jough

Fox Studio Classics on DVD

With all of the recent interest in the Fox Studio Classics line, I thought it'd be nice to collect info on the series into this single thread, with a FAQ for frequently asked questions about the series.

CURRENTLY RELEASED TITLES

SPINE # - TITLE - RELEASE DATE


Limited Edition) Sunrise (1/14/2003)

DVD Features:

• Audio Commentary by the John Bailey (cinematographer)
• Original Scenario by Carl Mayer
• Murnau's "lost film" The 4 Devils
• Production Stills
• Screenplay

1) All About Eve (1/14/2003)

DVD Features:

• Theatrical trailer
• Audio Commentary by Celeste Holm, Christopher Mankiewicz, and Kenneth Geist
• Audio Commentary by Sam Staggs (Author of All About "All About Eve"
• AMC Backstory episode
• Original Interviews with Bette Davis and Ann Baxter
• 4 Movietone Newsreels
• Restoration Comparison

2) Gentleman's Agreement (1/14/2003)

DVD Features:

• Audio Commentary by Celeste Holm, June Havoc and Film Critic Richard Schickel
• AMC Backstory Episode
• 2 Fox Movietone Newsreels
• Still Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer

3) How Green Was My Valley (1/14/2003)

DVD Features:

• Audio Commentary by Anna Lee Nathan and Film Historian Joseph McBride
• AMC Backstory Episode
• Still Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer

4) An Affair To Remember (2/4/2003)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by Singer Marni Nixon and Film Historian Joseph McBride
• AMC Backstory Episode: "An Affair to Remember"
• Movietone Newsreel (Shipboard Premiere)
• Still Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Widescreen anamorphic format

5) The Day the Earth Stood Still (3/4/2003)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by director Robert Wise and Nicolas Meyer
• Theatrical trailer
• 70-minute "Making the Earth Stand Still" documentary
• Movietone Newsreel (1951)
• Restoration comparison
• Five still galleries
• Shooting script

6) The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (4/1/2003)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by Gregg Kimble and Christopher Husted
• Commentary by Jeanine Bassinger and Kenneth Geist
• Theatrical trailer
• "Rex Harrison: The Man Who Would Be King" as seen on "Biography"
• Stills gallery

7) Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (5/6/2003)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by Michael Lonzo, Sylvia Stoddard, and John Burlingame
• Theatrical trailer
• "William Holden: An Untamed Spirit" as seen on A&E's Biography
• Movietone newsreel (Audience Awards presentation)
• Photoplay Awards highlight clip
• Widescreen anamorphic format

8) The Song of Bernadette (6/3/2003)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by Edward Z. Epstein (author of Portrait of Jennifer: A Biography of Jennifer Jones), John Burlingame (biographer of Alfred Newman), and biographer-historian Donald Spoto
• Theatrical trailer
• "Jennifer Jones: Portrait of a Lady" from A&E's Biography
• Movietone newsreel (American GIs award Jennifer Jones)
• Restoration comparison
• Full-screen format

9) Anastasia (7/1/2003)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by John Burlingame, Arthur Laurents, James MacArthus, and Sylvia Stoddard
• Theatrical trailer
• "Anastasia: Her True Story" from A&E's Biography
• Movietone newsreels (film premieres, award show clips, Romanov family footage)
• Restoration comparison
• Widescreen anamorphic format

10) The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (8/5/2003)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by Nick Redman (documentary filmmaker), Aubrey Solomon (coauthor of The Films of Twentieth Century Fox), and Donald Spoto (biographer of Ingrid Bergman)
• Movietone newsreels (movie premieres)
• Restoration comparison
• Widescreen anamorphic format

11) Titanic (9/2/2003)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by film critic Richard Shickel
• Commentary by Robert Wagner, Audrey Dalton, and cinematographer Michael Lonza
• "Beyond Titanic" documentary
• Movietone newsreels
• Audio essay by Titanic historian Silvia Stoddard
• Still gallery
• Full-screen format

12) The Mark of Zorro (10/7/2003)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by film critic Richard Schickel
• "Tyrone Power: The Last Idol" as seen on A&E's Biography
• Full-screen format

13) The Ox-Bow Incident (11/4/2003)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by Western scholar Dick Eulain and William Wellman Jr.
• "Henry Fonda: Hollywood's Quiet Hero" from A&E's Biography
• Restoration comparison
• Full-screen format

14) My Darling Clementine (1/6/2004)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by Wyatt Earp III (theatrical version only)
• Theatrical trailer
• Includes theatrical version and alternate pre-release version
• Behind-the-scenes featurette about alternate version
• Full-screen format

15) The Diary of Anne Frank (2/3/2004)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by George Stevens Jr.
• Theatrical trailer
• "Diary of Anne Frank: Echoes from the Past" featurette
• Movietone News featuring Millie Perkins appearances, Academy Award highlights, Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, and more
• George Stevens press conference
• Millie Perkins screen test
• Still gallery
• Widescreen anamorphic format

16) Peyton Place (3/2/2004)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by Terry Moore and Russ Tamblyn
• AMC Backstory: Peyton Place
• Movietone News: Premiere and Photoplay Magazine awards
• Widescreen anamorphic format

17) The Grapes of Wrath (4/6/2004)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by scholars Joseph McBride and Susan Shillinglaw
• U.K. prologue
• "Darryl F. Zanuck: 20th Century Filmmaker" as seen on A&E's Biography
• "Roosevelt Lauds Motion Pictures at Academy Fete" featurette
• Movietone news: three drought reports from 1934
• Outtakes
• Restoration comparison
• Still gallery
• Full-screen format

18) Desk Set (5/4/2004)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by Dina Merrill and Neva Patterson
• Theatrical trailer
• Designers Inspired for New Creation by Film Desk Set
• Still gallery
• Widescreen anamorphic format

19) The Snake Pit (6/1/2004)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by film historian and author Aubrey Solomon
• Theatrical trailer
• Movietone News
• Still gallery

UPCOMING RELEASES


20) The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (7/6/2004)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by director Ronald Neame and actress Pamela Franklin
• Theatrical trailer
• Still gallery
• Widescreen anamorphic format

21) Zorba the Greek (8/3/2004)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by director Michael Cacoyannis
• Theatrical trailer
• TV spots
• Biography: "Anthony Quinn: A Lust for Life"
• Alternate intro
• Fox Movietone News: On location and premiere
• Behind-the-scenes still gallery

22) Alexander's Ragtime Band (9/7/2004)

DVD Features:

• Commentary by Ray Faiola
• Theatrical trailer
• Deleted scenes: Some Sunny Day, In My Harem, Marching Along with Me
• Biography: Alice Faye
• Still gallery
• Fox Movietone News: Sensational London premiere

23) The Three Faces of Eve (10/5/2004)

DVD Features:
24) Three Coins in the Fountain (11/2/2004)

DVD Features:
25) How to Steal a Million (12/7/2004)

DVD Features:

POSSIBLE FUTURE TITLES

Heaven Can Wait
The Innocents
Jane Eyre
Laura
A Letter to Three Wives
Leave Her to Heaven
Lifeboat
Pinky
The Razor's Edge
Tales of Manhattan
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Viva Zapata!


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When was the first Fox Studio Classics title released?

The first three titles were released on 14 January 2003.

How frequently are the Fox Studio Classics titles released?

As of February 2003, the FSC titles have been released the first Tuesday of every month (except December 2003).

Wasn't The Grapes of Wrath supposed to be out sooner? What happened?

Grapes was originally supposed to be released on 6/3/2003. In early 2003 Fox announced that they had discovered better quality film elements for this title and so the release was delayed until April 2004.

Whatever happened to the release of Laura?

It was announced for release as a FSC release on 4 November 2003, but was pulled sometime in summer 2003, believed to be either delayed due to Fox finding better source elements (as happened with The Grapes of Wrath) or else is now destined to be part of Fox's new (and also spine-numbered) line of Film Noir titles.

Here's a link to the original specs:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=275542

Why doesn't Sunrise have a spine number like the rest of the FSC titles?

Sunrise was offered as a special "Buy 3 Get Sunrise Free" promotion that expired in January 2004. It is currently only available as part of the "Fox Studio Classics Best Picture Collection" boxed set (or in other 4-disc configurations which are exclusive to Costco stores).

Will Sunrise be released as a regular FSC title with a spine number?

Not likely. In January 2004 Peter Staddon of Fox said that they had "no plans to release Sunrise as a stand alone at this point." You can read the chat in its entirety here:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/files/fox2004.txt


This thread will be updated as new titles are released/announced.

Post a question below to have it answered here.

DVDho78DTS

This is eerie. About 1-2 hours ago I was trying to track down a list of this series. Now you read minds?

Gamblor187

Is there any more info about Fox's film noir line? What titles can we expect, and when can we expect them?

jim

jough

Once the line is announced I'll probably try to collect as much info on it as possible and start a new thread for it.

I love these Fox titles - maybe other studios will show as much care and respect to their titles.

And yes, I can read minds now.

ProfessorEcho

What do we think of these covers? I like most of them, they're very classy looking.

With regards to SUNRISE.... Is it available separately now or only part of the group sets? For those of you who may not know it, SUNRISE is one of the greatest films ever made. If you only own one silent film in your collection, this is the one to get.

I'm lucky enough to have a friend who works at Fox and she buys these for me at her cost, but she's not always up on what's being released, so thank you for this comprehensive list.

ProfessorEcho

Whoops, sorry, I just read the FAQ about SUNRISE, so ignore my question. That's what I get for posting in a hurry. Look for me on the cover of the next issue of DUH.

dom56

I hope the new Fox Film Noir included these of my favorite.

Kiss of Death (1948)
Call Northside 777 (1947)
Cry of the City (1948)
Boomerang! (1947)

LasVegasMichael

Currently own only All About Eve, but plan on owning Gentleman's Agreement and How Green soon (trying to build entire Best Picture Oscar Library).

Will also pick up Affair to Remember and Titanic eventually.

chente

It would be great to get Lifeboat as part of this series.

Spiral Staircase

After watching the Biography of Darryl Zanuck on the Grapes of Wrath disc, I have the feeling that Wilson (1944) will end up as part of the Studio Classics line.

smirnoffski

A bump to this thread to reflect the release of Desk Set on May 4.

chente

I still haven't gotten around to watching Peyton Place and Grapes of Wrath. I'm even farther behind now that I'm finally going through my Best of Abbott and Costello Vol 1 and now that I received my Univeral Monsters Legacy Collection. Boy, it is a great time to be a fan of classic movies.

Kinyo

I have The Best Picture Collection, My Darling Clementine, and Titanic, but I plan to have them all eventually.

pat00139

I have two: The Day the Earth Stood Still, which is awesome, and The Ox-Bow Incident, which I haven't seen yet. The one I wanted the most was Laura. Do you know how pissed off I was, waiting all that time for the movie, and then hearing it wasn't coming out. Oh, I wasn't happy.

The only other one I'd get now would be Sunrise, but I guess that's kind of hard now.

jough

You can get Sunrise via the Best Picture Collection, which also contains the first three releases of the series, for an average of about $8/disc at Amazon.

smirnoffski

New Titles Announced!


Sep 7, 2004: Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)

Oct 5, 2004: The Three Faces of Eve (1957)

Nov 2, 2004: Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)

Dec 7, 2004: How to Steal a Million (1966)

Gerry P.

How to Steal a Million and The Three Faces of Eve are great choices.... Especially Eve.

Let's all just pretend that Three Coins in the Fountain wasn't selected.

marty888

That silly (but fun) early Cinemascope movie will probably outsell the other three selections just announced.

markdclark43016

Am I the only one who's been underwhelmed by this year's Fox Studios Classics releases? Outside of MY DARLING CLEMENTINE and THE GRAPES OF WRATH, there haven't been any must-haves, imho.

What happened to LAURA? JANE EYRE? LIFEBOAT? VIVA ZAPATA?

smirnoffski

And where the heck is Stanley Donen's Two for the Road?

Cameron

lifeboat to finish the year out and i will have all the hitch...

jough

Well, they've announced all titles through December now, so no Lifeboat.

Alas.

Giles

There is absolutely no reason why The Innocents should be listed as just a 'Possible' release, oh the shame that Fox hasn't released a widescreen version of this on DVD? why oh why? (breaks down and sobs uncontrollably).

jough

Giles,

I listed those titles which people seem to really want, that Fox holds the rights to, and that have so far not been announced on DVD as a part of this or another Fox line.

That's why it's on the "Possible Future Releases" list.

Giles

oh (sniff) okay.. (sniff).... (dabs kleenex to teary eyes).