Films that you fear may NEVER be released on DVD. (1 Viewer)

[Joe Bernardi]

The Grey Fox (Richard Farnsworth)

Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (Robert Duvall, Richard Harris, Sandra Bullock, Shirley MacLaine, Piper Laurie)

 

[Ric Easton]

The Silent Partner starring Elliot Gould and Christopher Plummer.

Made in Toronto, I first saw this movie over 20 years ago on HBO and loved it! Elliot plays a bank teller that figures out a robbery is going to take place and decides to cut himself in, much to the bank robber's dismay!

Ric

 

[Mark Bendiksen]

Errol Morris' great documentaries, Gates of Heaven, and Vernon, Florida (and The Thin Blue Line, for that matter). Great, great films, Gates of Heaven in particular.

The Thin Blue Line was the very first film that came to my mind when I saw this thread. I really would like to retire my worn out VHS copy of this awesome AWESOME movie!

 

[Jeff_HR]

Jeff_HR

You missed my qualifier, that it WILL come to DVD in other regions. It's been released basically EVERYWHERE but here on LD and/or VHS

My question was not just refering to R1. I'm multi-regional, so any release anywhere is fair game for my wallet.

 

[Thomas Kolla]

I fear these will never come out:

BAD TIMING
EL TOPO and THE HOLY MOUNTAIN
TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA (longer Europeon version)
DEEP END (early 70s film)
THE PHYNX

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Wizards (Bakshi)
Anything by Jodorowsky
Son of Dracula (Harry Nilsson)
Siege of the Saxons

 

[Brian Kidd]

DANCING OUTLAW - Emmy Award-winning documentary about Jesco White, a tap-dancing, Elvis-loving, Good Ol' Boy with multiple personalities. Directed by Jacob Young and briefly released on vhs by the PBS station in Morgantown, WV. Anyone who has seen it will never forget it.

BUGSY MALONE - All-Child Gangster Musical directed by Alan Parker and starring Scott Baio and Jody Foster. Never released in OAR, even on LD.

 

[Scott Shanks]

I'll second a couple of titles previously mentioned:
The Thin Blue Line
Silent Partner

Would add:
The Last Of Sheila (James Coburn, James Mason, Richard Benjamin)

 

[Matt<>Broon]

BUGSY MALONE - All-Child Gangster Musical directed by Alan Parker and starring Scott Baio and Jody Foster. Never released in OAR, even on LD.

Hmmm, a new release of this has just come out on DVD over here in the UK.

Don't know if it's OAR though. :frowning:


Doubt it of course but worth checking..

 

[RolandL]

I don't know if The High and The Mighty will ever be released on DVD. I had heard that the print that the Wayne estate has would need about a million dollars to restore it. If they don't make a profit (or at least break even) they do not want to restore it.

I have three copies of it on VHS. Two of them are barely watchable. The third is OK but nothing great.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

In reply to Roland:

I don't know if The High and The Mighty will ever be released on DVD. I had heard that the print that the Wayne estate has would need about a million dollars to restore it. If they don't make a profit (or at least break even) they do not want to restore it.

Phew! Really? Where is the original camera negative? If Warner were given the neg/Wayne Estate print, they would probably hand it over to Lowry Digital Images to 'restore' a la NORTH BY NORTHWEST, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO etc and I don't believe that those films cost MILLION$ to restore. But I could be wrong - anyone have any idea how much it costs Warner to get Lowry to 'restore' their films?

I'd really love to see THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY on DVD in all it's CinemaScope glory.


Gordy

 

[Henry V]

"Cat and the Canary" (1939), Bob Hope's first leading role is an excellent "Old Dark House" movie which was never released pre-recorded on videotape and never seems to play on the satellite stations. Other old films that never made it to Videotape and therefore I assume haven't a chance of seeing DVD release are the independently produced Douglas Fairbank's Jr. films "The Exile"(1947) and "State Secret"(1950),Ronald Colman's "Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back"(a sequel to his first sound picture "Bulldog Drummond" and a real rarity). "Just Imagine"(1930) and "Chandu the Magician"(1932) are a pair of creaky but fun early sound fantasy pictures that just never made it to Videotape or Laser disc so I'm assuming they'll remain missing from the DVD shelves.Needless to say the older films are the least likely to see DVD release due to the relative condition of the original source material and the perceived potential sales demand by the studios.

 

[JonZ]

Hearts Of Darkness: A Filmakers Apocalypse
Nowhere
Hardware
Giant Robo Series
Chained Heat
Star Wars Trilogy (Original Versions)
Eyes Wide Shut Unaltered Version
Dead Presidents Dir Cut

 

[Matt<>Broon]

Further to 'BUGSY MALONE'

The special edition release in the UK has an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (Anamorphic). So not quite.

On the other hand the transfer is allegedly pretty good considering and the disc does have storyboards and a directors commentary.

So probably worth picking up if you like the film.

 

[Terry St]

For the Shakespeare film fans out there:

Prospero's Books:
This film was based on "The Tempest", and is out on VHS. It truly is an oddity. If Shakespeare films in general were raunchy action flicks, "Prospero's Books" would be the obscure art film nobody bothers seeing. The visual compositions are simply astonishing. The cinematography was inspired. However, every line of dialogue by every character in the play is delivered by one actor, until the very last scene. This alone makes it hopelessly confusing for anyone not intimately familiar with the play. Another barrier preventing this films popularity is the incrediable ammount of nudity. I'm not talking about a single full frontal nude scene or even some over the top orgy scene. The whole film, every last moment of it, is full of it. Prancing nymphs or creeping demons abound everywhere. It's almost background. The film is like one long nude painting. Finally, the film appears to have been an odd collaboration between countries and studio's that might make sorting out the legal rights an absolute mess. (They managed it for VHS though, oddly enough.)

The end result is that "Prospero's Books" winds up being incomprehensible to most, and smutty to prudes. The fact that the name Shakespeare is attached to it probably doesn't help either. The compositions in this film demand a high-resolution/big-screen presentation that VHS just doesn't deliver. This is one visually astonishing film that will probably quietly go out of print on VHS (if it hasn't already) and never be seen again. If anyone can prove me wrong, please do!

 

[Jay E]

THE PHYNX

You surprised me with this one Thomas, I didn't think anyone else besides me would be interested in this title.

Due to Warner's policy, I don't think I'll ever see The Devils or Performance on DVD.

Due to the fact that they are somewhat obscure, I doubt that these will ever come out on DVD:

Cisco Pike
Cops & Robbers
Incident, The
Little Murders
Melody
Up the Down Staircase
That Cold Day in the Park
Tiger Makes Out, The

 

[JimmyK]

There was a claymation movie I saw many years ago in the theater, I believe it was called The Adventures of Mark Twain.

Anyone know anything about this? It was absolutely hirlarious!

Also, I would like to have Fierce Creatures in anamorphic widescreen!

JimmyK

 

[Brook K]

Brian, you need to update your list. The Puppetmaster and Black Rain have been released in R1, though Black Rain is OOP. A few others have R0 HK releases like Days of Being Wild. Several of your others are available in other regions. Also, Paramount should be releasing Miracle At Morgan's Creek this year, and Criterion will eventually put out several of the Ozu and Mizoguchi titles. The Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation has begun exploring restoration options for Berlin Alexanderplatz but that probably will be a long process and they may not be able to afford it unless they're able to presell the DVD distribution.


I'll keep my list short:
Bigger Than Life Nicholas Ray film starring James Mason. I think Fox has the rights. Never released on LD, can't find a VHS release. I've only seen the great-looking clips included on Scorsese's Personal Journey Through American Film documentary.

Steel Helmet and other early Sam Fuller films.

Studio owned silent films like The Wind and The Crowd

And Universal continues to sit on a treasure trove of classics from both their and Paramount's catalog's, Preston Sturges, W.C. Fields, Josef Von Sternberg/Dietrich, Douglas Sirk, etc.

 

[Peter Mazur]

These are some I really want:

Robinson Crusoe on Mars (Paramount, 1964)
The Compleat Beatles (MGM, 1982)
Fun with Dick & Jane (Columbia, 1977)
Corvette Summer (MGM, 1978)
Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (Atlantic Releasing Corp., 1985)
Just One of the Guys (Columbia, 1985)
Lipstick (Paramount, 1976)
Light Years (?, 1988)
The Rachel Papers (United Artists, 1989)
Gas Food Lodging (IRS Media, 1992)

 

[DeeF]

I'm quite certain that

Porgy and Bess

will never be released on DVD. The Gershwin estate wants to see the movie destroyed (it hasn't been, so far).

I'd also very much like

The Thin Blue Line