Tweet 15-disc Keaton collection from Kino in December

Kino has a 15-disc collection of all its Keaton releases slated for 11 Dec., including College (which is said to be exclusive to the collection until 2013). The Blue Angel is being released on BR one week earlier.
http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=9526

I wonder why they didn't do this the other way around, with the last single release first, and then the set? I've got all the other single releases... I'm not going to buy the set.

I have to admit that I'm not exactly pleased about College being a temporary exclusive to this set. I have faithfully purchased each of the Keaton blu ray releases as they've been released, and I was really looking forward to completing my Keaton blu ray set by the end of the year. This is not a way to reward consumer loyalty in my opinion. I hope they'll release the College blu ray earlier rather than later in 2013.

Greed. and not by Von Stroheim.

[Christopher Jacobs]

I have to admit that I'm not exactly pleased about College being a temporary exclusive to this set. I have faithfully purchased each of the Keaton blu ray releases as they've been released, and I was really looking forward to completing my Keaton blu ray set by the end of the year. This is not a way to reward consumer loyalty in my opinion. I hope they'll release the College blu ray earlier rather than later in 2013.

Well in full HD or not, at least COLLEGE is arguably the least of the non-MGM silent Keatons and has long been one of the most easily available Keaton features, so I have no problem waiting to buy the individual Blu-ray sometime next year to complete my set. There are more than enough Blu-rays of classics and forgotten obscurities scheduled for release from Kino, Twilight Time, Olive, and Criterion that will dent my checking account substantially between now and then. It's still good news that Kino is getting all of the Keatons out in HD. If I get a sudden really desperate urge to see COLLEGE before then, I can always watch the old standard DVD in the meantime, but I'd have to be really desperate!

I have to admit that I'm not exactly pleased about College being a temporary exclusive to this set. I have faithfully purchased each of the Keaton blu ray releases as they've been released, and I was really looking forward to completing my Keaton blu ray set by the end of the year. This is not a way to reward consumer loyalty in my opinion. I hope they'll release the College blu ray earlier rather than later in 2013.

Well in full HD or not, at least COLLEGE is arguably the least of the non-MGM silent Keatons and has long been one of the most easily available Keaton features, so I have no problem waiting to buy the individual Blu-ray sometime next year to complete my set. There are more than enough Blu-rays of classics and forgotten obscurities scheduled for release from Kino, Twilight Time, Olive, and Criterion that will dent my checking account substantially between now and then. It's still good news that Kino is getting all of the Keatons out in HD. If I get a sudden really desperate urge to see COLLEGE before then, I can always watch the old standard DVD in the meantime, but I'd have to be really desperate!

You've made a few very good substantial points (and it's not as if I don't have a back log of movies to watch - my DVR hard drive is 92% full at this point in time!), and I will admit that I made the previous post while in a state of annoyance over the situation. I still don't like the situation, but I can live with it. Given that Kino has been averaging a new Keaton blu-ray release every three to four months, I would estimate that the solo College blu-ray will be seen around March or April of next year. I just hope that this doesn't become the blu-ray equivalent to the Keaton Plus DVD. That DVD did not see a solo release from the old Keaton box set for a few years I think. Anyway, I wonder if the release of this blu-ray box set indicates that Kino will not be attempting an HD release of the Arbuckle-Keaton shorts.

College would of been the last Buster Keaton film I needed.

[Mike Gebert]

I think College is underrated, but in any case, "in 2013" just means, I suspect, that it will come out on roughly the same schedule as it would have anyway, a release about every other month, but in the meantime, they wanted to make some money at Christmas with a set. No biggie.

I have to admit that I'm not exactly pleased about College being a temporary exclusive to this set. I have faithfully purchased each of the Keaton blu ray releases as they've been released, and I was really looking forward to completing my Keaton blu ray set by the end of the year. This is not a way to reward consumer loyalty in my opinion. I hope they'll release the College blu ray earlier rather than later in 2013.

I agree. Crappy thing to do to those of us who have been supporting the series all along. I can't even see it selling all that well, since most people who are going to be THAT interested in the Keaton films would have been buying them all along.

I knew they would be bringing out the box set, eventually. Which Is why I've been holding off on buying the individual Blu-Rays. As for College coming out last, I thought that would have been reserved for The Saphead.

I agree. Crappy thing to do to those of us who have been supporting the series all along. I can't even see it selling all that well, since most people who are going to be THAT interested in the Keaton films would have been buying them all along.

I don't understand their motivation to make College exclusive to the boxset (at least until next year). Exclusive titles are supposed to entice people to buy a boxset that they wouldn't otherwise buy. I don't see anyone buying a $200 boxset just to get College a few months early. It is a lesser Keaton title to begin with and the Keaton completists who would want it probably have all the other titles already.

All it does is frustrate us loyal customers who have bought every single Keaton release and waited patiently to complete our Keaton collection. I know it is just a matter of waiting a few more months but I just don't get why they would do this.

-D

I agree. Crappy thing to do to those of us who have been supporting the series all along. I can't even see it selling all that well, since most people who are going to be THAT interested in the Keaton films would have been buying them all along.

I don't understand their motivation to make College exclusive to the boxset (at least until next year). Exclusive titles are supposed to entice people to buy a boxset that they wouldn't otherwise buy. I don't see anyone buying a $200 boxset just to get College a few months early. It is a lesser Keaton title to begin with and the Keaton completists who would want it probably have all the other titles already.

All it does is frustrate us loyal customers who have bought every single Keaton release and waited patiently to complete our Keaton collection. I know it is just a matter of waiting a few more months but I just don't get why they would do this.

-D

If Kino insists on doing this, when they make the formal announcement for this box set, they should also announce when they will be releasing College outside of the box. While I don't doubt that it will be released at some point outside of the box, it would show good will to the loyal customers who have been supporting the HD Keaton endeavors (and if I may say, if it were not for us, we wouldn't even be talking about a blu ray box set of Keaton's work). This reminds me of what Paramount has done with the Wild Wild West series. I purchased each of the four seasons as they were released only to see Paramount release a complete series set with the two reunion movies exclusive to the set. Granted, those two movies aren't exactly Citizen Kane and Magnificent Ambersons, but I still would like to have them!

I frankly don't see any big nuisance here. Considering the release frequency of the new Keaton-BluRays from Kino thus far, I'd bet "College" will be out by spring, at the very least. Statistics and experience has probably told Kino that "box sets" tend to sell better around Christmas times, and if this is why they decide to go for that release first, they have my support. They're not Warner Brothers or MGM, after all, and it costs money to restore these films (as anyone here would know).
If, on the other hand, "College" was deprived of an individual release altogether, I might be tempted to call it something along the lines of greed, but that's not the case, thankfully.

The boxset is up for preorder on ImportCDs for around $160 (quite a bit cheaper than getting the titles individually). Also it is described as a 15-disc set but assuming College is a single-disc release, the number of discs adds up to 14. Anyone know what the 15th disc is and if it will be available separately ?

-D

Also it is described as a 15-disc set but assuming College is a single-disc release, the number of discs adds up to 14. Anyone know what the 15th disc is and if it will be available separately ?

-D

Too lazy to look up the films at the moment... might it be the short comedies, silent and/or talkies?

Or maybe the blu ray equivalent to Keaton Plus, with no word as to whether it gets a standalone release? THAT is what would chafe my hide. I can wait for College, but if they put a box-set-only disc in the box, then I will be upset.

According to a Kino mailer I received today the collection includes:
SHORT FILMS COLLECTION
THE SAPHEAD
OUR HOSPITALITY
SHERLOCK JR./THREE AGES
THE NAVIGATOR
SEVEN CHANCES
GO WEST/BATTLING BUTLER
THE GENERAL
COLLEGE
STEAMBOAT BILL JR.
AND LOST KEATON

It is a 14-disc set now. I have no idea what the 15th disc was supoosed to contain and why it was dropped. There is also some information available now about the eventual standalone release of College



Blu-ray Features

• Audio commentary by film historian Rob Farr, founder of Slapsticon

• Visual essay on the film's locations

• "The Scribe," a 1966 industrial short that was Keaton's final filmed performance

It may be a silly question, but...

Has "The General" ever been re-issued with a slipcase to match the others?

Amazon is still calling it a 15 disc box set, even though the image says 14!

Kino is releasing the DVD/Blu-ray of College (Ultimate Edition) on March 5th.
http://www.kinolorber.com/video.php?pro ... liate=kcem" target="_blank" target="_blank

Definitely want to pre-order this, although for some reason it says "Ships to US only" which seems odd (and possibly a typo), considering up to now Kino (and now Kino-Lorber) has been one of very few, if the only, company that offers free shipping to Canada for orders over a certain amount.

Glad to see The Scribe included, I've only read about it at this point, and I don't think it was included on the Industrial Strength Keaton collection.

EDIT: I see The Scribe is on YouTube, in a transfer that looks like a worn 16mm print filmed directly off a screen with a low-res handicam. I think I'll hold off and watch it on blu-ray.