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Guess I'll wait for a Kino sale to re-order

Oddly the DVD still has the old date. Wonder what's going on

Any update on when the restored Queen Kelly might be released on the Blu Ray / 4K?

kekid wrote: Mon Jul 13, 2026 5:03 am Any update on when the restored Queen Kelly might be released on the Blu Ray / 4K?

This doesn't answer that, but the new restoration is apparently streaming right now. Pretty frustrating there's been no response about the physical release delay yet

In-depth review of Queen Kelly and Pamela Hutchinson´s book:
https://therealmofsilence.com/ - Aug. 2, 2026 post
"there are now a few extra fragments of Stroheim’s original footage that were absent from the 1985 restoration, but these amount to a matter of seconds rather than minutes. We see Regina dictating a letter that releases Wolfram from their engagement, and Wolfram/his adjutant excitedly planning to leave. /.../ these moments are merely glimpses of otherwise lost and/or unrealized sequences of much greater length. To this material, Milestone have added footage from other productions (shots of Africa from a travel documentary from 1929; church bells from a contemporary Paramount production), together with reframed/repeated footage from earlier scenes shot by Stroheim."

"there are also some lovely production stills (usually shown with zooming/panning to enliven them), production designs, and a lot of explanatory titles. These titles are brief"

Well, technically true, and not... The Regina dictating the letter, I believe, was in the 1985 version. The two minutes of footage from other productions (Martin and Osa's footage of what they told von Stroheim was Dar-es-Salaam which actually turned out to be Mobassa, and the wedding bells from The Wedding March were purchased to be in Queen Kelly. Because the Kennedy papers were not available in 1985, these were new discoveries and new additions. The use of "reimagine" was my reluctance to use "restoration" since that's not possible. Anyway, it's a fair critique. I do feel the 2025 version, thanks to digital editing and blowups, is a better version. Is it the best? I hope someone will come along and take another try some time in the distant future when more footage is found.

drdoros wrote: Fri Aug 07, 2026 7:24 pm Well, technically true, and not... The Regina dictating the letter, I believe, was in the 1985 version. The two minutes of footage from other productions (Martin and Osa's footage of what they told von Stroheim was Dar-es-Salaam which actually turned out to be Mobassa, and the wedding bells from The Wedding March were purchased to be in Queen Kelly. Because the Kennedy papers were not available in 1985, these were new discoveries and new additions. The use of "reimagine" was my reluctance to use "restoration" since that's not possible. Anyway, it's a fair critique. I do feel the 2025 version, thanks to digital editing and blowups, is a better version. Is it the best? I hope someone will come along and take another try some time in the distant future when more footage is found.

Hi! Thank you very much for this additional info. Very interesting!

My Brother's Wedding restoration trailer.

The last Burnett restoration that Amy and I will do before retirement on October 1. It's been an honor. Charles will be appearing at Film Forum in NYC when it opens September 16.

Update from Milestone Films:
"our restoration of SADIE THOMPSON will be premiering at Le Giornate del Cinema Muto in October!"
https://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=39282
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadie_Tho ... home_media

Aug. 26, 2026 update from Milestone Films:

"The last reel is still missing despite a new FIAF search done. It will be a 4K digital transfer from an earlier negative with much cleanup and scratch removal. It won't be perfect because of the nitrate damage, but it will look significantly better. Much like Queen Kelly."

https://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=39282

Alright, it's been a while, can anyone comment on why the blu-ray release was shelved and when it might materialize?

therewillbeblus wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2026 10:00 pm Alright, it's been a while, can anyone comment on why the blu-ray release was shelved and when it might materialize?

Dennis in mid July wrote:It's not cancelled. It's just going to take a few months more.

If you must know, we're just waiting on the renewal of the Milestone contract with Kino Lorber. It's taking longer than expected, but there's no mystery or conspiracy. It'll get done and our discs will continue to be released.

It had been a while without comment, so thanks for your responses. That’s heartening to hear

therewillbeblus wrote: Wed Jul 15, 2026 8:59 pm

kekid wrote: Mon Jul 13, 2026 5:03 am Any update on when the restored Queen Kelly might be released on the Blu Ray / 4K?

This doesn't answer that, but the new restoration is apparently streaming right now. Pretty frustrating there's been no response about the physical release delay yet

For those whose libraries subscribe, Kino has recently added it to Hoopla.

drdoros wrote: Mon Jan 12, 2026 11:04 pm For those who were worried about the loss of Charles Burnett's MY BROTHER'S WEDDING from the Killer of Sheep disc release, please know that by separating the two films, we were able to raise the money to create a new 4K restoration of this wonderful film. It has just been announced today that MY BROTHER'S WEDDING will be premiering at the Berlinale Forum next month. After that, it will be premiering in the States later this year. Restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive, Milestone Films, Kino Lorber, and Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive!

https://www.berlinale.de/en/2026/news-p ... 71387.html

Posted this in another thread but this opened at Film Forum this weekend. Sunday (tomorrow)'s intro with Burnett at 4:30 p.m. still has tickets, though I wouldn't wait too long to get them. And as mentioned, the 4K restoration is indeed gorgeous! It's difficult to imagine the film ever looking better, everything from the detail to the texture to the color looks amazing. I imagine the original camera negative was very well-preserved, but regardless, I can't even recall seeing a single blemish or any sign of aging or deterioration.

Wonderful job - thanks for everything Dennis!

Also re: Queen Kelly, not only is the new restoration on Hoopla, if you're in the Chicagoland suburbs, you can catch a screening with live accompaniment for FREE at the Northbrook Public Library on Wednesday, September 30. Apparently you do NOT need to be a local resident or member of the library to attend this, it's open to the public, but you need to register to reserve a spot. They have two screenings, one at 4 p.m. and another at 9 p.m., and it looks like there's both free parking and a Metra train station a block away.

Thanks on the kind words on My Brother's Wedding. It was a difficult restoration because only half the original negative exists, and with the second half we had to go to the restoration fine grain. Prasad in LA did an amazing job with the scan and their colorist David Block worked very, very hard to match the colors and textures between the two elements done twenty years apart on different stock. The work was supervised by Jillian Borders from UCLA and Maya Cade with the assistance of BAM/PFA. Chace Audio did the restoration of the soundtrack. It's Amy's and my last premiere as Milestone!

Funny story. At the opening night party, I mentioned to Charles that the lead actor would call up or email every now and then looking for a paycheck. Charles was riled up because at one point Everette (who had been paid) disappeared for months in the middle of the shoot. Anyway, I'm told Charles did an amazing Q&A on Friday night -- perhaps his best.

Dennis D
Milestone F&V