# What movies are not on DVD? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934 "2007-04-28T05:04:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/1 "2007-04-28T05:04:00Z")
I was annoyed to discover that Phantasms II, one of my favorite horror movies, is not available on DVD seemingly anywhere! Is there a site that I could go to check on other movies, just to cross them off the list? ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/2 "2007-04-28T05:24:32Z")
[“Damnation Alley”](http://imdb.com/title/tt0075909/) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/3 "2007-04-28T05:26:13Z")
Hundreds, more likely thousands. I have a personal list of over 400 movies that I’m seeking, um, questionable copies of, because I don’t think they’ll every be available, um, unquestionably. I record around 25 movies a month off of TCM that otherwise unobtainable. ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/4 "2007-04-28T05:28:09Z")
When TCM recently ran all the Best Picture winners for the Oscars, the article I read mentioned that many of them were unavailable, particularly the earlier films. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/5 "2007-04-28T05:35:25Z")
IMDB is a good starting spot - they list countries a film has been released in, plus video formats. Look down near the bottom left corner in the Other Info section. As for Phantasm II, it is on DVD at Amazon, but there’s a snag - it’s a Region 2 disc that won’t play on an American player, so you’d need a multi-region player. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/6 "2007-04-28T05:42:23Z")
[QUOTE=gotpasswords] IMDB is a good starting spot - they list countries a film has been released in, plus video formats. Look down near the bottom left corner in the Other Info section. As for Phantasm II, it is on DVD at Amazon, but there’s a snag - it’s a Region 2 disc that won’t play on an American player, so you’d need a multi-region player. [/QUOTE] Thanks for the info. What really annoys me is that the first one and the sequel is available, but not that one. Dammit! ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/7 "2007-04-28T05:49:46Z")
I’ve been waiting patiently for a long time for [this David Gilmour concert](http://www.amazon.com/David-Gilmour-Caroline-Dale/dp/630025075X/ref=sr_1_34/002-4044618-1086437?ie=UTF8&s=video&qid=1177738823&sr=8-34) and [this Traffic concert](http://www.amazon.com/Traffic-Live-at-Santa-Monica/dp/6301991400/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/002-4044618-1086437?ie=UTF8&s=video&qid=1177738968&sr=1-2) to come out on DVD. Surely someone else would buy them, too. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/8 "2007-04-28T06:33:42Z")
If you want a list of unreleased DVDs, I found [this one](http://www.thedigitalbits.com/editorial/dv081899.html) and [this one](http://www.thedigitalbits.com/editorial/dv111099.html) both from 1999 so they are obviously a bit out of date. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/9 "2007-04-28T12:44:50Z")
The Keep. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/10 "2007-04-28T12:54:11Z")
You know what movie I’ve been dying to get my hands on in DVD? [Rockula](http://imdb.com/title/tt0100506/). My cousin has a bootleg VHS and eventually it’s going to die, plus I’m two thousand miles away from her anyway. This is one of the most brilliant pieces of film-making the world has ever seen, too. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/11 "2007-04-28T13:46:56Z")
It’s out of print & I don’t think has ever been released on US DVD- the John Hurt - Richard Burton version of Orwell’s 1984. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/12 "2007-04-28T14:19:34Z")
Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet still isn’t on DVD. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/13 "2007-04-28T18:26:52Z")
**Serial** (1980) **The Fox** (1967) **O Lucky Man!** (1973) are three that I’m looking for. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/14 "2007-04-28T19:07:22Z")
\*\*The Rocking Horse Winner, \*\* circa 1949. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/15 "2007-04-29T04:08:46Z")
Some that I have waited for [Arnold](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069732/) [A Big Hand for the Little Lady](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060165/) [Duckman](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482356/) (we can include TV series, right?) [Drawn Together](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386180/) (only the first season was released) [L’Ete meurtrier](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086655/) (this is on DVD but not Region 1) [A New Leaf](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067482/) [Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082639/) [Lonely Are the Brave](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056195/) [The Man in the Iron Mask](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074853/) (the 1977 version not the 1998 one) [Simon](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081518/) [Strip Search](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376215/) (an HBO movie that was never released on video or DVD) [Those Daring Young Men in Their Jaunty Jalopies](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064688/) [El Topo](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067866/) (although this is finally scheduled for release in May) [Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078488/) I was going to have [Massacre at Central High](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074875/) on my list, but Amazon lists a DVD copy as being available. However it looks like an import. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/16 "2007-04-29T04:20:46Z")
I’ve checked everywhere, including with the extensive-inventory movie-supply companies that Ebert swore by in one of his books, and have been unable to find _Robinson Crusoe on Mars_ either on DVD or VHS. Woe is me. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/17 "2007-04-29T05:10:15Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] I’ve checked everywhere, including with the extensive-inventory movie-supply companies that Ebert swore by in one of his books, and have been unable to find _Robinson Crusoe on Mars_ either on DVD or VHS. Woe is me. [/QUOTE] Check eBay. I found a beautiful DVD of this film there a while back. I also found the Beatles’ second film **Help!** , otherwise unavailable on DVD, there. Also, and I know this may be common knowledge among film buffs, but there are a lot of companies out there selling DVDs of films that have never been released officially on DVD or have gone out of print. I recently scored \*\*Kiss of the Spider Woman, Lili \*\* and **Cannery Row** from a “Mom & Pop” distributor. Sometimes these versions are less than perfect but the sellers are usually up-front about the quality level. Since it’s a this-or-nothing situation, if you really, really just _have_ to see a movie that is only available in an imperfect form, with a little searching you may be able to find what you are looking for. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/18 "2007-04-29T05:18:57Z")
Oh, and if you don’t own an all-region DVD player you may be able to “fix” your Region 1 DVD player to make it an all-region player with just a few pushes of buttons on the remote. You should search for these “secret” methods for your particular player. This will open up the possibilities of the discs you can use. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/19 "2007-04-29T09:02:49Z")
Hehe, my brother was complaining earlier tonight that “Moving” starring Richard Pryor was not out on DVD, how apt. Randy Quaid was awesome in that flick. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2007, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934/20 "2007-04-29T09:43:19Z")
[QUOTE=FriarTed] It’s out of print & I don’t think has ever been released on US DVD- the John Hurt - Richard Burton version of Orwell’s 1984. [/QUOTE] It’s been released as I have a copy of it (even posted a thread about it, too). Whomever did the film to video transfer didn’t know what they were doing, however, as they oversaturated the colors (correcting for what they thought was a faded print). Do rare and overpriced DVDs count? I’d like to have _Salome’s Last Dance_, but the only copies I could find retail for $100.00! For that price, it’d better come _with_ Salome! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-are-not-on-dvd/401934.md?page=2)