MGM Limited Edition Collection (Burn-On-Demand)

[atcolomb]

And the funny thing about this is on the MGM HD cable channel they were showing both Truffaut's Mississippi Mermaid and The Bride Wore Black.. both looked much better then their dvd releases which means to me that they can release a good looking copy of both and The Green Room but do not care to do so. Better to have the rights taken away from them and maybe Criterion can pick them up...shows how low MGM or who ever releases their dvds have become....

[peerpee]

It's just corporate laziness. Pre-internet they'd just get away with it and complain privately that 'these foreign films don't sell' whilst receiving the odd handwritten letter of complaint which they probably tossed in the bin. Nowadays, Criterion have led the way and shown how films can be released for the home and everyone knows exactly what sort of job MGM should be doing with these titles. It's scandalous, and it's upto us all to complain and let the bosses at MGM know what a complete load of crap they are. No wonder they're bankrupt and looking for a buyer.

[jsteffe]

Peerpee is right, I think. What it comes down to is that the folks currently in charge of the MGM/UA library don't understand its full value and don't know how to exploit the existing market. They're ineffective businessmen. Say what you will about the Warner Archive, at least you get the sense that Warner understands and values its own product.

[Jameson281]

The thing is, what is considered successful (in terms of sales) by Criterion standards and what is considered successful by major studio standards are two different things. For Criterion, the Truffauts would be considered a major release. For MGM, they can make more money repackaging AMERICAN NINJA, so why devote time and money on THE GREEN ROOM? To the studios, the quality of a film is irrelevant; they only care if it will sell. Right now, DVD sales are in the toilet and nothing is selling except big new releases, so at ALL the studios catalog titles are going to burn-on-demand, being sublicensed to other labels and/or being offered for download, which studios see as the wave of the future.

Nowadays, Criterion have led the way and shown how films can be released for the home and everyone knows exactly what sort of job MGM should be doing with these titles. It's scandalous, and it's upto us all to complain and let the bosses at MGM know what a complete load of crap they are. No wonder they're bankrupt and looking for a buyer.

And how many major studios are currently following Criterion's model of handling foreign/art house releases? None so far as I can see. MGM's financial trouble stems from the sale of the company to the Sony-led consortium at an inflated price, the collapse of the DVD market, and the failure to have enough new product in the marketplace. It has nothing to do with not releasing better DVDs of THE BRIDE WORE BLACK and MISSISSIPPI MERMAID; that would not have earned the company $4 billion. And if you still want to gripe about the DVDs, you have to go to Fox, because they're calling the shots now in terms of what gets released--and they fired the person they had in charge of catalog releases, so don't expect much sympathy from them.

[jsteffe]

Jameson281, you raise some excellent points about the current marketplace. In fact I actually think that burn-on-demand technology makes a lot of sense for the reasons you describe, and I wouldn't expect even someone like Criterion to release The Green Room as a regular DVD edition right now, though it has a small but devoted following.

However, the product should still be packaged attractively (see Warner Archive), there should be a minimum level of quality control (again, see Warner Archive), and they should use decent masters. I read that the transfer for The Group was a *very* old full-frame job. In suspect we have that same transfer on VHS in our library, and it's one of the first VHS tapes we ever purchased--over twenty years ago. If it is indeed the same transfer, it's not fit for DVD, period--not even burn-on-demand.

Also, a little creative marketing goes a long way. They could at least pretend to be proud of what they're selling.

Going this route, they won't even maximize the relatively limited sales potential of the titles in question. That's what I mean by understanding the value of your product. But you're right, just selling better a edition of THE BRIDE WORE BLACK wouldn't have saved them.

[Jameson281]

However, the product should still be packaged attractively (see Warner Archive), there should be a minimum level of quality control (again, see Warner Archive), and they should use decent masters.

I agree with that, and argued that very point recently with some people who are indirectly involved. I argued that if the master is lousy, release something else, and wait until the lousy title gets remastered for TV servicing or some such thing. (The whole point of the burn-on-demand program is to keep costs to a bare minimum, so they won't remaster just for one of these releases.) But it was a futile argument since none of us are involved in the home video decision making.

I read that the transfer for The Group was a *very* old full-frame job.

I thought the issue with THE GROUP is that it wasn't 16 x 9, just flat LBX. It has been remasted in HD, so unless someone accessed the wrong master, it should look fine.

[Jeff]

It's definitely a shame about Green Room. I understand the need to go BoD, but a decent new 16:9 transfer a la Warner Archive would have been great. Overall though, the lousy sales for catalog product at the studios is good news for Criterion and those who like what Criterion does. For example, MGM has licensed a couple dozen of their catalog titles (including some heavy hitters) to Criterion, who will be releasing them over the next two or three years. I expect that other studios (even those with a "we don't license!" stance) will be following suit.

[domino harvey]

It's good news in the limited, it counts to that starfish Chicken Soup For the Soul way, I guess, but what it really means is that the marginal vault titles will continue to fade away into utter obscurity

[jsteffe]

I thought the issue with THE GROUP is that it wasn't 16 x 9, just flat LBX. It has been remasted in HD, so unless someone accessed the wrong master, it should look fine.

Maybe the review I read was wrong. It's not as if reviewers always understand the difference. Frankly, I wouldn't mind even mind so much if it were flat LBX, as long as it's a newer and better master. I'll have to go back and look for more reviews.

[Jeff]

It's good news in the limited, it counts to that starfish Chicken Soup For the Soul way, I guess, but what it really means is that the marginal vault titles will continue to fade away into utter obscurity

Maybe, but if more studios would do their BoD programs on the scale that Warner is doing (and at about half the price) it could be great. The stuff Warner Archive is getting to now consists of lots of things that never even made it to VHS, and I would have never bet in a million years they'd be released in any home video format.

[atcolomb]

I noticed that there will be blu-ray releases of Surf Nazi's Must Die and Showgirls....I guess somebody thinks there is a market for thoses films...which says a lot about what comes out on blu-ray. I guess the studios think that more people would rather see pole dancer then Truffaut's grief over the death of his wife...

[Jeff]

I noticed that there will be blu-ray releases of Surf Nazi's Must Die and Showgirls....I guess somebody thinks there is a market for thoses films...which says a lot about what comes out on blu-ray. I guess the studios think that more people would rather see pole dancer then Truffaut's grief over the death of his wife...

Of course they do, and they're absolutely right. A Blu-ray of Showgirls will literally sell thousands more copies than even a Criterion level DVD of The Green Room ever would. That's even considering Blu-ray's smaller market share. It would be true even if the Showgirls disc retailed for $20 and The Green Room for $10.

[jsteffe]

I'm not even ashamed to admit that if given the choice I would buy a Blu-ray of Showgirls over a DVD of The Green Room any day. To borrow Ebert's phrase about Vixen, Showgirls is a "merciless put-on." Verhoeven knew exactly what he was doing.

But I do think that The Green Room should be available too, and in a good quality transfer.

[MoonlitKnight]

Well, Amazon DID send me a replacement copy, and, after I first ran it through my 'Skip Doctor' to make sure, it played just fine. However, after purchasing these initial 5 titles, I'm not so sure I'd buy any future BODs that MGM would put out.

[Der Spieler]

I'm not even ashamed to admit that if given the choice I would buy a Blu-ray of Showgirls over a DVD of The Green Room any day.

Well, you should be!

[kekid]

I find the DVD of Green Room to be a travesty. It is not the best Truffaut, but it is his last work, quite personal, and unique. It deserves better than what MGM gave us. The studio decisions to do such things baffle me. It is unlikely that MGM will make much money from this DVD. Those who don't care won't buy it, and those who do will be disappointed (or infuriated, depending on their level of tolerance). They possibly could have made some money by licensing it to Criterion, who would have made a worthy edition of this strange work.

[jsteffe]

I'm not even ashamed to admit that if given the choice I would buy a Blu-ray of Showgirls over a DVD of The Green Room any day.

Well, you should be!

Not only am I not ashamed, but I would argue that Showgirls has a more exuberant script and better acting (Ms. Berkley excepted) than Truffaut's Love on the Run, which is basically the French art-house equivalent of a "remember when" episode of The Golden Girls, albeit with photography by Nestor Almendros. Even if you don't accept that, you have to admit that Showgirls has far better pop music on its soundtrack. Anyway, Jacques Rivette likes it.

Yes, it would have been nice for Criterion to pick up The Green Room, but I'm sure they already discussed it as a potential MGM/UA property to license and decided to pass it up. They definitely know Truffaut's work.

[domino harvey]

Anyway, Jacques Rivette likes it.

I loathe the movie but I still love his quote:
"Of all the recent American films that were set in Las Vegas, Showgirls was the only one that was real - take my word for it. I who have never set foot in the place!"

[jsteffe]

Anyway, Jacques Rivette likes it.

I loathe the movie but I still love his quote:
"Of all the recent American films that were set in Las Vegas, Showgirls was the only one that was real - take my word for it. I who have never set foot in the place!"

Actually, he's right. Having grown up in Vegas, I can say that Showgirls captures the underlying sleazy, crass and soulless quality of the city better than just about anything else. Leaving Las Vegas tried to elevate Vegas to the level of tragedy, but Joe Eszterhas is the level it really operates on, ice cubes or no ice cubes.

To me, the perfect Vegas film would be a cross between Harmony Korine and Paul Verhoeven: Korine for the suburbs, Verhoeven for the Strip.

[Numero Trois]

I find the DVD of Green Room to be a travesty. It is not the best Truffaut, but it is his last work,

No it's not.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

I loathe the movie but I still love his quote: "Of all the recent American films that were set in Las Vegas, Showgirls was the only one that was real - take my word for it. I who have never set foot in the place!"

Actually, he's right. Having grown up in Vegas, I can say that Showgirls captures the underlying sleazy, crass and soulless quality of the city better than just about anything else. Leaving Las Vegas tried to elevate Vegas to the level of tragedy, but Joe Eszterhas is the level it really operates on, ice cubes or no ice cubes.

Best recommendation for the film that I've yet come across. Thanks, jsteffe.

[Perkins Cobb]

To be fair, Rivette did tell Truffaut that he should put naked fountain sex in The Green Room. Francois has only himself to blame for this.

[justeleblanc]

MGM/Amazon pulls Lumet's THE GROUP out of circulation as there have been complaints as to the quality of the disc.

Does anyone know what the complaints were? I doubt people were going apeshit over it not being anamorphic but maybe I'm wrong. I saw a few complaints saying that it was not in the correct widescreen aspect ratio. The film was shot open matte and most likely projected in 1.85 in the late 60s. The disc was in 1.66 and not anamorphic. Was there anything else potentially wrong with the disc? I hadn't picked it up yet but I really love this movie and I'd hate to see it disappear like this forever.

[ianungstad]

Fox announces a new burn on-demand service for MGM films. Pricing seems to be similar to that of the Warner Archives. They will launch with 50 titles and eventually plan to expand to about 400. They previously issued 27 titles on Amazon as a trial. Guess they did well enough....

I've been wanting to see Rolling Thunder, The Satan Bug, 99 River Street for years...so I'm sorta happy with the news.

[MoonlitKnight]

I'd probably go for "Rolling Thunder" and Robert Benton's "Still of the Night"... but if they're non-anamorphic like the previous batch, forget it.