August 23, 2025 • 23 mins
We announce a special collaborative 4K UHD release of "The Curse of Frankenstein" from Warner Archive and Hammer Films, coming October 14th. This landmark partnership brings together both companies' archival resources to create the definitive presentation of this horror classic that established Hammer as a leading force in the genre.
• Warner Archive and Hammer Films partnering on a deluxe release of The Curse of Frankenstein
• 4K UHD edition ($34.99) includes three aspect ratios: 1.66, 1.85, and open matte 1.37
• Comprehensive special features including new commentaries and a nostalgic Super 8mm abridgment
• Separate three-disc Blu-ray edition also available ($29.99) with extensive bonus content
• Original mono audio preserved with new Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound options
Pre-orders are not yet available.
CORRECTION: There is NO ATMOS. The original information George was told was incorrect. The graphic in the video is correct and is listed below:
Audio Specs: Original Theatrical DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono and NEW DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround formats.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tim Millard (00:03):
Hello and welcome to the Extras.
I'm Tim Millard, your host, andjoining me is George
Feltenstein for a very specialannouncement of the next 4K
release from the Warner Archive.
George Feltenstein (00:13):
H ello, Tim, great to be with you, as always
.
Tim Millard (00:18):
Well, first off, I want to let people know this is
not the October releaseannouncement.
However, we're going to betalking about a title that comes
out October 14th, and it isyour fourth 4K release from the
Warner Archive, and I know it'screating a lot of excitement.
Why don't you tell us aboutthis title, george?
George Feltenstein (00:39):
Well, this is a film that we actually
revisited not that long ago,less than five years ago, and it
was a big deal because unusualfor us, because we usually don't
have the budget to do thingslike what we did.
We did a two-disc specialedition of the Curse of
Frankenstein and had not one,not two, but three aspect ratios
(01:00):
, so nobody would feel thattheir preferred aspect ratio was
left out.
And we worked from 4K scans ofthe separations, which turned
out to be better sources thanthe camera negative that was so
faded.
It was a huge seller for us,very, very exciting for us.
For us, and I would sayprobably maybe a year and a half
(01:30):
ago, we hooked up with thepeople at Hammer Films in UK and
Hammer has had a lot ofownership changes in the last I
don't know 20 years or so.
They've been around for 90years, but there's been a lot of
change there and now they havenew management that's really
(01:52):
embracing their heritage.
And Curse of Frankenstein isthe Bellwether film that really
started and established them asthe leader in horror filmmaking
in the late 50s, through the 60sand into the early 70s, and
that reputation kind ofcoincides with work that they
(02:17):
did with Warner Brothers andthey'd partnered with different
Hollywood studios for differentprojects.
But the relationship withWarner Brothers began as Warner
Brothers was the distributor forthe Curse of Frankenstein in
1957, worldwide, including theUK.
(02:39):
Since then, uk rights revertedto the Hammer Company.
We've had the rights for therest of the world.
They have the rights in the UKand Ireland.
They were very impressed withour work on the Curse of
Frankenstein Blu-ray.
(02:59):
We began discussions on how wecould work together because they
wanted to create a 4K UHD ofthe Curse of Frankenstein, and
we said well, let's join forces,let's put our heads together
and make this a great thing foreverybody around the world who
loves Hammer Horror and it's anunderstatement to say how huge
(03:25):
the fan base is for the HammerHorror Films.
We're fortunate to have many ofthem on the Warner side, but
they are actually-establishedfrankenstein, dracula and the
mummy, in that order.
(03:51):
Uh, to a new generation thatwas learning about these
characters as the old universalmovies were hitting television
for the first time 1956,somewhere around there, um, I
think actually it was like 1958maybe, but in any event, um, at
(04:13):
that very time it was a wholenew way of modernizing the
cinematic approach to the genreand the impact that hammer had
as a production companyresonates with audiences of all
ages and you know, some of thesefilms played children's
(04:35):
matinees in the 60s.
Wow, um, but it was scarymovies, you know.
I mean, that's the thing.
Everybody loves, that Right.
So being able to work in apartnership with people who hold
their legacy so dear and bringall of our material together, to
(04:56):
work together so that weannounce this new release
simultaneously simultaneously itwas the middle of the night for
us when they announced, and Ihad our Facebook page set to
explode at 8.04 am this morningso that people would know that
they had a US opportunity tohave what we have collaborated
(05:19):
on.
And there's the specialfeatures that we created in the
past, special features that theycreated in the past, and a lot
of new special features havebeen created for this incredibly
important release BD 100s thatcontain some special features as
(05:51):
well as three versions of thefilm One in the 1.66 aspect
ratio, which is how it played inBritain and probably most of
Europe.
The 1.85 aspect ratio as itplayed here in the United States
.
185 aspect ratio, as it playedhere in the United States, and
(06:11):
then open mat 137, uh, which ishow most people experience this
film, either watching it on aVHS tape or going back further
16 millimeter prints at yourlocal library or your elementary
school, your day day camp, andon television in syndication.
That's how everybody saw it, asa square, so it wasn't meant to
(06:34):
be shown that way in theaters.
But people say, well, Iremember the edge of this castle
, and so forth, and so on.
So what we did when we did theBlu-ray was give all three
aspect ratios the goldentreatment so that, whatever your
preference, this leads to ahappier consumer, because some
(06:58):
people like things in differentways and sometimes it's not
practical and you can't reallydo that.
But there's a justified reasonhere for doing it, because what
is in the 137 the square is whatwas captured in the open mat,
full aperture.
So we have the three aspectratios and, uh, what this also
(07:23):
has is, first and foremost, thedefault audio is the original
mono, but they've created DolbyAtmos for this and I believe
there's also 5.1.
And we also have multilingualsubtitles that will help people
around the world enjoy this filmand this presentation.
(07:43):
World enjoy this film and thispresentation.
And I have to also say that allthe folks at Hammer UK have
been a delight to work with andI'm hoping that our partnership
will continue.
Tim Millard (07:58):
Well, there are many people who love the version
that you put out in 2020, theget here is the many hours of
(08:33):
special features you didn't get.
George Feltenstein (08:36):
Plus, there are two new commentaries, I
believe, and then there arearchival commentaries.
So there is all of that as wellas the supplemental Atmos remix
which obviously is conveyed onthe Blu-ray.
So the Blu-ray is 3BD50.
(08:57):
So everything's at a nicerobust, healthy bitrate and the
third disc is just specialfeatures.
Now, that same Blu-ray discthat's in the Blu-ray release,
disc number three thataccompanies two BD-100s for the
4K release, where everything'sat a nice robust bit rate, you
(09:21):
get the three versions of themovie and some special features
there too.
So both versions are loaded.
And if you already bought ourBlu-ray, which will stay in
print because we're very proudof it and it has less discs,
which means it's less of aretail cost but you will also
(09:46):
have the choice of this deluxecollector's edition, which, for
a little more money, you get athird bonus disc.
And if you're a real Hammer fanand you just have Blu-ray,
you're taken care of.
And if you happen to be a 4Kconsumer, you get the upgrade to
(10:06):
4K UHD with Dolby Vision andHDR10.
Everything is there to optimizethe viewing experience, and
high dynamic range and ultrahigh definition just in general
brings you a wealth of morecolor and it really kind of
(10:26):
ratchets in the image uh, morethan before.
So there's really, uh, what wealways try to do is and it's not
a very easy thing to do we tryto have something for everyone
to keep everybody happy.
So one of the things we wereconsidering was well, we'll have
(10:47):
one edition and it will havethree Blu-ray discs and two 4K
discs, and that would haveraised the price dramatically
and made some people have to buysomething that they couldn't
use if they're not planning toupgrade to 4k or don't have 4k.
(11:08):
So this way, the srp of the 4kthree disc set is 34.99.
The srp for the three discblu-ray set is $29.99.
And I feel comfortable thatwe're providing the consumer
with a reasonably priced,exceptional release and we're
(11:35):
very excited about it.
Tim Millard (11:37):
Yeah, those are terrific prices for this, what
you would call a truecollector's volume, because of
all of the options that you'vegiven them, for not just the
films, but all of these newextras and the archival extras,
because I know you had put somenew extras on the Blu-ray from a
(12:00):
few years ago, so those are allincluded as well.
So people who do trade up yeah,people who do trade up can know
that they're getting all of theextras.
And is there anything that youwanted to point out on any of
the extras that you'reespecially wanting to be sure
that fans know about?
George Feltenstein (12:17):
Well, I think the most important thing
is it represents, because it'sarchival.
There are things that go backseveral years representing
different groups of filmhistorians and passionate fans
and pieces people have seenbefore.
There's even something thatHammer unearthed, which I think
(12:41):
is kind of adorable.
Years before there wasvideocassette or all the things
that we have now.
If you wanted to own a movie,the closest you could come with
rare exception was to buy an 8mmor a Super 8mm and, if you were
(13:02):
lucky, sound abridgment of afeature film.
And they've put the Super 8sound abridgment of the Curse of
Frankenstein as part of thiscollection.
I mean, it's really everythingbut the kitchen sink.
And when I was a kid, thoselittle 17-minute Super 8 really
everything but the kitchen sink.
(13:23):
And uh, uh, as as when I was akid, those little 17 minute
super eight abridgments that wasthe best you could have hoped
for.
Uh, so there's a nostalgiafactor in there, you know.
And uh, it's just really been alabor of love for both companies
to work together and you knowthis opened at the Warner
(13:46):
Theater in London and wasdistributed by Warner Brothers.
So this is a part of ourheritage, our history, and that
we share that with Hammer, andthat brings me particular joy
because I know how abundant thefan base is for Hammer Horror
(14:09):
and specifically these filmsthat starred Peter Cushing and
Christopher Lee.
They were and remain heroes togenerations of horror fans,
generations of horror fans, andso to have this kind of
presentation healthily beforeHalloween and before the
holidays, that's a great thing,and I really hope that folks
(14:31):
enjoy it.
Tim Millard (14:33):
Well, I think you mentioned it, but I'll just say
it one more time.
When you release something likethis, that's a partnership.
If the fans show up, if theybuy, if they support this, that
could open the door for thefuture for more things.
(14:54):
But they have to step up andsupport and purchase these, if I
hear you correctly.
George Feltenstein (15:00):
I think that both the really great folks at
Amar and ourselves we thoughtthis was a very, very wonderful
idea to collaborate from thevery beginning, and I just am
excited to see how the fans willreact when they actually get to
(15:21):
hold whatever version theychoose to buy in their hands,
because it's really reallysomething for everyone.
And the nice thing is thesefilms they're so classic.
I mean, when we look at thecurse of frankenstein, it's 68
years old, uh.
But there are generations ofpeople that have not seen this
(15:44):
film and they don't know howimportant it is in the history
of horror on film and that PeterCushing and Christopher Lee
became icons because of thehammer films and other things
that they did too, withoutquestion.
But we thought enough of thefilm five years ago to take on
(16:06):
the crazy task of trying toproduce new special features
during the height of thepandemic.
So to be able to join withHammer now and have this really
wonderful Deluxe Collector'sEdition is a source of great
pride for us and we hope peoplewill enjoy it.
And I'm happy to say and we'lltalk about this a little later
(16:28):
on that date of October 14thwill not just be for the deluxe
collector's edition of Curse ofFrankenstein.
We will also have four newWarner Archive Blu-rays that you
and I will be talking about alittle later, because we're
going to have new releases onthe 14th of October as well as
(16:52):
the 28th of October, becauseit's going to be a very abundant
month and we want to make surethat we're really working hard
to improve our ability to getconsumers their discs on street
date, that the replicators willnot let us down, that everything
(17:16):
will come together and it'll beterrific for everyone.
So we've got a wonderfulOctober planned and the next few
months I just counted actuallywe're working on 79 different
films in different stages rightnow and a lot of the performers
(17:39):
who have been hotly requestedthey will be represented.
Some films that performers whohave been hotly requested they
will be represented, some filmsthat people really have been
asking for.
And speaking of that, I alsowant to change subjects for a
moment and talk about themulti-features that we have for
October and that are coming outeven in September, which haven't
(18:01):
come out yet.
We can talk about those in moredetail, but I want to underscore
and stress these multi-featuresets all consist of previously
released Blu-rays exact samediscs and they're designed to
provide a value proposition tothe consumer.
(18:22):
They're designed for people whowant to build their collections
, who really haven't started yetor missed this or missed that,
and also as gift giving items.
Uh, we're not going to puttogether multi-feature
collections of brand new toblu-ray because economically
that doesn't work out in ourfavor and we are a public
(18:45):
company that must be profitableand our division must be
profitable, and I feel verycertain that this is going to be
a new area for us to be able tomonetize these wonderful films
that we've been releasing inother ways that will give us
(19:07):
more financial support toincrease what we're able to do.
So it's a very, very excitingtime for the Warner Archive
collection, and to be talkingwith you today about this very
special release of the Curse ofFrankenstein is something I've
(19:28):
been looking forward to doing.
Tim Millard (19:30):
Yeah, yeah, and I think that everything you just
said just reaffirms thesecollections previously released.
But you have you just mentioneda whole block of movies and TV
shows and animation that you'reworking on.
So in no way are the-.
George Feltenstein (19:46):
I don't mean to interrupt you.
The 79 was just feature films.
Tim Millard (19:51):
Oh, okay.
George Feltenstein (19:52):
That doesn't include animated television
series.
It doesn't include animatedtheatrical shorts.
It doesn't include televisionseries.
All that is in addition to the79 features, and that list of 79
will be amended with more as wecontinue to release.
(20:13):
Some of them go out, then thenext ones go through and start
in on the long journey from filmelement until that disc is in
someone's home and on theirshelf right.
Tim Millard (20:25):
that's what we're here to do yeah, and I think
that should alleviate any any.
Anybody who's thinking thatsomehow the collections are
keeping the archive from workingon the ones that have not come
out on blu-ray yet?
In no way.
They are just another way forgift giving and for uh catching
up for a more casual collector.
George Feltenstein (20:46):
So you have a huge amount of films that
you're working on, uh, that fanscan look forward to there I'm
I'm overwhelmed as I look overthe list, because many of them
are titles, films that I've beenmaking impassioned pleas to be
(21:06):
upgraded, and we're finallygoing to be able to have some of
the things I've been waitingfor for a long time.
It's all a matter of everythingcoming together and we're in a
really, really good positionright now for film, for
television, for animation, foreverything, and we're trying to
(21:28):
and it's impossible to do, butwe're trying to please all of
the different fan groups forvarious kinds of filmmaking.
And when you're talking aboutfans of filmmaking, there are, I
would say, millions of peoplethat love Hammer Horror, and
(21:52):
that's why this new release, theCurse of Frankenstein, in
either 4K or Blu-ray, is anevent for us and we're very
proud.
Tim Millard (21:59):
Right.
Well, george, as always, thanksfor for coming on, and you
always drop little nuggets andhints and that's why I encourage
people to listen to uh to youwhen you come on the x-ray what
we say here on this podcast.
George Feltenstein (22:12):
Don't believe what you read on the
internet, because half of whatpeople say that they're inside
and they know the score andthey're basically not on target.
I'll just put it in a nice way.
Tim Millard (22:28):
Exactly, and I always say listen to George,
listen to the source.
And, by the way, it's all freeyou don't have to pay to listen
and get the information directlyfrom you.
So thank you so much for doingthat.
George Feltenstein (22:40):
Well, thank you, tim, and I'm very glad to
be able to speak about Curse ofFrankenstein for everybody who's
interested.
Tim Millard (22:50):
For those of you who'd like more information
about the Curse of Frankenstein4K, we will be posting more
information on our Facebook pageand in our Warner Archive
Facebook group, so either followus there or, if you haven't,
look for the links here in thepodcast show notes, and you can
do that at any point in time,and that includes putting up the
(23:10):
pre-order link when it becomesavailable.
So those are not yet available,but they should be available
before too long.
So again, terrific 4K and thenthe standalone Blu-ray.
So you got the 4K Blu-ray combopack and then the standalone
Blu-ray, and those are bothgoing to be available for
(23:31):
purchase, and those come outOctober 14th.
So very exciting stuff to hearabout this partnership between
the Warner Archive and HammerFilms.
If you aren't yet subscribed orfollowing the show, what
favorite podcast provider youmay want to do that, as we're
going to have more informationabout the Curse of Frankenstein
and, of course, all of theOctober releases, which are now
(23:55):
going to be two differentpodcasts coming up in the near
future.
So please subscribe and followus.
That helps the show as well.
Until next time you've beenlistening to Tim Millard, stay
slightly obsessed.
Hello and welcome to the Extras.
I'm Tim Millard, your host, andjoining me is George
Feltenstein for a very specialannouncement of the next 4K
release from the Warner Archive.
George Feltenstein (00:13):
H ello, Tim, great to be with you, as always
.
Tim Millard (00:18):
Well, first off, I want to let people know this is
not the October releaseannouncement.
However, we're going to betalking about a title that comes
out October 14th, and it isyour fourth 4K release from the
Warner Archive, and I know it'screating a lot of excitement.
Why don't you tell us aboutthis title, george?
George Feltenstein (00:39):
Well, this is a film that we actually
revisited not that long ago,less than five years ago, and it
was a big deal because unusualfor us, because we usually don't
have the budget to do thingslike what we did.
We did a two-disc specialedition of the Curse of
Frankenstein and had not one,not two, but three aspect ratios
(01:00):
, so nobody would feel thattheir preferred aspect ratio was
left out.
And we worked from 4K scans ofthe separations, which turned
out to be better sources thanthe camera negative that was so
faded.
It was a huge seller for us,very, very exciting for us.
For us, and I would sayprobably maybe a year and a half
(01:30):
ago, we hooked up with thepeople at Hammer Films in UK and
Hammer has had a lot ofownership changes in the last I
don't know 20 years or so.
They've been around for 90years, but there's been a lot of
change there and now they havenew management that's really
(01:52):
embracing their heritage.
And Curse of Frankenstein isthe Bellwether film that really
started and established them asthe leader in horror filmmaking
in the late 50s, through the 60sand into the early 70s, and
that reputation kind ofcoincides with work that they
(02:17):
did with Warner Brothers andthey'd partnered with different
Hollywood studios for differentprojects.
But the relationship withWarner Brothers began as Warner
Brothers was the distributor forthe Curse of Frankenstein in
1957, worldwide, including theUK.
(02:39):
Since then, uk rights revertedto the Hammer Company.
We've had the rights for therest of the world.
They have the rights in the UKand Ireland.
They were very impressed withour work on the Curse of
Frankenstein Blu-ray.
(02:59):
We began discussions on how wecould work together because they
wanted to create a 4K UHD ofthe Curse of Frankenstein, and
we said well, let's join forces,let's put our heads together
and make this a great thing foreverybody around the world who
loves Hammer Horror and it's anunderstatement to say how huge
(03:25):
the fan base is for the HammerHorror Films.
We're fortunate to have many ofthem on the Warner side, but
they are actually-establishedfrankenstein, dracula and the
mummy, in that order.
(03:51):
Uh, to a new generation thatwas learning about these
characters as the old universalmovies were hitting television
for the first time 1956,somewhere around there, um, I
think actually it was like 1958maybe, but in any event, um, at
(04:13):
that very time it was a wholenew way of modernizing the
cinematic approach to the genreand the impact that hammer had
as a production companyresonates with audiences of all
ages and you know, some of thesefilms played children's
(04:35):
matinees in the 60s.
Wow, um, but it was scarymovies, you know.
I mean, that's the thing.
Everybody loves, that Right.
So being able to work in apartnership with people who hold
their legacy so dear and bringall of our material together, to
(04:56):
work together so that weannounce this new release
simultaneously simultaneously itwas the middle of the night for
us when they announced, and Ihad our Facebook page set to
explode at 8.04 am this morningso that people would know that
they had a US opportunity tohave what we have collaborated
(05:19):
on.
And there's the specialfeatures that we created in the
past, special features that theycreated in the past, and a lot
of new special features havebeen created for this incredibly
important release BD 100s thatcontain some special features as
(05:51):
well as three versions of thefilm One in the 1.66 aspect
ratio, which is how it played inBritain and probably most of
Europe.
The 1.85 aspect ratio as itplayed here in the United States
.
185 aspect ratio, as it playedhere in the United States, and
(06:11):
then open mat 137, uh, which ishow most people experience this
film, either watching it on aVHS tape or going back further
16 millimeter prints at yourlocal library or your elementary
school, your day day camp, andon television in syndication.
That's how everybody saw it, asa square, so it wasn't meant to
(06:34):
be shown that way in theaters.
But people say, well, Iremember the edge of this castle
, and so forth, and so on.
So what we did when we did theBlu-ray was give all three
aspect ratios the goldentreatment so that, whatever your
preference, this leads to ahappier consumer, because some
(06:58):
people like things in differentways and sometimes it's not
practical and you can't reallydo that.
But there's a justified reasonhere for doing it, because what
is in the 137 the square is whatwas captured in the open mat,
full aperture.
So we have the three aspectratios and, uh, what this also
(07:23):
has is, first and foremost, thedefault audio is the original
mono, but they've created DolbyAtmos for this and I believe
there's also 5.1.
And we also have multilingualsubtitles that will help people
around the world enjoy this filmand this presentation.
(07:43):
World enjoy this film and thispresentation.
And I have to also say that allthe folks at Hammer UK have
been a delight to work with andI'm hoping that our partnership
will continue.
Tim Millard (07:58):
Well, there are many people who love the version
that you put out in 2020, theget here is the many hours of
(08:33):
special features you didn't get.
George Feltenstein (08:36):
Plus, there are two new commentaries, I
believe, and then there arearchival commentaries.
So there is all of that as wellas the supplemental Atmos remix
which obviously is conveyed onthe Blu-ray.
So the Blu-ray is 3BD50.
(08:57):
So everything's at a nicerobust, healthy bitrate and the
third disc is just specialfeatures.
Now, that same Blu-ray discthat's in the Blu-ray release,
disc number three thataccompanies two BD-100s for the
4K release, where everything'sat a nice robust bit rate, you
(09:21):
get the three versions of themovie and some special features
there too.
So both versions are loaded.
And if you already bought ourBlu-ray, which will stay in
print because we're very proudof it and it has less discs,
which means it's less of aretail cost but you will also
(09:46):
have the choice of this deluxecollector's edition, which, for
a little more money, you get athird bonus disc.
And if you're a real Hammer fanand you just have Blu-ray,
you're taken care of.
And if you happen to be a 4Kconsumer, you get the upgrade to
(10:06):
4K UHD with Dolby Vision andHDR10.
Everything is there to optimizethe viewing experience, and
high dynamic range and ultrahigh definition just in general
brings you a wealth of morecolor and it really kind of
(10:26):
ratchets in the image uh, morethan before.
So there's really, uh, what wealways try to do is and it's not
a very easy thing to do we tryto have something for everyone
to keep everybody happy.
So one of the things we wereconsidering was well, we'll have
(10:47):
one edition and it will havethree Blu-ray discs and two 4K
discs, and that would haveraised the price dramatically
and made some people have to buysomething that they couldn't
use if they're not planning toupgrade to 4k or don't have 4k.
(11:08):
So this way, the srp of the 4kthree disc set is 34.99.
The srp for the three discblu-ray set is $29.99.
And I feel comfortable thatwe're providing the consumer
with a reasonably priced,exceptional release and we're
(11:35):
very excited about it.
Tim Millard (11:37):
Yeah, those are terrific prices for this, what
you would call a truecollector's volume, because of
all of the options that you'vegiven them, for not just the
films, but all of these newextras and the archival extras,
because I know you had put somenew extras on the Blu-ray from a
(12:00):
few years ago, so those are allincluded as well.
So people who do trade up yeah,people who do trade up can know
that they're getting all of theextras.
And is there anything that youwanted to point out on any of
the extras that you'reespecially wanting to be sure
that fans know about?
George Feltenstein (12:17):
Well, I think the most important thing
is it represents, because it'sarchival.
There are things that go backseveral years representing
different groups of filmhistorians and passionate fans
and pieces people have seenbefore.
There's even something thatHammer unearthed, which I think
(12:41):
is kind of adorable.
Years before there wasvideocassette or all the things
that we have now.
If you wanted to own a movie,the closest you could come with
rare exception was to buy an 8mmor a Super 8mm and, if you were
(13:02):
lucky, sound abridgment of afeature film.
And they've put the Super 8sound abridgment of the Curse of
Frankenstein as part of thiscollection.
I mean, it's really everythingbut the kitchen sink.
And when I was a kid, thoselittle 17-minute Super 8 really
everything but the kitchen sink.
(13:23):
And uh, uh, as as when I was akid, those little 17 minute
super eight abridgments that wasthe best you could have hoped
for.
Uh, so there's a nostalgiafactor in there, you know.
And uh, it's just really been alabor of love for both companies
to work together and you knowthis opened at the Warner
(13:46):
Theater in London and wasdistributed by Warner Brothers.
So this is a part of ourheritage, our history, and that
we share that with Hammer, andthat brings me particular joy
because I know how abundant thefan base is for Hammer Horror
(14:09):
and specifically these filmsthat starred Peter Cushing and
Christopher Lee.
They were and remain heroes togenerations of horror fans,
generations of horror fans, andso to have this kind of
presentation healthily beforeHalloween and before the
holidays, that's a great thing,and I really hope that folks
(14:31):
enjoy it.
Tim Millard (14:33):
Well, I think you mentioned it, but I'll just say
it one more time.
When you release something likethis, that's a partnership.
If the fans show up, if theybuy, if they support this, that
could open the door for thefuture for more things.
(14:54):
But they have to step up andsupport and purchase these, if I
hear you correctly.
George Feltenstein (15:00):
I think that both the really great folks at
Amar and ourselves we thoughtthis was a very, very wonderful
idea to collaborate from thevery beginning, and I just am
excited to see how the fans willreact when they actually get to
(15:21):
hold whatever version theychoose to buy in their hands,
because it's really reallysomething for everyone.
And the nice thing is thesefilms they're so classic.
I mean, when we look at thecurse of frankenstein, it's 68
years old, uh.
But there are generations ofpeople that have not seen this
(15:44):
film and they don't know howimportant it is in the history
of horror on film and that PeterCushing and Christopher Lee
became icons because of thehammer films and other things
that they did too, withoutquestion.
But we thought enough of thefilm five years ago to take on
(16:06):
the crazy task of trying toproduce new special features
during the height of thepandemic.
So to be able to join withHammer now and have this really
wonderful Deluxe Collector'sEdition is a source of great
pride for us and we hope peoplewill enjoy it.
And I'm happy to say and we'lltalk about this a little later
(16:28):
on that date of October 14thwill not just be for the deluxe
collector's edition of Curse ofFrankenstein.
We will also have four newWarner Archive Blu-rays that you
and I will be talking about alittle later, because we're
going to have new releases onthe 14th of October as well as
(16:52):
the 28th of October, becauseit's going to be a very abundant
month and we want to make surethat we're really working hard
to improve our ability to getconsumers their discs on street
date, that the replicators willnot let us down, that everything
(17:16):
will come together and it'll beterrific for everyone.
So we've got a wonderfulOctober planned and the next few
months I just counted actuallywe're working on 79 different
films in different stages rightnow and a lot of the performers
(17:39):
who have been hotly requestedthey will be represented.
Some films that performers whohave been hotly requested they
will be represented, some filmsthat people really have been
asking for.
And speaking of that, I alsowant to change subjects for a
moment and talk about themulti-features that we have for
October and that are coming outeven in September, which haven't
(18:01):
come out yet.
We can talk about those in moredetail, but I want to underscore
and stress these multi-featuresets all consist of previously
released Blu-rays exact samediscs and they're designed to
provide a value proposition tothe consumer.
(18:22):
They're designed for people whowant to build their collections
, who really haven't started yetor missed this or missed that,
and also as gift giving items.
Uh, we're not going to puttogether multi-feature
collections of brand new toblu-ray because economically
that doesn't work out in ourfavor and we are a public
(18:45):
company that must be profitableand our division must be
profitable, and I feel verycertain that this is going to be
a new area for us to be able tomonetize these wonderful films
that we've been releasing inother ways that will give us
(19:07):
more financial support toincrease what we're able to do.
So it's a very, very excitingtime for the Warner Archive
collection, and to be talkingwith you today about this very
special release of the Curse ofFrankenstein is something I've
(19:28):
been looking forward to doing.
Tim Millard (19:30):
Yeah, yeah, and I think that everything you just
said just reaffirms thesecollections previously released.
But you have you just mentioneda whole block of movies and TV
shows and animation that you'reworking on.
So in no way are the-.
George Feltenstein (19:46):
I don't mean to interrupt you.
The 79 was just feature films.
Tim Millard (19:51):
Oh, okay.
George Feltenstein (19:52):
That doesn't include animated television
series.
It doesn't include animatedtheatrical shorts.
It doesn't include televisionseries.
All that is in addition to the79 features, and that list of 79
will be amended with more as wecontinue to release.
(20:13):
Some of them go out, then thenext ones go through and start
in on the long journey from filmelement until that disc is in
someone's home and on theirshelf right.
Tim Millard (20:25):
that's what we're here to do yeah, and I think
that should alleviate any any.
Anybody who's thinking thatsomehow the collections are
keeping the archive from workingon the ones that have not come
out on blu-ray yet?
In no way.
They are just another way forgift giving and for uh catching
up for a more casual collector.
George Feltenstein (20:46):
So you have a huge amount of films that
you're working on, uh, that fanscan look forward to there I'm
I'm overwhelmed as I look overthe list, because many of them
are titles, films that I've beenmaking impassioned pleas to be
(21:06):
upgraded, and we're finallygoing to be able to have some of
the things I've been waitingfor for a long time.
It's all a matter of everythingcoming together and we're in a
really, really good positionright now for film, for
television, for animation, foreverything, and we're trying to
(21:28):
and it's impossible to do, butwe're trying to please all of
the different fan groups forvarious kinds of filmmaking.
And when you're talking aboutfans of filmmaking, there are, I
would say, millions of peoplethat love Hammer Horror, and
(21:52):
that's why this new release, theCurse of Frankenstein, in
either 4K or Blu-ray, is anevent for us and we're very
proud.
Tim Millard (21:59):
Right.
Well, george, as always, thanksfor for coming on, and you
always drop little nuggets andhints and that's why I encourage
people to listen to uh to youwhen you come on the x-ray what
we say here on this podcast.
George Feltenstein (22:12):
Don't believe what you read on the
internet, because half of whatpeople say that they're inside
and they know the score andthey're basically not on target.
I'll just put it in a nice way.
Tim Millard (22:28):
Exactly, and I always say listen to George,
listen to the source.
And, by the way, it's all freeyou don't have to pay to listen
and get the information directlyfrom you.
So thank you so much for doingthat.
George Feltenstein (22:40):
Well, thank you, tim, and I'm very glad to
be able to speak about Curse ofFrankenstein for everybody who's
interested.
Tim Millard (22:50):
For those of you who'd like more information
about the Curse of Frankenstein4K, we will be posting more
information on our Facebook pageand in our Warner Archive
Facebook group, so either followus there or, if you haven't,
look for the links here in thepodcast show notes, and you can
do that at any point in time,and that includes putting up the
(23:10):
pre-order link when it becomesavailable.
So those are not yet available,but they should be available
before too long.
So again, terrific 4K and thenthe standalone Blu-ray.
So you got the 4K Blu-ray combopack and then the standalone
Blu-ray, and those are bothgoing to be available for
(23:31):
purchase, and those come outOctober 14th.
So very exciting stuff to hearabout this partnership between
the Warner Archive and HammerFilms.
If you aren't yet subscribed orfollowing the show, what
favorite podcast provider youmay want to do that, as we're
going to have more informationabout the Curse of Frankenstein
and, of course, all of theOctober releases, which are now
(23:55):
going to be two differentpodcasts coming up in the near
future.
So please subscribe and followus.
That helps the show as well.
Until next time you've beenlistening to Tim Millard, stay
slightly obsessed.
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