Audio Video News

MGM Celebrates 90 Years of Filmmaking

SV Staff  |  Jan 22, 2014

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) announced today a yearlong campaign to honor the studio’s storied 90-year legacy. Founded in 1924 when theater magnate Marcus Loew bought and merged Metro Pictures Corp. with Goldwyn Pictures and Louis B. Mayer Productions, MGM and its legendary roaring lion signify the golden era of Hollywood. Since its inception, the company has produced more than 175 Academy Award-winning films, including 14 Best Pictures.

The celebration kicks off today as MGM icon Leo the Lion is immortalized with a paw print ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, cementing his place in Hollywood history. Sylvester Stallone, writer and star of Rocky (1976), one of the studio’s most iconic characters, will be on hand to commemorate the special occasion. The event will be live streamed on YouTube here starting at 10 a.m. Pacific time.

MGM is debuting a 90th anniversary trailer that will play in theaters and on the MGM HD movie network, the Impact video-on-demand channel, and elsewhere. The trailer includes a tapestry of iconic images and scenes from films in the MGM library.

As part of the celebration, signature films, including Rocky, Rain Man, Fargo, RoboCop, and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, have been meticulously restored and will be available on Blu-ray through Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment; release dates have not been announced but the titles are available for pre-order on Amazon.

Other 90th anniversary initiatives include:

  • The Blu-ray release of classic titles, including In the Heat of the Night, A Chorus Line, and The Birdcage.
  • A collector’s book and companion video, featuring interviews with award-winning filmmakers, directors, and actors discussing the significance of their contributions to MGM’s legacy.
  • The creation of MGM90th.com, a website that allows fans to explore the studio’s library.
Release dates and additional 90th anniversary releases will be announced in the coming weeks.

COMMENTS
dakmart's picture
Submitted by dakmart on January 22, 2014 - 12:01pm

Ironically, most of MGM's "Golden Age" library - the films such as "Gone With the Wind," "The Wizard of Oz," and "Singin' in the Rain" that come to mind when one thinks of MGM - is now owned by Warner Bros. by way of Ted Turner. What MGM and Fox Home Entertainment are promoting are post-1986 MGM/United Artists releases, most of the UA catalog and releases from smaller companies such as Orion that MGM purchased along the way -- important material but still only part of the MGM story.

NoHoR56's picture
Submitted by NoHoR56 on January 22, 2014 - 1:23pm

The creation of this trailer - as good as it is - only makes sense in the context of selling DVDs/Blu-Rays of what they have left. It's pretty sad, really.

Ironically, I bet the people at MGM who want to tout "the brand" are no doubt the ones who gutted it.

veggieboy2001's picture
Submitted by veggieboy2001 on January 23, 2014 - 4:50am

Are they really using a Lion to put a paw print on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Does anyone else find this disturbing? Pointless?

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