The Disappeared

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There are plenty of lists of highly regarded films that need to be given an upgrade and a fresh release on DVD or Bluray. The much bigger category, of course, are films that were issued decades ago on VHS (or were never released at all), and need to make their DVD or digital download debut. I've been clamoring for years for the release of DVDs (at the very least) of David Jones' Betrayal, Frank Perry's Play It As It Lays and John Flynn's The Outfit, as HE regulars well know.

I scanned through this Pauline Kael capsule review site for some titles that would be at least somewhat diverting to have on DVD or Bluray or both. What I came up with, mostly, was mediocre but watchable junk. Some have cloudy reputations, some were directed by "made" guys, some had good casts, a few starred Sandy Dennis and others are just oddball failures and half-and-halfers from the '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s.

But older junk has an intrigue that newer junk lacks. Second-tier diversions ain't what they used to be. 21st Century blow-chunk levels are appalling. Now you get nervy throw-away crap from guys like Jody Hill with their baseball caps and seven-day beard growths and fat asses. Back then crap seemed...I don't know, tidier or something. A bit more layered and better prepared. Sometimes you got an awkward fumble or flat-out failure from the likes of Robert Mulligan, Mark Rydell, Paul Mazursky, etc. And if you were stuck with a major stinker, there was at least a nude scene or some gratuitous sex thrown in. It was the fashion back then.

I've listed about eleven titles for starters. I might not want to own these films, but I'd definitely rent them. Some of them are better than crap-level but they've faded from circulation out of boredom or irrelevance. There are hundreds more that make the grade in this sense. I might even run a Part Two tomorrow.

Alex in Wonderland (1969) -- director: Paul Mazursky. Cast: Donald Sutherland, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Lerner, Mazursky.

The Actress (1953) -- director: George Cukor. Cast: Jean Simmons, Spencer Tracy, Teresa Wright, Anthony Perkins (making his debut), Jackie Coogan.

The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968) -- director: Robert Aldrich. Cast: Peter Finch, Kim Novak, Ernest Borgnine.

In The Cool of the Day (1963) -- director: Robert Stevens. Cast: Jane Fonda, Peter Finch, Arthur Hill.

That Cold Day in the Park (1969) -- director: Robert Altman. Cast: Sandy Dennis, Michael Burns, Susanne Benton, David Garfield, Luana Anders, Michael Murphy.

Up The Down Staircase (1967) -- director: Robert Mulligan. Cast: Sandy Dennis, Patrick Bedford, Eileen Heckart, Ruth White, Jean Stapleton.

The Fox (1967) -- director: Mark Rydell. Cast: Anne Heywood, Sandy Dennis, Keir Dullea.

Thumb Trippin' (1972) -- director: Quentin Masters.

Midas Run (1969) -- director: Alf Kjellin. Cast: Anne Heywood, Richard Crenna, Fred Astaire, Ceasar Romero.

The legendary At Long Last Love (1973) -- director: Peter Bogdanovich. Cast: Burt Reynolds, Cybill Shepherd, Madeline Kahn, Duilio Del Prete, Eileen Brennan.

Brewster Mccloud (1972) -- dierctor: Robert Altman. Cast: Bud Cort, Sally Kellerman, Michael Murphy, William Windom, Shelley Duvall, Rene Auberjonois, Stacy Keach.

Unfashionable!<< previous | next >>Noted

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on April 9, 2009 at 11:42 AM

comment #1

George Prager says ...

LAST SUMMER (1969) , DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE (1970), DOC (1971)-- director Frank Perry

HOUSEKEEPING (1987) -- director Bill Forsyth

THE LANDLORD (1970) -- director Hal Ashby

DRIVE, HE SAID (1971) --director Jack Nicholson

...

Posted by George Prager at April 9, 2009 12:04 PM

comment #2

George Prager says ...

PATTY HEARST (1988) -- director Paul Schrader

Posted by George Prager at April 9, 2009 12:05 PM

comment #3

MilkMan says ...

The Revolutionary, 1970, directed by Paul Williams, starring Jon Voight.

Girlfriends, 1978, directed by Claudia Weill, starring Bob Balaban.

Marriage of a Young Stockbroker, 1971, directed by Lawrence Turman, starring Richard Benjamin.

Simon, 1980, directed by Marshall Brickman, starring Alan Arkin.

Rich Kids, 1979, directed by Robert M. Young, starring Trini Alvarado.

Posted by MilkMan at April 9, 2009 12:09 PM

comment #4

R. Hunt says ...

Here's my "Lost films of the 70s" list:
Blake Edwards' "The Carey Treatment" and "The Tamarind Seed", Michael Apted's "Stardust", Jonathan Demme's "Citizens Band", Alan Rudolph's "Welcome to LA", Stanley Donen's "Movie Movie", Dennis Hopper's "The Last Movie",

Posted by R. Hunt at April 9, 2009 12:11 PM

comment #5

MilkMan says ...

Players, 1979, directed by Anthony Harvey, starring Dean Paul Martin.

Who are the DeBolts? [And where did they get 19 kids?], 1977, directed by John Korty.

God's Angry Man, 1980, directed by Werner Herzog, starring Gene Scott.

Posted by MilkMan at April 9, 2009 12:19 PM

comment #6

Smedley says ...

WHEN THE WIND BLOWS (1986) - Jimmy Murikami

THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION PART II: THE METAL YEARS (1988) - Penelope Spheeris

Posted by Smedley at April 9, 2009 12:19 PM

comment #7

Rich S. says ...

I don't have time to cross-reference all your suggestions, and forgive me if this has been discussed here before, but were you all aware of the Warner Archive?

http://www.wbshop.com/Warner-Archive/ARCHIVE,default,sc.html

It's exactly what Jeffrey is talking about. Little remembered films that have never appeared on DVD. Select one from the list, request it, and they'll burn one for you.

It's a little pricey, but if it's a must-have, then it's a must have. I'm contemplating George Pal's Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, starring Ron Eli, myself.

Posted by Rich S. at April 9, 2009 12:22 PM

comment #8

Imogen says ...

I would love to see

Alexander MacKendrick's A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA (1965)

Carol Reed's THE OUTCAST OF THE ISLANDS

Posted by Imogen at April 9, 2009 12:30 PM

comment #9

George Prager says ...

THE STEAGLE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auxZa2b0Uns

Posted by George Prager at April 9, 2009 12:30 PM

comment #10

TVMCCA says ...

The legendary At Long Last Love (1975) -- director: Peter Bogdanovich. Cast: Burt Reynolds, Cybill Shepherd, Madeline Kahn, Duilio Del Prete, Eileen Brennan.

One of those films which appears legendary on paper until you actually see it. Starts out mildly diverting, then grinds on and on until its finale.

Posted by TVMCCA at April 9, 2009 12:32 PM

comment #11

MikeSchaeferSF says ...

I second the recommendation for Stardust. Talk about a lost movie -- it was dumped into US theaters for a week and was gone.

This weekend I caught The President's Analyst on TCM. Damn thing is still funny.

Posted by MikeSchaeferSF at April 9, 2009 12:50 PM

comment #12

Rob says ...

1. LOOKIING FOR MR. GOODBAR. Director: Richard Brooks. Cast: Diane Keaton, Tuesday Weld, Richard Gere

2. RUNNING ON EMPTY. Director: Sidney Lumet. Cast: Christine Lahti, Judd Hirsch, River Phoenix

3. MEN DON'T LEAVE. Director: Paul Brickman. Cast: Jessica Lange, Arliss Howard, Joan Cusack

Posted by Rob at April 9, 2009 1:03 PM

comment #13

JChasse says ...

We played this game a year or two ago, and since then, a few of my movies came out on DVD, like "Man Of A Thousand Faces" and "Houdini". And "On Borrowed Time" with Lionel Barrymore was made available through that Warners Archive series mentioned above. So stay positive, gang. Stay positive.

Still want "The Comic" with Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney, directed by Carl Reiner, though.

Posted by JChasse at April 9, 2009 1:15 PM

comment #14

bmcintire says ...

It looks like both DOC and PATTY HEARST may be happening in late '09 or early '10.

Some stuff I'd love to have:
SAINT JOAN (1957) Director: Otto Preminger. Cast: Jean Seburg, John Geligud, Richard Widmark

THE DEVILS (1971) Director: Ken Russell. Cast: Oliver Reed, Vanessa Redgrave.

THE MUSIC LOVERS (1971) Director: Ken Russell. Cast: Gelnda Jackson, Richard Chamberlain.

OLD TIMES (1991) Director: Simon Curtis. Cast: John Malkovich, Miranda Richardson, Kate Nelligan.

VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED (1976) Director: Stuart Rosenberg. Cast: Orson Welles, James Mason, Faye Dunaway, Max Von Sydow, Malcom McDowell, Katherine Ross, Ben Gazzara, Julie Harris, Lee Grant, Denholm Elliot.

And some trashy favorites:
THE AWAKENING (1980) Director: Mike Newell. Cast: Charleton Heston, Stephanie Zimbalist, Susannah York.

THE MEDUSA TOUCH (1978) Director: Jack Gold. Cast: Richard Burton, Lee Remick.

Posted by bmcintire at April 9, 2009 1:18 PM

comment #15

Gabriel says ...

When searching the Warner Home Video site, I decided to look for Zabriskie Point. I see they're finally releasing it on 5/25? Kick ass.

Posted by Gabriel at April 9, 2009 1:22 PM

comment #16

Noah Redfield says ...

I second The Devils and The Music Lovers. Ken Russell's treatment on DVD is downright criminal. The fantastic UK film critic Mark Kermode has been trying to get The Devils out on DVD but Warners is too afraid to release it (his words).

Posted by Noah Redfield at April 9, 2009 1:29 PM

comment #17

BurmaShave says ...

It's a shame Christian doesn't come around these parts anymore, I'm sure he'd have a few he's hankering for.

Posted by BurmaShave at April 9, 2009 1:30 PM

comment #18

bisonfilms says ...

1965's A THOUSAND CLOWNS.

Academy award winning film, available for years on VHS, not yet available on DVD.

Posted by bisonfilms at April 9, 2009 1:40 PM

comment #19

JChasse says ...

Arguably the most prestigious film not available on DVD is "The African Queen", although I hear it's only a matter of time.

Posted by JChasse at April 9, 2009 1:42 PM

comment #20

jjgittes says ...

Homicide (1991) - David Mamet's best film , a masterful screenplay and a very great film.

Posted by jjgittes at April 9, 2009 1:42 PM

comment #21

Gaydos says ...

This is why I scour the VHS bins of thrift stores and out of the way video outposts. Just watched Edwards' SOB and Ritt's Cross Creek and both held up even better than I imagined. Outcast of the Islands is a masterpiece, which I only own in PAL VHS. Happy to share if someone has a way to look-see. Isn't there a new DVD coming out on that? I also LOVE Mailer's Tough Guys Don't Dance and would love to look again at Passer's Haunted Summer. Both from Cannon aka the Original Weinstein Brothers.

Posted by Gaydos at April 9, 2009 1:44 PM

comment #22

Noah Redfield says ...

I also have to add the work of Peter Greenaway. I know most people regard him as a pretentious, misanthropic bore -- and he has been one lately -- but I maintain that his early work is almost all masterful. The Cook The Thief His Wife & Her Lover is allegedly getting a well-deserved Criterion release but that still leaves Drowning by Numbers, Prospero's Books
and The Baby of Macon.

Posted by Noah Redfield at April 9, 2009 1:48 PM

comment #23

George Prager says ...

YOUR THREE MINUTES ARE UP, DEALING, BUSTING, FREEBIE AND THE BEAN, THE CHRISTIAN LICORICE STORE, A SAFE PLACE...

Posted by George Prager at April 9, 2009 1:51 PM

comment #24

topbroker says ...

The Warner Archive model, the response to which has been staggering so far, may bring us most of these films in legal versions before too long. It's a triumph of the long tail, and exactly how things should work.

Some of these movies are, of course, accessible on DVD in the grey/black market already, or in the BitTorrent world, which I suspect is legally very dangerous. Some friends of my brother were indicted for music file-sharing, and it really ruined their life by creating a huge problem/distraction that ran for years..

Posted by topbroker at April 9, 2009 1:52 PM

comment #25

MilkMan says ...

Mamet's Homicide is what I was watching on cable when the 1994 Northridge quake shook my television out my home entertainment center, across the room and into my glass coffee table.

Posted by MilkMan at April 9, 2009 1:52 PM

comment #26

Glenn Kenny says ...

FYI, Jeff, Cukor's "The Actress" is now available via the Warner Archive. And "Up The Down Staircase" got a decent-transfered, bare-bones disc release from Warner a while back.

Of all the majors, Warner is doing the best job with its catalog stuff, with Sony now running a rather distant second. Universal is largely the pits, but sometimes shows glimmers of awareness, as in its "Studio Classics" releases and recent Pre-Code box. Paramount, which I think has "Play It As It Lays," is from hunger, although they've shown willingness to license titles to outside concerns such as Criterion. (Whose wonderful master of "Days of Heaven" could be in Blu-ray limbo on that account.) Fox is unpredictable, but they DO take good care on those occasions they address the catalog. It all makes life very exciting, contrary to the clods like that guy from Slate who said that everything worth seeing was already out on DVD...

Posted by Glenn Kenny at April 9, 2009 2:03 PM

comment #27

aaron says ...

TOUGH GUYS DON'T DANCE is out and, thankfully, contains an audio commentary with Mailer before he passed.

Also from Cannon: LOVE STREAMS (and KING LEAR, while you're at it).

Richard Rush's FREEBIE AND THE BEAN (sure to be a Warners selection eventually).

Christopher Jones x 2: CHUBASCO and THREE IN THE ATTIC.

And HICKEY & BOGGS, which seems to have already been mastered for MGM HD.

It's downright criminal that Cassavetes' HUSBANDS isn't out yet.

Posted by aaron at April 9, 2009 2:05 PM

comment #28

Gabriel says ...

I second the calls for both Love Streams (which I'm seeing at the New Bev for a second time tonight) and Husbands.

Posted by Gabriel at April 9, 2009 2:11 PM

comment #29

LexG says ...

SAINT JACK
DAISY MILLER (Considering he's the KING of popping up in DVD extras and commentaries, surprising how many Bogdanoviches are MIA)

THE KEEP
THE SOLDIER (Ken Wahl)
L.A. TAKEDOWN (Mann's HEAT warmup)
GREEN ICE
ROUGH CUT
BEYOND THE REEF (HBO staple from 81 that has gone MIA)
NINJA III: THE DOMINATION
THAT COLD DAY/BREWSTER/any MIA Altman

HA @ BUSTING! You mean the Gould/Robert Blake/Peter Hyams cop movie? FUCK YES.

Posted by LexG at April 9, 2009 2:20 PM

comment #30

MilkMan says ...

Nice call on The Soldier, Lex G. That's the movie my dad took me to see in Bakersfield that day after I almost drowned in the Kern River on a whitewater rafting trip gone horribly wrong when I was 10 years old.

Posted by MilkMan at April 9, 2009 2:32 PM

comment #31

George Prager says ...

MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH (The Criterion Collection)

Posted by George Prager at April 9, 2009 3:05 PM

comment #32

Imogen says ...

AT LONG LAST LOVE is a terrible movie.

Posted by Imogen at April 9, 2009 3:06 PM

comment #33

adorian says ...

Joseph Losey's Boom! and Secret Ceremony.

In addition to the previously-mentioned Ken Russell films, I want The Boyfriend. Someone should issue The Complete Ken Russell compilation.

The long version of Isadora with Vanessa Redgrave.

Posted by adorian at April 9, 2009 3:11 PM

comment #34

George Prager says ...

AVENGING FORCE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxNc9TDnnWU

Posted by George Prager at April 9, 2009 3:12 PM

comment #35

LexG says ...

Prager, Dudikoff owns but PLATOON LEADER is the good shit. So is RIVER OF DEATH.

Anyway, I'll see your AVENGING FORCE and raise you a DEADLY FORCE, Wings Hauser's copy movie/Avco-Embassy followup to VICE SQUAD.

Posted by LexG at April 9, 2009 3:17 PM

comment #36

LexG says ...

Oh, and Lumet's THE OFFENSE with Connery is MIA, but considering it's in constant rotation on Encore (it's perennially on 17 times a week), it's not like it's ever been hard to come by.

Posted by LexG at April 9, 2009 3:18 PM

comment #37

Mr. Peel says ...

Lex may want to know that DAISY MILLER came out several years ago from Paramount, complete with Bogdanovich commentary and interview.

Alan Rudolph's REMEMBER MY NAME

Mike Nichols' THE FORTUNE

The LEGEND OF LYLAH CLARE has the most insane ending of any movie ever.

Posted by Mr. Peel at April 9, 2009 3:21 PM

comment #38

maxfm says ...

There are too many to mention, but I second GOD'S ANGRY MAN, FREEBIE, HOMICIDE & BUSTING! SOB is already on DVD, isn't it? I could swear I have a copy of it stuffed away in my closet.

A decent re-do of the original ROLLERBALL would be welcome. They're releasing a friggin' Blu Ray of the remake! Insanity.

And the Warner Archives is a dream come true...I just wish they'd dig more into their 70s collection, and that the rest of the majors would follow suit.

Posted by maxfm at April 9, 2009 3:27 PM

comment #39

Gaydos says ...

Hickey and Boggs! Great to hear about that and Tough Guys Don't Dance as well. When will there be the 100 minute version of Beat the Devil? Huston's Freud is an oddity I'd like to see. Is The Stunt Man easy or hard to find? I like this string cos there's clearly some folks on here who know way more than I do about what's up! What about Dino Risi? And my most sought after lost foreign language film: Il male oscuro with Giancarlo Giannini. (Anyone know the name of the repertory theater that was at Melrose and Van Ness back in the 60s and early 70s?????)

Posted by Gaydos at April 9, 2009 3:33 PM

comment #40

/3rtfu11 says ...

I saw this movie in the theater twice!

No Holds Barred (1989)

Posted by /3rtfu11 at April 9, 2009 3:43 PM

comment #41

lipranzer says ...

I've seen DVD's of RUNNING ON EMPTY and AFRICAN QUEEN (though the latter might have been an import copy).

My list would include Frank Capra's pre-IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT films, particularly LADY FOR A DAY and his Barbara Stanwyck films, Leo McCarey's RUGGLES OF RED GAP and MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW (this is the film, I suspect, that led Renoir to say McCarey understood human beings better than any Hollywood director did), Fritz Lang's YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE and RANCHO NOTORIOUS, Mitchell Leisen's REMEMBER THE NIGHT, Carol Reed's THE STARS LOOK DOWN, Orson Welles' MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS (truncated or not, still deserves to be on DVD), Elia Kazan's A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, Robert Siodmak's THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF UNCLE HARRY, CRY OF THE CITY, and PHANTOM LADY (and while we're at it, a re-issue of THE CRIMSON PIRATE, my favorite swashbuckler next to Errol Flynn's Robin Hood film), Vittorio de Sica's SHOESHINE (which was on DVD at one point, but is now out of print), Max Ophuls' THE RECKLESS MOMENT and CAUGHT (and again, while we're at it, a re-issue of LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN), Joseph L. Mankiewicz's FIVE FINGERS, Ida Lupino's THE BIGAMIST, HARD, FAST, & BEAUTIFUL, and THE OUTRAGE, Louis Malle's ZAZIE DANS LE METRO, Sidney Lumet's THE DEADLY AFFAIR and THE OFFENCE, Frank Perry's LAST SUMMER (again while we're at it, a re-issue of THE SWIMMER), Peter Brook's KING LEAR, Yves Robert's THE TALL BLOND MAN WITH ONE BLACK SHOE, Jonathan Demme's CITIZEN'S BAND, Satyajit Ray's THE HOME AND THE WORLD, Victor Nunez's GAL YOUNG 'UN and RUBY IN PARADISE, Ingmar Bergman's FROM THE LIVES OF THE MARIONETTES and FACE TO FACE (the latter I've never seen, but have been curious about), Paul Verhoven's THE 4TH MAN, Bobby Roth's HEARTBREAKERS, Alan Rudolph's TROUBLE IN MIND and WELCOME TO L.A., John Huston's THE DEAD, and uncut, original-language versions of Hong Kong movies like Ronny Yu's THE BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR and THE PHANTOM LOVER, John Woo's THE KILLER. Oh, and re-issues of Haskell Wexler's MEDIUM COOL and Franc Roddam's QUADROPHENIA, both of which were once on DVD but are now out of print.

Posted by lipranzer at April 9, 2009 3:47 PM

comment #42

lipranzer says ...

Forgot about PATTY HEARST and HOMICIDE, but those would be great too. Also, Nikita Mikhalkov's BURNT BY THE SUN, Lukas Moodysson's LILYA-4-EVER, and a widescreen version of Peter Weir's FEARLESS.

Posted by lipranzer at April 9, 2009 3:55 PM

comment #43

MilkMan says ...

I was watching Lily-4-Ever w/ my wife and she looked at me at one point (I think it was the john's p.o.v. shot from behind and above Lilya when he was having sex w/ her) and said, I can't watch this shit. Then she left the room. I kept watching.

Posted by MilkMan at April 9, 2009 4:11 PM

comment #44

Nouman Raza says ...

Hey, nice movie I do not have much time to full fill the reference from your taste and i apologize to discuss it here before and great blog and comments as well thanks for shearing i really like this thanks.

Posted by Nouman Raza at May 2, 2012 8:31 AM

comment #45

sadia says ...

Happy to share if someone has a way to look-see. Isn't there a new DVD coming out on that? I also LOVE Mailer's Tough Guys Don't Dance and would love to look again at Passer's Haunted Summer. Both from Cannon aka the Original Weinstein Brothers.

Posted by sadia at May 3, 2012 10:40 PM

comment #46