Warner Bros. Studios is 85 this year and they are celebrating with special promotions each month. The first quarter of the year film lovers are treated with several Oscar award winning movies and Gangster movies on DVD, among which are: special editions of Bonnie and Clyde, The Departed, Goodfellas, and much more.
The second quarter, two special men are honored: Frank Sinatra and Dirty Harry! All five Dirty Harry films will be included in an "Ultimate Collector's Edition." And a variety of films from the Chairman of the Board, aka Sinatra, will be available, with a new Rat Pack Ultimate Collector's Edition. This incredible set includes Ocean's Eleven (the original), 4 for Texas, Robin and the Seven Hoods and Sergeants 3. For some reason the Rat Pack loved numbers in their film titles. Also from Sinatra are comedies, musicals, and dramas.
The third quarter it's time for Batman with a Batman Anthology as well as a Limited Edition Batman Begins Gift Set. Also this quarter, the studio is honoring classic westerns, Errol Flynn westerns, and some of their classic musicals including Kismet and Hit the Deck, among others. And in the final quarter of this birthday year will be a new classic horror collection as well as holiday films and, of course, little Ralphie in an A Christmas Story Ultimate Collector's Edition.
Recently at the Warner Bros. studios the execs showed off their release calendar for 2008. Warren Beatty dropped by to promote Bonnie and Clyde and the Sinatra family came to support the Frank Sinatra DVD releases.
Warner Bros. was founded by four brothers in 1923, and ever since the studio has been making movie history. Its first international star was Rin Tin Tin. This year they released several Oscar contention films: Michael Clayton, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and In the Valley of Elah.
The studio is located in Burbank, California and offers regular guided tours. Visitors get to see the place where magic happens and spend time in the 7,000 square foot studio museum where, if you want, you can be sorted by the magic hat in the same way Harry Potter and his friends did when they entered Hogwarts. By the way, the number of hats in the costume department is well over 10,000!
Besides award-winning films, the studio is also the place where some of the best television shows called and still call home. ER, Friends, and many more use the 110 acre main lot and the nearby 32 acre Warner Ranch.
Throughout the year Warner Home Video is celebrating the glorious and magical 85 years. And in September, PBS will broadcast a three-part special called You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story. Film buffs of all kind will learn about the history of the studio, as well as the history of the last 85 years.