happy 85th warner brothers!

This year marks 85 years of movie making for Warner Brothers Studios. They've come a long way from small beginnings with 4 brothers to the special effects blockbusters of today. They were one of several innovators and investors in sound technology, helping to push Hollywood towards sound features. Recently, WB announced they were going strictly Blu-Ray, turning another page in the ongoing changes in technology in entertainment. While the future may hold something different for us in how we watch movies, I'm fairly certain they will include great films and animation made by the many stars, animators, directors and producers of Warner Brothers.
To celebrate Warner Brothers has announced their plans for 2008, which include some re-releases and new to DVD titles and box sets. Each quarter is themed in a way, and will see the release of certain titles. Here is how the quarters will break down:

Q1 - Oscars and Warner Gangsters
Special Editions, Ultimate Collector's Editions:
Bonnie and Clyde UCE, Special Edition
GoodFellas: Special Edition
Heat: Special Edition*
Once Upon a Time in America: Special Edition
True Romance: Special Edition
Re-released box sets:
Film Noir Classics Collection: Volume 1
Film Noir Classics Collection: Volume 2
Film Noir Classics Collection: Volume 3
Film Noir Classics Collection: Volume 4
Warner Bros. Gangsters Collection Vol.1
Warner Bros. Gangsters Collection Vol.2 (formerly tough guys)
New sets:
Bette Davis Collection Vol.3
Joan Crawford Vol. 2
Warner Brothers Gangster Collection Vol. 3

Q-2 Sinatra and Dirty Harry
Special Editions, Ultimate Collector's Editions
All of the Dirty Harry films in an Ultimate Collector’s Edition set
Dirty Harry 2-Disc Special Edition (1971)
Magnum Force Deluxe Edition (1973)
The Enforcer Deluxe Edition (1976)
Sudden Impact Deluxe Edition (1983)
Dead Pool Deluxe Edition (1988)
also a bonus Disc: Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows
Rat Pack Ultimate Collector’s Edition
(Ocean’s Eleven, 4 for Texas, Robin and the 7 Hoods and Sergeants 3 with with an exclusive music CD and rare collectibles)
Repackaged or Re-released sets:
Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly Collection:
(Take Me Out to the Ball Game, On the Town and
Anchor’s Aweigh)
New Sets
2 Frank Sinatra Box Sets:
Frank Sinatra:The Golden Years & The Early Years
(Containing the films: The Man with Golden Arm, None But the Brave
Some Came Running, The Tender Trap, Marriage on the Rocks
Double Dynamite, Step Lively, It Happened In Brooklyn and
The Kissing Bandit)

Q3 – Superheroes, Musicals, Westerns
Special Editions, Ultimate Collector's Editions:
Batman Begins Limited Edition Gift Set
Batman Anthology BD
How The West Was Won UCE, Special Edition
An American in Paris SE
Gigi SE
New Box sets:
Errol Flynn Westerns
Western Classics Collection
Classic Musicals From The Dream Factory Volume 3
(Including: Hit The Deck, Kismet,Deep in My Heart, Broadway Melody of 1936, Broadway Melody of 1938, Born to Dance, Lady Be Good, Nancy Goes To Rio and Two Weeks With Love)

Q4 - Horror/Sci-Fi and Holiday
Special Editions, Ultimate Collector's Editions:
A Christmas Story Ultimate Collector’s Edition
New Box sets:
Classic Horror collection with Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre
A New Warner Bros Holiday Collection

Warners also announced that there will be 50 new to DVD titles to come out this year including: All This And Heaven, Too, The Beast With Five Fingers, Black Legion, Brother Orchid, Deception, Flamingo Road, Gold Diggers Of 1937, Inside Daisy Clover, Kid Galahad, Lady Killer, The Mayor Of Hell, Night Nurse, None But The Brave, Pete Kelly’s Blues, San Antonio, Thank Your Lucky Stars, Three On A Match, Virginia City and Watch On The Rhine.

There will also be additional titles released from other film catalogs that Warners owns such as films from RKO and MGM.

To top it all off, Warner, in partnership with the American Masters series on PBS is presenting a new six hour documentary about the 85 years of Warners entitiled: You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story produced, written and directed by Richard Schickel and narrated by Clint Eastwood. You Must Remember This will first be presented on American Masters in September, 2008. The documentary will be released on DVD in September 2008 alongside a 550-page full-color companion book written by Schickel and George Perry, with an introduction by Eastwood.

Although this press release comes from Warner Brothers, and I've confirmed the contents of some of the sets with them, that doesn't necessarily mean that there can't be surprises along the way. As always, we'll keep you informed. So plan accordingly and stay tuned!



Thank God for film. It can capture a performance and hold it right there forever. And if anyone says to you, "Who was he?" or, "Who was she?" or, "What made them so good?" I think a piece of film answers that question better than any words I know of.