More classics show up on DVD, but movie studios are in no hurry

Almost weekly I receive queries from readers wondering when certain old-movie titles will be released on DVD. And some of those queries are about movies that haven't even been released on videotape.

Given that DVD is relatively new technology, it's going to take a long time for movies-on-discs to catch up with movies-on-tape . . . and, truthfully, they probably never will. The generally older audience members who love the older movies are thinning out, and, as with television and theatrical films, they aren't the favorite audience of home-video distributors.

Some major studios are making more of an effort than others: Paramount, Columbia/TriStar, Universal, Warner Bros., Disney and others release oldies from time to time -- usually without fanfare -- and so far have only scratched the surface.

A major step has been taken by Fox Home Video, however, with its "Studio Classics" series. Three titles were released last month -- "All About Eve," "How Green Was My Valley" and "Gentleman's Agreement" -- and another this week -- "An Affair to Remember." All have spruced-up transfers; audio commentaries by surviving cast members, filmmakers, their relatives and/or film historians; along with newsreels, photo galleries and fascinating making-of documentaries from American Movies Classics' "Hollywood Backstory" series.

What's more, if you buy three titles and use a coupon included in each box, Fox will send you a DVD of the silent classic "Sunrise" . . . which is not otherwise available on DVD.

-- "All About Eve"

(Fox, 1950, b/w, not rated, $19.98). Up front, I'll confess that show-biz inside stories are not my favorite genre, but this one remains one of the best films ever made, a drama with liberal doses of comedy and first-rate performances from a perfect cast -- Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Gary Merrill, Thelma Ritter and Marilyn Monroe -- masterfully directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

But what makes this one really come together is the writing, a witty and smart script by Mankiewicz, with a story -- about a theater star who takes in a young fan and watches as she takes over her life - - that has been lifted for dozens of other movies over the years.

Extras: Full frame, audio commentaries, making-of documentary, newsreels, promos, trailers, etc.

-- "How Green Was My Valley" (Fox, 1941, b/w, not rated, $19.98). Arguably John Ford's most sentimental movie, this was also his personal favorite, an episodic tale of a coal mining family in a small Welsh town. Wonderful performances by first-timer Roddy McDowall as the young boy through whose eyes the story is told and 19- year-old Maureen O'Hara as his older sister help the film remain vital, if no less sentimental than it was when America entered World War II.

Extras: Full frame, audio commentary, making-of documentary, photo gallery, trailers, etc.

-- "Gentleman's Agreement" (Fox, 1947, b/w, not rated, $19.98). A startling film in 1947, this look at anti-Semitism has lost a bit of its edge over the years but still has its thought-provoking moments. The story has magazine journalist Gregory Peck pretending to be Jewish, with the intention of writing a first-person series on how differently he's treated. Dorothy McGuire is his doubting girlfriend, Celeste Holm is a bright fellow employee and John Garfield is Peck's best friend, who is himself Jewish.

Extras: Full frame, audio commentary, making-of documentary, newsreels, photo gallery, trailers, etc.

-- "An Affair to Remember" (Fox, 1957, not rated, $19.98). Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr are fabulous in this romantic comedy-drama, about two people who come together on a cruise and plan to meet on New Year's Eve at the top of the Empire State Building. This is the one "Sleepless in Seattle" refers to, and while its modern "classic" status could be argued, it is a much beloved film with a large fan base.

Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary, making-of documentary, photo gallery, trailers, etc.

-- "Imitation of Life" (Universal, 1959, not rated, $19.98). If you saw "Far From Heaven," the garish style for that film was taken from the works of Douglas Sirk, and this is one of Sirk's most popular pictures (based on the Fannie Hurst novel and previously filmed in 1937 with Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers).

Lana Turner stars as a rising Broadway/movie star, romanced over the years by ever-patient John Gavin. She and her best friend/maid Juanita Moore raise their children together, as Turner's daughter grows up to be ultra-perky Sandra Dee and Moore's becomes sullen Susan Kohner, who is ashamed of her black heritage.

The film is awash in soap suds, but it's also highly entertaining.

Extras: Widescreen, trailer, etc.

-- "Mildred Pierce" (Warner, 1945, b/w, not rated, $19.98). Another film that spins on its lead performance and an estranged mother-daughter story is this film-noir thriller with Joan Crawford. She's the forceful title character who builds a chain of restaurants to give ungrateful daughter (Ann Blyth) a privileged life, only to see it go down the drain. This one is great fun, and the Turner Classic Movies documentary on Crawford is also terrific.

Extras: Full frame, documentary on Crawford, Crawford trailers, etc.

-- "The Harder They Fall" (Columbia, 1956, b/w, not rated, $24.95). Humphrey Bogart's last film cast him as a fight promoter working for crooked Rod Steiger. Some of the situations are a bit stale, but Bogie is great and his performance makes the film.

Extras: Widescreen, "The Bogart Collection," trailers, etc.

-- "A Patch of Blue" (Warner, 1965, b/w, not rated, $19.98). When Sidney Poitier tries to help a blind girl (Elizabeth Hartman) abused by her shrewish mother (Shelley Winters), even his brother (Ivan Dixon) thinks he has ulterior motives. Wonderful character drama, with terrific performances, and it holds up quite well.

Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary, text essay on Poitier, etc.

E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com

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