Why I love the shinning DVD...

As TV stations stop screening old movies, or do it at times that no one who works can watch, and places like the NFT show less classics and less variety, the DVD has changed completely my access to films. I now have discs bought not only in the UK and Portugal (the two obvious starting places for me…) but also France, Spain, Germany, one from Belgium bought somewhere else and one from Italy (the wonderful “La Finestra di Fronte”) and plenty from the US – God bless the internet, I have to say…

The issues and rights of the films, and the release decisions of some of titles can be almost hilarious at times. For instance, why do I have to go to Germany to buy British films that aren’t available in the UK (“Bedrooms and Hallways”)? Why does Spain get the only official release of Mankiewicz’s “The Honey Pot” with a delightful Maggie Smith? Or why are countless Region 2 releases of WB available in some countries but not others, including the UK, despite the fact that they have already the correct subtitles and/or audio tracks - “Splendor in the Grass”, “The Champ” 1932 version, Fritz Lang’s “Moonfleet”, “Jezebel” are examples of films that are available in some European countries but not the UK.

Part of my problem is that I still prefer to support Region 2 releases, but since less and less is happening in the classics’ market, and when it happens usually carries inferior releases, why bother? Having a multi-region player and an eye on different countries can produce quite nice results… For instance a French release of “Dark Mirror” with Olivia de Havilland, I think unavailable anywhere else.

And as my collection grows more and more, I for one am quite happy with these little discs which have allowed me to see many wonderful and not so wonderful films, but be familiar with the work of actors that I would not have known otherwise. The case in point is the films of Myrna Loy. Despite having a decent following in the US her films are practically unseen and unheard in Europe. If they are it’s because they were directed by William Wyler or have Cary Grant in the leading part. So I was pleasantly surprised with “The Thin Man”, “Libeled Lady” and “Mr Blandings builds his dream house”. And I want more… With the exception of “The Best Days of our Lives”, all the her films I ever saw were on disc…

DVDs also have allowed me to see films that for long eluded me on TV or screenings, such as “White Heat” and most Cagneys, “I am a fugitive from a chain gang”, “Old Acquaintance”, “Mildred Pierce” and gave me the possibility to watch “What’s Opera Doc?” whenever I want. Hurrah!