Posted by unglued on 07/14/06 18:37

G. M. Watson wrote:
> What's good about this news? When films are in the public domain, there's no
> incentive for DVD companies, especially ones who specialize in deep-discount
> product, to release quality prints (let alone with extras). Public domain
> may appear at first sight to be a boon, but it only cheats the consumer in
> the long run. I remember, during the early days of VHS, haunting the video
> racks of the local K-Marts and picking up tapes of films like "Rules of the
> Game", the Murnau "Nosferatu","Birth of a Nation", and "Alexander Nevsky" (I
> passed on the ubiquitous-to-this-day "Angel and the Badman") for $4.99
> apiece. Those tapes proved to be, as a rule, unwatchable. It wasn't until
> the advent of companies like Criterion that we were able to acquire quality
> copies of classic films. Even now I can walk into my local super drugstore
> and find el cheapo public-domain DVDs. And they will likely be just as
> crummy as those VHS tapes 20 years ago. Public domain is an empty promise.
> GMW

New digital technology makes it easier and cheaper enhance old prints.
I've noticed that even my cheap dvd-recorder does automagic stuff when
I transfered my old vhs tapes to dvd producing a better copy of the
film. I personally can't justify the expense of collecting Criterion
dvds even though I would dearly love to. Besides which oodels of
vintage American films are just not released here in Europe and
ordering from the States puts you at risk of paying customs duty on top
of the inflated prices.
I recently ordered a version Cukor's David Copperfield from the States
but it turned out to be a Taiwanese version shipped from Taiwan. The
quality was quite acceptable, the price was low and I hadn't been able
to find the film anywhere else, so for me it was a great deal. The idea
of Asia as a receptical of lost Western film gems is sort of attractive.

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