Films from the '70s still MIA on blu-ray

[thompsonjohn]

What films from the '70s do you wish would get a blu-ray release, from anybody, I'm starting to get worried none of these will ever come our way and what a shame it will be..

- Robert Altman's '71 film "McCabe & Mrs. Miller"
- Robert Atlman's '72 film "Images"
- Robert Altman's '74 film "California Split"

With Kino being all over some of Altman's films recently I'm really hoping they pony up some more money and get distribution on these. Especially "California Split" and "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" at the very least, considering those films featured some big stars for their day. "Images" is a little more obscure, but still an interesting film in Altman's filmography. Think it really did not get any love at all because it came right after "MASH" and it was not anything like another mainstream smash like "MASH" was.

Also, I want to raise awareness with how damned lazy Paramount or WB is, whoever is handling Paramount's catalog titles for home video release, I'd like to give a public execution. First of all for delaying and delaying "Vanilla Sky", but eventually we got it, but I think that was the director's doing? So, whatever, okay atleast we finally got it. But, they did the same exact thing for "American Gigolo", teased us forever with a release date, kept pushing it back and back and then just canned it all together.

So, not only do we still need "American Gigolo", but for some reason I was under the impression they had put out the original films of "The Bad News Bears" and "The Longest Yard", but nope this God damned Paramount we're dealing with. I wish they would license them out or something, or just friggin' release 'em barebones if that's what it's going to take to have these on blu-ray with half-way decent transfers.

And the of course the most pain-in-the-ass when it comes to putting out catalog titles, aside when they do their MOD releases is Warner Bros. who has Scorsese's early pictures like "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and God know's who will ever put out "Boxcar Bertha", a film AIP did, so I'd assume Kino would've had that shit down already, but nope.

I'll end rant here. I'm sure I missed a few other greats of the 70's, so why don't you tell me what you wanna see from the 70's finally get a release? Of course there is still "Night Movies", but WB has that, so you know how that goes. I think the Dustin Hoffman picture "Straight Time" might be under WB's hellish control as well, I'm not sure and I'm not looking it up, but damn it, give it to us already.

[Astro Zombie]

Black Belt Jones

[DanTheMan]

Star Wars: Episode IV

[Buscemi]

American Gigolo's out in Europe and Australia so you shouldn't have a problem getting a Region A capable release.

California Split has music rights problems (the DVD was cut as a result). Maybe Criterion or Twilight Time will help settle these but it's highly unlikely (if you want a similar movie on Blu-ray to tide you over, pick up Mississippi Grind when it comes out).

Sony has Images now (MGM's rights lapsed) so expect Criterion or Twilight Time to handle this one.

I can't help you on the other Paramount titles or Warner Bros. titles but I don't think Paramount renewed their deal. Maybe they'll jump to Universal (kind of like how the international division has) or we can get some of those Paramount/Warner Bros. (and especially the MTV titles Paramount kept) titles licensed to Shout.

Meanwhile, to answer the topic, I'm going to probably go with...

Sleuth (stuck in rights hell)
The Stepford Wives (ditto)
The American Film Theatre collection (Kino has them but the masters aren't in the best shape)
Man of Marble (this and Man of Iron would make for a great set)
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
End of the Road (a Warner Bros. title but Warner Archive did a special edition DVD a few years back so it's possible)
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
Phantasm (I read Image/RLJ has this one)
Diary of a Mad Housewife
Made for Each Other (Fox reacquired this and did an MOD DVD, so maybe a master, either the negative or a print from either the original release or the 1985 reissue, still exists)
Mikey and Nicky (I think Shout owns this one now)

[DanTheMan]

Let's Do It Again

[Lt. Brannigan]

The Shootist (1976)
McQ (1974)

[lesco]

God, where to begin - of the 30 titles remaining on my Blu-ray Want List, over half are from the 70s.

To begin with, most of Ken Russell's 70s output.

And then:

Catch-22 (#1 on my 70s Want List)
Freebie and the Bean
The Gumball Rally
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
Jabberwocky
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
A Little Romance
The Tenant

[Bonzi]

Over the Edge (1979)
Professione: repoter (1975)

[Katatonia]

I don't believe any of these (random) have Blu-ray releases anywhere, yet:

The Electric Horseman (1979)
Thank God It's Friday (1978)
The Bad News Bears (1976)
Foul Play (1978)
Blue Sunshine (1978)
Martin (1977)
Ice Castles (1978)
Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972)
Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (1973)
Salem's Lot (1979)
The Parallax View (1974)
Cannonball (1976)
Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)
Simon, King of the Witches (1971)
The Dark (1979)
Corvette Summer (1978)
Harper Valley P.T.A. (1978)
The Manitou (1978)
Nightwing (1979)
Crossed Swords (1977)
Swashbuckler (1976)
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Earthquake (1974)
Kenny & Company (1976)
The Hired Hand (1971)
Murder by Decree (1979)
Parts: The Clonus Horror (1979)
The Dunwich Horror (1970)
The House That Dripped Blood (1970)
From Beyond the Grave (1973)
And Now the Screaming Starts! (1972)
The Beast Must Die (1973)
The Creeping Flesh (1972)
Raw Meat (1972)

[BluBonnet]

Time After Time (1979)

[Gizz]

(1978)


I want this on Blu in a steelbook just like the first film.

[Astro Zombie]

And the other sequels while we're at it. I need that roaring shark in all its HD glory.

[Travis]

Pat Garret and Billy the Kid!

[Gizz]

Originally Posted by Astro Zombie

And the other sequels while we're at it. I need that roaring shark in all its HD glory.

Just as long as Jaws 3 is in real 3D and Jaws the Revenge as both ending and they are both in Steelbooks. I have the Steelbook bug at the moment.

[Trekkie313]

Big Wednesday

[Todd Tomorrow]

Klute, one of the best thrillers of the 70s

I have a special fondness for The Eyes of Laura Mars, which basically is a Hollywood take on the giallo. It's also one of the best New York films of the era, catching both its squalor and its Studio 54 style glitz.

Ken Russell's The Devils and The Boyfriend, my two favourite films of his and both on opposite spectrums.

The remaining John Cassavetes films Minnie and Moskovitz and Gloria (slight cheat at 1980)

The Canadian thriller The Silent Partner with Elliot Gould and a very scary Christopher Plummer.

The Italian cult thrillers The Designated Victim (a lose remake of Strangers on a Train) and Who Can Kill a Child? (only the inferior remake is out on BD)

The hugely atmospheric British thriller And Soon the Darkness (again only the crappy remake is available on BD)

When it comes to trashy sequels, as a fan of 70s disaster movies I'd like the remaining Airport films on Blu.

[edwn1220]

I'd love to see these two in HD:

- the 1971 nostalgic, coming of age flick "Summer of 42"

[Show spoiler]

Summer of 42 - Jennifer O'Neill / Music by Michel Legrand - YouTube

- the 1975 war drama "Operation: Daybreak"

[CinemaScope]

Tons of 'em, a few that haven't been mentioned:

The Last Valley
The Last Of Sheila
The Great Waldo Pepper
The Life & Times Of Judge Roy Bean
Murder By Death
The Cheap Detective

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by Katatonia

I don't believe any of these (random) have Blu-ray releases anywhere, yet:

The Electric Horseman (1979)
Thank God It's Friday (1978)
The Bad News Bears (1976)
Foul Play (1978)
Blue Sunshine (1978)
Martin (1977)
Ice Castles (1978)
Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972)
Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (1973)
Salem's Lot (1979)
The Parallax View (1974)
Cannonball (1976)
Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)
Simon, King of the Witches (1971)
The Dark (1979)
Corvette Summer (1978)
Harper Valley P.T.A. (1978)
The Manitou (1978)
Nightwing (1979)
Crossed Swords (1977)
Swashbuckler (1976)
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Earthquake (1974)
Kenny & Company (1976)
The Hired Hand (1971)
Murder by Decree (1979)
Parts: The Clonus Horror (1979)
The Dunwich Horror (1970)
The House That Dripped Blood (1970)
From Beyond the Grave (1973)
And Now the Screaming Starts! (1972)
The Beast Must Die (1973)
The Creeping Flesh (1972)
Raw Meat (1972)

Blue Sunshine and Lemora have been announced. Earthquake has been out for a few years, Murder on the Orient Express is out in several European countries.

[kidglov3s]

If Warner reads this thread and sees Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid I'll add a request for that, both the theatrical cut and 1988 Turner Preview in Blu-ray.