Classics and romance are in the air as Warner Home Video puts out two box sets at the end of January. Another Oscar nominated Peter O’Toole film finally comes to DVD in Goodbye Mr. Chips in Valentine’s Day All-Star Romance Classics set. In addition to Chips, other all-stars include Far From the Madding Crowd, The Yellow Rolls Royce, Waterloo Bridge (1940) and Cannery Row. The titles will be available individually for $19.97 SRP.
The other set, aptly titled Warner Bros. Romance Classics Collections, could be subtitled “Four Films Starring Troy Donahue.” The collection includes Palm Springs Weekend, Parrish, Rome Adventure and Susan Slade. These titles will be sold as a Collection with a $39.92 SRP.
But you can pre-order the Troy Donahue quartet for $29.99 at Amazon.
About the Films
Goodbye Mr. Chips (1969)
The magnificent Peter O’Toole earned a Best Actor Oscar® nomination, and won a Golden Globe® Best Actor award for his portrayal of the title role in this 1969 musical adaptation of the famed James Hilton novel. O’Toole and his leading lady Petula Clark are a beguiling romantic duo taking on the roles first established on the screen by Robert Donat and Greer Garson in 1939 original. Herbert Ross (The Turning Point, The Goodbye Girl) directed the Terrence Rattigan screenplay which is embellished by the memorable music and lyrics of Leslie Bricusse (Stop the World, I Want to Get Off). This release presents the film in its original full-length roadshow version.
Far From the Madding Crowd (1967)
A highly acclaimed, and lavish screen adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s 19th century novel, Far From the Madding Crowd is a masterful achievement from Oscar winning director, John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy). The film reunited Schlesinger with the magnificent Julie Christie (Dr. Zhivago), who won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in his 1965 film Darling. In this epic love story, Christie shares the screen with a cast of equally acclaimed actors, as she portrays Bathsheba, a wild passionate girl who captures the hearts of three very different men: a sheep farmer (Alan Bates), a prosperous confirmed bachelor (Peter Finch) and a handsome yet reckless swordsman (Terence Stamp). This release presents the film in its original uncut form, as seen in its international release.
The Yellow Rolls Royce (1965)
At last! One of the most popular all-star ‘event’ films of the 1960s arrives for the first-time on DVD. Terrence Rattigan wrote the screenplay for this ‘anthology’ of three stories of life and love connected only by the ownership of a car….a very special yellow Rolls Royce. The film’s outstanding cast includes Oscar-winners Ingrid Bergman, Shirley MacLaine, Rex Harrison, George C. Scott, and Art Carney, as well as International favorites including Omar Sharif, Jeanne Moreau and Alain Delon. The film’s memorable musical score by Riz Ortolani also spawned a hit song “Forget Domani.”
Waterloo Bridge (1940)
The second film version of Robert Sherwood’s play (the first was Universal’s 1931 release featured in WHV’s first Forbidden Hollywood Collection), this classic wartime love story was given the deluxe M-G-M treatment as a vehicle for its popular leading man and leading lady. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, this box-office smash stars two-time Academy Award® winner Vivien Leigh (Gone With the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire) and Golden Globe Award winner Robert Taylor as star-crossed lovers who meet at the beginning of World War I.
Cannery Row (1982)
Oscar-winning screenwriter David S. Ward (The Sting) made his directorial debut and penned the screenplay which brought the colorful characters of John Steinbeck’s 1945 novel to the big screen. Oscar-nominees Nick Nolte and Debra Winger head an impressive ensemble cast in this unlikely romance set in the depressed waterfront area of Monterey California known as Cannery Row. Nolte gives a remarkable performance as “Doc” the bookish marine biologist who falls for Suzy (Winger), a lovable floozy who turns his world upside down. Steinbeck’s vision is beautifully translated into cinematic imagery by the acclaimed cinematographer Sven Nykvist.
THE WARNER BROS. ROMANCE CLASSICS COLLECTION
Parrish (1961)
Delmer Daves directs the screenplay based on a novel by Mildred Savage. Troy Donahue plays the title role as a teen growing up in the Connecticut tobacco fields, and becoming a man after love affairs with three women and a fight against his evil step-family. A guilty pleasure, Parrish also stars Claudette Colbert, Karl Malden and Dean Jagger. Adding to the atmosphere is a score by Max Steiner.
Susan Slade (1961)
Based on the best-selling novel “The Sin of Susan Slade,” Connie Stevens gives a remarkable performance in the tragic title role. Delmer Daves again takes the directorial helm as Stevens rides an emotional rollercoaster as an inexperienced 17-year-old who finds herself pregnant after an affair with a married man. Will dashing and loyal Troy Donahue come to her rescue and forgive her “sin”? This memorable melodrama also co-stars Dorothy McGuire, Lloyd Nolan and Bert Convy.
Rome Adventure (1962)
A romantic travel fantasy, Rome Adventure stars Suzanne Pleshette in her first starring role as a librarian who after leaving for Italy, finds romance and adventure among the scenic ruins with handsome Troy Donahue. Angie Dickinson and Rossano Brazzi round out the cast, all underscored by the masterful music composed by Max Steiner.
Palm Springs Weekend (1964)
The accent is on fun in the sun and moonlight romance, as Troy Donahue and Connie Stevens star as college students on a weekend spree in the famous California desert resort town. Stefanie Powers, Ty Hardin and Robert Conrad co-star, with comic support from Jack Weston and Carole Cook.
