05 November 2009

2009 List #1: US DVD Premieres

Well, here it is, the first of sure-to-be-many end of the year/decade lists on the blog. As most of the DVD releases for 2009 have already been announced, I figured it safe to cross the Region 1, US DVD premieres off the list early. All of the DVDs below are for films that were previously unavailable on DVD in the States (though it's possible one or two might have had an unofficial bootleg circulating). I strayed from the unauthorized releases, most by the likes of Televista and other companies of that ilk. The list concerns films that are typically two years or older, to spare the recent films that followed the general theatrical release-to-home video standard. Also not included are DVD upgrades, such as Criterion's release of Nagisa Oshima's Empire of Passion and In the Realm of the Senses, sticking solely to films that made their official US DVD premiere in 2009. Certainly there will be some I've overlooked, but all of the major releases should be present below. As organizing the list was troublesome, I decided upon categorizing them in several different ways. Here are the categories in order:

Directors (and actor)
- Roberto Rossellini
- Jean-Jacques Beineix
- Akira Kurosawa
- F.W. Murnau
- Andrzej Żuławski
- Luis Buñuel
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Seijun Suzuki
- Christian Petzold
- Patrice Leconte
- Stanislav Stanojević
- Paul Newman

Isolated Releases
- Masterworks
- Classic Hollywood, Sound Era to the 1960s
- American Independent - International Cinema, Pre-1990
- Contemporary World Cinema, 1990 to Present
- Documentary
- Hollywood, 1970 and Beyond
- Cult
- Silent
- Animation
- WARNUNG: New to DVD in an Unacceptable Package

DVD Box Sets
- Avant-Garde Box Sets
- Double-Featured
- Formerly Available Only in a Set, Now Available Separately
- Martini Movies

The Warner Archive Collection / Universal TCM Vault
Television

Blu-ray

The Blu-ray list is not comprehensive by any mean but should highlight a number of the notable releases making their debut on the High-def format. An alphabetical listing might have proved a better option, but I started organizing them by release date early on. I couldn't find anyone who had actually bought or rented Facets' releases of Hans-Jürgen Syberberg's Ludwig: Requiem for a Virgin King or Karl May, so I didn't include them. Facets has a tendency to cancel/postpone their releases without notice. At the very bottom of the page, I've listed a handful of titles that were once announced for 2009 but have either been delayed or canceled for whatever reason. I hope this list provides some service to you. I've got my fingers crossed that 2010 will be the year of Ken Russell on DVD... We shall see.

Roberto Rossellini

- Rossellini's History Films, Eclipse/Criterion, 13 January
-- Blaise Pascal, 1972
-- The Age of the Medici [L'età id Cosimo de Medici], 1973
-- Cartesius [Cartesio], 1974
- The Taking of Power by Louis XIV [La prise de pouvoir par Louis XIV], 1966, Criterion, 13 January
- Il generale della Rovere, 1959, Criterion, 31 March


Jean-Jacques Beineix

- Locked-In Syndrome [Assigné à résidence], 1997, Cinema Libre, 23 June
- Otaku, 1994, Cinema Libre, 23 June
- Roselyne and the Lions [Roselyne et les lions], 1989, Cinema Libre, 14 July
- IP5 [IP5: L'île aux pachydermes], 1992, Cinema Libre, 18 August
- Mortal Transfer [Mortel transfert], 2001, Cinema Libre, 22 September
- The Moon in the Gutter [La lune dans le caniveau], 1983, Cinema Libre, 20 October


Akira Kurosawa

- Dodes'ka-den, 1970, Criterion, 17 March
- AK 100, Criterion, 8 December
-- Sanshiro Sugata, 1943
-- Sanshiro Sugata 2, 1945
-- The Most Beautiful, 1944
-- The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail, 1945


F.W. Murnau

- The Finances of the Grand Duke [Die Finanzen des Großherzogs], 1924, Kino, 17 March
- The Haunted Castle [Schloß Vogeloed], 1921, Kino, 17 March


Andrzej Żuławski

- L'important c'est d'aimer, 1975, Mondo Vision, 16 June
- L'amour braque, 1985, Mondo Vision, 15 October


Luis Buñuel

- The Exterminating Angel [El ángel exterminador], 1962, d. Luis Buñuel, Criterion, 10 February
- Simon of the Desert [Simón del desierto], 1965, d. Luis Buñuel, Criterion, 10 February
- Death in the Garden [La mort en ce jardin], 1956, d. Luis Buñuel, Transflux Films/Microcinema, 27 October


Jean-Luc Godard

- Une femme mariée, 1964, d. Jean-Luc Godard, Koch Lorber, 2 June
- Made in U.S.A., 1966, d. Jean-Luc Godard, Criterion, 21 July
- 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her [2 ou 3 choses je sais d'elle], 1967, d. Jean-Luc Godard, Criterion, 21 July


Seijun Suzuki

- Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell Bastards, 1963, d. Seijun Suzuki, Kino, 19 May
- A Tale of Sorrow, 1977, d. Seijun Suzuki, Cinema Epoch, 11 August


Christian Petzold

- The State I Am In [Die innere Sicherheit], 2000, d. Christian Petzold, Project X/Cinema Guild, 28 July
- Ghosts [Gespenster], 2005, d. Christian Petzold, Project X/Cinema Guild, 3 November


Patrice Leconte

- The Hairdresser's Husband [Le mari de la coiffeuse], 1990, d. Patrice Leconte, Severin, 28 April
- The Perfume of Yvonne [Le parfum d'Yvonne], 1994, d. Patrice Leconte, Severin, 28 April


Stanislav Stanojević

- Notorious Nobodies [Illustres inconnus], 1984, Facets, 27 January
- Subversion, 1979, Facets, 26 May
- Diary of a Suicide [Le journal dun suicidé], 1973, Facets, 23 June


Paul Newman

- The Helen Morgan Story, 1957, d. Michael Curtiz, Warner, 17 February
- The Outrage, 1964, d. Martin Ritt, Warner, 17 February
- Rachel, Rachel, 1968, d. Paul Newman, Warner, 17 February
- The Silver Chalice, 1954, d. Victor Saville, Warner, 17 February
- When Time Ran Out…, 1980, d. James Goldstone, 17 February [Note: This is the 104-minute edit]


Masterworks

- Danton, 1983, d. Andrzej Wajda, Criterion, 31 March
- L'innocente, 1976, d. Luchino Visconti, Koch Lorber, 10 March
- The Friends of Eddie Coyle, 1973, d. Peter Yates, Criterion, 19 May
- Man Hunt, 1941, d. Fritz Lang, Fox, 19 May
- Nénette & Boni, 1996, d. Claire Denis, Strand, 16 May
- Wise Blood, 1979, d. John Huston, Criterion, 12 May
- Husbands, 1970, d. John Cassavetes, Sony, 18 August
- Jeanne Dielman, 28 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, 1975, d. Chantal Akerman, Criterion, 25 August
- The Human Condition, 1959-1961, d. Masaki Kobayashi, Criterion, 8 September
- The Exiles, 1961, d. Kent MacKenzie, Milestone, 17 November


Classic Hollywood, Sound Era to the 1960s

- Waterloo Bridge, 1940, d. Mervyn LeRoy, Warner, 27 January
- It's a Pleasure!, 1945, d. William A. Seiter, MGM, 7 April
- A Song Is Born, 1948, d. Howard Hawks, MGM, 7 April
- The King and Four Queens, 1956, d. Raoul Walsh, MGM, 12 May
- North West Frontier, 1959, d. J. Lee Thompson, MGM, 12 May
- Time Limit, 1957, d. Karl Malden, MGM, 12 May
- Young Billy Young, 1969, d. Burt Kennedy, MGM, 12 May
- The Strange One, 1957, d. Jack Garfein, Sony, 16 June
- Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, 1944, d. Arthur Lubin, Universal, 7 July
- Lonely Are the Brave, 1962, d. David Miller, Universal, 7 July
- The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, 1936, d. Henry Hathaway, Universal, 7 July
- Wagon Master, 1950, d. John Ford, Warner, 15 September
- Summer Storm, 1944, d. Douglas Sirk, VCI, 20 October
- Downhill Racer, 1969, d. Michael Ritchie, Criterion, 17 November


American Independent

- A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich, 1978, d. Ralph Nelson, Koch Vision, 13 January
- The Whole Shootin' Match, 1979, d. Eagle Pennell, Watchmaker Films, 24 February
- 13 Most Beautiful… Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests, 1964-1966, d. Andy Warhol, Plexifilm, 7 April
- The GoodTimesKid, 2005, d. Azazel Jacobs, Benten Films, 11 August
- Frownland, 2007, d. Ronald Bronstein, Factory 25, 29 September
- Homicide, d. David Mamet, 1991, Criterion, 8 September
- The Sunchaser, 1996, d. Michael Cimino, New Line, 13 October
- Fear of Fiction, 2000, d. Charlie Ahearn, Brink/MVD, 17 November


International Cinema, Pre-1990

- Bread, Love and Dreams [Pane, amore e fantasia], 1953, d. Luigi Comencini, MYA Communication, 27 January
- Far from the Madding Crowd, 1967, d. John Schlesinger, Warner, 27 January
- The Yellow Rolls-Royce, 1964, d. Anthony Asquith, Warner, 27 January
- The Geisha, 1983, d. Hideo Gosha, AnimEigo, 10 February
- Hobson's Choice, 1954, d. David Lean, Criterion, 17 February
- The Kaiser's Lackey [Der Untertan], 1951, Wolfgang Staudte, First Run, 17 February
- I Love You Rosa, 1972, d. Moshé Mizrahi, VCI, 31 March
- 3 Seconds Before Explosion, 1967, d. Tan Ida, Kino, 19 May
- Revolution, 1985, d. Hugh Hudson, Warner, 26 May
- Last Holiday, 1950, d. Henry Cass, Essential Art House/Criterion, 16 June
- The Bengali Night [La nuit Bengali], 1988, d. Nicolas Klotz, Cinema Libre, 23 June
- High Hopes, 1988, d. Mike Leigh, BFS, 23 June
- Serious Charge, 1959, d. Terence Young, VCI, 30 June
- Le jupon rouge, 1987, d. Geneviève Lefebvre, Strand, 7 July
- Ménage [Tenue de soirée], 1986, d. Bertrand Blier, Koch Lorber, 14 July
- That Hamilton Woman, 1941, d. Alexander Korda, Criterion, 8 September
- The Adventures of Werner Holt [Die Abenteuer des Werner Holt], 1965, d. Joachim Kunert, First Run, 15 September
- Gervaise, 1956, d. René Clément, Essential Art House/Criterion, 15 September
- Le jour se lève, 1939, d. Marcel Carné, Essential Art House/Criterion, 15 September
- Mayerling, 1936, d. Anatole Litvak, Essential Art House/Criterion, 15 September
- We Were One Man [Nous étions un seul homme], 1979, d. Philippe Vallois, Water Bearer, 12 October


Contemporary World Cinema, 1990 to the Present

- Taxi Blues, 1990, d. Pavel Lungin, Koch Lorber, 13 January
- Father, 1996, d. Majid Majidi, Facets, 27 January
- Workers for the Good Lord [Les savates du bon Dieu], 2000, d. Jean-Claude Brisseau, blab out/Facets, 27 January
- December Bride, 1991, d. Thaddeus O'Sullivan, BFS, 10 February
- Man Walking on Snow, 2001, d. Masahiro Kobayashi, Facets, 24 February
- The Pear Tree, 1998, d. Dariush Mehrjui, Irmovies/Facets, 24 February
- Sara, 1993, d. Dariush Mehrjui, Irmovies/Facets, 24 March
- Waiting for the Clouds, 2003, d. Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Facets, 28 April
- Enchanted April, 1992, d. Mike Newell, Miramax, 5 May
- Beyond Rangoon, 1995, d. John Boorman, Warner, 26 May
- On the Beat, 1995, d. Ning Ying, Facets, 26 May
- Nicotina, 2003, d. Hugo Rodríguez, Lionsgate, 9 June
- Blood Rain, 2005, d. Kim Dae-seung, Pathfinder, 8 September
- Who Killed Pixote? [Quem Matou Pixote?], 1996, d. José Joffily, Olive Films Opus, 29 September
- Chinese Odyssey 2002, 2002, d. Jeffrey Lau, Kino, 6 October
- L.A. Without a Map, 1998, d. Mika Kaurismäki, Cinema Guild, 10 November
- Green Fish, 1997, d. Lee Chang-dong, Pathfinder, 24 November
- 36 [36 Quai des Orfèvres], 2004, d. Olivier Marchal, Palisades Tartan, 8 December


Documentary

- Our Daily Bread [Unser täglich Brot], 2005, d. Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Icarus Films, 13 January
- Adam Clayton Powell, 1989, d. Richard Kilberg, New Video, 20 January
- Black Is… Black Ain't, 1994, d. Marlon Riggs, New Video, 27 January
- Private Practices: The Story of a Sex Surrogate, 1986, d. Kirby Dick, Zeitgeist, 27 January
- FTA, 1972, d. Francine Parker, New Video, 24 February
- Restless Conscience: Resistance to Hitler in Nazi Germany, 1992, d. Hava Kohav Beller, New Video, 31 March
- Painters Painting, 1973, d. Emile de Antonio, Virgil Films, 14 April
- H-2 Worker, 1990, d. Stephanie Black, New Video, 28 April
- A Grin Without a Cat [Le fond de l'air est rouge], 1977, d. Chris Marker, Icarus Films, 5 May
- Inquiring Nuns, 1968, d. Gordon Quinn, Kartemquin Films/Facets, 26 May
- Bergman Island [Ingmar Bergman - 3 dokumentärer om film, teater, Fårö och livet av Marie Nyreröd], 2004, d. Marie Nyreröd, Criterion, 16 June
- The Ister, 2004, d. David Barison, Daniel Ross, Icarus Films, 17 November


Hollywood, 1970 and Beyond

- El Norte, 1983, d. Gregory Nava, Criterion, 20 January
- Cannery Row, 1982, d. David S. Ward, Warner, 27 January
- Yentl, 1983, d. Barbra Streisand, MGM, 3 February
- Cross Creek, 1983, d. Martin Pitt, Lionsgate, 10 February
- Hard Country, 1981, d. David Greene, Lionsgate, 17 February
- Howard the Duck, 1986, d. Willard Huyck, Universal, 10 March
- Homer & Eddie, 1989, d. Andrei Konchalovsky, Lionsgate, 14 April
- Doc, 1971, d. Frank Perry, MGM, 12 May
- Catlow, 1971, d. Sam Wanamaker, Warner, 19 May
- M. Butterfly, 1993, d. David Cronenberg, Warner, 26 May
- Zabriskie Point, 1970, d. Michelangelo Antonioni, Warner, 26 May
- Lookin' to Get Out, 1982, d. Hal Ashby, Warner, 30 June
- Homeboy, 1988, d. Michael Seresin, Lionsgate, 1 September


Cult

- Yellow Fangs, 1990, d. Sonny Chiba, Cinema Epoch, 13 January
- Kiss Napoleon Goodbye, 1990, d. Babeth Mondini, Cult Epics, 27 January
- The Maniacs [I maniaci], 1964, d. Lucio Fulci, MYA Communication, 27 January
- Mr. Mike's Mondo Video, 1979, d. Michael O'Donoghue, Shout! Factory, 27 January
- Four Flies on Grey Velvet [4 mosche di velluto grigio], 1971, d. Dario Argento, MYA Communication, 24 February
- A Cat in the Brain [Un gatto nel cervello], 1990, d. Lucio Fulci, Grindhouse Releasing, 31 March
- The Cremator [Spalovač mrtvol], d. Juraj Herz, Dark Sky Films, 31 March
- The Escapees [Les paumées du petit matin], 1981, d. Jean Rollin, Redemption, 31 March
- Exposed [Exponerad], d. Gustav Wiklund, Synapse, 31 March
- The Sinful Dwarf [Dværgen], 1973, d. Vidal Raski, Severin, 31 March
- Slaughter High, 1986, d. George Dugdale, Mark Ezra, Peter Mackenzie Litten, Lionsgate, 14 April
- Glen and Randa, 1971, d. Jim McBride, VCI, 24 April
- The Centerfold Girls, 1974, d. John Peyser, Dark Sky Films, 28 April
- Deadly Sweet [Col cuore in gola], 1967, d. Tinto Brass, Cult Epics, 28 April
- Johnny Got His Gun, 1971, d. Dalton Trumbo, Shout! Factory, 28 April
- Passion [Simona], 1974, d. Patrick Longchamps, MYA Communication, 28 April
- Psychos in Love, 1987, d. Gorman Bechard, Shriek Show, 28 April
- Horrible [Rosso sangue], 1981, d. Joe D'Amato, MYA Communication, 30 June
- Door into Silence [Le porte del silenzio], 1991, d. Lucio Fulci, Severin, 14 July
- The Howl [L'urlo], 1970, d. Tinto Brass, Cult Epics, 28 July
- All the Sins of Sodom, 1968, d. Joseph W. Sarno, Alternative Cinema/Secret Key, 11 August
- Gradiva, 2006, d. Alain Robbe-Grillet, Mondo Macabro, 25 August
- Phantasm 2, 1988, d. Don Coscarelli, Universal, 15 September
- Attraction [Nerosubianco], 1969, d. Tinto Brass, Cult Epics, 29 September
- The Storm Riders, 1998, d. Andrew Lau, Discotek Media, 29 September
- The Stepfather, 1987, d. Joseph Ruben, Shout! Factory, 13 October
- Hardware, 1990, d. Richard Stanley, Severin, 13 October
- Night of the Creeps, 1986, d. Fred Dekker, Sony, 27 October
- The Art of Love [Ars amandi], 1983, d. Walerian Borowczyk, Severin, 24 November


Silent

- Poil de carotte, 1925, d. Julien Duvivier, Arte Vidéo/Facets, 24 February
- Au bonheur des dames, 1930, d. Julien Duviver, Arte Vidéo/Facets, 28 April
- Sherlock Holmes, 1922, d. Albert Parker, Kino, 7 July
- Miss Mend, 1926, d. Fyodor Otsep, Boris Barnet, Flicker Alley, 15 December


Animation

- Jetsons: The Movie, 1990, d. William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Universal, 28 April
- The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie, 1981, d. Friz Freleng, Warner, 28 April


WARNUNG: New to DVD in an Unacceptable Package

Thanks to DVDVerdict for altering us all; not only was Lionsgate's package art for John Huston's final film The Dead hideous, to say the least... but Lionsgate also "left out" eight minutes of the film and adjusted its aspect ratio. Apparently the outcry was loud enough that the disc, which came out two days ago, has been pulled out of circulation. Lionsgate made another grand fumble with Ironweed, in what DVDVerdict called "perhaps the single most pathetic DVD release I've seen by a major distributor" (keep in mind, this was reviewed before The Dead). Warner apparently made a mistake in only releasing Peter Bogdanovich's 2006 re-edit of Directed by John Ford, which you can read more about at Filmbo's Chick Magnet.

- Ironweed, 1987, d. Hector Babenco, Lionsgate, 24 February
- Directed by John Ford, 1971, d. Peter Bogdanovich, Warner, 15 September
- The Dead, 1987, d. John Huston, Lionsgate, 3 November


DVD Box Sets

Note that for the bigger sets, I've neglected to list the films included that have already appeared on DVD separately.

Dušan Makavejev, Free Radical, Eclipse/Criterion, 13 October
- Man Is Not a Bird [Čovek nije tica], 1965
- Love Affair, or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator [Ljubavni slucaj ili tragedija sluzbenice P.T.T.], 1967
- Innocence Unprotected [Nevinost bez zastite], 1968


Pigs, Pimps & Prostitutes: 3 Films by Shohei Imamura, Criterion, 19 May
- Pigs and Battleships, 1961
- The Insect Woman, 1963
- Intentions of Murder, 1964


The Samuel Fuller Colletion: The Collector's Choice, Sony, 27 October
- It Happened in Hollywood, 1937, d. Harry Lachman
- Adventure in Sahara, 1938, d. D. Ross Lederman
- Power of the Press, 1943, d. Lew Landers
- Shockproof, 1949, d. Douglas Sirk
- Scandal Sheet, 1952, d. Phil Karlson
- The Crimson Kimono, 1959, d. Samuel Fuller
- Underworld U.S.A., 1961, d. Samuel Fuller


Nikkatsu Noir, Eclipse/Criterion, 25 August
- I Am Waiting, 1957, d. Koreyoshi Kurahara
- Rusty Knife, 1958, d. Toshio Masuda
- Take Aim at the Police Van, 1960, d. Seijun Suzuki
- Cruel Gun Story, 1964, d. Takumi Furukawa
- A Colt Is My Passport, 1967, d. Takashi Nomura


Alexander Sokurov, 3 Films, Medici Arts, 31 March
- Oriental Elegy, 1996
- Dolce, 2000
- Humble Life, 1997


Travels with Hiroshi Shimizu, Eclipse/Criterion, 17 March
- Japanese Girls at the Harbor, 1933
- Mr. Thank You, 1936
- The Masseurs and a Woman, 1938
- Ornamental Hairpin, 1941


The Sidney Poitier Collection, Warner, 27 January
- Edge of the City, 1957, d. Martin Ritt
- Something of Value [aka Africa Albaze], 1957, d. Richard Brooks
- A Warm December, 1973, d. Sidney Poitier


Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics, Volume 1, Sony, 3 November
- The Sniper, 1952, d. Edward Dmytryk
- Five Against the House, 1955, d. Phil Karlson
- The Lineup, 1948, d. Don Siegel
- Murder by Contract, 1958, d. Irving Lerner


The William Castle Film Collection, Sony, 20 October
- 13 Frightened Girls, 1963
- The Old Dark House, 1963
- Zotz!, 1962


Alexander Korda's Private Lives, Eclipse/Criterion, 12 May
- The Private Life of Henry VIII, 1933, d. Alexander Korda
- The Rise of Catherine the Great, 1934, d. Paul Czinner, Alexander Korda
- The Private Life of Don Juan, 1934, d. Alexander Korda


Natalie Wood Collection, Warner, 3 February
- Bombers B-52, 1957, d. Gordon Douglas
- Cash McCall, 1960, d. Joseph Pevney
- Sex and the Single Girl, 1964, d. Richard Quine [Also available separately]
- Inside Daisy Clover, 1965, d. Robert Mulligan


Icons of Screwball Comedy, Volume 1, Sony, 4 August
- If You Could Only Cook, 1935, d. William A. Seiter
- Too Many Husbands, 1940, d. Wesley Ruggles
- My Sister Eileen, 1942, d. Alexander Hall
- She Wouldn't Say Yes, 1945, d. Hall


Icons of Screwball Comedy, Volume 2, Sony, 4 August
- Theodora Goes Wild, 1936, d. Richard Boleslawski
- The Doctor Takes a Wife, 1940, d. Alexander Hall
- A Night to Remember, 1943, d. Richard Wallace
- Together Again, 1944, d. Charles Vidor


Doris Day Collection - TCM Spotlight
, Warner, 7 April
- April in Paris, 1952, d. David Butler
- It's a Great Feeling, 1949, d. David Butler
- Starlift, 1951, d. Roy Del Ruth
- Tea for Two, 1950, d. David Butler
- The Tunnel of Love, 1958, d. Gene Kelly


Forbidden Hollywood Collection, Volume 3
, d. William A. Wellman, Warner, 24 March
- Other Men's Women, 1931
- The Purchase Price, 1932
- Frisco Jenny, 1932
- Midnight Mary, 1933
- Heroes for Sale, 1933
- Wild Boys of the Road, 1933


Pre-Code Hollywood Collection, Universal, 7 April
- The Cheat, 1931, d. George Abbott
- Merrily We Go to Hell, 1932, d. Dorothy Arzner
- Hot Saturday, 1932, d. William A. Seiter
- Torch Singer, 1933, d. Alexander Hall, George Somnes
- Murder at the Vanities, 1934, d. Mitchell Leisen
- Search for Beauty, d. Erle C. Kenton


The Claudette Colbert Legacy Collection, Universal, 3 November
- Three-Cornered Moon, 1933, d. Elliott Nugent
- Maid of Salem, 1937, d. Frank Lloyd
- I Met Him in Paris, 1937, d. Wesley Ruggles
- Bluebeard's Eighth Wife, 1938, d. Ernst Lubitsch
- No Time for Love, 1943, d. Mitchell Leisen


The Jack Lemmon Film Collection, Sony, 9 June
- Phffft!, 1954, d. Mark Robson
- Operation Mad Ball, 1957, d. Richard Quine
- The Notorious Landlady, 1962, d. Richard Quine
- Under the Yum Yum Tree, 1963, d. David Swift
- Good Neighbor Sam, 1964, d. David Swift


Esther Williams Collection, Volume 2 - TCM Spotlight, Warner, 6 October
- Million Dollar Mermaid, 1952, d. Mervyn LeRoy
- Thrill of a Romance, 1945, d. Richard Thorpe
- Easy to Love, 1953, d. Charles Walters
- This Time for Keeps, 1947, d. Richard Thorpe
- Fiesta, 1947, d. Richard Thorpe
- Pagan Love Song, 1950, d. Robert Alton


Warner Bros. Romance Classics Collection, Warner, 27 January
- Palm Springs Weekend, 1963, d. Norman Taurog
- Parrish, 1961, d. Delmer Daves
- Rome Adventure, 1962, d. Delmer Daves
- Susan Slade, 1961, d. Delmer Daves


Avant-Garde Box Sets

- Science Is Fiction: 23 Films by Jean Painlevé, Criterion, 21 April [DVD Beaver]
- Gaumont Treasures, Kino, 1 September [Full list]
-- Alice Guy
-- Louis Feuillade
-- Léonce Perret
- Avant-Garde 3: Experimental Cinema 1922-1954, Kino, 24 November [Full list]
- Treasures from American Film Archives 4: American Avant Garde Film (1947-1986), Image, 3 March [Full list]
- The Astonishing Work of Tezuka Osama, Kimstim/Kino, 28 July [Full list]


Double-Featured

Philippe Garrel x 2, Zeitgeist, 26 May
- I Can No Longer Hear the Guitar [J'entends plus la guitare], 1991
- Emergency Kisses [Les baisers de secours], 1989

Magnificent Obsession, Criterion, 20 January
- Magnificent Obsession, 1954, d. Douglas Sirk
- Magnificent Obsession, 1935, d. John M. Stahl

The Films of Michael Powell: The Collector's Choice, Sony, 6 January
- A Matter of Life and Death [aka Stairway to Heaven], 1946
- Age of Consent, 1969

Peter Greenaway's Nightwatching Special Edition, d. Peter Greenaway, Koch Vision, 15 September
- Nightwatching, 2007 [Also available separately]
- Rembrandt's J'accuse, 2008

The Lost Films of John Gilbert, Flicker Alley, 7 July
- Bardelys the Magnificent, 1926, d. King Vidor
- Monte Cristo, 1922, d. Emmett J. Flynn

- War Is Menstrual Envy, 1992, d. Nick Zedd, Le chat qui fume, 15 May [Available on the DVD for Llik Your Idols]
- Nickelodeon, 1976, d. Peter Bogdanovich, Sony, 21 April [Paired in a double-feature with The Last Picture Show]


Formerly Released Only in a Set, Now Available Separately

- Back to the Future, 1985, d. Robert Zemeckis, Universal, 10 February
- Back to the Future Part 2, 1989, d. Robert Zemeckis, Universal, 10 February
- Back to the Future Part 3, 1990, d. Robert Zemeckis, Universal, 10 February
- Cleopatra, 1934, d. Cecil B. DeMille, Universal, 7 April
- Beau Geste, 1939, d. William A. Wellman, Universal, 7 July
- Law of Desire [La ley del deseo], 1987, d. Pedro Almodóvar, Sony, 3 November
- Matador, 1986, d. Pedro Almodóvar, Sony, 3 November


Martini Movies, Sony Pictures

- Five, 1951, d. Arch Oboler, 3 February
- Getting Straight, 1970, d. Richard Rush, 3 February
- Gumshoe, 1971, d. Stephen Frears, 3 February
- Our Man in Havana, 1959, d. Carol Reed, 3 February
- Vibes, 1988, d. Ken Kwapis, 3 February
- The Buttercup Chain, 1970, d. Robert Ellis Miller, 8 September
- Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing, 1973, d. Alan J. Pakula, 8 September
- Model Shop, 1969, d. Jacques Demy, 8 September
- The Pursuit of Happiness, d. Robert Mulligan, 8 September
- Summertree, 1971, d. Anthony Newley, 8 September


The Warner Archive Collection / Universal TCM Vault

By no means could I even pretend to know which of the near 400 titles Warner has made available in DVD-R format through their website. Check out the full catalogue if you're interested, but I've pointed out a number of the more notable releases, some of which, like Nicholas Ray's Party Girl and Fritz Lang's Rancho Notorious, probably deserved a better treatment than this. Warner doesn't usually announced titles ahead of time, so there could be another batch of titles added to the collection before the end of the year. I'll keep you posted on that.

- All Fall Down, 1962, d. John Frankenheimer
- Angus, 1995, d. Patrick Read Johnson
- Berlin Express, 1948, d. Jacques Tourneur
- Carny, 1980, d. Robert Kaylor
- The Fox, 1967, d. Mark Rydell
- Get to Know Your Rabbit, 1972, d. Brian De Palma
- Gilda Live, 1980, d. Mike Nichols, Lorne Michaels
- Green Mansions, 1959, d. Mel Ferrer
- I Dood It, 1943, d. Vincente Minnelli
- Kaleidoscope, 1966, d. Jack Smight
- The Kiss, 1929, d. Jacques Feyder
- Made in Heaven, 1987, d. Alan Rudolph
- Men Don't Leave, 1990, d. Paul Brickman
- Mike's Murder, 1984, d. James Bridges
- The Moon Is Blue, 1953, d. Otto Preminger
- Party Girl, 1958, d. Nicholas Ray
- The Rain People, 1969, d. Francis Ford Coppola
- Rancho Notorious, 1952, d. Fritz Lang
- She, 1965, d. Robert Day
- The Story of Three Loves, 1953, d. Vincente Minnelli, Gottfried Reinhardt
- Today We Live, 1933, d. Howard Hawks, Richard Rosson
- Urgh! A Music War, 1981, d. Derek Burbidge
- Wrestling Ernest Hemingway, 1993, d. Randa Haines

- House of Horrors, 1946, d. Jean Yarbrough, 31 October
- The Mad Doctor of Market Street, 1942, d. Joseph H. Lewis, 31 October
- The Mad Ghoul, 1943, d. James P. Hogan, 31 October
- Murders in the Zoo, 1933, d. A. Edward Sutherland, 31 October
- The Strange Case of Doctor Rx, 1942, d. William Nigh, 31 October
- Remember the Night, 1940, d. Mitchell Leisen, 22 November


Television

- The Plot to Kill Hitler, 1990, d. Lawrence Schiller, Warner, 6 January
- George Wallace, 1997, d. John Frankenheimer, Warner, 20 January
- The Secret Policeman's Balls, 1976-1989, d. Roger Graef, Jonathan Miller, Mike Holgate, Julien Temple, Ken O'Neill, Shout! Factory, 20 January
- You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown, 1975, d. Phil Roman, Warner, 27 January
- Dennis Potter: 3 to Remember, 10 February, Koch Vision
-- Cream in My Coffee, 1980, d. Gavin Millar
-- Blade on the Feather [aka Deep Cover], 1980, d. Richard Loncraine
-- Rain on the Roof, 1980, d. Alan Bridges
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1982, d. Michael Tuchner, Sony, 3 March
- A Woman Called Golda, 1982, d. Alan Gibson, Paramount, 24 March
- A Rather English Marriage, 1998, d. Paul Seed, Koch Vision, 7 April
- Snoopy's Revenge, 1991, d. Sam Jaimes, Warner, 7 April
- Ivanhoe!, 1982, d. Douglas Camfield, Sony, 5 May
- Designing Women
-- Season 1, 1986-1987, Shout! Factory, 26 May
-- Season 2, 1987-1988, Shout! Factory, 11 August
- Earthquake in Chile [Erdbeben in Chili], 1975, d. Helma Sanders-Brahms, Facets, 26 May
- The State, The Complete Series, 1993-1995, Paramount, 14 July
- Ally McBeal, The Complete Series, 1997-2002, Fox, 6 October
- The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Volume 1, 1960-1961, Koch Vision, 27 October
- It's Gary Shandling's Show, The Complete Series, 1986-1990, Shout! Factory, 20 October
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Season 4, 1958-1959, Universal, 24 November
- The Golden Age of Television, Criterion, 24 November
-- Marty, 1953, d. Delbert Mann
-- Patterns, 1955, d. Fielder Cook
-- No Time for Sergeants, 1955, d. Alex Segal
-- A Wind from the South, 1955, d. Daniel Petrie, Cordelia Stone
-- Requiem for a Heavyweight, 1956, d. Ralph Nelson
-- Bang the Drum Slowly, 1956, d. Alex Segal
-- The Comedian, 1957, d. John Frankenheimer
-- The Days of Wine and Roses, 1958, d. John Frankenheimer


Blu-ray

- The Last Emperor, 1987, d. Bernardo Bertolucci, Criterion, 6 January
- El Norte, 1983, d. Gregory Nava, Criterion, 20 January
- Dead & Buried, 1981, d. Gary Sherman, Blue Underground, 27 January


- Assault on Precinct 13, 1976, d. John Carpenter, Image, 3 February
- Being There, 1979, d. Hal Ashby, Warner, 3 February
- Office Space, 1999, d. Mike Judge, Fox, 3 February
- Amadeus, 1984, d. Miloš Forman, Warner, 10 February
- Raging Bull, 1980, d. Martin Scorsese, MGM, 10 February
- Gandhi, 1982, d. Richard Attenborough, Sony, 17 February
- Kramer vs. Kramer, 1979, d. Robert Benton, Sony, 17 February
- Truman Capote Double Feature, Sony, 17 February
-- In Cold Blood, 1967, d. Richard Brooks
-- Capote, 2005, d. Bennett Miller
- Akira, 1988, d. Katsuhiro Ôtomo, Honneamise/Bandai, 24 February
- The Bird with Crystal Plumage [L'uccello dale plume id cristallo], 1970, d. Dario Argento, Blue Underground, 24 February
- The French Connection, 1971, d. William Friedkin, Fox, 24 February
- French Connection 2, 1975, d. John Frankenheimer, Fox, 24 February
- Ronin, 1998, d. John Frankenheimer, Fox, 24 February
- Vanishing Point, 1971, d. Richard C. Sarafin, Fox, 24 February


- Pinocchio, 1940, d. Hamilton Luske, Ben Sharpsteen, Disney, 10 March
- Quo Vadis, 1951, d. Mervyn LeRoy, Anthony Mann, Warner, 17 March
- The Robe, 1953, d. Henry Koster, Fox, 17 March
- The 400 Blows [Les quatre cents coups], 1959, d. François Tuffaut, Criterion, 24 March
- The Last Metro [Le dernier métro], 1980, d. François Truffaut, Criterion, 24 March
- An American in Paris, 1951, d. Vincente Minnelli, Warner, 31 March
- Gigi, 1958, d. Vincente Minnelli, Charles Walters, Warner, 31 March
- South Pacific, 1958, d. Joshua Logan, Fox, 31 March
- Two Evil Eyes [Due occhi diabolici], 1990, d. Dario Argento, George A. Romero, Blue Underground, 31 March


- Winged Migration [Le peuple migrateur], 2001, d. Jacques Cluzaud, Michel Debats, Jacques Perrin, Sony, 7 April
- Hellraiser, 1987, d. Clive Barker, Anchor Bay, 21 April
- The Wages of Fear [Le salaire de la peur], 1953, d. Henri-Georges Clouzot, Criterion, 21 April
- In the Realm of the Senses, 1976, d. Nagisa Oshima, Criterion, 28 April


- Ferris Bueller's Day Off, 1986, d. John Hughes, Paramount, 5 May
- Roxanne, 1987, d. Fred Schepisi, Sony, 5 May
- Fargo, 1996, d. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, MGM, 12 May
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly [Il buono, ill brutto, il cattivo], 1966, d. Sergio Leone, MGM, 12 May
- 3 Days of the Condor, 1975, d. Sydney Pollack, Paramount, 19 May
- Circle of Iron, 1978, d. Richard Moore, Blue Underground, 19 May
- Fast Company, 1979, d. David Cronenberg, Blue Underground, 19 May
- Falling Down, 1993, d. Joel Schumacher, Warner, 26 May


- The Graduate, 1967, d. Mike Nichols, MGM, 2 June
- Fatal Attraction, 1987, d. Adrian Lyne, Paramount, 9 June
- Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, 1964, d. Stanley Kubrick, Sony, 16 June
- Ghostbusters, 1984, d. Ivan Reitman, Sony, 16 June
- The Seventh Seal [Det sjunde inseglet], 1957, d. Ingmar Bergman, Criterion, 16 June
- Sling Blade, 1996, d. Billy Bob Thornton, Miramax, 16 June
- Last Year at Marienbad [L'année dernière à Marienbad], 1961, d. Alain Resnais, Criterion, 23 June
- Do the Right Thing, 1989, d. Spike Lee, Universal, 30 June


- For All Mankind, 1989, d. Al Reinert, Criterion, 14 July
- Sony Pictures Classics Martial Arts Collection, Sony, 14 July
-- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000, d. Ang Lee
-- Curse of the Golden Flower, 2006, d. Zhang Yimou
-- House of Flying Daggers, 2004, d. Zhang Yimou
- Midnight Express, 1978, d. Alan Parker, Sony, 21 July
- 12 Monkeys, 1995, d. Terry Gilliam, Universal, 28 July
- Inglorious Bastards [Quel maledetto treno blindato], 1978, d. Enzo G. Castellari, Severin, 28 July
- Repulsion, 1965, d. Roman Polanski, Criterion, 28 July
- This Is Spinal Tap, 1984, d. Rob Reiner, MGM, 28 July


- Big Trouble in Little China, 1986, d. John Carpenter, Fox, 4 August
- Bad Boy Bubby, 1993, d. Rolf de Heer, Blue Underground, 11 August
- Starman, 1984, d. John Carpenter, Sony, 11 August
- Go, 1999, d. Doug Liman, Sony, 18 August
- Kagemusha, 1980, d. Akira Kurosawa, Criterion, 18 August
- Playtime, 1967, d. Jacques Tati, Criterion, 18 August


- M*A*S*H, 1970, d. Robert Altman, Fox, 1 September
- Monster, 2003, d. Patty Jenkins, First Look, 1 September
- Creepshow, 1982, d. George A. Romero, Warner, 8 September
- Dead Calm, 1989, d. Phillip Noyce, Warner, 8 September
- Friday, 1995, d. F. Gary Gray, New Line, 8 September
- Menace II Society, 1993, d. Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes, New Line, 8 September
- The New World, 2005, d. Terrence Malick, New Line, 8 September
- Requiem for a Dream, 2000, d. Darren Aronofsky, Lionsgate, 8 September
- Set It Off, 1996, d. F. Gary Gray, New Line, 8 September
- An American Werewolf in London, 1981, d. John Landis, Universal, 15 September
- Army of Darkness, 1993, d. Sam Raimi, Universal, 15 September
- Child's Play, 1988, d. Tom Holland, MGM, 15 September
- The Hannibal Lector Anthology, MGM, 15 September
-- Manhunter, 1986, d. Michael Mann
-- The Silence of the Lambs, 1991, d. Jonathan Demme [Also available separately]
-- Hannibal, 2001, d. Ridley Scott
- Iron Monkey, d. Yuen Woo-Ping, Miramax, 15 September
- Misery, 1990, d. Rob Reiner, MGM, 15 September
- Zatôichi: The Blind Swordsman, 2003, d. Takeshi Kitano, Miramax, 15 September
- Gojira [Godzilla], 1954, d. Ishirô Honda, Classic Media, 22 September
- Pierrot le fou, 1965, d. Jean-Luc Godard, Criterion, 22 September
- Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection, 1989-2008, d. Nick Park, Lionsgate, 22 September
- Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, 1986, d. John McNaughton, Dark Sky, 29 September
- Labyrinth, 1986, d. Jim Henson, Sony, 29 September
- New York Ripper [Lo squartatore di New York], 1982, d. Lucio Fulci, Blue Underground, 29 September
- The Wizard of Oz, 1939, d. Victor Fleming, Warner, 29 September


- Audition, 1999, d. Takashi Miike, Shout! Factory, 6 October
- Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, 1994, d. Kenneth Branagh, Sony, 6 October
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937, d. David Hand, Disney, 6 October
- The Craft, 1996, d. Andrew Fleming, Sony, 13 October
- Hardware, 1990, d. Richard Stanley, Severin, 13 October
- South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, 1999, d. Trey Parker, Paramount, 13 October
- Stop Making Sense, 1984, d. Jonathan Demme, Palm Pictures, 13 October
- Wolf, 1994, d. Mike Nichols, Sony, 13 October
- Easy Rider, 1969, d. Dennis Hopper, Sony, 20 October
- Monsoon Wedding, 2001, d. Mira Nair, Criterion, 20 October
- Night of the Creeps, 1986, d. Fred Dekker, Sony, 27 October
- The Prisoner, The Complete Series, 1967-1968, A&E, 27 October


- Howards End, 1992, d. James Ivory, Criterion, 3 November
- It's a Wonderful Life, 1946, d. Frank Capra, Paramount, 3 November
- North by Northwest, 1959, d. Alfred Hitchcock, Warner, 3 November
- Say Anything..., 1989, d. Cameron Crowe, Fox, 3 November
- Two Girls and a Guy, 1997, d. James Toback, Fox, 3 November [Note: Contains both the NC-17 and R-rated versions]
- Wings of Desire [Der Himmel über Berlin], 1987, d. Wim Wenders, Criterion, 3 November
- The General, 1927, d. Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton, Kino, 10 November
- Heat, 1995, d. Michael Mann, Warner, 10 November
- Monsters, Inc., 2001, d. Peter Docter, David Silverman, Lee Unkrich, Disney, 10 November
- Near Dark, 1987, d. Kathryn Bigelow, Lionsgate, 10 November
- Fight Club, 1999, d. David Fincher, Fox, 17 November
- Galaxy Quest, 1999, d. Dean Parisot, DreamWorks, 17 November
- Gone with the Wind, 1939, d. Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood, Warner, 17 November
- Léon, 1994, d. Luc Besson, Sony, 17 November
- sex, lies and videotape, 1989, d. Steven Soderbergh, Sony, 17 November
- Angel Heart, 1987, d. Alan Parker, Lionsgate, 24 November
- The Monster Squad, 1987, d. Fred Dekker, Lionsgate, 24 November
- My Brilliant Career, 1979, d. Gillian Armstrong, Blue Underground, 24 November
- The Sopranos, Season 1, 1999, HBO, 24 November


- Gimme Shelter, 1970, d. Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin, Criterion, 1 December
- 36 [36 Quai des Orfèvres], 2004, d. Olivier Marchal, Palisades Tartan, 8 December


Postponed/Delayed/Recalled/Etc.

Correct me if I'm wrong on any of these. I couldn't find Chantal Akerman's D'Est anywhere online, but it may be available through Icarus Films' website.

- Takeshi Kitano's Takeshis'
- Max Baer's Ode to Billy Joe
- Chantal Akerman's From the East [D'Est]
- Catherine Schorr O'Sullivan's Andy Warhol's Factory People
- Masahiro Kobayashi's Bootleg Film
- Ning Ying's For Fun
- Gérard Mordillat and Nicolas Philibert's His Master's Voice [La voix de son maître]
- Adam Rifkin's Never on Tuesday
- Zhang Xinyan's The Shaolin Temple
- Ron Link's Zombie High
- Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub's Class Relations [Klassenverhältnisse] and Moses and Aaron [Moses und Aron]
- Fernando Di Leo's Vacation Massacre [Vacanze per un massacro]
- Umberto Lenzi's So Sweet... So Perverse [Così dolce... così perversa]
- Bill Haney's The Price of Sugar
- Alain Resnais' Same Old Song [On connaît la chanson]
- Alexander Kluge's The Indomitable Leni Peikert [Die Unbezähmbare Leni Peickert]

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey there. It looks like you put a lot of work into researching the release of DVDs which previously unavailable. Great job! This is an awesome list! The one that stands out to me is Luis Bunuel's "Death in the Garden"

In case you didn't know where to find it...

Luis Buñuel's "Death in the Garden" is EXCLUSIVELY DISTRIBUTED by Microcinema DVD. To order this DVD and/or other Microcinema titles, go to: www.microcinemadvd.com.

Synopsis: Amid a revolution in a South American mining outpost, a band of ill-starred fugitives-a roguish adventurer (Georges Marchal), a local hooker (Simone Signoret), a priest (Michel Piccoli), an aging diamond miner (Charles Vanel) and his def-mute daughter-are forced to flee for their lives into the jungle. Starving, exhausted and stripped of their old identities, they wander desperately lured by one deceptive promise of salvation after another. Shot in brilliant Eastmancolor and featuring a star-studded cast, Death in the Garden is a pulsating adventure film, alive with Surrealist gestures, making it classic Luis Buñuel.

In French and Spanish with English subtitles.

Please check out and join Microcinema on other social networking sites:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/microcinema

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/microcinemainternational

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/microcinema

Twitter: http://twitter.com/microcinema

Good luck with catching up on all these films!

Warmest Regards,
Microcinea

reassurance said...

Thanks for the comment! The release of Death in the Garden was a pleasant surprise for 2009, as we all knew the other two Buñuels were coming. I imagine you have Las hurdas in the pipeline for '10? Very exciting.

Now if only Tristana could see the light of day...

Daniel said...

AMAZING list Joe, thanks a lot you just ballooned my already neglected and overburdened Netflix account another dozen titles...

Anonymous said...

aserd

teeshirt mode said...

jean luc godard is the best

Wrinkle Cream said...

Starving, exhausted and stripped of their old identities, they wander desperately lured by one deceptive promise of salvation after another. Shot in brilliant Eastmancolor and featuring a star-studded cast, Death in the Garden is a pulsating adventure film, alive with Surrealist gestures, making it classic Luis Buñuel.

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