Who is George Feltenstein you may ask? Well if you love classic movies then George is your hero.
He works for Warner Brothers 9n the home video department! When Warner Brothers decides to release an older movies on dvd/blu-ray He makes sure his department can deliver a product worth owning. He also is a great supporter of releasing classic titles on home video. He knows there is a demand for almost any movie that has ever been made. Lets face it for every movie that has been made there is a fan of that film somewhere.
Now not every movie warrants a typical dvd release. It does cost money to market a dvd release. However Warner Brothers & George Feltenstein has started the Warner Archive. The archive is movies that have not been released on DVD. These movies are not well known to the general public but they do have an audience waiting for them. It maybe a small one however it is an audience that is willing to pay $20 for a DVD. What is so great is the Warner Brothers has the biggest library of movies. So every month there will be small gems that get released.
Every month Warner Brothers adds movies that you can order direct from them or watch it via instant download. You can burn a DVD from that download or for $5 more you can order a DVD direct from the WB Studio. I myself just bought "Freebie and the Bean" and will getting more soon.
Now George Feltenstein department right now is working on a 6k Restoration of the 1954 version of "A Star is Born".
In case you did not know in 1954 the movie was released at a running time of 3 hours. Theatre owners complained that it was too long. So Warner Brothers later recalled the released prints and trimmed the movie by 30 minutes. Then they did something stupid! They cut the original negative and threw away the 30 minutes from each print.
For years fans of the film were begging Warner Brothers to release the 3 hour version. When Judy Garland died in 1969 the demand for it grew even more. However the 3hr version by then was thought to be a "lost" forever.
In the early 1980's Ron Harver a fan of the movie was able to put back the movie to its almost original running time. He found the complete audio track but not a complete print of the film. However The movie musical numbers that were cut were found. The parts that were not found Ron inserted "STILL PICTURES". It was very invented and it did not distract from the movie.
Still that was in 1983 when that version was released. It went on to major success. However the missing dramatic scenes are rumored to still be "Out There" and they are not lost. At one time Roddy McDowell is rumored to have had the missing footage. Years after his death that seems to be what it was "A RUMOR"
In 1983 The highlight of the restored movie was the musical number was "Lose that Long Face". It is great number and I can not believe that it was cut. If you ever watch it please when "Lose that Long Face" comes up watch for the kid in the wash tub. He looks bored and out of place. Its funny.
Now last year WB said they were restoring the movie in the 6K format. This is a very knew format. What is funny is that when the original DVD was released in 1999 the studio said they would never restore the movie again "UNLESS ALL THE MISSING FOOTAGE HAD BEEN FOUND". So has the footage been found?
Now if it hasn't that's okay. The 1983 restoration is great. However I am so glad the George Feltenstein is involved with the upcoming blu-ray. It will be first class. I am a fan of Georges work because when he was at MGM he was involved in my favorite laserdisc box set. That of course was "The Wizard of Oz".
That set came out in 1994. It was $100 but well worth it. The extras that are now commen on today's DVD's were very ground breaking on the "ULTIMATE OZ" set. Now this wasn't the first laserdisc that had an audio commentary but it was one of the first to give us more then one type of commentary. Besides the audio commentary we got audio outtakes. Those outtakes are fascinating to listen too. The set also included the 50th Anniversary Special that was originally broadcast on TV. There was also vintage TV interviews with all of the major stars.
Years later those extra were Incorporated onto the DVD. That should tell you something. George knows what he is doing.
Now when it comes to "A Star is Born" it was to be released sometime this year. However it has been confirmed that it has been delayed until next year. That's okay. I know George must be a fan of this movie and wants the blu-ray to be ground breaking just like the "OZ" laserdisc.
I for one trust this man. Its delayed for a good reason. I say look for a teaser of whats going to be on the fourth coming blu-ray when "The Wizard of OZ" makes its blu-ray debut later this year.
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