In a time when we are repeatedly being told DVD sales (especially those of catalogue titles) are going down, Warner Bros isn't content to simply knock-up a disc with some half-assed "that will do" mentality. Almost each and every single one of their catalogue releases is a mini-masterpiece.
Even the discs which could be described as somewhat thread-bare exhibit a love not seen in the majority of Buena Vista, Universal or Fox releases. From the use of covers strongly based on theatrical one sheets to the inclusion of the original theatrical trailer, Warner seems to do everything right.
Not content to fall into the "catalogue titles don't sell" mentality, Warner Bros work hard to make almost every catalogue release something special, and contain one surprise or another.
They scour their vast archives for anything remotely connected to the release in question. As a result we commonly get such delights as vintage radio interviews or adaptations, vintage newsreels and shorts, in-depth documentaries made for channels like TCM. And even if they can't find a documentary in their vast library, or the one they did find may be considered "vintage" they're not adverse to buying documentaries in from other broadcasters or commissioning new ones. And what's more, when they do, they don't instruct their filmmakers to deliver something which assumed the viewer has the attention span of a goldfish and the intellectual capability of a 10 year old!
Warner doesn't just look at the film itself when it comes to extras too – it likes to examine the cultural context of the time. Sometimes it looks at how the film in question fits into the culture of the period (such as the 1950's Sci-Fi film documentary on The Forbidden Planet) and sometimes it examines if the film itself helped to define the culture (such as the documentary on cinematic violence on the upcoming Dirty Harry releases).
So a film like Forbidden Planet can contain such delights as an intelligent and thoughtful "making of" documentary, unseen special effect test footage, a documentary on the design of the iconic Robbie the Robot, a complete episode from the Thin Man TV series (featuring Robbie the Robot), a documentary on Sci-Fi films in the 1950's – complete with interviews with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott (supported by a trailer gallery of trailers for other Warner Sci-Fi films from the 50's), the Forbidden Planet theatrical trailer and a complete second movie, the semi-sequel "The Invisible Boy" (sequel in the sense if features Robbie the Robot). All this is on top of a grade-one restoration of the original motion picture.
What other studio offers as much? Nothing disappointed me more than the shoddy release of the other 50's Sci-Fi classic This Island Earth from Universal. Considering the included trailer boasts "special effects over two and a half-years in the making" the disappointment of not having a supplement examining either the revolutionary effects work or the incredible design work seen in the film is nothing short of criminal.
Again, not content to simply let their films get lost on the over encumbered store shelves, Warner Bros also know how to present and sell their catalogue releases. So we get extensive themed box sets – often, but not always – with extra bonus discs. We also get more and more "Ultimate Collectors Editions" filled with physical extras – models, art books, reproductions of period promotional materials. Again, hardly any other studio goes this extra mile – or if they do, it's in a half-hearted attempt. See Universal's "Franchise Collections" as an example. Even the name screams nothing but opportunistic marketing.
But I'm leaving what shows the most love and attention from Warner Bros to their catalogue films to the very end. Quite simply, it’s the input of the small number of film historians that make Warner's catalogue titles shine. They provide enlightened commentary tracks, they liven up documentaries, and who knows, perhaps like Jerry Beck influences the Looney Tunes DVD releases, perhaps its these historians who tell Warner Bros archivists what to look for and put on their DVDs? Without Rudy Belmar or Scott McQueen, perhaps we wouldn't have that "Invisible Boy" movie? Or perhaps we wouldn't have those TV Clips from "MGM Parade" where Walter Pidgeon talks about his latest movie? Perhaps without this historians we would have releases just as basic and threadbare as the bulk of other studios' catalogue releases?
As high definition gains a larger and larger footprint on the public's movie buying habits, I'm happy that the largest film library in the world is owned by Time-Warner. I'm happy that a company which respects the titles and properties which gave it its success is poised to restore, re-master and deliver these titles in high definition, and will do so correctly. I just hope when the current film historians finally retire, there's a new generation just as knowledgeable and enthusiastic to take their place.
* Why are they called day-and-date? Surely if they are one, they are the other automatically? And what day or what date? They're not the original film premiere day or date are they?
