Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

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The Elegant Dandy Fop
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1526 Post by The Elegant Dandy Fop » Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:41 pm

Finch wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:34 pm
Drunken Master 2 is, excuse my French, fucking big news. I had a bootleg DVD in decent quality where they added the original ending on (from an inferior source) and I groaned at it too. Still, that's how the film was shot and this ending should be preserved in some form, whether as part of an alternative cut (and I think we're only talking about one additional minute at best) or as a deleted scene.

To see the film released at all in HD by a Western company, let alone from a 4k restoration, is just wonderful news. I'm a bit worried this will only include a dub so hopefully we'll get clarification from Warner what the exact specs are. Give me the Cantonese audio as well as the dub, and have proper subs for the Cantonese track (as opposed to subs of the English dub), and I'm good.
The YouTube description mentions Cantonese, Mandarin, and English audio options. I have the old Mei Ah gold laserdisc of it and I'm happy to retire it. I was tempted to purchase the Blu-ray off that Hong Kong Rescue person who makes high-quality BD-Rs, but had the experience twice now that my copies were defective and he absolutely refuses to answer e-mails.

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Finch
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1527 Post by Finch » Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:45 pm

They might even include Mandarin? :shock:

I'm sorry to hear you were left with defective discs! (Hope you left him appropriate feedback)

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Luke M
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1528 Post by Luke M » Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:51 pm

This isn't the first release on blu-ray. Warner released Drunken Master 2 under The Legend of Drunken Master.

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Maltic
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1529 Post by Maltic » Thu Apr 01, 2021 6:18 pm

Disney/Dimensions/Miramax did.

Odd bit:
Longtime Drunken Master fans hoping to unearth a lossless presentation of the film's original Cantonese audio will have to continue searching. The Legend of Drunken Master includes an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track but, unlike its Ultimate Force of Four Collection brethren, doesn't offer any Cantonese language track, lossy or otherwise. Frankly, it isn't a crushing blow. Not only is the film's original Cantonese audio itself a dubbed mix, it doesn't feature the vocal talents of its stars. Oddly enough, the only place you can hear Jackie Chan deliver his own performance is and has always been via the film's English dub.
I was aware that the Cantonese version is itself a dub since shooting silent was still common practice in HK at the time, but I thought Jackie & co. had done the voice-acting themselves.

Btw, it's one thing for Amazon Prime to do it, but I couldn't imagine any serious label today releasing a BD (based on a 4k scan, even) and not include both the Cantonese/Mandarin/English tracks.

Edit: Apparently, WB released a remastered version on BD in some East Asian territories in 2018, maybe that's the one Luke was referring to.

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The Fanciful Norwegian
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1530 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Thu Apr 01, 2021 6:59 pm

Maltic wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 6:18 pm
I was aware that the Cantonese version is itself a dub since shooting silent was still common practice in HK at the time, but I thought Jackie & co. had done the voice-acting themselves.
Chan's voice in the Cantonese dub was done by Kenneth Chan Yan, who dubbed his roles in most of the '90s movies that weren't shot with sync sound, plus some of his Hollywood outings like the The Forbidden Kingdom and the Rush Hour series. Also notable that this wasn't the same guy who dubbed Chan's voice in the first Drunken Master—that was Charles Tang Wing-hung, whom Chan Yan replaced starting with Twin Dragons, though Tang would come back to dub some of Chan's other Hollywood movies (and replaced Chan Yan's performance in a later TV redub of Rush Hour 2, for which Tang had previously dubbed the John Lone character).

Anyway, the big issue with the edition WB put out in East Asia was that they only included English SDH subtitles, which is a recurring thing for them given that it also happened on the Archive DVDs of Pedicab Driver, Blade of Fury, etc. (though IIRC their Asian BD of Comrades, Almost a Love Story didn't have this problem). But they have to do a new disc for the 4K master, so they have an opportunity here to fix it. The promised inclusion of the Mandarin dub (if accurate) isn't cause for celebration in the streets, but it does suggest at least some extra effort.

The only thing I know about Escape from Fort Bravo is that it was the movie that kindled Edward Yang's interest in cinema, though he was only five years old at the time so I don't know if he had the clearest perspective on it.

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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1531 Post by JakeStewart » Thu Apr 01, 2021 9:28 pm

palntsc wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 2:50 pm


Am I the only one to be excited by the announcement of Sturges' Escape from Fort Bravo?
It’s not a bad film, but I can think of another Technicolor western from MGM a year earlier I’d rather see from them.

chucktatum
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1532 Post by chucktatum » Thu Apr 01, 2021 11:03 pm

Ribs wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:26 am
WB accidentally uploaded videos to their Youtube revealing the following forthcoming titles:

ATHENA (1954)
NEW 2021 1080p HD Remaster!

BACHELOR IN PARADISE (1961)
New 2021 1080p HD Master sourced from 4k scan of Original Camera Negative!

DRUNKEN MASTER II (1994)
NEW 2021 1080p HD Master Sourced from 4K scan of Original Camera Negative!

ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO (1953)
New 2021 1080p HD Master sourced from 4k scan of Original Camera Negative!

MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAMHOUSE (1948)
New 2021 1080p HD Master sourced from 4k scan of Original Nitrate Camera Negative!

THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH & ESSEX (1939)
New 2021 1080p HD Master sourced from 4k scan of Original Technicolor Negatives!

THE TENDER TRAP (1955)
New 2021 1080p HD Master sourced from 4k scan of Original Camera Negative!

THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME (1947)
NEW 2021 1080p HD Master Sourced from 4k scan of Nitrate Preservation Elements of Original 95 Minute Release Version!

THE YEARLING (1946)
New 2021 1080p HD Master sourced from 4k scan of Original Technicolor Negative!
This isn't an April Fool's joke, right? Because my hopes are up for Drunken Master II.

Noiradelic
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1533 Post by Noiradelic » Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:02 am

Happy about They Won't Believe Me too. Always was a head-scratcher why WAC hadn't released this years ago on DVD-R (glad they didn't).

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Maltic
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1534 Post by Maltic » Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:22 am

JakeStewart wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 9:28 pm
palntsc wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 2:50 pm


Am I the only one to be excited by the announcement of Sturges' Escape from Fort Bravo?
It’s not a bad film, but I can think of another Technicolor western from MGM a year earlier I’d rather see from them.
I'm still curious as to why they'd prioritize Escape from Fort Bravo over other MGM films like Stars in My Crown (if you call that a Western), The Naked Spur, Devil's Doorway or Westward the Women, but there are undoubtedly rights issues, source issues, market issues I'm unaware of.

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domino harvey
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1535 Post by domino harvey » Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:26 am

Maltic wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:22 am
JakeStewart wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 9:28 pm
palntsc wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 2:50 pm


Am I the only one to be excited by the announcement of Sturges' Escape from Fort Bravo?
It’s not a bad film, but I can think of another Technicolor western from MGM a year earlier I’d rather see from them.
I'm still curious as to why they'd prioritize Escape from Fort Bravo over other MGM films like Stars in My Crown (if you call that a Western), The Naked Spur, Devil's Doorway or Westward the Women, but there are undoubtedly rights issues, source issues, market issues I'm unaware of.
They like working their way through older DVD sets, so I imagine they are periodically checking off titles from the Western Classics box given they’ve now released half of it on Blu via the Archive

And Naked Spur has been rumored for Criterion for a while— it definitely needs a new scan/lotsa work based on the existent DVD

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Maltic
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1536 Post by Maltic » Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:37 am

Yeah, I have the DVD and saw a very red 35mm print recently, must be one of the films with the highest upgrade-potential out there. It's been on the Criterion Channel (which I can't access), but I assumed it was like the DVD version.

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L.A.
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1537 Post by L.A. » Fri Apr 02, 2021 5:21 pm


JakeStewart
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1538 Post by JakeStewart » Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:16 pm

George Feltenstein said in an earlier podcast that Stars in My Crown was a film he really wants to bring to blu-ray, so it’s a possibility for sure. That said, when he makes comments like that it usually means there are no immediate plans for a release.

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hearthesilence
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1539 Post by hearthesilence » Sat Apr 03, 2021 2:50 am

JakeStewart wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:16 pm
George Feltenstein said in an earlier podcast that Stars in My Crown was a film he really wants to bring to blu-ray, so it’s a possibility for sure. That said, when he makes comments like that it usually means there are no immediate plans for a release.
It would've been perfect if they released it last year. Night and day difference in terms of how a God-fearing town dealt with a pandemic.

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Maltic
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1540 Post by Maltic » Sat Apr 03, 2021 6:34 am

Releasing a classic to own the rubes. Almost makes me glad it wasn't released.

JakeStewart wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:16 pm
George Feltenstein said in an earlier podcast that Stars in My Crown was a film he really wants to bring to blu-ray, so it’s a possibility for sure.
:D

That said, when he makes comments like that it usually means there are no immediate plans for a release.
:(
Last edited by Maltic on Sat Apr 03, 2021 11:15 am, edited 1 time in total.

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bottlesofsmoke
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1541 Post by bottlesofsmoke » Sat Apr 03, 2021 10:56 am

hearthesilence wrote:
Sat Apr 03, 2021 2:50 am
It would've been perfect if they released it last year. Night and day difference in terms of how a God-fearing town dealt with a pandemic.
Not to mention racial issues and guns vs. non-violence, it really was a movie for 2020. Stars in My Crown is one of my very favorite movies, so I’d love to see it released. It’s been playing on TCM a lot recently, I think three times in the last six months or so, though I’m not sure if that means anything, TCM and WB do do some cross-promotion at times (they just showed some Godzilla and King Kong movies), but I doubt it goes deeper than that.

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hearthesilence
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1542 Post by hearthesilence » Sat Apr 03, 2021 12:03 pm

Maltic wrote:
Sat Apr 03, 2021 6:34 am
Releasing a classic to own the rubes. Almost makes me glad it wasn't released.
It's already been out there for 70 years, it was even broadcast multiple times last year on TCM. Any work of art inherently responds to what's happening in the world, regardless of its age - doesn't make a whole lot of sense if someone has a problem with that.
bottlesofsmoke wrote:
Sat Apr 03, 2021 10:56 am
Not to mention racial issues and guns vs. non-violence, it really was a movie for 2020. Stars in My Crown is one of my very favorite movies, so I’d love to see it released. It’s been playing on TCM a lot recently, I think three times in the last six months or so, though I’m not sure if that means anything, TCM and WB do do some cross-promotion at times (they just showed some Godzilla and King Kong movies), but I doubt it goes deeper than that.
It's been growing on me a lot too, and I wouldn't hesitate to call it one of Tourneur's greatest films, rivaled only by a few others. I think I've posted about it here before, especially after I caught it projected. I already had Warner Archive's DVD-R, but I was really happy to catch it on what may have been a brand new film print. Every time I see it there's something else to discover - for example, at one point, it sunk in that the film really understood what people did in their free time in those days. (The novel it came from was based on the author's own memories and experiences as a child from that era, so that probably helped.) Most of what I do in my free time wouldn't be possible then or in that setting - it can really be a beautiful portrait of rural life before the modern era. But as you mentioned, there's definitely an ugliness, and I think Tourneur subtly never forgets this. It's possible it's not intentional or he isn't completely aware of it, but even in the happy ending, the racial divide is clearly still there. Josiah may have shamed the men (the KKK) out of lynching Uncle Famous, but as much as it's a relief to see him in the window at the end, it tells you something that a devout, God-fearing man like Uncle Famous isn't in the church with them on that Sunday morning, but walking in the opposite direction.

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Maltic
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1543 Post by Maltic » Sat Apr 03, 2021 12:46 pm

hearthesilence wrote:
Sat Apr 03, 2021 12:03 pm
Maltic wrote:
Sat Apr 03, 2021 6:34 am
Releasing a classic to own the rubes. Almost makes me glad it wasn't released.
It's already been out there for 70 years, it was even broadcast multiple times last year on TCM. Any work of art inherently responds to what's happening in the world, regardless of its age - doesn't make a whole lot of sense if someone has a problem with that.

"More relevant than ever" just happens to be one of my least favourite film critic tropes, and it would've been making the rounds had the BD come out now.

I saw a good print a few years ago as well, btw, quite amazing.

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bottlesofsmoke
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1544 Post by bottlesofsmoke » Sat Apr 03, 2021 2:19 pm

hearthesilence wrote:
Sat Apr 03, 2021 12:03 pm
It's been growing on me a lot too, and I wouldn't hesitate to call it one of Tourneur's greatest films, rivaled only by a few others. I think I've posted about it here before, especially after I caught it projected. I already had Warner Archive's DVD-R, but I was really happy to catch it on what may have been a brand new film print. Every time I see it there's something else to discover - for example, at one point, it sunk in that the film really understood what people did in their free time in those days. (The novel it came from was based on the author's own memories and experiences as a child from that era, so that probably helped.) Most of what I do in my free time wouldn't be possible then or in that setting - it can really be a beautiful portrait of rural life before the modern era. But as you mentioned, there's definitely an ugliness, and I think Tourneur subtly never forgets this. It's possible it's not intentional or he isn't completely aware of it, but even in the happy ending, the racial divide is clearly still there. Josiah may have shamed the men (the KKK) out of lynching Uncle Famous, but as much as it's a relief to see him in the window at the end, it tells you something that a devout, God-fearing man like Uncle Famous isn't in the church with them on that Sunday morning, but walking in the opposite direction.
Absolutely. Many of my favorite parts of the movie are those those that don’t really serve the strict plot at all, such as the medicine show or when Dean Stockwell and his friend are riding in the back of the hay wagon. In many ways it reminds me of another one of my favorite films, Meet Me in St. Louis, in that it is episodic and nostalgic, suffused with the warm glow of remembrance.
Yet Stars in My Crown unlike many nostalgic movies, especially westerns, doesn’t paper over the darker side of the past and presents it in all its ugliness when appropriate, nor does it offer some great final victory over prejudice. As you say, Famous may have been saved, but he’s still segregated, while the klan hoods go back into storage until next time.

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L.A.
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1545 Post by L.A. » Mon Apr 05, 2021 11:59 am

THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH & ESSEX (1939) New 2021 1080p HD Master sourced from 4k scan of Original Technicolor Negatives!
Run Time 106:00
Subtitles English SDH
Audio Specs DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, MONO - English
Aspect Ratio 1.37:1, 4x3 FULL FRAME
Disc Configuration BD 50
SPECIAL FEATURES: Leonard Maltin Hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1939 with Newsreel, Musical Short "The Royal Rodeo", Cartoon "Old Glory" and Theatrical Trailer; Featurette "Elizabeth and Essex: Battle Royale"

Bette Davis and Errol Flynn made The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex fascinatingly public, striking sparks in this lavish Technicolor® tale of the ill-fated love between the aging Elizabeth I and the dashing Earl of Essex. Thoroughly unglamorous here – eyes and hairline shaved, face painted chalky white – double Academy Award® winner* Davis exudes such intelligence, energy and ardor that her romance with the decades-younger Essex (Flynn at the peak of his remarkable good looks and athletic verve) is completely believable. Based on Maxwell Anderson’s play Elizabeth the Queen and directed by Michael Curtiz, this nominee for five Oscars® takes liberties with historical accuracy, but none with dramatic impact. Long may these tempestuous, titled lovers reign!

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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1546 Post by FrauBlucher » Mon Apr 05, 2021 1:12 pm

THEY WON'T BELIEVE ME (1947)

NEW 2021 1080p HD Master Sourced from 4k scan of Nitrate Preservation Elements of Original 95 Minute Release Version!

Run Time 95:00
Subtitles English SDH
Audio Specs DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, MONO - English
Aspect Ratio 1.37:1, 4x3 FULL FRAME
Product Color BLACK & WHITE
Disc Configuration BD 50

Special Feature: Introduction by Film Noir Historian/TCM Host Eddie Muller.

Robert Young stars in They Won’t Believe Me, an absorbing film noir melodrama. The original RKO publicity tells the story: “When a man goes to the devil he usually takes a woman with him...this man took THREE!” Young plays a dirty rotten scoundrel who sponges off his wealthy wife (Rita Johnson), seduces and abandons another woman (Jane Greer) and runs off with a third (Susan Hayward). Returning home, Young plots to murder his wife and get away with her money, but a series of ironic plot twists leaves him battling for his life. The role of faithless cad was a startling change of pace for Young, and he pulls it off brilliantly. Irving Pichel directed Jonathan Latimer’s uncompromising script.

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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1547 Post by FrauBlucher » Mon Apr 05, 2021 2:11 pm

Not really one of my favorites but nonetheless here we go...
THE YEARLING (1946) New 2021 1080p HD Master sourced from 4k scan of Original Technicolor Negative!
Run Time 128:00
Subtitles English SDH
Audio Specs DTS HD-Master Audio 1.0 - English
Aspect Ratio 1.37:1, 4x3 FULL FRAME
Product Color COLOR
Disc Configuration BD 50
SPECIAL FEATURES: Screen Guild Players Radio Broadcast; Cartoon Cat Concerto; Theatrical Trailer

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captveg
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1548 Post by captveg » Mon Apr 05, 2021 2:41 pm

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex is far from my favorite Flynn, De Havilland or Davis film, but the 2005 DVD had such bad Technicolor misregistration that this clip on YouTube is a revelation. Kudos to WB for what seems like a fantastic presentation.

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FrauBlucher
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1549 Post by FrauBlucher » Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:30 pm

Wow. They are so damn wonderfully consistent.

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FrauBlucher
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Re: Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays

#1550 Post by FrauBlucher » Mon Apr 05, 2021 6:02 pm

MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAMHOUSE (1948) New 2021 1080p HD Master sourced from 4k scan of Original Nitrate Camera Negative!
Run Time 94:00
Subtitles English SDH
Audio Specs DTS HD-Master Audio 2.0 - English, MONO - English
Aspect Ratio 1.37:1, 4x3 FULL FRAME
Disc Configuration BD 50
Special Features: Classic Cartoon: "House of Tomorrow"; Lux Radio Theater with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne; Screen Director's Playhouse with Betsy Drake and Cary Grant (radio program); Theatrical Trailer

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