Classic Films

Its also too bad that this title isn't available yet in other countries unlike some Twilight and Criterion titles such as On the Waterfront, Oliver!, The Way We Were, etc.

noiradelic

A commentary is generally considered a more valuable feature than a trailer (and for a noir film, you can't ask for a much better than one of Muller's). Don't think Olive has included any commentaries so definitely a step above them.

hanshotfirst1138

It's kind of a catch-22 though. When niche titles don't sell, they have an excuse not to release any more. Sadly, the market for some of these things is just so small, and the studios probably can't make anything selling them for average prices.

Classic Films

Fox's The Agony And The Ecstasy is now available as a TCM exclusive per the Digital Bits also at $25. TCM site does not mention that it is exclusive . Release date is 3/4/14. Free shipping code still works.

http://shop.tcm.com/detail.php?p=506182

Digital Bits may be mistaken as further research shows Amazon is taking orders.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...nandscathed-20

Only 15% off at $21.24 so not a bargain yet.

It is available at Amazon UK for preorder . Release date 3/31/14. The current price of 16 pounds does not yet make it a bargain. No word on Region coding.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Agony-Ecstas...d+the+Ecstasy+[Blu-ray]

PhantomStranger

A timed exclusive possibly? Certain stores now get windows of exclusivity. This movie is most likely going to sell to the TCM crowd.

Adam Tyner

Thanks for the heads-up about The Lady from Shanghai! I'm very excited about this one showing up in my mailbox.

Subgeniusguy

A rather disappointing review is up at DVDBeaver. The disc they reviewed was single layered with a modest bitrate and VC-1 encode. No lossless soundtrack or subtitles were present. There was no Eddie Muller commentary as indicated on TCM's website, and Muller confirmed on another forum that he did not do a commentary. To top it off, it was packaged in a DVD sized case which did not indicate Blu ray on the cover. It did have a slipcase for folks that obsess over those. It should be a fairly decent release but not the amazing package I was anticipating. Too bad Criterion couldn't have gotten hold of this one.

PhantomStranger

VC-1? Have I woken up in 2008?

MooMooMooMoo

Blu-ray with a "Modest bit rate" HUH?????????? What, did they encode it for dvd & than slap it on blu so they could jack up the price?

hanshotfirst1138

That is uncharacteristic of TCM, did they just baldly lie or did they get misinformation?

Much as I'd like to believe not, that does sound plausible.

dmkb

Too bad--glad I waited before ordering. Think I'll skip it.

nitin77

hopefully it gets a European release like the upcoming Gilda, Sony have been doing a pretty good job with the catalog European releases,

b.n.

Just received this from Movies Unlimited and it seems to have received an upgrade
1. now has Blu-ray packaging
2. Dolby TrueHD audio
3. feature by Eddie Muller included

MooMooMooMoo

Have they raised the bit rate?

b.n.

I'm not sure what it was before, but on this disk it ranges from 25 to 33 Mbps.
Also now dual-layered and AVC encoded

PhantomStranger

Interesting, so they upgraded the set after early criticism.

rocket1312

That's great news.

It's also pretty lousy news for the people that bought the original version.

Any chance you could post a picture of the new packaging?

WillieMLF

Would like to have this in hand to confirm. Seems really strange they would have 2 releases less than 6 months apart with higher bit rate AND Muller 'feature' upgrade.

b.n.

For some reason I'm not permitted to post attachments, otherwise I'd be glad to. The Blu-ray sized case is clear with a slip cover, and the additional feature "Comments by Eddie Muller" has been added to the back cover.

rocket1312

No problem. I found the pics you posted elsewhere. This is totally unreal. I know there have been running fixes to discs in the past, but I've never seen anything on this level. Technically speaking, there wasn't even anything really wrong with the initial release, it was just a total amateur job. I guess it's a good sign that TCM listened to the complaints, but to just release this thing into the wild without any sort of notice is pretty bizarre. It's also kind of a slap in the face to the people who already bought the disc.

Now the question remains do I order it from Movies Unlimited for $35, or do I wait for TCM shop to start shipping the newer copies at a lower price. Decisions, decisions.

mr.shankly

After about a week and 7 attempts to contact somebody at TCM and the TCM Shop, they finally agreed to replace my original (unopened) version of this Blu-Ray with the **New Version** as it is called on the site. I'll keep you posted when it shows up.

If anyone else is in the same boat as me (bought the first version as soon as it came out), be persistent and you may get a happy resolution.

mr.shankly

I received the upgraded disc from TCM Shop (after a long back and forth with customer service). It doesn't appear to need confirmation, but I was relieved to find that TCM Shop's **New Version** indeed has been upgraded:
1. Double-layered BD
2. AVC Video
3. TrueHD Audio
4. 13 minute Eddie Muller comments
5. Blu-ray sized packaging

jwstl

I sent them an email asking for an exchange and they responded within one day with a return authorization. And I received a shipment notice for the new version they day after that. Excellent service.