Collection Spotlights Eastwood’s Filmmaking Home

The release this month of the multi-DVD “Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years at Warner Bros.” is as much about the relationship between a movie studio and one of the top actor/directors working today as it is about the films contained inside its stylish box. If Eastwood had never decided to make the Warner Bros. lot his primary movie-making home starting in the mid-1970s there would be no reason for Warner Home Video to expend the time and effort on this collection. The freedom and flexibility afforded there has resulted in Eastwood creating memorable characters like “Dirty” Harry Callahan, an Oscar winner in “Unforgiven” and pursuing non-action and comedic roles while also given the opportunity to stay behind the camera as he did with “Mystic River” and “Letters from Iwo Jima.” “He is comfortable here and never felt the need to go anyplace else,” said Jeff Baker, executive vice president and general manager of the home video division. “There is a lot of familiarity with the lot. There are certain locations that are particularly appealing to him.” With DVD sales falling faster than bodies in an Eastwood western, does Warner Home Video feel lucky that attaching his name and mystique to such a large collection will resonate with consumers? Yes, Baker concedes, DVD sales have declined but it is still a substantial business. People are buying less but find less expensive ways (i.e. renting) or watching the discs at home. The “35 Films” box was created for a broad audience with a suggested retail price of $180. Amazon and Barnes & Noble, however, have priced the set below that amount for online sales. Select titles will be made available digitally. The films themselves have not been improved picture-wise so the value add comes in having so many titles in one place (missing are films distributed by Universal and Paramount), a booklet written by film critic Richard Schickel, photos, never released letters from Eastwood to studio executives, and a 22-minute documentary on Eastwood’s career by Schickel (and counted as the 35th film). The documentary includes Eastwood revisiting New York Street on the Burbank lot where he shot scenes for “Bird,” reminiscing while looking at some of the 20,000 costumes from his films still in storage, explaining how a diner scene was filmed for “Million Dollar Baby,” and playing the piano on the scoring stage named for him. In the 18 months since the idea of the box set was first raised, Eastwood had made two films and was in post-production on a third, “Gran Torino.” So finding the time to interview him in Burbank and at his homes in Carmel and Los Angeles proved difficult, Baker said. A longer version of the documentary will be screened this month at a benefit for the film program at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art at which Eastwood will appear. Warner Bros. is still deciding on how to make that version available to the public, Baker said. Even with the confines of 22 minutes, Schickel is able to get to the heart of the relationship between Eastwood and Warner Bros. Just as it is rare for an athlete to commit to a single team for a career, so it is with actors and studios in Hollywood, Baker said. At Warner Bros., Eastwood hasn’t had to be preoccupied with the business side of the industry and could concentrate on being an actor and filmmaker. “Today loyalty is rare, especially for a particular company to have an association with a particular entertainer for so many years,” Baker said. “In that sense he is unique.” Making Those DVDs Warner Bros. entered into a long-term contract to receive DVD and Blu-ray disc replication services from Technicolor. The deal is expected to start generating revenue in the third quarter. Combining the expertise at Warner Bros. in creating entertainment properties and technologies related to them with Technicolor’s track record of technological innovation creates opportunity for both companies, Technicolor CEO Frederic Rose said. Marketing 3D Films Rodin Marketing in Sherman Oaks was brought in by Technicolor to create a branding campaign for its 3D on film process. Targeted at theater owners, the campaign emphasizes two main points – affordability and quality, said the firm’s owner, Steve Rodin. The affordability message has been distilled in the tagline of “3D for Everyone” and features a large fist reminiscent of what would be seen in 1930s propaganda posters clenching a pair of 3D glasses. Independent and small theater owners are being told that they, too, can get in on the popularity of 3D films. “It is not just about the multiplex owners who can afford whatever they want,” Rodin said. The quality angle is that Technicolor’s 3D on film process, which involves the use of a special lens attached to a standard 35mm projector, is practically indistinguishable from digitally projected 3D films. Rodin’s firm and Technicolor did collaborate on the campaign but the entertainment tech company did not give specifics on what the final images should look like. There were other ideas tossed around before Rodin and his staff settled on the large fist, which they didn’t think was going to fly. “This was a fun approach and exciting project to work on,” Rodin said. Adult Behavior The Free Speech Coalition announced the winners of two awards recognizing adult film companies for their business practices. Girlfriend Films received the Leadership Award and CorbinFisher.com. received the Award of Excellence. Girlfriend Films was recognized for its long history of fair businesses practices and philanthropy. Anti-piracy measures implemented in response to declining sales resulted in more than 20,000 URLs being taken down that were infringing on the company’s material. In addition, the company donates a portion of its revenues to area charities. CorbinFisher.com was recognized for its policy of fair and ethical treatment of its models that has been adopted by other adult studios. The company has also donated to various charities over the years and its employees are encouraged to donate time and resource to charities and nonprofits. And Finally… A 3.8 magnitude earthquake struck Illinois on Feb. 10. If the state wants to be more like California by stealing film production away with tax incentives then it should expect a temblor or two. Staff Reporter Mark Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or by e-mail at [email protected]. His favorite Clint Eastwood movie is “Unforgiven.”