Holy Grails of LD/DVD (1 Viewer)

[alan halvorson]

I was fortunate this last weekend to find an excellent copy of The Lubitsch Touch LD box set for an obscene price ($19.99! The last one went for $584 on Ebay - I bid something over $200 and was immediately blown away). For those who don't know, this is a box set of seven Lubitsch directed films. I recall one seller, many months ago, of this set claim that only 300 were produced. I don't know if this is true, but it does seem to be extraordinarily rare.
This was one of my Holy Grails of LD. By this I mean that not only does a title command a high price (when auctioned), but it is so rare that even if one is willing to pay the price, there's is rarely a copy to bid on - you may be forced to wait months for the next one, if ever one appears at all.
Now, some people would say that Song of the South is a Holy Grail, but really, it isn't. It does get pretty good bucks but there are always copies available to bid on. Same for Criterion's Salo and 400 Blows dvds - yes, they're expensive but they're always available, and they have LD counterparts at a much lower cost.
So, I'd like to compile a list of Holy Grails in LD and DVD. Perhaps another opportunity like the above will present itself and I'd like to be able to recognize it. The few I can think of at the moment, in LD, are:

• The Lubitsch Touch
• Zulu Dawn
• Sweeney Todd
• Song of the South (Hong Kong version. This was only available as a rental)

In DVD, all I'm aware of is An Evening of Yes Music, but there must be some others.
Any more?

 

[george kaplan]

I think the Little Shop of Horrors dvd with the alternate ending would qualify. Probably some of the out-of-print Criterions.

As for Song of the South, an non-pal version without burnt-in subtitles on something more durable than vhs would certainly qualify (does such a thing even exist?)

 

[Jeff Swindoll]

Ridley Scott's Legend on DVD

 

[Lars Vermundsberget]

Disney's "Make Mine Music" and "Melody Time" on LD.

 

[Rob Lutter]

This is Spinal Tap Criterion Collection

 

[Jeremy]

Robinson Crusoe on Mars (http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI...tem=1404656791)

 

[Brian E]

As for Song of the South, an non-pal version without burnt-in subtitles on something more durable than vhs would certainly qualify (does such a thing even exist?)

The LD's seem to show up fairly regularly on eBay from what I've seen. They always go for more than I'm interested in paying though.

 

[JasenP]

For me, there is the elusive CAV editions of the Sean Connery Bond films with the unflattering commentary that were pulled from stores.
I'm not sure if it's all that rare but the unedited CAV edition of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? comes to mind.

 

[alan halvorson]

Not that elusive, Jasen - in fact, I have an all three and an extra copy of Criterion's From Russia With Love lying around, if interested.

The Best of Roger Rabbit has become awfully rare the last several months.

 

[Eric Paddon]

I have all three Criterion Bond films and it really wasn't the commentary tracks so much in the end, I think but rather Bruce Eder's slam at Roger Moore in the Goldfinger liner notes for the CAV edition that irked Albert Broccoli in the end. I was fortunate to get Dr. No and From Russia With Love when they first came out and got Goldfinger for just under $100 I think a couple years ago.

 

[Matthew Kiernan]

Mario Bava's DANGER: DIABOLIK on LD is quite rare. I'm told that only a couple of hundred were pressed.
And I have one.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Mario Bava's DANGER: DIABOLIK on LD is quite rare. I'm told that only a couple of hundred were pressed. And I have one.

[dumb guy voice]I don't have that one, but I do have the Beastie Boys video on which it was based[/dumb guy voice]

Hmmm. I would list the Criterion Bonds with commentary and Best of Roger Rabbit as well. I would probably add The Beatles' "Let it Be".

Regards,

 

[Mark_TS]

-------

Mario Bava's DANGER: DIABOLIK on LD is quite rare. I'm told that only a couple of hundred were pressed.

-------

My wait was so long, that I must have gotten copy 199/200..(new)

 

[Luis Esp]

Damn, if I had known about the ld of the Bond films. Do you guys mean just the Criterion version or does that include the MGM Ld versions as well.

I remember seeing almost all the MGM Ld versions for sale at used cd/dvd store here T.O.

And they were dirt cheap. I didn't bother with them because I just finished buying all 3 dvd boxsets.

Double Damn!

 

[alan halvorson]

Criterion 2-disc all-CAV only, Luis.

 

[george kaplan]

quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As for Song of the South, an non-pal version without burnt-in subtitles on something more durable than vhs would certainly qualify (does such a thing even exist?)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The LD's seem to show up fairly regularly on eBay from what I've seen. They always go for more than I'm interested in paying though.

I'll be happy to be mistaken, but the only LDs of this I'm aware of are the Japanese ones that have Japanese subtitles you can't turn off during the songs.

 

[alan halvorson]

George: There is a Hong Kong version of Song of the South that doesn't have Japanese subtitles, or any subtitles for that matter. It has a different jacket and there's something different about the beginning but I don't recall what. This was only available as a rental. The only two I've ever seen auctioned both went for just over $1,000!

 

[Greg_Y]

Now, some people would say that Song of the South is a Holy Grail, but really, it isn't. It does get pretty good bucks but there are always copies available to bid on. Same for Criterion's Salo and 400 Blows dvds - yes, they're expensive but they're always available, and they have LD counterparts at a much lower cost.

By that definition, I don't know if there are *any* true Holy Grails of DVD. I would imagine that Salo and 400 Blows are the ones that fetch the highest prices, but, as you said, both aren't too hard to find if you have the $$$. There are some signed copies of DVDs out there that will fetch money, but their unsigned counterparts are usually readily available. I can't think of anything that's been so limited at least when compared to laserdiscs.

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

Best of Roger Rabbit and THX-WOW (which I picked up used for -- yes -- $9 at a record store).

I'd love to find a reasonably priced version of Criterion's "Repulsion," which I'm kind of shocked hasn't been ported to DVD by the company (a crappy public-domain version has surfaced, however).

Image's "Burn Witch Burn" with the Richard Matheson audio commentary is hard to find as well.

 

[Christina_V]

mark you won't beleive this,but i saw the Crtierion Repuslion LD at a store for $10-$15!........was thinking of getting it,but didn't have enough $$ as i already got a couple other things & last time i was there,didn't notice it,so it may be gone,i'll have to check.