Classic film fans rejoice!!!!

Universal is finally releasing a box set of seven of the eight classic Paramount films written and directed by Preston Sturges.

Preston Sturges: The Filmmaker Collection
Release Date: 11/21/2006
M.S.R.P.: $59.95

Disc 1
The Great McGinty
Run Time: 1 Hour 22 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Disc 2
Christmas in July
Run Time: 1 Hour 7 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Disc 3
The Lady Eve
Run Time: 1 Hour 34 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Disc 4
Sullivan`s Travels
Run Time: 1 Hour 31 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Disc 5
The Palm Beach Story
Run Time: 1 Hour 28 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Disc 6
The Great Moment
Run Time: 1 Hour 27 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Disc 7
Hail the Conquering Hero
Run Time: 1 Hour 41 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated

http://homevideo.universalstudios.co...?childId=36544

This will be much looked forward too. I hope there is a bonus disk or extras on some disks. I already have a few of these through previous releases. The msrp. is a little high so maybe there will be.

Are the Lady Eve and Sullivan's Travels Criterions going to go OOP?

That was my immediate thought, too. And I'd expect that Palm Beach Story will be the same as what is currently in release.

Haha first thing I thought of, too. I better snag Sullivan's while I can, I've put it off too long.

oddly enough i got Sullivan's Travels criterion yesterday...

as far as the OOP criterions...who knows...they both have copies of videodrome out....yet fear & loathing went OOP when criterion released it

Yeah, I'm not in any rush to go out and buy them. I still got an extra copy of The Harder They Come DVD when I was scrambling to get those.

Whoa!!!!!!!!!!

The Criterion Sullivan's Travels is listed as "currently unavailable" on Amazon. Maybe OOP?

Oh wow...great news!

$60 for seven films -- about $40 retail. That's the same as Warners would charge, maybe even a little less. And considering two of those films are currently only available in Criterion editions with a $40 MSRP, this becomes a great deal even if the movies are barebones.

Will these each be on thier own disc or will they cram them all on to a couple disc's?

According to the original post in this thread, it's individual discs.

He, He, I see that now. Kind of on the fence with this set as I already have the Criterions The Lady Eve and Sullivan's Travels. Not familar with the other titles. But I do like PS films I have seen.

That's the way they are listed on Universal's website (link in first post.) Based on the price point, it seems Universal is treating this release like the previous Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields and Cecil B. DeMille sets, with each film on a separate disc, rather than the way they produce the cheaper two-disc "Franchise/Glamour/Monster" collections, with their problematic multi-film DVD-18s.

To those who only own the two Preston Sturges Criterions, IMHO, this set contains three films of a similar quality: The Great McGinty (for which Sturges won his only Academy Award); The Palm Beach Story (which Universal previously released as a bare-bones budget title in 2/2005); and Hail the Conquering Hero (which some critics consider Sturges' finest work). I would put Christmas in July a notch below these, while The Great Moment is a studio hack-job, having been recut by the studio for "more comedy" after Sturges announced he was leaving Paramount (for an ill-fated partnership with Howard Hughes.)

Though no one has asked yet, the eighth Preston Sturges Paramount film is The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, which is currently available on DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment (as the studio maintained the rights to that film, having "remade" it as a Jerry Lewis film, Rock-a-Bye Baby, in 1958) and it is also one of Sturges best films.

I think it is high because universal has already released one as a budget disk. Only my opinion. And warner's disks are chock full of extras usually.

This is the list of current OOP criterions. (No Lady Eve or Sullivans Travels Listed)

http://www.criterionco.com/asp/connections.asp?id=36

I doubt that Universal can release a better copy of both these movies than Criterion (Even though it will probably be a good release nonetheless). The extras on the Criterion discs that were done by Criterion will probably show up on the Universal Discs seeing as they have a great relationship. I will be picking up both of these movies from Criterion once I get some other Criterion wants out of the way then Ill go ahead and get the rest of the other movies that come in the box set when they become available individually.

Here are some visual reviews of The Lady Eve and Sullivan's Travels from the Criterion discs:

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDRev...ns_travels.htm

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDRev..._lady_eve_.htm

Universal and Criterion have a great relationship and Universal doesn't mind having its own copy of a movie they let Criterion make out on store shelves next to the Criterion cause they know it will sell with people who dont want to spend $25 for a DVD.

To each his own, but even at MSRP you're paying less than $10 per disc, and assuming the retail price is comparable to the Demille collection, you'll end up spending less than $7 per film.

I've been waiting for several of these. Good news!

Supposedly, this box will be identical to the UK's "Written and Directed by Preston Sturges" set:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...s=dvd&v=glance

In any event I hope it will be available in time to coincide with DDD's autumn 20% off sale, which would bring it in around $35.

anybody pick this up?

Actually, I'm curious about what seems to be a shortage of this DVD. I ordered it during DVDPlanet's Thanksgiving sale and am still waiting for it. Other online venues seem to have it on backorder, too. Anyone else encounter this?

i saw it at best buy yesterday, and had totally forgotten it came out. I had not looked online for it yet.

I just got it at bn.com with the coupon. They shipped it today.

It's been backordered at 90% of online vendors for 3-4 weeks now. I had read something somewhere about a defect or glitch in one of the discs and thought it was another Superman-type situation.

Then again, the M*A*S*H and 50 Years of Janus Films box sets went OOP without warning, so, anything's possible.

FYI, the best current in-stock deal on Sturges is Walmart.