Press Release SPHE Press Release: Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) (4k UHD Steelbooks) (1 Viewer)

[Nelson Au]

I see there is some resistance to buying these titles with Steelbook cases. I quite like them and for titles that are special such as these, the extra few bucks with the unique steelcase is cool. Sure, I guess some people don’t like that they are a different size and different artwork. Rick’s solution above will fix that.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Yeah, I'm generally not fond of steelbook either, but under the circumstance, I'll probably just bite the bullet for this one after waiting so long for the standalone release (and as Crawdaddy indicated, probably best not to hold out for a regular/standard release... at least not in this case)...

_Man_

 

[Dick]

I'll await a non-steelbook release. I've already purchased LAWRENCE three times in various formats, and I'm not gonna get sucked into this novelty stuff for a fourth go-round. I bought THE JUNGLE BOOK, SUSPIRIA and WICKER MAN imported steelbooks because they weren't ball-breaking expensive and were the first time I'd owned them on Blu-ray, plus each had gorgeous artwork. But, after all, no one sees the cases for my movies except me, and then only long enough for me to take it out, play the movie, and return it to the shelf. I do not display them for company. I'll buy a cheap steelbook like TOTAL RECALL (which only cost me something like fourteen bucks at Best Buy when it first came out). But the going street rate for new 4K titles these days is between $25-30, so I'll sit tight. I really want to own it, of course, but I'm a poor man these days.

 

[PaulRossen]

I wouldn't hold my breath!

Why wouldn’t Sony want to maximize revenue on LOA in a big Anniversary year?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Why wouldn’t Sony want to maximize revenue on LOA in a big Anniversary year?

Perhaps, they're thinking that this "4K Steelbook" release is maximizing revenue.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I see there is some resistance to buying these titles with Steelbook cases. I quite like them and for titles that are special such as these, the extra few bucks with the unique steelcase is cool. Sure, I guess some people don’t like that they are a different size and different artwork. Rick’s solution above will fix that.

I'm not a huge fan of "Steelbook" cases. I usually buy the cheaper "non-steelbook" release if there is one.

 

[Robert Crawford]

From the specs, LOA appears to be identical to what was included in the Columbia Classics Vol 1 set, but River Kwai is a new encode and newly authored disc (at least on 4K), as the previous stand alone release did not include Dolby Vision HDR.

Are you sure about that? The Kwai 4K disc had some kind of HDR, but perhaps, not Dolby Vision or it could be HDR 10. The iTunes 4K digital has Dolby Vision and Atmos.

Due to this Dolby Vision change, I'm thinking of purchasing "The Bridge on the River Kwai" steelbook even though I already have it on 4K disc. I see no reason to purchase LOA the 4K disc again.

 

[B-ROLL]

No 3D NO SALE !

 

[Edwin-S]

The cover art for both releases is terrible. Lawrence of Arabia's cover is especially ugly. If they wanted to do a desert scene then why not a painted version of the scene where he comes out of the desert with the sun behind him?

 

[Garysb]

I assume the price will go down but $46 for LOA is about 1/2 the price I paid for the 6 film Volume 1 of the Columbia Classics. Makes the Columbia Classics seem like more of a bargain then when I bought it.

We have two years to speculate what Sony will give us for Columbia's 100th Anniversary in 2024.
Hopefully it's more than a box set or sets of previously released blu rays .

 

[Chewbabka]

Due to this Dolby Vision change, I'm thinking of purchasing "The Bridge on the River Kwai" steelbook even though I already have it on 4K disc. I see no reason to purchase LOA the 4K disc again.

Also worth repurchasing Kwai for the original mono, if you care about such things. Initial pressings of the 4k disc did not include it, though later ones did.

 

[David Norman]

I assume the price will go down but $46 for LOA is about 1/2 the price I paid for the 6 film Volume 1 of the Columbia Classics. Makes the Columbia Classics seem like more of a bargain then when I bought it.

We have two years to speculate what Sony will give us for Columbia's 100th Anniversary in 2024.

It's already 29.99 at Bullmoose so once the other retailers get it listed it will drop from MSRP and fall to 30 or lower like pretty much every other item. I'm guessing street price $25-28 by release day

 

[PatrickDA]

Will the bluray discs included differ from the first bluray discs?

 

[Keith Cobby]

It's obviously good news that these two titles have single releases but I don't like steelbooks or any unnecessary packaging, so the wait continues. Agree with everyone who has commented on the horrible covers. Still, it does show that you don't have to buy expensive sets with titles you don't want (and might affect sales of vol. 2).

 

[benbess]

I'm glad we finally have an individual 4k release for Lawrence of Arabia. Since unfortunately I didn't buy the Columbia volume 1 UHD set when I had the chance, I'll buy this even though the msrp of $46 is double my usual personal limit for a single movie. But given that Lawrence is really the length of two movies, and since I love both parts, I'll make an exception. I also made an exception back in 2013, when I got the edition of Lawrence with the hardcover book and a 70mm film frame for $45.

Although it's perhaps encouraging that Columbia/Sony invested in some new original art, like some others I feel overall it might have been better to stay with art similar to what was created back in 1962.

Is there any news about a 4k release for Gandhi? That's the other title from the vol. 1 set that I'd really like in 4K.

Looking up my receipt from 2017, I purchased my 4k of Bridge on the River Kwai from amazon for $17.49, which was discounted from an msrp at that time of 26.99. It was my very first 4k disc. Since the new release of Kwai has an msrp of $39.99 that's quite a price jump. But I guess whatever it takes (almost) to keep classic titles coming in 4k, because at its best a 4k uhd blu-ray can really can look like a pristine print struck from the original negative.

 

[Dave Moritz]

I already own Bridge Over River Kwai on 4K blu-ray but will be adding Lawrence Of Arabia when it is released. And glad this movie is getting released as a single title.

 

[Martin Dew]

Really pleased Lawrence is finally getting an individual release. I started to wonder if Sony would ever do it and instead continue to maximize profits solely from limited edition six-film box sets. I also got rather tired of seeing sellers on eBay breaking up Vol. 1 and hawking LOA for $150 or more.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I wouldn't hold my breath!

I have the 4K streaming version, so I can be patient. If Sony never releases a less expensive version, I'm okay with what I currently have.

 

[anytimepally]

Is there any news about a 4k release for Gandhi? That's the other title from the vol. 1 set that I'd really like in 4K.

There is an Amazon UK exclusive limited edition 4K of Gandhi that you can also purchase from Amazon.com
See on Amazon

 

[Garysb]

Back in the day studios used to say how many copies were included in limited edition releases. Often the sets were numbered. Sony to the best of my knowledge did not do this with the Columbia Classics sets nor did the press announcement for these steelbooks mention how limited these discs will be. Helps to know if you chose to wait for a better price. I almost missed Volume 1 of the Columbia Classics waiting for a better price during the holiday season but they were gone before coming back to Amazon only by the holiday season. I never thought I would say this but maybe Disney was the most fair when they would give a date when their limited releases would go back to the "Disney Vault"