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Post by Coopsgirl on Jun 2, 2009 7:29:27 GMT -6
Good news! The Warner Archives program has just added six of Gary’s films to the site and you can buy them individually (for $20 each) or as a set (for $60). They include Saratoga Trunk, Bright Leaf, Task Force, One Sunday Afternoon, Today We Live, and Operator 13. The link for the set isn’t working so you’ll either have to order by phone or just keep checking until the link is fixed. I believe that only leaves his silent Lilac Time with Colleen Moore and one of his last films (and one of my faves) The Hanging Tree to be released from WB if I’m not mistaken. I have heard that Lilac Time was restored years ago but The Hanging Tree still needs some work. www.wbshop.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-WB-Site/default/Search-Show?q=gary+cooperFor those of you not familiar with this program these films are made on demand. So when you order one it is burned onto a dvd-r and shipped to you. These are not commercially pressed dvd’s but they are manufactured at a higher quality that what you and I can burn at home. Also at this point they are only shipping in the U.S. as they are still trying to work out international shipping options. However, they have also been selling some of the titles at other outlets like Amazon, TCM's store, and Movies Unlimited and they do offer international shipping. Hopefully these will make it in that bunch so the international folks can get them too.
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Post by bellapisces on Jun 4, 2009 14:04:26 GMT -6
Ooh, yay! I've been wanting "One Sunday Afternoon" since seeing it for the first time last month on TCM. (They aired it on Gary Cooper's birthday.) I think it has the most satisfying ending. Thanks for letting us know.
Do you recommend any of the others that are being released?
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Post by montana on Jun 5, 2009 15:09:52 GMT -6
You know everything! I guess I'll have to wait for WB to solve the international problem. Thanks for the other distributor names. I had only got as far as Amazon ...
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Post by coopfan67 on Jun 5, 2009 17:25:11 GMT -6
I think there will still be one more title besides Lilac Time and the Hanging Tree. The original source stated that Blowing Wild would be included with Bright Leaf, Task Force and Saratoga Trunk. So three movies yet for WB in Lilac Time, The Hanging Tree and Blowing Wild.
Luckily an acceptable copy of The Hanging Tree is out in PAL format. This along with the video tape were both open matte presentations. Nothing has been cut out to put it in full screen from Wide screen. Actually more of the screen on top and bottom is present. If they ever release it in wide screen they will have to cut the top off and the bottom. It's like the camera guy has a camera that films more than what he needs but he is looking through the camera with a wide screen filter. In such case it is not uncommon to see things on the top and bottom that were never meant to be seen like microphones. I don't know if anything like that is present on the copies of the Hanging Tree that we have.
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Post by Coopsgirl on Jun 6, 2009 9:22:10 GMT -6
I don't know how I forgot about Blowing Wild!! I would have preferred they include that instead of Today We Live. Gary is fine in that one but the others leave a lot to be desired and there are long stretches where his character isn't even in it. They could have gotten a lesser star I think instead of wasting Gary in this one.
Other than that, I would recommend that people buy the whole set b/c it's a better deal. Individually they'd be $20 but if you buy the set they're $10.
I hope they will add this to Amazon and also to TCM's shop on their site for the international customers. Y'all will have to keep checking both of those sites because they usually show up there a few weeks after their initial release from WB.
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Post by coopfan67 on Jun 6, 2009 10:47:54 GMT -6
I got my 6 dvd set on order on June 4th. Can you believe that I took a couple of days off the internet and that is when they announced this set. I am very happy that One Sunday Afternoon and Operator 13 are included. I don't know if these movies would have ever made out in any regular box set. They do have very short previews out for most of them on the WB site. Operator 13 looks fine for picture but the sound doesn't seem all that great. Anyway it will be better than anything we have or what tcm shows in August. It is more than likely the exact print that TCM will be showing. Only I would rather own the print before it is filtered by the cable company.
I do have a very serious problem with TCM now. The last two movies I tried to get better records on with my new dvd recorder have had the emergency broadcasting signal interupt the movie for 10 seconds. Does that ever happen to anyone else on tcm or is it just my crappy cable company?
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Post by coopfan67 on Jun 6, 2009 10:50:49 GMT -6
Angie,
You should get your dvd's before I get mine since you live closer and ordered it sooner than I did. I am looking forward to any quick segment quality control viewing comments you will have on them. Especially Operator 13 and One Sunday Afternoon.
Dan
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Post by Coopsgirl on Jun 6, 2009 20:49:13 GMT -6
I should be getting them around the 17th and I'll post some screencaps and reviews when I get them.
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Post by coopfan67 on Jun 11, 2009 10:37:38 GMT -6
Belows what I got on it as I sent them an email at the six day point as the waiting was killing me:
Hi Daniel,
Thank you for your interest in Warner Bros. Your order was shipped on 06/10/09 and is scheduled for delivery on 06/12/09. Please do not hesitate to contact us again if you have any questions or concerns.
Regards,
Chrystle
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Post by Coopsgirl on Jun 11, 2009 15:42:55 GMT -6
Mine shipped on the 8th so hopefully I'll be getting it soon.
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Post by coopfan67 on Jun 11, 2009 17:31:09 GMT -6
I hope this post over at HTF is just by some overly picky person:
"I just received the Gary Cooper Warner Archive "box set." No problems with the discs themselves, but I was rather disappointed with their content; the picture quality of every single film was soft and muddy; the sound quality hard to hear. None of them have been restored or are from new transfers. They all look rather mediocre. It's a far, far cry from the kind of crystal clear clarity seen in Warner's general commercial releases. If people order these, they definitely need to lower their expectations for the kind of quality they'll get; otherwise, they'll be severely disappointed.
I bought the set simply to see the films; 5 of them I've never seen before. Most likely, after watching them, I'll sell off the discs. The picture and sound quality make me want to get rid of them as soon as I can.
In 2007, Warners released "The John Wayne Film Collection," containing 6 titles, Allegheny Uprising, Tycoon, etc. All were mediocre films but beautifully restored. The films in the Warner Archive Gary Cooper "box set" are a cut above them, yet they all look terrible. It's interesting how in 2 years the market could bear a Wayne box set with 6 mediocre films, but now, it can't handle a new Cooper one, with films comparable or much better in quality to the Wayne ones. Both stars are well known. Times have really changed."
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Post by coopfan67 on Jun 11, 2009 18:01:51 GMT -6
Apparently this person is trying to watch the movies in 1920 x 1080 resolution on only a 24 inch screen. I would think only Blu-rays would look alright in that high of a resolution on such a small screen. This is why I went with a 720p instead of 1080 screen. I don't think any old movies look very good at 1080 resolution unless they were on Blu-ray like casablanca. I think the movies should look just fine on our panasonic 720p 50 inch screens.
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Post by Coopsgirl on Jun 11, 2009 19:30:08 GMT -6
Some of the people there do seem to be overly picky and also Warner never claimed that anything released through the archives were going to be from restored prints. They are from the best masters they have that can readily be transferred to dvd. They should look better than what we see on tv b/c they won't have gone through compression through cable and what not but they may not be as pristine as a restored release unless they already were in very good shape.
My TV is 1080 and most of the old movies I have look fine to excellent on my blu ray player and for the ones that look a little grainy, I watch them on my standard player.
I ordered mine the day they were released so maybe they'll get here tomorrow or Saturday since that person already got theirs.
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Post by coopfan67 on Jun 11, 2009 22:05:11 GMT -6
Actually my TV is the same model as yours but is 42 inches and 720p. I have heard that 1080p can make older stuff look more grainy. Most old movies including Sergeant York look great on my TV. 1080p on a 24 inch screen is overkill and you can probably see every single blemish in an older print. Even the one admin there stated that the one none Gary Cooper movie looked great on his large home projection screen. All that person stated was it was full of ghosting and stuff that I am sure we will never see on our larger TVs. He must have a monitor that if the print isn't flawless it looks just aweful. I'm glad my TV is not like that.
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Post by Coopsgirl on Jun 12, 2009 20:09:00 GMT -6
I got the movies today and I was very impressed with the packaging and look of the dvds. A lot of people complain b/c they are dvd-r's but they are higher quality that what we can burn at home and honestly, I'm just happy to have the films.
Two of the oldest ones, Today We Live and Operator 13, did look grainy and you can see every little scratch and imperfection on the blu ray player but on my standard player they look great. The other films all looked good on my blu ray player though.
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