Warner Archive Collection Nov. 18 Releases: Dorian in Blu and Four Forbidden Favorites!
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (1945) George Sanders commands the screen as the acerbic, cynical Lord Henry Wotton whose errant musings unwittingly plunge a soul into a leprotic existence of amoral degradation. Hurd Harfield plays the eponymous Gray whose unchanging, placid beauty is enabled by his cursed portrait that embodies his age and decay. Albert Lewin writes and directs from the classic by Oscar Wilde, with Angela Lansbury and Donna Reed as the ladies that bookend Dorian’s damnation. This pristine 1080p HD presentation shows off the films B&W chiaroscuro AND it’s shocking, stunning Technicolor portrait inserts in finer-than-fine form, as befits this truly elegant tale of terror. Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, Special Features: Commentary by Angela Lansbury and film historian Steve Haberman; Oscar-winning 1945 MGM short “Stairway to Light”; Oscar-winning 1945 MGM cartoon “Quiet Please!”; Original Theatrical trailer.
FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD, VOLUME EIGHT (1932, 1934) Back in the days before ‘the Code’ forced Hollywood to walk away from its wild side, the silver screen enticed escape-craving Depression Era audiences with salacious slices of life. Hungers and thirsts that would shortly become taboo for a generation were on ample display in movie palaces across the country, from amoral and amorous working class anti-heroes and high-living, free-loving dilettantes to hard-drinking newshounds and hard-gambling dog-trackers. This four film set includes: In Blonde Crazy (1932), James Cagney and Joan Blondell melt the screen as a bellhop and chambermaid out to con criminals while enjoying each other. Norma Shearer finishes shredding her good girl image in Strangers May Kiss (1932) as a desperate lady on a love trek across the continent. In Hi, Nellie (1934) Paul Muni takes a rare turn at comedy as a newspaperman demoted to the lovelorn column, who finds comfort at the bottom of a glass. Finally, Dark Hazard (1934) stars Edward G. Robinson in an altogether different sort of dog movie, as a gambling addict torn between good girl Genevieve Tobin and glamour girl Glenda Farrell, bets it all on one special pooch. 4 Disc set.
NOTE: These DVDs are Manufactured on Demand (MOD); to order, fans must visit The Warner Archive Collection, WB Shop.com, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
