December 09, 2003
The missing DVDs
[Film Discussion]
When the DVD format was just getting started I looked for some of my favorite movies on DVD to find they had not yet been released. Years after since I bought my DVD player, I am sad to see that many of the movies I would love to watch with some frequency still have not had a DVD release. Lately I have been wondering if there is anything that I (or we, the fans) can do about it.
One of those missing titles that I wanted but could not have back in 1998 was the most excellent and quotable: The Princess Bride (1987). That year I felt motivated and started writing emails to the company that held the rights and encouraging others to do so as well. Later that year the DVD was finally released and I was one of the first to buy a copy (which I gave to a friend two years later when a special edition DVD was released with featurettes and commentary). There have been many rumors as of late of a DVD release for the original Star Wars trilogy due out November 4th, 2004, though such mutterings must be treated with a degree of skepticism (reports of changes to the trilogy for the DVD turned out to be complete fabrications.) That still leaves many great titles unaccounted for.
What are the studios waiting for? What is the holdup? I learned from the Princess Bride experience that even when a company owns a movie and wants to give it a DVD release, politics with distributors can hold things up. In that case the company that owned the rights to the movie did not have the infrastructure to distribute it and the distributors were demanding to be granted limited ownership before they would release it. I do not know if the fan letters helped the movie get out in any way, but I figure they can only help make the owners realize that there is a market for the movie and that if it is released people will buy it.
There are great movies that I would love to own but am not willing to buy on VHS. I know other people who would surely buy a copy of Delicatessen (1991) or Peter Greenaway's visual treats Prospero's Books (1991) and Drowning by Numbers (1988). I want to see if I can encourage the studios who own the rights to these titles to release them but am not sure what the most effective approach is. Sometimes Amazon.com will list an unreleased title and let you add your name to a list that they say they give to the distributors, but I do not know how effective this is. Is there something better we can do? How does one contact a studio in an effective way? What other titles are people still waiting for?
Almost makes you long for the days of vertical monopolies in the media world.
I've got an old copy of the Star Wars trilogy on VHS. I've vowed not to buy the DVD or any newer version unless it's the original theatrical edition, not the lame-ass special edition.
Posted by: Nick on December 9, 2003 11:28 PMWhen LucasFilm released the 'Special Editions' in 1997 I remember reading a quote from Lucas saying that this would be the last time the original trilogy would be available in the original form. I know a number of people who bought that VHS set for posterity sake. I am guessing that the DVD release of episodes IV, V and VI will all be doctored 'Special Edition' versions and that the theatrical release will not be released in any form.
Posted by: Leopoldo on December 10, 2003 08:37 AMI just found an article on StarWars.com where they state the theatrical release is a 'Limited Release'
http://www.starwars.com/episode-iv/news/2000/08/news20000829.html
Posted by: Leopoldo on December 10, 2003 08:42 AMI'd love to see Orgasmo come to DVD.
Posted by: Jon on December 11, 2003 05:31 PMGood luck on Orgasmo. Rightly or wrongly, studios aren't keen to lose money twice. ;-)
Posted by: Nick on December 15, 2003 06:56 PMI'm waiting for Star Wars and Delicatessan too. A few others I'd add to the list are After Hours, Eraserhead, and The Boys (1999).
Two of my big ticket items were just released though. Once Upon A Time In The West, and the Indiana Jones trilogy. So we're getting there, slowly but surely.
The funny thing is, we're gonna have to go through this all over again in about 10 years when we're all viewing HD.
Posted by: omen on December 16, 2003 09:11 AMGood point about the HD formats. I thought the same thing when I started replacing all my casettes with CDs though and fifteen years later CDs are stil my main format. So long as the next generation of HD-DVD players are backward compatible the corrent collection should still be good. I still wonder though if I will want to trade in my DVD of Lord of the Rings or Blade Runner for an HD version once one is available.
A post on HD DVDs is at:
Film Roar: HD-DVD Approved
While researching DVDs I found out that Delicatessen (1991) has been released, but only in a Region2 german DVD.. common guys! Lets get a Region1 releas!!
I also found this bit in the DVD FAQ at http://www.dvddemystified.com/:
[1.6.3] Why isn't my favorite movie on DVD?There are many factors that determine when a title is released on DVD. Sometimes the director or producer has control over DVD/video release. Other times it's up to the studio marketing group. Often there are issues with rights. For example, a DVD might be available in one country or region but not available in another because different studios have distribution rights in different countries. Studios do listen to customers, so let them know what titles you'd like to see.
[6.2.2] Studios, video publishers, and distributors
DVD File maintains a list of studio addresses, as well as DVD producer and distributor information:
[list of distributors]
The Label, Arthaus is not listed in the FAQ, but this may give a good place to start.
Posted by: Leopoldo on December 22, 2003 11:29 AM
I would like to second the Orgasmo comment, I think it's a fantastic movie and deserved a much better fate, dammit!
Posted by: Andre on February 2, 2004 07:26 PMI just realized I forgot to update this post with a link to: Film Roar: On the hunt for Delicatessen (1991) on DVD. I sent letters to the owners of Delicatessen asking for information on a DVD release. A month and a half later I still have not received a reply.
Posted by: Leopoldo on February 3, 2004 08:43 AMLucasfilm has announced the Star Wars DVD date. Details are at: Film Roar: Star Wars Trilogy Coming to DVD on September 21
Posted by: Leopoldo on February 11, 2004 10:05 AMDo you know where I can buy the movie Orgasmo with Carroll Baker?
Posted by: bob thomas on May 28, 2005 02:11 PM
