Obscure/Rare film you’d like that will never see the light of day? (1 Viewer)

[Alan Tully]

Yup, agree with that. I've been looking at a lot of DVDs recently, Paramount & Warner titles, & most of 'em look really good (very happy with the MGM Marx Brothers films), after all, the film's the thing. Anyway, the two choices I posted are kosher, the POW drama, Danger Within (1958) & the James Coburn rodeo drama, The Honkers (1972), neither have had a home video release.

 

[Dick]

I'd come up with a list for this thread, except that I keep being pleasantly sideswiped by an odd release here or there of an obscure film, one that I never thought would see the light of Blu-ray. I'd have hardly expected, for example, a release of THE HELLSTROM CHRONICLE, or THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH, THE OLD DARK HOUSE, ONE MILLION B.C. or (from Germany) A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA. I'd say that there is barely a title any of us could think of about which one could say with absolutely surety there will never be a Blu-ray release.

A year ago, I finally gave up on the hope that Disney would ever release THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN on Blu. It has now happened, albeit through their exclusive movie club. A couple of years ago they released RETURN TO OZ. Both look wonderful, and both were PG-rated films under the Disney moniker. I now have hope that BLACK HOLE and SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES might also show up, along with missing G-rated catalog titles such as THAT DARN CAT, THREE LIVES OF THOMASINA, and scores of others.

Kino is challenging our credit card balances by flooding us with releases, many of which we'd never have guessed would make the upgrade to Blu. They keep making deals with studios for a hundred titles here, a hundred there, and providing us with movies that would easily have fallen within the purview of the OP's topic here.

Scream Factory and Severin and now Arrow are filling in still more gaps we'd have recently thought were impossible to fill.

I love this era of Blu-ray catalog releases. It just doesn't seem to want to go away, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the naysayers.

 

[Nick Eden]

Masquerade with Cliff Robertson and Jack Hawkins.
Run a Crooked Mile with Louis Jourdan and Mary Tyler Moore.
The Man in the Santa Claus Suit with Fred Astaire.

Last 2 are TV so maybe not relevant to this thread? Good films anyway and are certainly obscure.

The exclusive Disney Club - been talked about before, but worth a mention again. What is the point of owning a title worldwide, only to make that title only available to certain countries. If Disney were to be considering releasing titles in Europe, OK it might make sense. But they haven't. I have some hard earned money in my pocket waiting and wanting to send to Disney for titles such as The Swiss Family Robinson on Blu-ray, but Disney doesn't want my money. I am sure there is a bigger picture (forgive the pun), but I can't see it.

 

[Robin9]

I'd certainly like to see the Cliff Robertson/Jack Hawkins Masquerade again. (I have the Rob Lowe/Meg Tilly Masquerade on DVD) I remember it as a pretty good film with sense of irony about it. There's one scene where the two leads are slugging it out and Jack Hawkins says "We're both much too old for this sort of thing!" I'm surprised it's gone missing.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yep, couldn't agree more. A thread on "obscure" films has turned into just another "titles I want on blu ray" thread and loaded down with the usual suspects.

Right, this thread as stated in the OP's first post was about MIA films that have never been released on DVD, Blu-ray or UHD.

 

[Rick Thompson]

City in Fear, a TV movie with David Janssen, Robert Vaughn, Mickey Rourke and a cast of great character actors; and, of course, What's So Bad About Feeling Good? with George Peppard and Mary Tyler Moore (but also Dom DeLuise), directed by the great George Seaton (Miracle on 34th Street, Airport, 36 Hours, The Country Girl, Teacher's Pet, The Counterfeit Traitor, etc.)

 

[TJPC]

I’d love to have a copy of 2 Science Fiction TV films which have not been available since the VHS days. One is “The Electric Grandmother” with Maureen Stapleton. I used this movie in the classroom for years — kids liked it, but every adult either had to leave the room at the end (I used to stand on the hall) or was found sobbing in a fetal position on the floor when the lights were turned on!

The second film I never could get a copy of (gr!). It was I think called “The People”. It was about a teacher who gets a job teaching in a Hutterite like community, and eventually discovers the people are peaceful alien refugees who escaped the destruction of their planet and are in hiding. Oh, ya, the children can fly!

 

[Mysto]

I’d love to have a copy of 2 Science Fiction TV films which have not been available since the VHS days. One is “The Electric Grandmother” with Maureen Stapleton. I used this movie in the classroom for years — kids liked it, but every adult either had to leave the room at the end (I used to stand on the hall) or was found sobbing in a fetal position on the floor when the lights were turned on!

The second film I never could get a copy of (gr!). It was I think called “The People”. It was about a teacher who gets a job teaching in a Hutterite like community, and eventually discovers the people are peaceful alien refugees who escaped the destruction of their planet and are in hiding. Oh, ya, the children can fly!

Not blu-ray but The People is on youtube

 

[TheSteig]

Obscure films I like
Monster Wangmagwi - Ive never seen it but Im sure Id dig it - it's a Korean monster movie
The Flame Barrier - no label seems interested in licensing it from MGM

 

[Alan Tully]

The Naked & The Dead (1958) really belonged in this thread...until Warner Archive released it, so there's always hope.

 

[TJPC]

Not blu-ray but The People is on youtube

Thank you, but the only way to watch YouTube here is on a computer or phone. I’d like to get the big screen experience with a disc.

 

[Brian Kidd]

I’d love to have a copy of 2 Science Fiction TV films which have not been available since the VHS days. One is “The Electric Grandmother” with Maureen Stapleton. I used this movie in the classroom for years — kids liked it, but every adult either had to leave the room at the end (I used to stand on the hall) or was found sobbing in a fetal position on the floor when the lights were turned on!

The second film I never could get a copy of (gr!). It was I think called “The People”. It was about a teacher who gets a job teaching in a Hutterite like community, and eventually discovers the people are peaceful alien refugees who escaped the destruction of their planet and are in hiding. Oh, ya, the children can fly!

The Electric Grandmother was a staple on HBO when I was a kid. It was one of the first exposures I had to the work of Ray Bradbury. Such a sweet and unique film. The story has been adapted a couple of times, but this one was really well done.

 

[battlebeast]

Masquerade with Cliff Robertson and Jack Hawkins.
Run a Crooked Mile with Louis Jourdan and Mary Tyler Moore.
The Man in the Santa Claus Suit with Fred Astaire.

Last 2 are TV so maybe not relevant to this thread? Good films anyway and are certainly obscure.

The exclusive Disney Club - been talked about before, but worth a mention again. What is the point of owning a title worldwide, only to make that title only available to certain countries. If Disney were to be considering releasing titles in Europe, OK it might make sense. But they haven't. I have some hard earned money in my pocket waiting and wanting to send to Disney for titles such as The Swiss Family Robinson on Blu-ray, but Disney doesn't want my money. I am sure there is a bigger picture (forgive the pun), but I can't see it.

Perfectly acceptable! They are rare/obscure and movies, so I approve!

 

[battlebeast]

One film I’d love to have is the Disney TV movies “exile.”

 

[Tony Bensley]

Thank you, but the only way to watch YouTube here is on a computer or phone. I’d like to get the big screen experience with a disc.

For those Canucks who have access to it, the 4k Bell Fibe package includes You Tube in the channel listings.

CHEERS!

 

[Suzanne.S]

With Autism being such a big topic right now, I'd really like to see the TV movie A Circle of Children and it's sequel Lovey: A Circle of Children Part 2 both starring Jane Alexander. I don't think either of those were ever released at all. There were a lot of great TV movies back in the 70s that are not available.

 

[Robin9]

Has That Kind Of Woman* ever been released on disc? Was it ever available on VHS? It should hold some interest for several film enthusiasts because it stars Sophia Loren, George Sanders and Tab Hunter and was directed by Sidney Lumet.

* Not to be confused with His Kind Of Woman starring Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell.

 

[Dick]

With Autism being such a big topic right now, I'd really like to see the TV movie A Circle of Children and it's sequel Lovey: A Circle of Children Part 2 both starring Jane Alexander. I don't think either of those were ever released at all. There were a lot of great TV movies back in the 70s that are not available.

I second that. Both very fine films and so beautifully performed, proving for the umpteenth time that Jane Alexander is a national treasure. The first was shown in 1977 on the CBS network, and was produced by 20th Century-Fox. The sequel came a year later and was also shown on CBS, but this time was produced by Time-Life. I've no idea who might release these to DVD and/or Blu, but I sure wish someone would.

 

[Will*B]

I'm astonished we still haven't seen a BD release of Bryan Forbes's original The Stepford Wives. It's one of my favourite films, and it's been languishing in SD purgatory for decades...

This seems like a prime candidate for Arrow or Shout!

I'd also love to see Bogdanovich's Targets on BD. I could have sworn there were Criterion rumours a few years ago, but all has gone quiet...

 

[battlebeast]

I'm astonished we still haven't seen a BD release of Bryan Forbes's original The Stepford Wives. It's one of my favourite films, and it's been languishing in SD purgatory for decades...

This seems like a prime candidate for Arrow or Shout!

I'd also love to see Bogdanovich's Targets on BD. I could have sworn there were Criterion rumours a few years ago, but all has gone quiet...

TARGETS is out on DVD. Not
Rare or obscure st all.