Studios Out of Older 'A' & 'B' Titles? (1 Viewer)

[FrancisP]

In the Wall Street Journal article about Paramount stepping up their DVD releases had a line that I don't believe.
It said "Other studios having run out older A-list and B-list titles,". There are a number of titles that have never been on home video or only videocassette. To name a few, the Dark Shadows movies, Futureworld, Asylum, Tales From the Crypt(movie), Vault of Horror, Starcrash, Grand Prix, Wheelers Dealers, Boys Night Out, Live A Little Love a Little, Move Over Darling, Planet of the Apes sequels,
50's sci-fi films like Deadly Mantis, Boris Karloff-Bela Lugosi films like Black Cat and The Raven, and the St Valentines Day Massacre. I'm sure that others can think of others that I haven't. As a mass-media device I don't believe DVD will ever surpass videocassettes in the number of films released. Not to mention the vast number of TV movies studios own.

Instead of new releases, we get Jaws for the 5th time. Innumerable editions of the Matrix and new Mummmy series.
I decided to wait for the new and improved Spiderman 2.
If studios don't want to release titles, then why don't they make them available to third-party producers like Anchor Bay and Image Entertainment. I like the work that Warner does but I would like to strangle them and other companies that do not license films. Why leave a film sitting in the vault if someone else wants to release it?There's no risk to the studios at all.

 

[Don Solosan]

All 5 Planet of the Apes movies were released in a box set in region 1.

I suppose the risk to the studio is they miscalculate how much a certain title is worth, then they look like fools and are out a lot of money. For them, it's better to not take chances.

 

[EricSchulz]

Of the titles that you mention, I would say that no major studio would consider any of them A-list titles. While I would really be interested in many that you mention, they are more of the niche/cult type than being a mainstream "hit".

 

[Mark Edward Heuck]

I suspect "Other studios having run out of older A-list and B-list titles" should actually read "Other studios having run out of older A-list and B-list titles that are likely to attract impulse buys." After all, there are literally hundreds of movies at every studio from the '70's onward (let alone from the "glory days") that have name actors and directors attached that have not seen any home video release. In most cases the studio likely feels that the expense of mastering them to DVD and releasing them would not deliver any equal or exceeding profit. The only studio that's been really good at delivering all manner of A, B, and even C product is MGM, and who knows if that will continue after their home video division merges with Sony's.

 

[Paul_Scott]

Fox is using Anchor Bay and Criterion to help them get out their catalog material- and they should be applauded for doing so.
Universal has an arrangment with Criterion that has resulted in some nice discs already.
i suspect the only reason we don't have more Criterion material from these two studios is because Criterion doesn't have the money to licence as much as they would like to.

the one studio that i can't 'get' is Paramount.
they have released almost nothing of interest for me this year, and whats been announced hasn't really lit my fire either.
and not only that, but it seems like they only have one or two catalog titles a month.
its nice to hear they are stepping up their output, but i still don't see much announced from them in the near future

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Most of the DVDs I have bought over the past 6 months have been from smaller labels like Criterion, Synapse, Blue Underground, BFI and French/Italian/German imports. But this is ironic, as most of the films that I want, nay, need on DVD, are films owned by the Big Studios:

Paramount

Ace in the Hole
The Conformist
1900
Robinson Crusoe on Mars


Universal

Sometimes a Great Notion
The Tarnished Angels
This Island Earth (and other 50s sci-fi/horror)


Fox

The Innocents
The Emperor of the North Pole
Compulsion


These titles should, in my humble opinion, have been released on DVD years ago, but are, for whatever reason, still languishing in the vaults. All of them, except Ace in the Hole had excellent Laserdiscs and appear often on US TV (I live in the UK).

And this is just a small, personal selection: there are countless other jewels needing dug out and polished for DVD.

But, as they say: All good things come to those who wait...

 

[walter o]

THIS ISLAND EARTH was out on DVD, from image via their arrangement with Universal.

 

[Jing_B]

And when Paramount releasing "The African Queen" on DVD? That's what they should consider about. Their only good catalogue title is "The Godfather Part II" on a standalone disc, which was already released before but in the Godfather boxset. Warner Bros, Fox, and Criterion are the best at restoring and releasing their catalogue titles.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

I am aware of this. It is OOP and goes for crazy-money: $95-$240!

That is obscene. That page is one of the great pieces of evidence that Universal are 95% clueless. They have the materials, extra features and cover-art ready-and-waiting for this and many other of their 50s sci-fi/horror gems. Why they licensed it to "$25 SRP" Image in the first place just boggles the mind. Clueless. They could have made a tidy bindle of dough on thier 50s sci-fi films by now, but all seem to be getting is tired remasters and repackaged A-titles that already have adequete, if not excellent editions.

Paramount are doing fine, says I. And they are about start challenging Warner, just wait and see. But the continued absence of the titles I list above nags me quite a bit.

 

[AlanP]

HELLO-
WHERE ARE
"NOT OF THIS EARTH"-1957
"LEGEND OF LYLAH CLARE"
"FLOWER DRUM SONG"
"BRIDES OF DRACULA"
"MOVE OVER DARLING"
"THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT"
"THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS"
"BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS"
"BLOOD AND SAND"
"THE STORY ON PAGE ONE"
"THE MONEY TRAP"
"A SUMMER PLACE"
"PARRISH"
"CLAUDELLE INGLISH"
"TOBACCO ROAD"
"ROME ADVENTURE"
"LILI"
"THE PLEASURE OF HIS COMPANY"
"THE VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED"
"PHANTOM OF THE OPERA"-1962
"FLAMINGO ROAD"
"BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE"
"THE HAUNTED STRANGLER"
"SHE DEVIL"-1957
"BURN WITCH BURN"
"RAINTREE COUNTY"
"SOLOMON AND SHEBA"
"SAMSON AND DELIAH"
"QUO VADIS"
"PARANOIAC"
"HARRIET CRAIG"
"THE TALL MEN"
'TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON"
"MOGAMBO"
"BHOWANI JUNCTION"
"THE WAYWARD BUS"
"THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN"
"WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER"
"ISLAND IN THE SUN"
"THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET"
"FOREVER AMBER"
"BLOOD OF DRACULA"
"A TIME TO LOVE A TIME TO DIE"
"JOHNNY GUITAR"
TO NAME A FEW, I DON't THINK THE WELL HAS RUN DRY YET ????

 

[Scott Kimball]

Actually, Paramount averages between 3 and 6 catalog titles per month.

-Scott

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

I am very grateful to Paramount for releasing Carrie. Great transfer of a great, all-too-long over-looked and underappreciated film.

I also am very eager to acquire Danger: Diabolik, which they initially and sensibly delayed as to prepare a superior package. The prices of these catalog titles is great now: many of these great titles can be picked up for $7-8.

 

[Paul_Scott]

Carrie is the only Paramount i've picked up since Foul Play was released last year.
i've never seen it before, but it sounded interesting and it was an impulse purchase at an impulse price point.

i'm looking forward to picking up Teachers Pet (forgot about it) and Li'l Abner (which i've nver seen before but again looks, at least visually, interesting).
i had considered picking up Islands in the Stream, but will probably ntflix it (and Lady In a Cage) instead.

but none of these were on my 'master wish list'.


when they announce Ace In The Hole, Love with The Proper stranger, and Let's Scare Jessica To Death...then i'll get excited

 

[Robert Crawford]

If some of us only get excited when our personal favorites are released then we wouldn't be film buffs nor collectors. Example being "The Far Horizons" which is coming out in a couple of months. Not a personal favorite of mine, but to finally see this film about the Lewis and Clark expedition in it's OAR is exciting to me.






Crawdaddy

 

[Paul_Scott]

i consider myself a film buff because i enjoy and appreciate a wide variety of material- not just one or two particular genres or movies from the last 20 yrs

but i think it stands to reason that people are going to be most excited when things they personally want are finally released- especially if they have been petitioning for them for a while.
i don't disagree with your last post- i understand what you are saying- and i feel the same way about the upcoming release of Nightmare Alley- good film, not a particular favorite though, but exciting that Fox is releasing something that has been so hard to come across in the past.



i realize its a tedious cliche, when a studio announces its latest titles, for someone to post a whining "whaaa...that sucks! where's ____, _____, and _____?"



which is why i tried to resist the urge as long as possible here