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Pre-1960s films on DVD..... (1 Viewer)

paul o'donnell

Second Unit
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I know the title is a little vague, but bear with me.
I was thinking it might be a good idea to compile a little list of recommendations of pre-1960s films that are available on dvd. However, it would be good to only list the ones that are available with good transfers and packages in general (no madacy etc) and do not have rumoured special editions in the works.
This would be a good way to help people buy more back catalogue titles, see great movies and hopefully encourage the studios to release more of their classics to dvd and treat them right (yes warner, you).
Fire away folks.
Edit:
I was mostly thinking Hollywood films, but feel free to throw in foreign language too. Ooh, I see Jack's responded, cheers...already own that great set :) I've got most of the KEY dvds, but this is to help me (and others) fill in the blanks and update the - gradually disintigrating - video collection.
 

george kaplan

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Well, since you asked :)
The Kid
The Gold Rush
The General
The Circus
Steamboat Bill, Jr.
Frankenstein
City Lights
M
Dracula
Duck Soup
It Happened One Night
The Bride of Frankenstein
The 39 Steps
Modern Times
My Man Godfrey
Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs
The Lady Vanishes
The Wizard of Oz
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Fantasia
Pinocchio
Rebecca
The Philadelphia Story
The Great Dictator
The Maltese Falcon
Buck Privates
Dumbo
Citizen Kane
In the Navy
Holiday Inn
Casablanca
Sullivan's Travels
Saboteur
The Road to Morocco
Woman of the Year
Shadow of a Doubt
Going My Way
Arsenic & Old Lace
Double Indemnity
The Big Sleep
Wonder Man
The Road to Utopia
The Bells of St. Mary's
Anchors Aweigh
Notorious
It's A Wonderful Life
Buck Privates Come Home
Miracle on 34th Street
The Bishop's Wife
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Key Largo
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein
Rope
The Third Man
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Adam's Rib
Born Yesterday
Harvey
Alice In Wonderland
Strangers on a Train
Scrooge
High Noon
Hans Christian Andersen
Son of Paleface
Pat & Mike
Stalag 17
Peter Pan
Rear Window
Sabrina
Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier
White Christmas
Mister Roberts
The Trouble with Harry
Davy Crockett & the River Pirates
The Seven Year Itch
Lady & the Tramp
The Great Locomotive Chase
The Court Jester
The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Ten Commandments
An Affair to Remember
12 Angry Men
Jailhouse Rock
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Witness for the Prosecution
Indiscreet
South Pacific
Bell, Book & Candle
Vertigo
Pillow Talk
Ben-Hur
Anatomy of a Murder
Operation Petticoat
Some Like It Hot
North by Northwest
 

Mike Broadman

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:eek:
Wowie, George, that's quite a list.
The timing of this thread is excellent for me. I just joined netflix. I selected a couple of older films to put on my "queue." They included Forbidden Planet and Nosferatu.
 

paul o'donnell

Second Unit
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Jul 19, 2000
Messages
339
Good man George, thats the kind of response I was after. I own just over half of those I think, so thanks. :) :emoji_thumbsup:
I don't think I saw it up there, so I'll throw it in.
Paramount's release of Shane is rather nice, and the film is one of - if not THE - finest westerns ever made. Check it out people, well worth it.
 

John Stone

Supporting Actor
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Messages
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Great thread!

I think these DVDs would compliment any collection. Here are my favorite pre 1960 films (ok, I threw in two from 1960), in ascending date order.

Passion of Joan of Arc, The (1928): Criterion Collection

All Quiet On The Western Front (1930)

39 Steps, The (1935): Criterion Collection

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937): Platinum Edition

Lady Vanishes, The (1938): Criterion Collection

Gone With The Wind (1939)

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)

Wizard of Oz, The (1939)

Rebecca (1940): Criterion Collection

Citizen Kane (1941)

Maltese Falcon, The (1941)

Casablanca (1942)

Saboteur (1942)

Shadow Of A Doubt (1943)

National Velvet (1944)

Notorious (1946): Criterion Collection

Key Largo (1948)

Rope (1948)

All The King's Men (1949)

Harvey (1950)

American In Paris, An (1951)

Strangers On A Train (1951)

Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951): Original Director's Version

High Noon (1952)

Singin' In The Rain (1952)

Shane (1953)

Stalag 17 (1953)

On The Waterfront (1954): Special Edition

Rear Window (1954): Collector's Edition

Sabrina (1954)

Seven Samurai (1954): Criterion Collection

Mister Roberts (1955): Premiere Collection

Night of the Hunter, The (1955)

Trouble With Harry, The (1955)

Carousel (1956)

Man Who Knew Too Much, The (1956)

12 Angry Men (1957)

Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957): Limited Edition

'Vertigo' (1958): Collector's Edition

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958)

GiGi (1958)

South Pacific (1958)

Ben-Hur (1959)

North By Northwest (1959)

Some Like It Hot (1959): Speical Edition

Psycho (1960): Collector's Edition

Spartacus (1960): Criterion Collection
 

Jon Robertson

Screenwriter
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Messages
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Literally every single Criterion DVD of any film made before 1960.

I haven't seen one I'm less than very pleased with, and haven't read a bad review of one I don't have.
 

Ken_McAlinden

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This sounds like a poll. I will group it by company to disguise it as a discussion. An asterisk indicates an exceptionally good presentation on disc.

Warner

Ben-Hur

Citizen Kane*

Casablanca

Gone with the Wind

North by Northwest*

Singin' in the Rain

A Star is Born*

Wizard of Oz*

Fox

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes*

How Green Was My Valley

The Seven Year Itch*

MGM

Night of the Hunter

Some Like it Hot

12 Angry Men

Witness for the Prosecution

Paramount

Sabrina

Shane*

Ten Commandments

Columbia/Tristar

Born Yesterday

Bridge on the River Kwai*

From Here to Eternity

His Girl Friday*

It Happened One Night*

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

On the Waterfront

Universal

Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein*

Bride of Frankenstein*

Dracula*

Frankenstein*

Going My Way/Holiday Inn

Rear Window*

Touch of Evil

Vertigo

Buena Vista

Dumbo

Fantasia*

Peter Pan

Pinocchio

Snow White*

Criterion*

Ye gods, too many to list, but be sure to check out...

Alexander Nevsky

Children of Paradise

Les Diaboliques

Grand Illusion

The Lady Vansihes

M

Notorious

Rebecca

Seven Samurai

Seventh Seal

Sullivan's Travels

The 39 Steps

...etc.

Kino

Great work on most of the Buster Keaton discs

Image

Great work on most of the Chaplin discs as well as other silents

Regards,
 

Ken_McAlinden

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I forgot Artisan:

Bells of St. Mary's

It's a Wonderful Life

Rio Grande

Sands of Iwo Jima

I have mixed feelings about their High Noon presentation

Regards,
 

Ken_McAlinden

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IMHO, the video transfer for High Noon looks a bit overprocessed. It's a tough film to get right becasue of the high contrast photography. They cleaned up the film element, but I'm afraid they threw some of the baby out with the bathwater. The sound is similarly overprocessed. Listening to the opening title song, one hears less popping, clicking, and hissing than, say, the Criterion laserdisc, but the music sounds muffled as a result of the filtering.
That being said, unless you have the Criterion laserdisc, the DVD will likely be an upgrade to what you have. I tend to be pickier than most. I liked the Leonard Maltin hosted documentary.
BTW, not to be all negative, I watched Warner's release of George Cukor's "Little Women" last night, and was very impressed with the video quality. Add it to my list above. :)
Regards,
 

Greg_Y

Screenwriter
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Another Artisan title is Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). Good disc, but unfortunately non-anamorphic.
 

paul o'donnell

Second Unit
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339
Thanks Ken, as if I could afford the criterion LD back in the day with my no job :D (still don't have one, hehe)
Couple other discs:
Warner's Rio Bravo is nice
MGM's Magnificent Seven is also very nice
 

Ken_McAlinden

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I should have listed Rio Bravo, But I left Magnificent Seven off my list on purpose since it was not technically "Pre-1960".

Regards,
 

paul o'donnell

Second Unit
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Messages
339
Right you are. I went off on a bit of a westerns tangent there :)
The recommendation still stands, 1960 counts too ;) *wipes forehead* phew!
 

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