Website design By BotEap.comI just did a quick inventory of all the big movie titles that haven’t gotten their comeuppance on DVD, and the sheer number surprised me. I know rights issues and other legal dilemmas can tie up creative assets for years, but surely if determined minds really applied, some resolutions could be reached.

Website design By BotEap.comOne unavoidable problem is that in the all-powerful quest for revenue, more time and effort is spent marketing new products, often pointlessly, than promoting the best of our film heritage. To illustrate this mindset, when I asked a West Coast titan wannabe several years ago why “Bringing Up Baby,” arguably the ultimate wacko comedy, wasn’t on DVD, he replied with a straight face, “Who cares?” two dead actors matter? and a leopard? Scary, I thought. (Something must have been recorded in our conversation, though, since the DVD is now available.)

Website design By BotEap.comI must ask the question: how difficult can it be to offer these overlooked top-tier titles? Most of them have been previously released on VHS, which would be some consolation, except the VCR has gone the way of the dinosaur. And how about the idea of ​​rescuing important titles from shoddy DVD oblivion of “public domain” status? For example, why should I watch a lousy transfer of Frank Capra’s classic “Meet John Doe”?

Website design By BotEap.comThe fast-approaching reality of a completely on-demand universe means that consumers will rightly expect that, for a price, they will be able to access high-quality versions of most movies they want, so those entities that keep the content Featured out of the public eye, whatever the reason, hopefully you’ll decide to reassess your position. Or is it just an illusion?

Website design By BotEap.comMy own, perhaps naive, view is that, while driven by commerce, great movies also represent a vital cultural resource. Although hardly a matter of life and death, denying them to public consumption out of greed or simple negligence constitutes a kind of injustice. Although cynics will scoff, I firmly believe that what we consume as popular entertainment helps determine the overall quality of our lives.

Website design By BotEap.comWe all have special movies that we’ve always wanted to see in our DVD section, but have never seen (by the way, feel free to share yours).

Website design By BotEap.comCovering just about every genre and period, here’s my partial wish list:

Website design By BotEap.com1. Red Dust (1932) – A young Clark Gable plays a macho white hunter in Africa opposite a vulgar Jean Harlow and a Mary Astor. Unsurprisingly, the women do most of the hunting. Remade to less effect twenty years later as “Mogambo” (with Gable reprising his previous role).

Website design By BotEap.com2. The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) – The late Leslie Howard’s signature role as the masked hero of the French Revolution, posing incognito as an English dandy. Merle Oberon and Raymond Massey co-stars. (Public domain title).

Website design By BotEap.com3. Ruggles Of Red Gap (1936) – Charles Laughton plays an English butler whose master loses him in a card game to a wealthy American, and who is then forced to relocate to the wild West. He talks about culture shock. Roland Young and Charlie Ruggles (no relation) co-stars. One of our best eccentrics, bar none.

Website design By BotEap.com4. Love Affair (1939) – Leo McCarey’s original version of “An Affair To Remember”, with the Cary Grant/Deborah Kerr roles played by Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne. Less brilliant than the remake, but more moving from my point of view, with a charming Dunne.

Website design By BotEap.com5. The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) – Starring Joseph Cotten, this was Orson Welles’ second film about a family unwilling to adapt to the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution. Taken from the hands of Welles and cut down to 90 minutes, the film still beats most other options, and would make money on curiosity value alone.

Website design By BotEap.com6. The Uninvited (1944) – A creepy and understated ghost story with Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey as siblings who buy a seaside house with a shadowy, hidden past. A chilling, cultured movie introduced the classic tune, “Stella By Starlight.” A forgotten gem.

Website design By BotEap.com7. Life With Father (1947) – William Powell stars as late 19th-century patriarch Clarence Day opposite Irene Dunne in this charming and nostalgic family comedy, based on the best-selling play by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse. He looks for a young and adorable Elizabeth Taylor. (Public domain title).

Website design By BotEap.com8. The Gunfighter (1950): Henry King’s signature western about an armed outlaw who discovers the difficulty of breaking with his past. One of Gregory Peck’s best early performances.

Website design By BotEap.com9. The African Queen (1951) – Bogie won an Oscar playing the captain of a broken-down ship who gets into all sorts of adventures with spinster Katharine Hepburn in John Huston’s First Class Adventure.

Website design By BotEap.com10. Long live Zapata! (1952)- Marlon Brando deftly portrays Mexican activist-turned-statesman Emilio Zapata in Elia Kazan’s underexposed historical drama. Also an excellent showcase for Anthony Quinn, who plays Zapata’s brother.

Website design By BotEap.com11. Two Women (1960) – Sophia Loren won an Academy Award as a mother who is raped (along with her young daughter) by marauding soldiers during World War II. A late peak in director Vittorio De Sica’s career (public domain title).

Website design By BotEap.com12. A Thousand Clowns (1965) – The magical black comedy features a spectacular turn by Jason Robards as an irresponsible daydreamer who risks losing custody of his lovable, like-minded nephew. William Daniels and Barbara Harris provide stellar support.

Website design By BotEap.com13. The Wrong Box (1966) – The wacky and wildly clever British comedy involves machinations within an eccentric family to determine who will receive a hefty inheritance. Michael Caine and Peter Sellers star, along with veteran pros John Mills and Ralph Richardson.

Website design By BotEap.com14. Cousin, Cousine (1975) – A spicy Gallic concoction has two distant cousins ​​(Marie-Christine Barrault and Victor Lanoux) who meet at a wedding and gradually begin a very sweet and joyful relationship, much to the dismay of their respective neurotic spouses. and demanding. Just the kind of sassy, ​​sexy romance that the French do best.

Website design By BotEap.com15. The Dead (1987) – John Huston’s latest film brings to life the bittersweet characters and setting of James Joyce’s “Dubliners.” Clearly a labor of love for the dying director, the film stars his daughter Anjelica, who is surrounded by a strong Irish cast.