FOX/MGM to Begin Releasing James Bond Catalog on Blu-ray Disc This Fall
Of course James Bond is blue, what with never being able to hang onto a girlfriend and all, but MGM/Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has taken him to a whole other level. To lead up to this year's theatrical release of the 22nd Bond movie, Quantum of Solace (in case you hadn't heard, yes, that's really the title), the Blu-ray Disc releases of the pre-Daniel Craig films will begin rolling into stores this fall.
First up on October 21 will be the very first big-screen adaptation of Ian Fleming's super-spy in Dr. No, (1962) plus Sean Connery's first sequel From Russia with Love, and the later Thunderball, Roger Moore in Live and Let Die and For Your Eyes Only, in addition to Pierce Brosnan's Bond swan song Die Another Day (2002).This unchronological, unthemed mash-up approach is similar to how MGM/Fox handled the four-volume "Ultimate Collection" boxes in 2006 as well as the previous batch of sets, although frankly I don't know many people who cherry-pick: It's usually all or nothing when collecting 007.
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| New Bond may be blonde but old Bonds are turning Blu (note: box art not final). |
No technical specs have been released, but since both the audio and video were stunningly restored and transfered to 4K resolution not long ago by world-renowned Lowry Digital Images (temporarily known as "DTS Digital Images" during that company's brief ownership by DTS Inc.) for the Ultimate DVDs, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is a safe bet. Let's hope that the original pre-5.1 soundtracks are also included again here, along with all of the special features from those lavish two-disc DVD editions. Further details, including plans for the remainder of the series, are expected in the coming weeks.
Following those celebrated digital restorations, most of the 20 Bond films did indeed look and sound better on home video than they did when first released in theaters, so now the prospect of classic Jimmy & Co. in high-definition is pretty exciting. The last theatrical James Bond film, Casino Royale with Daniel Craig, debuted on Blu-ray day-and-date with its DVD counterpart in March 2007.
Titles to be released this Fall on Blu-ray Disc:
