Warner Bros. to Celebrates Its 90th Anniversary in 2013 with “Best of Warner Bros.” Collections
(October 3, 2012 – Burbank, CA) – One of the most respected, diversified and successful motion picture studios in the world, Warner Bros. began when the eponymous brothers -- Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack -- incorporated on April 4, 1923. Four years later, the release of “The Jazz Singer,” the world’s first “talkie,” set a tone of innovation and influence that would forever become synonymous with the Warner Bros. brand. Soon to be 90, Warner Bros. continues to entertain the world with films passionately produced, selectively acquired, carefully preserved and impeccably curated for both the casual and ultimate movie lover to enjoy forever. As a result of all the films the studio has produced, co-produced (with numerous partners), acquired and distributed, Warner Bros. now boasts the largest film library in the world – 6,800 feature films, with 2,000 films currently available on DVD and Blu-ray. The library includes 22 Academy Award-winning Best Pictures (the most in Oscar history), and leading franchises such as “Harry Potter,” “Batman,” “Lord of the Rings”, “The Matrix” and “Superman.” Beginning in January, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group (WBHEG) will launch a major Anniversary initiative that will continue through year-end 2013. This includes the release of seven new collections, including two limited and numbered anniversary collections -- 100 films on DVD and 50 films on Blu-ray, both the largest collections of films ever released, to date, in their respective formats. The year-long celebration will also include several stand-alone releases of new-to-format classics on Blu-ray for the first time, including “The Jazz Singer,” all three James Dean films (“East of Eden,” “Rebel Without a Cause,” “Giant”), “Cabaret” and Academy Award Best Picture Winners “Grand Hotel” (1932), “Mrs. Miniver” (1943), and “Driving Miss Daisy” (1990). Stated Jeff Baker, WHV’s Executive Vice President and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog, “As the recognized leader in theatrical library market share, we’re delighted to be celebrating our 90th with the largest, most compelling film collections in home entertainment history. We’ve put a lot of thought and care into the selection of these classics, and I think the results will be something movie fans -- from the casual to the dedicated – will embrace.” Finally, WBHEG will have a year-long trade program supported by an online and social media campaign. The campaign is designed to celebrate the films representing “The Best of Warner Bros,” by artfully connecting with movie-lovers through the memories that mirror, resemble, or remind them of their favorite movies. The microsite, bestofwb.com, will serve as the central hub for all content and provide fans with a richer and more integrated experience.The Collections:“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 (details below) on 55 discs presented in book style premium packaging. “The Best of Warner Bros. 50 Film Blu-ray Collection” includes 50 movies and the two new documentaries on 52 discs, also presented in book style premium packaging. It will introduce several new-to-Blu-ray film titles, including “Grand Hotel,” “Mrs. Miniver,” and “Driving Miss Daisy.” Both of the above are limited and numbered collections and each includes a collectible poster and series of art cards featuring movie poster designs created by legendary American graphic designer Bill Gold. Gold, who worked with Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, including Clint Eastwood, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Elia Kazan, and Ridley Scott, had this to say: "My 65-year career began with ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ and ‘Casablanca’ and continued on to every Clint Eastwood picture from ‘Dirty Harry’ to ‘Mystic River’ (and I came out of retirement to design the poster for ‘J. Edgar’). In my wildest dreams I could not have foreseen the world I would inhabit and the joy it would bring me over the years. Every poster I worked on had a story to tell, and I'm delighted to be able to share a sampling of some of them in these collections." “The Best of Warner Bros. 20 Film DVD Collections” will be released throughout the year in five separate sets. Each features a gem-packed collection of 20 essential movie classics in five major genres: Best Pictures (January), Musicals (February), Romance (April), Comedy (July) and Thrillers (September). “The Best of Warner Bros. Animation Collections” will be released throughout the year in three separate animation sets. Each features animation at its best in three key brands “Hanna-Barbera” (May), “Looney Tunes” (June) and “DC Comics” (August). “The Best of Warner Bros. Superman TV Collection” (May) features 9 essential “Superman” live action television and animated television shows in one collection. Two New Documentaries to Celebrate Warner Bros. 90th Anniversary:Created specially for this anniversary, “Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot” is a full-length documentary that features some of Warner Bros.’ top talent and executives giving an inside look at the history of the studio. In on-the-lot interviews, stars including Clint Eastwood, Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Martin Sheen, along with current and former studio toppers Barry Meyer, Alan Horn, Bob Daly, and Terry Semel, and others, recount personal reflections and anecdotes about their experiences at the studio. “Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot” was produced by documentarian Gary Khammar (“It’s So Audrey! A Style Icon”) and producer Bill Gerber (“Gran Torino”). Now, for the first time, home viewers can take the hugely popular Warner Bros Studio VIP Tour in this new documentary produced exclusively for the 90th Anniversary collections. In “The Warner Bros. Lot Tour,” an official WB Lot Tour Guide gives guests a “virtual” tram ride (of what some 200,000 annual visitors experience) -- an extraordinary opportunity to see first-hand where movie magic happens at the world’s busiest motion picture and television studio. Unlike a theme park, the Tour represents a rare and intimate “behind-the-scenes” look at real Hollywood, winding through back lot streets, sound stages, sets and craft shops. “OSCAR” and “ACADEMY AWARD” are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. About Warner Home Video: With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc., commands the largest home entertainment distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Video and New Line Cinema. “The Best of Warner Bros. 100 Film DVD Collection
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- “Jazz Singer, The” 1927 “Broadway Melody of 1929” 1929 “Public Enemy, The” 1931 “Cimarron” (1931) 1931 “Grand Hotel” 1932 “42nd Street” 1933 “Mutiny on the Bounty” 1935 “Night at the Opera, A” 1935 “Great Ziegfeld, The” 1936 “Life of Emile Zola, The” 1937 “Adventures of Robin Hood, The” 1938 “Dark Victory” 1939 “Gone with The Wind” 1939 “Wizard of Oz” 1939 “Philadelphia Story, The” 1940 “Maltese Falcon, The” 1941 “Citizen Kane” 1941 “Mrs. Miniver” 1942 “Casablanca” 1942 “Yankee Doodle Dandy” 1942 “Gaslight” 1944 “Anchors Aweigh” 1944 “Mildred Pierce” 1945 “Best Years of Our Lives” 1946 “Big Sleep, The” 1946 “Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The” 1948 “American in Paris, An” 1951 “Streetcar Named Desire, A” 1951 “Singin' in the Rain” 1952 “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” 1954 “Star Is Born, A” (1954) 1954 “East of Eden” 1955 “Rebel Without A Cause” 1955 “Around the World in 80 Days” 1956 “Giant” 1956 “Searchers, The” 1956 “Face in the Crowd, A” 1957 “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” 1958 “Gigi” 1958 “Ben-Hur” 1959 “North By Northwest” 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 “Cool Hand Luke” 1967 “Dirty Dozen, The” 1967 “2001: A Space Odyssey” 1968 “Bullitt” 1968 “Wild Bunch, The” 1969 “Dirty Harry” 1971 “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory” 1971 “Cabaret” 1972 “Clockwork Orange, A” 1972 “Enter the Dragon” 1973 “Exorcist, The” 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” 1977 “Caddyshack” 1980 “Shining, The” 1980 “Clash of the Titans” 1981 “Chariots of Fire” 1981 “National Lampoon's Vacation” 1983 “Outsiders, The” 1983 “Right Stuff, The” 1983 “Risky Business” 1983 “Amadeus” 1984 “Color Purple, The” 1985 “Goonies, The” 1985 “Full Metal Jacket” 1987 “Lethal Weapon” 1987 “Batman” 1989 “Driving Miss Daisy” 1989 “Goodfellas” 1990 “Bodyguard, The” 1992 “Unforgiven” 1992 “Fugitive, The” 1993 “Interview with the Vampire” 1994 “Natural Born Killers (Director's Cut)” 1994 “Shawshank Redemption” 1994 “Seven” 1995 “L.A. Confidential” 1997 “Matrix, The” 1999 “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” 2001 “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” 2001 “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” 2002 “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” 2003 “Notebook, The” 2004 “Million Dollar Baby” 2005 “Departed, The” 2006 “300” 2007 “Dark Knight, The” 2008 “Blind Side, The” 2009 “Hangover, The” 2009 “Sherlock Holmes” 2009 “Inception” 2010 Documentaries: “Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot,” “Warner Bros. Lot Tour” (2013)
- “Grand Hotel” 1932
“Mutiny on the Bounty” 1935
“Gone with The Wind” 1939
“Wizard of Oz” 1939
“Maltese Falcon, The” 1941
“Citizen Kane” 1941
“Mrs. Miniver” 1942
“Casablanca” 1942
“Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The” 1948
“American in Paris, An” 1951
“Streetcar Named Desire, A” 1951
“Singin' in the Rain” 1952
“Gigi” 1958
“Ben-Hur” 1959
“North By Northwest” 1959
“How the West Was Won” 1962
“Doctor Zhivago” 1965
“Cool Hand Luke” 1967
“2001: A Space Odyssey” 1968
“Bullitt” 1968
“Dirty Harry” 1971
“Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory” 1971
“Clockwork Orange, A” 1972
“Exorcist, The” 1973
“One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest” 1975
“Superman, The Movie” 1977
“Shining, The” 1980
“Chariots of Fire” 1981
“Risky Business” 1983
“Amadeus” 1984
“Color Purple, The” 1985
“Full Metal Jacket” 1987
“Lethal Weapon” 1987
“Driving Miss Daisy”* 1989
“Goodfellas” 1990
“Bodyguard, The” 1992
“Unforgiven” 1992
“Natural Born Killers (Director's Cut)” 1994
“Matrix, The” 1999
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” 2001
“Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” 2001
“Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” 2002
“Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” 2003
“Million Dollar Baby” 2005
“Departed, The” 2006
“Dark Knight, The” 2008
“Blind Side, The” 2009
“Hangover, The” 2009
“Sherlock Holmes” 2009
“Inception” 2010
Documentaries: “Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot,” “Warner Bros. Lot Tour” (2013)