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What about the classic New Line Cinema titles (1 Viewer)

Mark Edward Heuck

Screenwriter
Joined
Jul 25, 2000
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1,187
What's been rather disappointing in the decade and a half since New Line Cinema became a mini-major is that aside from their John Waters library, there is a large number of titles that they released in their early days that have never made it to DVD, or in some cases even VHS. Granted, it's quite possible New Line no longer has the rights to these movies, and they may have no perceived value in this star-driven market, but I'd still love to see them. Both Image and Criterion have worked out licensing deals for their catalog, and we have been treated to older titles like XTRO and ALONE IN THE DARK, in some cases even with extras. But there's many more like one wouldn't believe.

For starters, Robert Shaye has stated that he began New Line to distribute the classic drug scare film REEFER MADNESS. Sure, there are dozens of PD editions of this movie, wouldn't it be interesting if New Line and Image did a disc, maybe with a Shaye commentary talking about the early days of his company and meeting John Waters and others?
Also, New Line and Image did excellent widescreen laserdiscs of four Sonny Chiba STREET FIGHTER movies, which in fact have been the source material for the dozens of ripoff DVDs available today. I'd like to see them go back and do these right, with some participation from Chiba and his eternal fan Quentin Tarantino.

Here are some others notable titles that I would want to see New Line visit:

SHADOWMAN (RED NIGHTS) last film by Georges Franju
LEGEND OF SPIDER FOREST (VENOM) Peter Sykes horror
THE TATTOOED HIT MAN segements by THE HIDDEN director Jack Sholder
DESPAIR Rainer Werner Fassbinder
STAY AS YOU ARE Marcello Mastroianni and Nastassja Kinski
WISE BLOOD John Huston adapts Flannery O'Connor
THE CRIPPLED MASTERS legendary cult kung fu
CORRUPT (COPKILLER) Harvey Keitel and Johnny Rotten in another oft-bootlegged title
SINCERELY CHARLOTTE Isabelle Huppert drama
THE LAST ROMANTIC LOVER EMMANUELLE director Just Jaeckin directs Dayle Haddon, who still looks lovely in those new cosmetic ads, by the way
 

walter o

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 6, 2004
Messages
851
I'm betting alot of those, New Lines rights have expired, and it went back to the foreign producers, just like Chabrol's DIRTY HANDS, BLIND DATE (1984), Argento's CREEPERS, BIG MEAT EATER, THIRST, CAR THAT ATE PARIS, etc.

I have a odd feeling New Line may not control the DVD right to WISE BLOOD, as MCA videos put it out on video, and I don't recall New Line having any of thier titles available through MCA, so Universal might have the DVD rights
 

Michael Elliott

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KY
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Michael Elliott
THE CRIPPLED MASTERS (along with the STREETFIGHTER films) are PD so they're out there.

Argento's CREEPERS and UNSANE are owned by Anchor Bay (or Blue Underground now) but they only own the uncut versions. The cut, U.S. versions were just released in one of Mill Creek's 50 Movie Packs.
 

Jeffrey:K

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 10, 2006
Messages
358
I'd like to see a quality DVD of Mark L. Lester's Stunts. (Apparently there is a bootleg DVD now available.) This is a really nifty little B-movie with Robert Forster that used to play on HBO in the late 70s/early 80s.

According to Lester, this film was New Line's first "in house" production (as opposed to a pick-up). I don't know if that's actually true, though.
 

walter o

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 6, 2004
Messages
851
Jeffrey, not only has Mark Lester told me that as well, when I told him it's been bootlegged, he told me "Can't New Line or Panzer/Davis do anything?" I know Robert Forster well, and he has some good stories to tell (he doesn't remember working with Candice Rialson in the film though!).

But then again, Panzer/Davis hsn't stopped all those DEATH COLLECTOR DVD's.

I'e seen both the 90min and 75min versions on DVD. Not sure how it fell in the "grey" market.
 

Mark Edward Heuck

Screenwriter
Joined
Jul 25, 2000
Messages
1,187
New Line did a "one-shot" deal with MCA for the VHS release of WISE BLOOD. They often piecemealed their titles, like most young companies do when they lack their own video infrastructure: exploitation stuff to Wizard and their Cult subsidiary, a few classier titles to Warner, a couple to CBS. Then, they began to make long-term deals, beginning with Thorn EMI, who released STUNTS, CORRUPT, and XTRO, along with EVIL DEAD when they controlled it.

I once spoke to a New Line rep on the phone, asking about the STREET FIGHTER series, and they claimed that they had U.S. rights in perpetuity. I'm sure the umpteen "PD" releases of these and other martial arts films they handled is more a case of not wanting to spend time and money to bust the untraceable parties doing the theft, much like WB's laissez-faire attitude toward bootleggers of selected Allied Artists titles.
 

walter o

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 6, 2004
Messages
851
Marc,

that's odd New Line still controls STREETFIGHTER, I thought Cliff from BCI Eclipse/Brentwoods announced they were going to release the STREETFIGHTER films thru Toei?
 

jim om

Auditioning
Joined
May 18, 2005
Messages
9
New Line Home Video also had the rights to the now defunct "art film" division of the company, Fine Line Films. I've been patiently waiting for "Mrs. Parker and the Viscious Circle" to come out on dvd - I have the laserdisc, but it's slowly rotting away. It's a shame that many of the indie/art movies of the nineties still aren't on dvd while all the schlock of the 90s/2000s have been released and double/triple dipped.
 

Jon Hertzberg

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 6, 2001
Messages
1,541
Real Name
Jonathan
How about Eagle Pennell's The Whole Shootin' Match?

Also, am I mistaken or did New Line also distribute some of Amos Poe's early films, perhaps The Foreigner? I may be getting confused as I have read that Poe did work for New Line at some point.
 

DouglasBr

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
May 16, 2003
Messages
182
Would very much like to see Wise Blood on DVD. With Brad Dourif commentary and docu on Flannery O'Connor.

Probably never happen. . . .
 

Vincent-P

Second Unit
Joined
Jan 19, 2004
Messages
337
The Whole Shootin Match played here at SXSW a few weeks ago. As I was told, the film had been thought lost until a print was recently located. I heard people at the festival say that a DVD is being worked on, but I don't know by whom.
 

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