TCM-Lost RKO Collection out New Year's Day

[myrnaloyisdope]

http://turnerclassic.moviesunlimited.co ... sku=D55632

Includes "Double Harness," "Rafter Romance," "One Man's Journey," "Stingaree," "Living on Love," and "A Man to Remember."

I'm not sure how I feel about the set. I've seen Double Harness, and Rafter Romance, and while both are watchable, they aren't great. I'm anxious to see Stingaree, and I haven't heard of the rest.

On one hand I think it's great to see any old films (particularly forgotten ones) become available commercially, on the other the cost of the set is prohibitive (though I understand why), and I would much rather have Forgotten Hollywood volume 3 come out.

So I might end up picking the set up to show support, but there's so much better stuff out there to release, so I'm not sure why this one is being released.

[feaito]

It's really an expensive set, but it is good that Warners is releasing these rare, long-sought after films. I liked very, very much "Double Harness" and "A Man to Remember". I also enjoyed a lot the very offbeat and unique "Stingaree".

[moviemagz]

Is it just me but I really dislike this trend of boxed sets with no real ties other than maybe being from the same era. You might as well boxed together any old four or five movies. And it's highly plausible several titles won't appeal to you at all.

I prefer boxed sets to be tied to a star or a director - or a screenwriter if anyone would bother to make such a set.

[Lzcutter]

But they do have a reason to be released together in a boxed set.

They include the "lost" RKO films that were not part of the RKO film library that Turner acquired when he acquired the old MGM film library back in the 1980s.

A few years ago TCM archivist Dennis Millay came across information that the films had been been produced by RKO but the rights had been given to producer Merion C. Cooper when he left the company. Millay set out to find the films and, if possible, reunite them with the rest of the RKO library.

And the rest, they say, is history.

[markfp]

Well, the set is rather pricey, but I think it's a case where they don't expect to sell a lot of them. After all, except to serious film buffs or those who saw them on TCM, the films are pretty obsure. These are like the films released by some of the smaller "niche" distributors such as Kino, Milestone and Criterion who have to charge more to recoup their costs and make a profit on fewer copies being sold.

I don't think we'll see folks flocking to Wal-Mart to snap up thousands of copies on the first day. (not that they'll even stock it) Even for stores that might carry it, there won't be many people seeing the set and buying it on impulse.

I don't expect to be buyiing it, but I give them credit for releasing it.

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