, at the current release schedule from the Archives -- four per month -- I am thinking they are getting Blu-ray catalog titles out faster now than they did five years ago through their studio label. Anything's possible!
 
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Bob_S.

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I was just thinking about this the other day. What's taking them so long? Both the Fred and Ginger films and Mickey and Judy musicals are BD holy grails for me.
 

Ethan Riley

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I've seen some HD masters of these films, and they look good but not great, so I imagine Warner Bros. is likely still tweaking them for Blu-ray release. These are 1930's RKO films, after all, and elements from that studio are iffy. I'm thinking we may never see THE INFORMER or LOST PATROL and a bunch of others, as they simply haven't good surviving elements (I do hold out hope for GUNGA DIN and BRINGING UP BABY, though). If we get them, they will, as are most catalog titles from WB these days, be released through the Archives, and most likely as single releases rather than as part of a box set. But, at the current release schedule from the Archives -- four per month -- I am thinking they are getting Blu-ray catalog titles out faster now than they did five years ago through their studio label. Anything's possible!

I just think the Archives favor color films for Blu, and only then if they have decent materials. Because they still have yet to tap into the vast Warner and MGM b&w catalogs for Blu, only DVD. Hopefully this will change soon.
 

Robin9

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I just think the Archives favor color films for Blu, and only then if they have decent materials. Because they still have yet to tap into the vast Warner and MGM b&w catalogs for Blu, only DVD. Hopefully this will change soon.

Warner Archives release on Blu-ray disc only films for which they have good elements, regardless of whether or not it's color or black-and-white. They have released several superb discs of black-and-white films, for examples The Picture Of Dorian Gray, I Confess, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Thank Your Lucky Stars, The Wrong Man, Possessed, and On Dangerous Ground.
 

AnthonyClarke

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I think a lot of people here would agree with me that, even if the elements aren't pristine, a 1080 transfer in as good as possible condition would be preferable to nothing .... much as I like my DVD collection, my 150-inch projector is crying out for Fred and Ginger in Blu ray.....
And re Vera Ellen ... yes please, especially 'Three Little Words'.
 

Conrad_SSS

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Warner Archives release on Blu-ray disc only films for which they have good elements, regardless of whether or not it's color or black-and-white. They have released several superb discs of black-and-white films, for examples The Picture Of Dorian Gray, I Confess, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Thank Your Lucky Stars, The Wrong Man, Possessed, and On Dangerous Ground.

...and Suspicion, Father of the Bride, The Big Sleep, Key Largo, To Have and Have Not, and Dark Passage last year, not to mention the stunning new Battleground disc released last month. All phenomenal discs, and special kudos to them for On Dangerous Ground, as that DVD looked horrific. I recall reading somewhere that "Ground" was a new 4k scan they did from the nitrate original......
 

Robin9

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I think a lot of people here would agree with me that, even if the elements aren't pristine, a 1080 transfer in as good as possible condition would be preferable to nothing .... much as I like my DVD collection, my 150-inch projector is crying out for Fred and Ginger in Blu ray.....
And re Vera Ellen ... yes please, especially 'Three Little Words'.

We've been over this several times. Warner Archives have made a policy decision and they're not going to change it.
 

Konstantinos

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These are coming as I understand it.
Mr. Harris had implied so, when someone wanted to ask about the quality of the Japanese Blurays or something, and he said something like "i'd wait if i were you".
Don't remember exactly and in what thread...
 

Bob_S.

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These are coming as I understand it.
Mr. Harris had implied so, when someone wanted to ask about the quality of the Japanese Blurays or something, and he said something like "i'd wait if i were you".
Don't remember exactly and in what thread...

Yes, I remember the same thing but that was a while ago. I thought for sure we would have heard something by now.
 

Garysb

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Isn't the ownership of the RKO library kind of grey overseas? The Warner Bros ownership through the purchase of Turner is some what limited to the US. At least the rights to release movies on video is I believe.
 

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