Marx Brothers on DVD... FINALLY!!!

[larphillips]

Davis DVD had the following announcement:

Fans of The Marx Brothers are in for a treat as Warner Home Video will release seven classic films onto DVD this year. Due on May 4th, the titles include A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, A Night in Casablanca, and the double features Room Service/At the Circus and Go West/The Big Store. Each disc will include remastered video and audio and a bounty of bonus materials, including audio commentaries (Leonard Maltin on A Night at the Opera and "The Marx Brothers Encyclopedia" author Glenn Mitchell for A Day at the Races), new documentaries, vintage MGM shorts, classic cartoons and more. Each disc will retail $19.97, or you can pick up a boxed set package of all five discs for $59.92.

[PALMERLIME]

THIS is very good news indeed!!! A nice mix of cream of the crop Marx Bros and some of the slightly weaker ones as well... but all must owns for anyone who claims to like the Brothers Marx.

Now if only some of the other Marx Brothers titles that were previously released by Image would get cleaned up and given a treatment worthy of those films...

[SilentBob]

Awesome stuff

Too bad Duck Soup wasn't in the package for the box set But the extras sound interesting and should be a very worthy purchase down the road.

[larphillips]

Originally Posted by SilentBob

Awesome stuff

Too bad Duck Soup wasn't in the package for the box set But the extras sound interesting and should be a very worthy purchase down the road.

Image released this disc once, so it probably reverted back to Universal. Warner Bros controls the old WB and MGM/RKO libraries so they couldn't get that title.

[Surf Monkey]

Finally! I've been waiting ever since I bought my first DVD player for good Marx Bro's releases. Excellent news indeed.

[Marty McFly]

Univeral has the rights to release Duck Soup as well as all of the earlier Marx Bros. films (Horse Feathers, Monkey Business, Animal Crackers, and The Cocoanuts). USA Today had an article a few months ago saying Universal is prepping these for SEs by the end of the year, with new transfers and everything.

These are some of their weaker works, but excellent news indeed. What an awesome price, too. Can't wait!

Originally Posted by Marty McFly

These are some of their weaker works, but excellent news indeed. What an awesome price, too. Can't wait!

I'd disagree with you on that Marty. I think their pre-MGM films are great. After their first 2 MGM films (Night at the Opera and Day at the Races, things went downhill for the brothers, but that's more attributable to the death of Irving Thalberg who was really their patron at the studio.

Does anyone have an email address to Warners' DVD production arm/customer service.

I have a bug I'd like to place in their ear concerning Day At The Races. In the musical number "All God's Children Got Rhythm" there's a dance sequence featuring the troupe Whitey's Lindy Hoppers who were based out of the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. This was the very first time that Lindy Hop appeared in a feature film and at least one member of the troupe who performed in the routine, Norma Miller, is still alive and active in the New York City swing dance community. It would be a shame NOT to have a small featurette on this on the disc. Hell, I'll produce it myself if they want. As a lindyhopper myself, I've met Norma and could probably find enough dancers on the NYC scene who could help put together a professional quality piece for the disc.

[Bishop]

Other than Empire Strikes Back, the only other movie I needed on DVD was A Night at the Opera!

Day at the Races is awesome and Room Service kicks ass!

Other than SW, this is the best dvd news for 2004.

[lostwire]

FANTASTIC news!!!! I just marked my calender with a big fat marker

[BubbleGumUK]

This was rumored... and now it is TRUE!!


WHHHOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOO!!!

Finally, my Image/Universal "Marx Bros. Box" (Duck Soup and the Paramount features) will have a companion and my Marx collection will be complete!

[Region2dude]

This is so great!
I've never even seen "A Night in Casablanca" and have been searching for it for ages.

[Larry Larry]

Finally. These movies needed some special editions and special features. This was a no brainer if you asked me.

Now how about some decent 3 Stooges collections!!!!!!!

[Marty McFly]

DVD Times has posted the cover art here.

Warner did a great job with the art! CAN'T WAIT!

[BubbleGumUK]

I LOVE THAT ARTWORK.

Who's the one who wrote (on their site) that they didn't like the artwork on the covers???

Hello??? We're always moaning that they don't use the theatrical poster, and when they do, someone says they look too cartoony - hey it was the 30s and deco was in, pal!

[Hockey Mask]

I got the first 5 Universals when they came out. I've been waiting for these since but kind of forgot about them. Since I read this thread a week ago I have been jonesing for them. This is in my top 3 most anticipated releases of 2004!

[BubbleGumUK]

Got my set - nice package, if not totally extensive (I guess there are enough documentaries out there for fans if they want them).

BTW, mine came without any inserts in the cases and a "rating pending" on the back of the individual covers for the Canada rating.

Is mine a funny early set, or are they all like this?

[lostwire]

Originally Posted by BubbleGumUK

Got my set - nice package, if not totally extensive (I guess there are enough documentaries out there for fans if they want them).

BTW, mine came without any inserts in the cases and a "rating pending" on the back of the individual covers for the Canada rating.

Is mine a funny early set, or are they all like this?

My set appears just like the one you're describing: No sleeves & the Canadian Rating Pending seal on the back of each.

[BubbleGumUK]

Thanks for the confirmation.

BTW, I had a thought: early artwork posts of these Marx discs showed snappers, which obviously have no inserts.

Maybe the switch to keepcases was a late one and they simply didn't bother to take the inside of the snapper art and transfer that to a chapter sheet?

No great loss though, and I'm very happy with it, especially the fine transfers.

The only light disc is Night In Casablanca, which I believe had to be on its own due to copyright. Shame they couldn't have teamed this up with another doc, or even sourced Love Happy (I know, I know, but for completion's sake) since I think WB own that too.

[Hockey Mask]

Originally Posted by BubbleGumUK

Love Happy

June 15, 2004.

[NotaNumber]

Originally Posted by Hockey Mask

June 15, 2004.

Wow! Now if only Universal will re-release the five Paramount films. I have "Horse Feathers" and "Monkey Business" but none of the other Paramounts.

There's also the short / screen test the Brothers did for Paramount for "I'll Say She Is" which morphed into "Monkey Business". Part of this can be seen in the "Marx Brothers in a Nutshell" PBS documentary and "The Unknown Marx Brothers" DVD. I'd like to see this in it's entirety.

[BubbleGumUK]

Originally Posted by Hockey Mask

June 15, 2004.

More! More! Who from?

Not WB I hope, or esle I would have liked to see that in the box!

Any news on the Universal titles? I have the five Image releases, but might double-dip for suitably filled upgrades.

[Hockey Mask]

Originally Posted by BubbleGumUK

More! More! Who from?

20th Century Fox.

[Surf Monkey]

Bleh. No one in Portland seems to have the set.