Ambersons Blu-ray?

[edmoney]

We all know that DVD and Blu-ray titles go out of print for a variety of reasons, including poor sales or loss of home video rights. However, sometimes a title goes out of print to make way for an upgraded version. It appears that the Ambersons DVD is now out of print. With this year being Welles' 100th year birthday, any thoughts on the possibility of an Ambersons Blu-ray coming out this year?

[tonyw]

What is really needed for a good reissue of AMBERSONS ia a disk with feature commentary by Joseph McBride and a compilation of those reconstructions done by experts such as Roger and others. If they have done this for GREED and LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT surely AMBERSONS wiukd be a worthy candidate?

[Jay]

While I wish that WB would get it together and release this film on blu-ray, they've never seemed all that keen on treating this film with the respect it deserves. Witness how long it took just to get the DVD out, and even then, for a long time it was only included as part of a bundle with the Citizen Kane blu-ray. The powers that be at WB seem to think that the only Welles film they have that matters is Kane; they still haven't even released a DVD of Journey into Fear.

By the way, while the standalone edition of the film is indeed out of print, this four-film collection that includes it is still in print and less than $20: http://www.amazon.com/TCM-Greatest-Classic-Films-Moms/dp/B00JKK20R2.

[edmoney]

Jay, I think you do make some valid points about the previous treatment of Ambersons. However, at one point in time as evidenced by a couple of annual WB chats with George Feltenstein (I think 2007-2008), there did seem to be more extensive home video release plans for the film. I think the home video industry soon thereafter saw stagnant or even declining growth, and catalog titles as a whole saw significant scaling back.

But it seems to me that there’s been a bit of resurgence of catalog titles in recent times. True, it’s mostly been through third-party labels such as Twilight Time, Kino, Olive, Cohen, Shout/Scream, etc. (and of course, Criterion), but it seems that labels such as WB have also taken notice that there is still consumer appetite – I think the Warner Archive Collection may have been a direct response. In the last 12 months or so, they’ve released Blu-ray titles such as Pete Kelly’s Blues, Billy Rose’s Jumbo, and The Picture of Dorian Gray (none exactly in the same league as Casablanca or Wizard of Oz).

While the Ambersons DVD was a bare-bones release that originally came bundled with the Kane Blu-ray, I always thought that was more of a stopgap measure. While Kane has a much higher profile than Ambersons, Ambersons still seems to me a film with a considerable reputation (certainly far more important than Journey into Fear).

I dunno, maybe I'm being overly optimistic. It seems that there has been considerable momentum around Welles’ name with his 100 year birthday (with all of the dedicated film festivals, including one on TCM in May), the Magician documentary, Too Much Johnson, OSOTW, etc. I could maybe see WB capitalizing on it.

[RayKelly]

I simply cannot believe Warner Home Video will sit out the centenary.
They read this forum and others. They are well aware of Roger Ryan's reconstruction of The Magnificent Ambersons.
They know there are two edits of Journey Into Fear to choose from for a home video release.
So far, there is no evidence that they are attempting their own Ambersons reconstruction or have plans to issue Journey Into Fear.
Maybe they are very good at keeping secrets.

[tonyw]

Or maybe, they show corporate inertia? The Post Office has not issued a Welles stamp this year. Yes, these items should be released via Warners Archive and this is the right time to do it from a marketing perspective rather than an obscure silent wanted by just a few people.

[RayKelly]

these items should be released via Warners Archive

The Powers That Be at Warner vetoed DVD-R releases of Welles titles on Archives a few years. They know these are important films. Why they have not moved forward is still a mystery.

[edmoney]

For what it’s worth, DVD titles released as part of the Warner Archive Collection are on DVD-R, but Blu-ray titles are released on factory-pressed Blu-ray discs. Why they take this different approach for Blu-rays I don’t know, but I do know for a fact that this is what WAC does. I looked into this before purchasing their Out of the Past Blu-ray. The Blu-ray line is fairly new, having only started in the last year or so I believe with currently only 13 titles to date; the DVD-Rs started coming out several years before that and number at 2,376 and counting.

http://shop.warnerarchive.com/home.do

Interestingly, Blu-ray titles released as part of WAC (e.g. Out of the Past, Yankee Doodle Dandy, etc.) do not have a DVD-R counterpart as part of WAC, although they were previously released on DVD in years past on the regular Warner Home Video banner (although at least Out of the Past appears OOP).

[tonyw]

An updated DVD AMBERSONS containing all the material on the previous laserdisc such as Carringer's audio-commentary and the PAMPERED YOUTH (1925) extract is sorely needed. I listened to the audio-commentary on Cinemaphila and Beyond.org. this afternoon. It is a very good site with links to Welles material such as "The Making of Citizen Kane" shown on UK TV.

[Roger Ryan]

For what it’s worth, DVD titles released as part of the Warner Archive Collection are on DVD-R, but Blu-ray titles are released on factory-pressed Blu-ray discs. Why they take this different approach for Blu-rays I don’t know, but I do know for a fact that this is what WAC does.

My understanding is that WAC Blu-ray discs are factory-pressed because recordable Blu-ray technology is not stable enough for mass production at this time. Also, Warners is probably aware that consumers who choose Blu-ray are discriminating buyers who frown upon spending $14 - $25 for burned media. A WAC Blu-ray release would seem to make the most sense for AMBERSONS (and JOURNEY INTO FEAR), but money would need to be allocated for remastering which the company may be hesitant to commit to.

[tonyw]

Last night in class, I mentioned the Pomona preview reaction to AMBERSONS and compared it to a youthful audience expecting a Tarantino film and faced with Dreyer's GERTRUD (1964) instead! I doubt whether any of them have seen the last film that I've only viewed once.

[edmoney]

I happened to catch last night's TCM broadcast of Ambersons as part of their month-long Friday Night Spotlight commemorating Welles. Looks like they used the same old print that we're accustomed to seeing. I was hoping that this was one of the many films in the Warner/Turner pipeline for restoration, ready to be shown for this occasion. I guess it doesn't look very promising for an Ambersons Blu-ray release any time on the horizon.

[atcolomb]

I saw the same broadcast and did a comparsion to the dvd...same print. Just above laserdisc quality and i do have the 2 laserdiscs released by Criterion and if Warner Bros won't then have Criterion release a blu-ray with the commentary.

[RayKelly]

I was really hoping for Warners to come through with a Kane/Ambersons/Journey box set for May 2015.
It seemed like a no-brainer.

[tonyw]

Same old problem - "Will it make money?" If some form of Arts Council existed here or non-profit Film Institute then that would be a strong possibility.