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I`m interested, which John Ford DVDs currently out are as good as they`re ever going to get? I`m guesing Fox Classics are safe, but which other ones?

I`m especially interested in his pre-sound output. Any of those available in decent quality?

I doubt we'll see another release of Arrowsmith, for starters. Though it would be great if somehow the lost footage was found somewhere.

The Fox Classics release of My Darling Clementine is very pleasing, especially since you get both the theatrical and the slightly longer cuts.

And I can't imagine She Wore a Yellow Ribbon ever being better on its current format.

tryavna wrote:

And I can't imagine She Wore a Yellow Ribbon ever being better on its current format.

The framing is pretty tight on this, as I recall, and DVD Beaver actually finds the German Kinowelt DVD a little better. It's good enough for me, though, and the color is fantastic.

Also, keep in mind that Warners is preparing some of Ford's films for release/rerelease in 2006 including a 2disc SE of The Searchers. Considering how prolific Warners has been as of late I would imagine a Major boxset to be released around Fathers Day of next year considering that is a common time for releases that tend to have a male target audience. There are countless titles that Warners could release but the rumours have been towards a set of the Ford/Wayne collaborations which would likely include ...
Stagecoach SE
The Long Voyage Home
They Were Expendable SE?
Three Godfathers
Fort Apache
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon
The Searchers 50th anniversary 2disc SE
The Wings of Eagles
How the West was Won

Other Ford titles that Warners control are
The Lost Patrol
The Informer
Mary of Scotland*
The Plough and the Stars
The Fugitive
Wagon Master
Mogambo
Mister Roberts
The Rising of the Moon
Sergeant Rutledge
Cheyenne Autumn
7 Women
I would love to see these films released, many are long due to be rediscovered 7 Women is, in my opinion, one of Ford's masterpieces, as are Wagon Master, The Informer and The Lost Patrol
*I could see this film released in a Hepburn Signature Collection

I would really like to see The Whole Town's Talking. Looks like Columbia has that one, though, and they are in no hurry to release their 1930s movies.

So, essentially, I should get the Fox flicks, the BFi disc of Iron Horse, and hold off for the Ford/Wayne Box.

By the by, for some reason, I have a feeling that there will be a Ford Box in addition to the Ford/Wayne Box.

cafeman wrote:By the by, for some reason, I have a feeling that there will be a Ford Box in addition to the Ford/Wayne Box.

I think you are right. And don't forget the rumours of a Criterion box. Young Mr. Lincoln is all but confirmed as being released by Criterion. We will have to wait and see. There are plenty of Ford's Fox films that I could see Criterion releasing, including The Iron Horse, but who knows when that would happen.

Young Mr. Lincoln
The Lost Patrol
Prisoner of Shark Island
The Informer
Mary of Scotland
The Fugitive
Wagon Master
Mogambo

And I think...The Rising of the Moon and 7 Women are available as multi-region releases.

Has anyone noticed that on the rerelease DVD to THE WOMEN in the new Crawford set actually features a picture from Ford's film 7 Women. LOL! A little internal confusion with the names. I hope to see 7 Women released though.

From Davisdvd.com

The Target retail chain has scored a couple of exclusives from Warner Home Video, namely the John Ford-directed classics Mogambo, starring Clark Gable, and 3 Godfathers, starring John Wayne. Frankly, these two slid completely under the radar until the Target circular hit this week's Sunday newspapers. WHV's press site doesn't even list them as part of their inventory, so I can't confirm any disc specs. However, it is safe to assume that they will feature remastered transfers. Look for them exclusively at Target (for now) starting this week at $9.99 apiece.

If the trailer on the King Kong Disc is any indication, 3 Godfathers should have a pretty decent transfer. Then again, we'd expect no less from Warner.

davidhare wrote:If the Region 4 3 Godfathers is any indication the transfer is fairly ordinary. OK -but nothing like the splendid She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

David, I take it that you are referring to WB's R1 edition of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and consider it a must have. I still have my old VHS copies of Ford's Calvary Trilogy, but having just read the Cowie's entry on these films in his big Ford book perhaps it's about time I bought the DVDs of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande. Here's hoping that Fort Apache is waiting just around the bend.

davidhare wrote:Yes I did mean the R1 Ribbon, but don't forget some folks prefer the R2 German disc (Including Gary T.)

I see what you mean, and the 65-minute Ford interview makes the Kinowelt disc even more desirable.

Two Rode Together was released in Germany last month. Don't know about the quality though. Amazon.uk also lists it, with a January 23 release date.

Tony Ryan wrote:From Davisdvd.com

The Target retail chain has scored a couple of exclusives from Warner Home Video, namely the John Ford-directed classics Mogambo, starring Clark Gable, and 3 Godfathers, starring John Wayne. Frankly, these two slid completely under the radar until the Target circular hit this week's Sunday newspapers. WHV's press site doesn't even list them as part of their inventory, so I can't confirm any disc specs. However, it is safe to assume that they will feature remastered transfers. Look for them exclusively at Target (for now) starting this week at $9.99 apiece.

Good news. At least they are out there and cheap. I'm hoping Warner put a few features on there (I'm dying for a great Godfathers commentary) but new transfers are enough for me to pick these up.

Strange marketing though.

Verified! I now hold these in my hand. No features but the trailers on each, package design comparable to all recent Warner catalog releases (cover image is old poster art, etc.) Strange marketing indeed. Of all the retailers to carry an exclusive on two barely remembered John Ford pictures, they go to Target? I'm sure a lot of people are bringing these up with their cart full of diapers and their copy of Madagascar in fullscreen.

Either way this seems to bode well for SE's of Searchers or Stagecoach (or They Were Expendable) rounding out a Warner Ford box pretty soon. With Young Mr Lincoln, would make for a good year for Ford fans!

I really wanted to see 3 Godfathers. Oh, well, Europe gets the shaft again.

Both titles have been available on DVD in Europe and Australia since 2004.

I really want to go buy these but I just know 3 Godfathers will be in the Ford/Wayne box due later this year. I'm very excited though!

Ashirg wrote:Both titles have been available on DVD in Europe and Australia since 2004.

Yeah, well, there`s Europe, and then there`s Europe. I`m in the one which didn`t get them, and doesn`t get most of the other stuff either, so I order from US if I want to see anything even slighly outside the mainstream.

As per dvd beaver, these 2 special releases at Target stores ONLY for $9.99 each.

Get em while you can and support this special thing !


Mike

Has anyone heard anything lately, regarding the Ford set due later this year. I imagine there will be an announcement soon. I would think that the release would coincide with Father's Day, as a great number of Western films seem to be released around May.

So I'm on a John Ford kick right now...have been reading Searching for John Ford, and that really nice coffee-table book about John Ford with TONS of great old pictures that escapes my name right now...I'm getting ready to sit down and watch his movies...my question is...where are all of his older films?!?! Is there any indication that we're going to get any of them from any of the studios anytime soon? I'm ESPECIALLY interested in "3 Bad Men" there's some stills in the big coffee table book that look really really interesting. It looks like the only title that is available between Arrowsmith and Stagecoach is Prisoner of Shark Island, and there's nothing BEFORE Arrowsmith besides Iron Horse. Am I wrong? Are there R2-3-or-4 DVD's other than the BFI disc of The Iron Horse (I have this)?

Its rather depressing...here's hoping someone (Fox, MoC, Criterion?) could tackle the surviving silent Fords and put them together all nice and boxed-set-like.

Has anyone seen those films, and attest to the entertainment value of them? Silent westerns rarely get my juices flowing-- for this reason held off of the LORNA DOONE (even though not "american western per se")restoration of the version rendered by the majesterial Maurice Tourneur.

Also-- is the superior version of THE IRON HORSE available anywhere on DVD?

well, personally speaking, i enjoyed the Iron Horse almost as much as any other silent film i've seen actually...i dont think it was the fact that it was a western at all, but it was masterfully put together, enough interesting character and plot threads to keep me constantly involved in the film, and the scene compositions are wonderful...John Ford did say something along the lines of the most important character in any and all of his westerns were the locations themselves (something along the lines, i can't remember the exact quote ).

BrightEyes23 wrote:It looks like the only title that is available between Arrowsmith and Stagecoach is Prisoner of Shark Island, and there's nothing BEFORE Arrowsmith besides Iron Horse. Am I wrong? Are there R2-3-or-4 DVD's other than the BFI disc of The Iron Horse (I have this)?

Its rather depressing...here's hoping someone (Fox, MoC, Criterion?) could tackle the surviving silent Fords and put them together all nice and boxed-set-like.

There are bootlegs of a ton of these floating around. Off the top of my head, I know these are "out there": Straight Shooting, Bucking Broadway, The Shamrock Handicap, 3 Bad Men, The Blue Eagle, Four Sons, Hangman's House, Mother Machree, Lightning, and Riley the Cop. I have most of these, and many of them seem to be from TV broadcasts of restored prints; however, the DVDs themselves lock up A LOT, forcing me to skip chunks of the films.