Classics and Collectibles VB Purchasing Guide November-December 2008

Selected titles being released November through December 2008 in the classics and collectibles genre.

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UPCOMING TITLES

The Gregory Peck Film Collection UNIVERSAL prebook 9-30; DVD $59.98 Drama: This set includes Arabesque, To Kill a Mockingbird and The World in His Arms.

Wagon Train: The Complete Series TIMELESS prebook 10-7; DVD $119.98 Western: This 16-disc set has all seasons of the series that ran for eight years.

Nov. 11

The Lone Ranger 75th Anniversary Collector’s Edition CLASSIC/GENIUS prebook 9-30; DVD $119.93 Western: America’s western hero arrives in a 13-disc set that contains the first and second seasons from 1949-50.

Walt Disney Treasures Wave VIII DISNEY prebook 9-30; DVD $32.99 each Family: The latest wave of limited-edition double-disc sets includes The Chronological Donald, Vol. 4; The Mickey Mouse Club Presents: Annette and Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow.

Roberto Rossellini: The Director’s Series LIONSGATE prebook 10-15; DVD $29.98 Foreign: This box set of Italian filmmaker Roberto Rossellini films includes Era Notte a Roma (Escape By Night) and Dov’e La Liberta (Where is Freedom?).

Nov. 18

David Lynch: Lime Green ABSURDA/RYKO prebook 10-24; DVD $179.95 Drama: This nine-disc set includes Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Wild at Heart and Dumbland as well as a “mystery disc,” a CD and a booklet with rare imagery.

Nov. 25

Becket MPI prebook 10-20; BD $34.98 Drama: In this Oscar-nominated film, Peter O’Toole stars as Henry II, who names his valet, Thomas Becket (Richard Burton), as chancellor.

The Pink Panther Ultimate Collection MGM/FOX prebook 10-29; DVD $199.98 Comedy: The 18-disc set includes nine live-action Pink Panther films and 190 cartoons, along with some never-before-released footage.

Dec. 2

White Dog CRITERION/image prebook 11-4; DVD $29.95 Drama: This newly restored ’80s exposé on racism stars Kristy McNichol as an actress who adopts a German shepherd but discovers it has been trained to attack black people.

Dec. 9

Deadwood: The Complete Series HBO/WARNER prebook 11-4; DVD $179.99 Western: This 19-disc set follows the rise and fall of a town where lawlessness reigned.

The Wire: The Complete Series HBO/WARNER prebook 11-4; DVD $249.99 Crime: This 23-disc set contains the series about the political, economic and social realities of life in Baltimore.

Irma Vep: Essential Edition ZEITGEIST prebook 11-4; DVD $29.99 Fantasy: Maggie Cheung stars as the leader of a gang of jewel thieves in this film within a film about a French director remaking a 1915 version of Les Vampires.

Murnau, Borzage & Fox FOX prebook 11-12; DVD $239.98 Foreign/drama: This 12-film set celebrates the works of F.W. Murnau and Frank Borzage, who both collaborated with William Fox.

Dec. 16

In the Name of the King: Director’s Cut Unrated FOX prebook 11-19; BD $29.99 Adventure: This tale of knights and kings is based on the videogame Dungeon Siege.

Award-winning releases

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has a couple of noteworthy collections of classics coming in November. The first is the debut release from the company’s partnership with Martin Scorsese’s nonprofit film preservation organization, The Film Foundation. The partnership will result in the release of a series of classic film collections under the banner The Collector’s Choice. The launch release is the box set The Films of Budd Boetticher, featuring five westerns from the director who came to prominence in the ’50s. Also on the way from SPHE is the Columbia Best Pictures Collection, containing 11 of the studio’s Academy Award-winning films. The films, in chronological order beginning with the earliest, are Best Picture winners It Happened One Night, You Can’t Take It With You, All the King’s Men, From Here to Eternity, On the Waterfront, The Bridge On the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, A Man for All Seasons, Oliver!, Kramer vs. Kramer and Gandhi. The specially packaged set also includes bonus features. —Cindy Spielvogel

Nov. 4

The Films of Budd Boetticher SONY prebook 10-2; DVD $59.95 Western: This five-disc set of westerns includes the films The Tall T, Decision at Sundown, Ride Lonesome, Buchanan Rides Alone and Comanche Station along with the feature-length documentary Budd Boetticher: A Man Can Do That and special introductions by Clint Eastwood, Taylor Hackford and Martin Scorsese.

Nov. 18

Columbia Best Pictures Collection SONY prebook 10-16; DVD $135.95 Award-winners: In this 14-disc set are 11 films that won the Best Picture Oscar, spanning six decades and garnering a total of 57 Oscars.

Warner readies special sets

Whether fans are looking for a special collection of classic material or a collector’s edition of a more recent film, chances are good that Warner Home Video will make it available. Among upcoming collector’s sets from the studio is Warner Bros. and the Homefront Collection, which is a set of three World War II musical extravaganzas being released in honor of Veterans Day. Also coming are collector’s editions of more recent films, including 300 Limited Collector’s Edition, and on Blu-ray Austin Powers Collection: Shagadelic Edition, along with I Am Legend: Ultimate Collector’s Edition on both DVD and Blu-ray. —C.S.

Nov. 11

Warner Bros. and the Homefront Collection WARNER prebook 10-7; DVD $39.92 Musical: This three-disc set includes Irving Berlin’s This is the Army, starring Ronald Reagan and presented in its original roadshow format, along with the musical cavalcades Thank Your Lucky Stars and Hollywood Canteen.

Nov. 18

300 Limited Collector’s Edition WARNER prebook 10-14; DVD $49.92 Action-adventure: The epic about the 300 Spartan warriors at the Battle of Thermopylae comes loaded with extras, including new documentaries, a digital copy of the theatrical version, a 52-page hardcover art book and more.

Dec. 2

Austin Powers Collection: Shagadelic Edition WARNER prebook 10-28; BD $74.98 Comedy: Loaded with extra mojo, this high-def collection includes all three Austin Powers films: International Man of Mystery, The Spy Who Shagged Me and Goldmember.

Dec. 9

I Am Legend: Ultimate Collector’s Edition WARNER prebook 11-4; DVD $49.92, BD $59.99 Action: This three-disc set features two versions of the film starring Will Smith along with a digital copy, featurettes, a concept sketch book, deleted scenes and more.

Classics and Collectibles VB Purchasing Guide November-December 2008

Award-winning releases

Warner readies special sets

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