Instant Collection: 'The Best of Warner Bros.' on DVD and Blu-ray

"Best of Warner Bros. 100 Film Collection" (Warner) - DVD

"Best of Warner Bros. 50 Film Collection" (Warner) - Blu-ray

"Best of Warner Bros. Best Pictures 20 Film Collection" (Warner) – DVD

 

In celebration of its 90th anniversary, Warner Bros. weighs in with the biggest studio box sets ever released: "Best of Warner Bros. 100 Film Collection" weighs in with 100 films and two new documentaries on 55 discs on DVD, including 22 Best Picture Oscar winners, and "Best of Warner Bros. 50 Film Collection" presents 50 films and the two new documentaries on 51 Blu-ray discs and one DVD (for the documentaries).

 

These are hefty items, both of them set at retail price of $597.92 (less any discount offered by retailers), and reviews copies are understandably limited. I chose to examine the Blu-ray release for this review. Blu-ray is my preferred format and Warner Home Video has one of the most impressive track records for high-quality Blu-ray releases.

 

"Best of Warner Bros. 50 Film Collection," the biggest Blu-ray box set to date, presents the discs in chronological order in two volumes, a pair of hefty book-like cases with heavy paperboard slipsleeves for each disc, housed in a handsome box with a magnetic flap. Due to its wraparound design, the flap folds down under the bottom of the box, which means you have to pick it up or tip it back to lift open up the cover. It's a minor design flaw and a negligible one if you pull the volumes out of the box and file them on the shelves. The design of the cases make that an easy and attractive option.

 

To be clear, these are not all Warner Bros. productions, but films from the Warner Bros. library, which includes the golden age of MGM and RKO films as well. Thus, along with genuine Warner Bros. studio landmarks like "The Maltese Falcon" (1941), "Casablanca" (1942), "The Exorcist" (1973), "Goodfellas" (1990), and "Unforgiven" (1992) are some of the great MGM movies from their golden age and beyond: "Grand Hotel" (1932), the star-studded Best Film Oscar-winner and the earliest film in the set, "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), "Gone With the Wind" (1939), "Singin' In the Rain" (1952), "Ben-Hur" (1959) spread across two discs, and "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) among them.

 

The selections of classics offer a fine cross-section of landmarks and favorites but the emphasis is on timeless stories and storytelling over the momentary. Thus "The Jazz Singer," a landmark talkie more interesting for its legacy than its sophistication, is not to be found here, passed over in favor of films that invite repeat viewings and passionate followings. Good editorial policy; I'd much rather watch "Grand Hotel" and "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "North By Northwest" again.

 

The set weighs in favor of the contemporary overall, with 25 of the films -- half of the collection -- from the past three decades. The selections from the second half of the Warner reign spotlights a number of the studio's favorite partners, notably director Stanley Kubrick (four films) and actor/director/produ​cer Clint Eastwood (three films), and the studios most successful franchises: "Dirty Harry" (1972), "Superman: The Movie" (1978), "Lethal Weapon" (1987), "The Matrix" (1999), "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001), and "The Dark Knight" (2008), plus all three "Lord of the Rings" movies (the theatrical versions).

 

Most (though not all) of the supplements of the previous Blu-ray releases are included on these discs, and there are far too many commentary tracks, documentaries, interviews, and other supplements to recount (none of the extras are listed on the contents of the case, so it's a matter of discovery whenever you pop in a film). The set also comes with UltraViolet codes for digital copies all 50 films for download and instant streaming.

 

Complete listing of films below, after the jump.

 

"Best of Warner Bros. 100 Film Collection" weighs in as the biggest single box set released by a studio to date, with 100 films and two new documentaries on 55 discs. It features all the films from the 50-disc Blu-ray and many more: all 22 films in the Warner Library that have won the Best Picture Oscar and a much heftier and more diverse collection of classics (from gangster classic "The Public Enemy" to backstage musical "42nd Street" to the Marx Bros. in "A Night at the Opera" to "The Adventures of Robin Hood" with Errol Flynn to Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane"). The films come two to a disc on the average, on two-sided "flipper" discs with one film per side, in book style premium packaging similar to the Blu-ray collection.

 

The DVD-only "Best of Warner Bros. Best Pictures 20 Film Collection" presents 20 movies that won the Academy Award for Best Picture (out of 22 Oscar winners in the Warner library) on 23 discs in a more traditional box set, in three supersized plastic cases with hinged trays and a color booklet with notes on each film.

 

Exclusive to the "100 Film Collection" DVD and "50 Film Collection" Blu-ray sets are two new documentaries on a bonus flipper DVD, with one documentary per side. "Tales From the Warner Bros. Lot" is a breezy 106-minute feature that is true to its title. This is less a documentary of the studio than oral history of the life and culture on the Warner Bros. lot -- the only studio backlot that still exists from the glory days of Hollywood filmmaking and continues as a working production facility -- through the personal anecdotes of producers, directors, stars, and studio executives. You get a history lesson between the stories.

 

On the flip side of the disc is the 26-minute "The Warner Bros. Lot Tour," which is exactly as advertised: a guided video tour of the standing backlot street sets seen on movie and TV screens, with a roll call of scenes shot on each of the locations (mostly TV shows, in fact, which has dominated the studio production facilities for the past few decades), and a visit to the Warner Bros. museum, filled with props, costumes, and other movie and TV memorabilia. It's all led by a bona-fide tour guide from the real-life studio tours given to thousands of visitors every year. My only question: why couldn't they have put them both on a single side?

 

Both sets also include a bonus poster and a collection of postcard-sized poster reproductions.

 

Complete listings of each set are tallied after the jump. Click on "More" below.

 

For more releases, see Hot Tips and Top Picks: DVDs, Blu-rays and streaming video for the week of January 29

"The Best of Warner Bros. 100 Film DVD Collection"
100 movies including all 22 of Warner Bros. library’s Best Picture ™ Winners and two new documentaries on 55 discs presented in book style premium packaging:

The Broadway Melody (1929)
Cimarron (1931)
The Public Enemy (1931)
Grand Hotel (1932)
42nd Street (1933)
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
A Night at the Opera (1935)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
The Life of Emile Zola (1937
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Dark Victory (1939)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Citizen Kane (1941)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Casablanca (1942)
Gaslight (1944)
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
Mildred Pierce (1945)
The Big Sleep (1946)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
A Streetcar Named Desire: The Original Director’s Version (1951)
An American in Paris (1951)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
A Star Is Born (1954)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
East of Eden (1955)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
The Searchers (1956)
Giant (1956)
Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
A Face in the Crowd (1957)
Gigi (1958)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
North by Northwest (1959)
Ben-Hur (1959)
How the West Was Won (1962)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Viva Las Vegas (1964)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Bullitt (1968)
The Wild Bunch: The Original Director’s Cut (1969)
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Dirty Harry (1971)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Cabaret (1972)
Enter the Dragon (1973)
The Exorcist: Extended Director’s Cut (1973)
Blazing Saddles (1974)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
All the President's Men (1976)
Superman: The Movie (1978)
The Shining (1980)
Caddyshack (1980)
Clash of the Titans (1981)
Chariots of Fire (1981)
The Outsiders (1983)
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Risky Business (1983)
The Right Stuff (1983)
Amadeus: Director’s Cut (1984)
The Goonies (1985)
The Color Purple (1985)
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Batman™ (1989)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
GoodFellas (1990)
Unforgiven (1992)
The Bodyguard (1992)
The Fugitive (1993)
Natural Born Killers: The Director’s Cut (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
Seven (1995)
L.A. Confidential (1997)
The Matrix (1999)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring™ (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers™ (2002)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King™ (2003)
The Notebook (2004)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
The Departed (2006)
300 (2007)
The Dark Knight™ (2008)
The Hangover (2009)
The Blind Side (2009)
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Inception (2010)

Documentaries: Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot, Warner Bros. Lot Tour (2013)

 

"Best of Warner Bros. 50 Film Blu-ray™ Collection"

50 movies and the two new documentaries on 52 discs, also presented in book style premium packaging:

Grand Hotel (1932)
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Casablanca (1942)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
A Streetcar Named Desire: The Original Restored Version (1951)
An American in Paris (1951)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Gigi (1958)
North by Northwest (1959)
Ben-Hur (1959)
How the West Was Won (1962)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Bullitt (1968)
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Dirty Harry (1971)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The Exorcist: Extended Director’s Cut (1973)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Superman: The Movie (1978)
The Shining (1980)
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Risky Business (1983)
Amadeus: Director’s Cut (1984)
The Color Purple (1985)
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
GoodFellas (1990)
Unforgiven (1992)
The Bodyguard (1992)
Natural Born Killers: The Director’s Cut (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Matrix (1999)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring™ (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ™ (2002)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King™ (2003)
The Departed (2006)
The Dark Knight™ (2008)
The Hangover (2009)
The Blind Side (2009)
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Inception (2010)

Documentaries: Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot, Warner Bros. Lot Tour (2013)

"The Best of Warner Bros. 20 Film Collection: Best Pictures"

Warner Bros.’ library, the world’s largest, contains more Best Picture Oscar® winners than any other studio with 22 wins (all 22 award-winning films are included in The Best of Warner Bros. 100 Film DVD Collection streeting the same day). Included are:

Broadway Melody of 1929 (1929)

Grand Hotel (1932)

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

Gone With The Wind (1939)

Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Casablanca (1942)

Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

An American in Paris (1951)

Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

Gigi (1958)

Ben-Hur (1959)

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Chariots of Fire (1981)

Amadeus (1984)

Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

Unforgiven (1992)

The Lord of the Rings™: The Return of the King (2003)

Million Dollar Baby (2005)

The Departed (2006)