Warner Bros. Opens Up Film Archives

BURBANK: More than 150 classic movie titles from the Warner Bros. library are now available for the first time on DVD and via digital distribution, as part of the studio’s new Warner Archive Collection.

The initiative from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group (WBHEG) delivers pre-1986 MGM, RKO Radio Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures films, among them Sunrise at Campobello, The Citadel, Mr. Lucky and many others. Consumers can visit WarnerArchive.com to order the titles, where a manufacturing on demand system creates a made-to-order DVD for $19.95, plus shipping. Alternatively, consumers can purchase digital downloads for $14.95 per title.

Initially the Warner Archive Collection offers 150 titles, such as Possessed starring Clark Gable and Joan Crawford; Once Upon a Honeymoon starring Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers; and All Fall Down starring Warren Beatty and Eva Marie Saint. Every month approximately 20 classic films and television programs will be added and by year’s end more than 300 titles will be available online. 

“With a cinematic legacy as rich and varied as that found within our library, the challenge has been to meet the voracious demand of consumers who are seeking their favorite films on DVD,” said George Feltenstein, the senior VP of theatrical catalogue marketing at Warner Home Video. “Whether it’s an Academy Award-winning classic from Hollywood’s Golden Age, a sci-fi cult favorite from the ‘70s, or a silent rediscovery from the ‘20s, the Warner Archive Collection has something for everyone. This unprecedented initiative represents a tremendous effort from Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and is representative of the company’s continued dedication to film preservation.”

As a companion to the Warner Archive Collection, WBHEG will launch aa podcast series, Golden History of Hollywood, on iTunes and other online sites, delivering recordings from the studio’s vault including behind-the-scenes interviews with stars, radio editions of movies and much more.