There are, of course, a good many classic movies that remain MIA on Blu-ray. Whether out of studio shortsightedness or merely what is perceived as a lack of interest from the public, or further to the point of some costly restoration, certain never to yield the badly needed dollars in return to make them viable releases, a vast portion of Hollywood's legacy remains unseen, unloved and unknown by the public at large. As the years pass, the prospect of renewing interest in these deep catalog releases continues to dwindle, and that is a shame.
But the even greater curiosity here is how many superb movies from the 1970's and 90's still remain MIA on Blu-ray - movies that, ostensibly, require no great preservation/restoration effort to re-launch them in hi-def and deservedly need to be seen again on home video in Region 1. What follows is a list of the most perplexing omissions from 1970-2000. Why none of these have made it to hi-def is, frankly, beyond me. These are movies that I really cannot believe have not had their hi-def debut as yet.
A Touch of Class (1973) Glenda Jackson and George Segal make wonderfully flawed music together in this frank and funny rom/com with a lot to say about extra-marital relations. (Rights holder: Warner Bros.)
Save the Tiger (1973) Jack Lemmon won the Oscar for his wonderfully disillusioned aging decent man desperate to save his near-bankrupt clothing company. (Rights holder: Paramount)
Murder on the Orient Express (1974) - a fantastically faithful, all-star offering from dir. Sidney Lumet, and featuring a mesmerizing turn by Albert Finney as Agatha Christie's famed detective, Hercule Poirot, investigating the brutal murder of a man who had everything to hide. Only available in the UK on Blu. For shame! (Rights holder: Paramount).
The Turning Point (1977) Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine are two women whose lives are slavishly devoted to ballet. Great performances, multiple Oscar-nods and no Blu. Go figure (Rights holder: Fox).
Death on the Nile (1978) another brilliant all-star send up to Agatha Christie's famed mystery novel with the superb Peter Ustinov reincarnating a very different Hercule Poirot to unravel the baffling murders taking place aboard an Egyptian luxury liner. Superbly scripted and brilliantly acted by all. And nowhere to be seen outside of the UK on Blu-ray (Rights holder: Paramount).
Ordinary People (1980) Mary Tyler Moore plays an emotionally remote matriarch after the death of her beloved son, and the near suicide of his younger sibling, given uncharacteristic ballast by Timothy Hutton. Stellar performances from Donald Sutherland and Judd Hirsch and an Oscar-winning Best Picture besides. And no Blu-ray?!?! Are we serious. Alas, yes. (Rights holder: Paramount)
The Elephant Man (1980) - Sir Anthony Hopkins gives a monumental performance is this retelling of the perilous existence of John Merrick, the deformed human who became an medical oddity rife for exploitation. So far, only a region B locked disc from Studio Canal (Rights holder: Paramount).
Rich and Famous (1981) Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergan recreate the roles first made famous by Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins in this remake of Old Acquaintance (1943, and also MIA on Blu) as feuding friends who find a common ground on which to love one another, despite their feuds. Great score by George Delerues and directed by George Cukor - his last. (Rights holder: Warner Bros.)
Six Weeks (1982) - Dudley Moore and Mary Tyler Moore are an aspiring politico and wealthy cosmetic exec respectively who band together to give the latter's dying daughter her one wish, to dance the Nutcracker in New York's prestigious production, before she dies. Three-hanky weepy with wonderful performances and NO Blu-ray, despite a gorgeous HD presentation available on Amazon Prime. For shame! (Rights holder: Universal).
My Favorite Year (1982) - Mark Lynn Baker discovers that his idol played by Peter O'Toole is a raging alcoholic who jeopardizes his future as a writer of early TV comedy skits. Wonderful performances by both men. (Rights holder: Warner Bros.)
After Hours (1985) the barely remembered Griffin Dunne suffers through a series of crazy mishaps on route from his meaningless job to the next day's grind, encountering one crazy after another, that reminds him why sometimes a dull life is preferred over...well. Scorsese directs and Dunne gives this one his all. (Rights holder: Warner Bros.)
Pretty in Pink (1986) - Molly Ringwald's career as the quintessential teen who finds perfect romance despite great adversities was a role model for many a girl in the 80's. To date, this one remains the only movie from that successful spate of projects never to find its way to Blu-ray. (Rights holder: Paramount).
Outrageous Fortune (1987) Bette Midler and Shelley Long have slept with the same guy. Then they discover he is a double agent for the KGB. A brazenly funny romp from New York to New Mexico. Nine years of ballet, as@#$ole! Hilarious stuff! (Rights holder: Disney)
The Abyss (1989) Yeah, I know. Cameron has been promising us this one forever. And while rumors abound that the wait for this brilliant underwater adventure might finally be over, I presume we can all agree, it's been LONG overdue. (Rights holder: Fox)
Reversal of Fortune (1990) - Jeremy Irons gave a brilliant Oscar-winning performance opposite the late (and very great) Ron Silver, as messrs Claus von Bülow and law professor, Alan Dershowitz respectively, and a deconstruction of one of the most legendary trials in recent U.S. history. (Rights Holder: Warner Bros.)
True Lies (1994) one of Schwarzenegger's best actioners, with a hilarious performance by Jamie Lee Curtis - never made available on home video except in a non-anamorphic DVD, which is akin to offering us a 16mm print to watch on our 4K sets. Disgustingly delayed by Cameron's participation again - or lack thereof. Ugh! and can we please get on with it?!? (Rights holder: Fox)
Murial's Wedding (1994) - the marvelous Toni Collette came to international renown in this Australian-produced comedy about a wallflower who discovers what life is all about after her best friend is stricken with a grave illness. Wonderful, poignant and charming - and nowhere to be seen except in a badly bungled Region 2 offering. (Rights holder: Disney)
I love Trouble (1994) Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte are the Nick and Nora Charles of their generation in this light-hearted crime caper from the winning team of Charles Shyer and Nancy Myers. In 1997 it was announced officially that a director's cut would be forthcoming on LaserDisc. But then DVD took hold, all plans for a director's cut were ditched, and, to date, only the theatrical cut is available - in Europe, and region free, but looking dated and in need of a new video master. (Rights holder: Disney)
While You Were Sleeping (1995) - charming Christmas-themed rom/com with the ever-winsome Sandra Bullock as a slightly depressed single gal desperately pining for Peter Gallagher's young Turk, that is, until she meets his more gentle brother, played with immeasurable charm by Bill Pullman. (Rights holder: Disney)
Jane Austen's Emma (1996) Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam romantically spar to perfection in this charming big-screen retelling of Austen's grand romance, again, only available in a horrendously bungled Region B release. (Rights holder - Disney).
Extreme Measures (1996) Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker and Gene Hackman are embroiled in a harrowing thriller in which real human subjects are being used for highly experimental and unorthodox spinal surgeries. Brilliantly scripted and bone-chilling besides. (Rights Holder: Warner Bros.)
The First Wives Club (1996) - Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton are middle-age gals scorned by their philandering husbands, reunited by the death of a beloved friend. A huge rom/com hit with no Blu in sight. (Rights holder: Paramount)
In and Out (1997) Kevin Kline's gay school teacher is outed during the annual Oscar telecast by a former student, sending his small town and his heterosexual fiancee into a tizzy. Huge laughs and some great character parts for Debbie Reynolds and Bob Newhart. (Rights holder: Paramount)
Runaway Bride (1999) Julia Roberts is a winsome bride many times over who just cannot get herself to the altar in this warm-hearted charmer that co-stars her Pretty Woman hunk du jour, Richard Gere as an enterprising reporter who sets out to expose the truth, but winds up falling in love with her instead. (Rights holder: Paramount).
An Ideal Husband (1999) - a lavishly appointed retelling of Oscar Wilde's 1895 play, made at the tail end of Hollywood's rekindled fascination with 'period' drama and starring a luminous Minnie Driver and Cate Blanchet and handsome Rupert Everett in this lover's triangle with tragi-comedic results. (Rights holder: Disney).
Anna and the King (1999) Andy Tennant's retelling of Siam's most enigmatic ruler and the Brit-born school marm who tamed his heart co-stars Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat, and features some of the most gorgeous recreations of vintage Siam ever put on the screen. Breathtaking spectacle and compelling drama besides. So, where is it on Blu-ray. Oh right - no where! For shame!!!! (Rights Holder: Fox/Disney)
What Women Want (2000) Mel Gibson plays a chauvinist who gets his due when a freak accident allows him to get inside the head of the fairer sex, resulting in a more intimate understanding of the one woman whose heart he desperately wants to conquer. Helen Hunt co-stars. (Rights holder: Paramount)
But the even greater curiosity here is how many superb movies from the 1970's and 90's still remain MIA on Blu-ray - movies that, ostensibly, require no great preservation/restoration effort to re-launch them in hi-def and deservedly need to be seen again on home video in Region 1. What follows is a list of the most perplexing omissions from 1970-2000. Why none of these have made it to hi-def is, frankly, beyond me. These are movies that I really cannot believe have not had their hi-def debut as yet.
A Touch of Class (1973) Glenda Jackson and George Segal make wonderfully flawed music together in this frank and funny rom/com with a lot to say about extra-marital relations. (Rights holder: Warner Bros.)
Save the Tiger (1973) Jack Lemmon won the Oscar for his wonderfully disillusioned aging decent man desperate to save his near-bankrupt clothing company. (Rights holder: Paramount)
Murder on the Orient Express (1974) - a fantastically faithful, all-star offering from dir. Sidney Lumet, and featuring a mesmerizing turn by Albert Finney as Agatha Christie's famed detective, Hercule Poirot, investigating the brutal murder of a man who had everything to hide. Only available in the UK on Blu. For shame! (Rights holder: Paramount).
The Turning Point (1977) Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine are two women whose lives are slavishly devoted to ballet. Great performances, multiple Oscar-nods and no Blu. Go figure (Rights holder: Fox).
Death on the Nile (1978) another brilliant all-star send up to Agatha Christie's famed mystery novel with the superb Peter Ustinov reincarnating a very different Hercule Poirot to unravel the baffling murders taking place aboard an Egyptian luxury liner. Superbly scripted and brilliantly acted by all. And nowhere to be seen outside of the UK on Blu-ray (Rights holder: Paramount).
Ordinary People (1980) Mary Tyler Moore plays an emotionally remote matriarch after the death of her beloved son, and the near suicide of his younger sibling, given uncharacteristic ballast by Timothy Hutton. Stellar performances from Donald Sutherland and Judd Hirsch and an Oscar-winning Best Picture besides. And no Blu-ray?!?! Are we serious. Alas, yes. (Rights holder: Paramount)
The Elephant Man (1980) - Sir Anthony Hopkins gives a monumental performance is this retelling of the perilous existence of John Merrick, the deformed human who became an medical oddity rife for exploitation. So far, only a region B locked disc from Studio Canal (Rights holder: Paramount).
Rich and Famous (1981) Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergan recreate the roles first made famous by Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins in this remake of Old Acquaintance (1943, and also MIA on Blu) as feuding friends who find a common ground on which to love one another, despite their feuds. Great score by George Delerues and directed by George Cukor - his last. (Rights holder: Warner Bros.)
Six Weeks (1982) - Dudley Moore and Mary Tyler Moore are an aspiring politico and wealthy cosmetic exec respectively who band together to give the latter's dying daughter her one wish, to dance the Nutcracker in New York's prestigious production, before she dies. Three-hanky weepy with wonderful performances and NO Blu-ray, despite a gorgeous HD presentation available on Amazon Prime. For shame! (Rights holder: Universal).
My Favorite Year (1982) - Mark Lynn Baker discovers that his idol played by Peter O'Toole is a raging alcoholic who jeopardizes his future as a writer of early TV comedy skits. Wonderful performances by both men. (Rights holder: Warner Bros.)
After Hours (1985) the barely remembered Griffin Dunne suffers through a series of crazy mishaps on route from his meaningless job to the next day's grind, encountering one crazy after another, that reminds him why sometimes a dull life is preferred over...well. Scorsese directs and Dunne gives this one his all. (Rights holder: Warner Bros.)
Pretty in Pink (1986) - Molly Ringwald's career as the quintessential teen who finds perfect romance despite great adversities was a role model for many a girl in the 80's. To date, this one remains the only movie from that successful spate of projects never to find its way to Blu-ray. (Rights holder: Paramount).
Outrageous Fortune (1987) Bette Midler and Shelley Long have slept with the same guy. Then they discover he is a double agent for the KGB. A brazenly funny romp from New York to New Mexico. Nine years of ballet, as@#$ole! Hilarious stuff! (Rights holder: Disney)
The Abyss (1989) Yeah, I know. Cameron has been promising us this one forever. And while rumors abound that the wait for this brilliant underwater adventure might finally be over, I presume we can all agree, it's been LONG overdue. (Rights holder: Fox)
Reversal of Fortune (1990) - Jeremy Irons gave a brilliant Oscar-winning performance opposite the late (and very great) Ron Silver, as messrs Claus von Bülow and law professor, Alan Dershowitz respectively, and a deconstruction of one of the most legendary trials in recent U.S. history. (Rights Holder: Warner Bros.)
True Lies (1994) one of Schwarzenegger's best actioners, with a hilarious performance by Jamie Lee Curtis - never made available on home video except in a non-anamorphic DVD, which is akin to offering us a 16mm print to watch on our 4K sets. Disgustingly delayed by Cameron's participation again - or lack thereof. Ugh! and can we please get on with it?!? (Rights holder: Fox)
Murial's Wedding (1994) - the marvelous Toni Collette came to international renown in this Australian-produced comedy about a wallflower who discovers what life is all about after her best friend is stricken with a grave illness. Wonderful, poignant and charming - and nowhere to be seen except in a badly bungled Region 2 offering. (Rights holder: Disney)
I love Trouble (1994) Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte are the Nick and Nora Charles of their generation in this light-hearted crime caper from the winning team of Charles Shyer and Nancy Myers. In 1997 it was announced officially that a director's cut would be forthcoming on LaserDisc. But then DVD took hold, all plans for a director's cut were ditched, and, to date, only the theatrical cut is available - in Europe, and region free, but looking dated and in need of a new video master. (Rights holder: Disney)
While You Were Sleeping (1995) - charming Christmas-themed rom/com with the ever-winsome Sandra Bullock as a slightly depressed single gal desperately pining for Peter Gallagher's young Turk, that is, until she meets his more gentle brother, played with immeasurable charm by Bill Pullman. (Rights holder: Disney)
Jane Austen's Emma (1996) Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam romantically spar to perfection in this charming big-screen retelling of Austen's grand romance, again, only available in a horrendously bungled Region B release. (Rights holder - Disney).
Extreme Measures (1996) Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker and Gene Hackman are embroiled in a harrowing thriller in which real human subjects are being used for highly experimental and unorthodox spinal surgeries. Brilliantly scripted and bone-chilling besides. (Rights Holder: Warner Bros.)
The First Wives Club (1996) - Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler and Diane Keaton are middle-age gals scorned by their philandering husbands, reunited by the death of a beloved friend. A huge rom/com hit with no Blu in sight. (Rights holder: Paramount)
In and Out (1997) Kevin Kline's gay school teacher is outed during the annual Oscar telecast by a former student, sending his small town and his heterosexual fiancee into a tizzy. Huge laughs and some great character parts for Debbie Reynolds and Bob Newhart. (Rights holder: Paramount)
Runaway Bride (1999) Julia Roberts is a winsome bride many times over who just cannot get herself to the altar in this warm-hearted charmer that co-stars her Pretty Woman hunk du jour, Richard Gere as an enterprising reporter who sets out to expose the truth, but winds up falling in love with her instead. (Rights holder: Paramount).
An Ideal Husband (1999) - a lavishly appointed retelling of Oscar Wilde's 1895 play, made at the tail end of Hollywood's rekindled fascination with 'period' drama and starring a luminous Minnie Driver and Cate Blanchet and handsome Rupert Everett in this lover's triangle with tragi-comedic results. (Rights holder: Disney).
Anna and the King (1999) Andy Tennant's retelling of Siam's most enigmatic ruler and the Brit-born school marm who tamed his heart co-stars Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat, and features some of the most gorgeous recreations of vintage Siam ever put on the screen. Breathtaking spectacle and compelling drama besides. So, where is it on Blu-ray. Oh right - no where! For shame!!!! (Rights Holder: Fox/Disney)
What Women Want (2000) Mel Gibson plays a chauvinist who gets his due when a freak accident allows him to get inside the head of the fairer sex, resulting in a more intimate understanding of the one woman whose heart he desperately wants to conquer. Helen Hunt co-stars. (Rights holder: Paramount)
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