Watch out for the Fox … September 11, 2006
Posted by jackal in : Films , trackback
This past weekend I enjoyed Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile for the first time in years, courtesy of Fox’s new special edition DVDs. Two things occurred to me: just how much fun these films remain, and that they’re yet another example of Fox’s great DVD treatment of catalogue titles in 2006.
Thus far, at prices ranging from reasonable to dirt cheap, we’ve had the top-notch special editions of The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure, The Omen and the afore-mentioned Michael Douglas blockbusters; a gang of western and war film releases back in May; a new wave of Studio Classics titles including swashbuckler The Black Swan (beautifully restored at great cost); the ongoing Fox Film Noir series (which remain the dictionary definition of a no-brainer purchase), and I’m sure a bunch of others that have slipped my mind.
In terms of boxsets, Fox’s relatively high prices have done them no favours, but that aside (and hey, there’s always DDD’s 20% off sale) I see little to complain about: there have been long-awaited releases for two 1930s movie series - Charlie Chan Collection volume 1, once-again painstakingly restored, and Charlie Chan volume 2 announced for December; also Mr Moto Collection volume 1, with further volumes no doubt in the pipeline. A real gem for me was last month’s Clark Gable Collection, containing two 50s features, The Tall Men and Soldier of Fortune, alongside 1935’s The Call of the Wild. Three highly entertaining titles, all handsomely presented, with The Tall Men in particular looking and sounding simply marvellous.
Last year Warner Bros were far and away my top choice for DVD studio of the year. They’ll still get my vote for 2006, but it’s encouraging to think that somebody - anybody - is now on their heels.
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