Since I’m a classic film lover, one of my goals in life is to release classic films on DVD. But my question is: How and where do I start?

I’ve just learned something distressing about the recent Universal Studios fire: though the negatives of the films were not destroyed, the prints (mostly restored) of films have been, which is why people who have programmed films around the country are suddenly getting notices from Universal that films are currently unavailable. I’ve been told the negatives (stored separately because of their volatility) are safe, but the cost of making new prints is actually prohibitive: who knows when and if Universal will actually get around to doing this, and so films like THE UNINVITED (1944), CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY (1944), and TO EACH HIS OWN (1946) may not be available on DVD for a long, long time.

What’s also sad is that there is high demand for certain classic films out there and the big studios are doing almost nothing about it. Disney refuses to release its classic cartoons on DVD—most notably THE SONG OF THE SOUTH (1946) and “Willie the Operatic Whale” (1946)—and even air them on TV. Fox is slowly beginning to see the light—there’s a Tyrone Power collection coming out in late July and a F.W. Murnau/Frank Borzage box set coming out at Christmastime. But Paramount refuses to release its 1949 and early 1950s films on DVD—most notably SAMSON AND DELILAH (1949) and THE GREAT GATSBY (1949). Columbia Studios releases its classics on bare-bones DVDs and at incredibly high prices.

One poster on the Classic Film board claims to be a film historian and that young people run the classic film departments of the studios, who don't know about classic films or which classic films are in high demand for DVD release. The explanation for this is that these young people work there only for the money instead of for a love of films.

I took a media production and management course in college last semester—and I got an “A” on it—but I was never taught any of this nor did I ask my professor this question.

So, how and where do I start?

P.S. After requesting the aforementioned titles to Universal a few weeks ago, I soon got an email message from the studio:

---

Thank you for contacting Universal Studios Home Entertainment. We strive to provide the highest standard in product quality and customer care.

No plans have been announced for the DVD release of these classic films. A multitude of factors, including contractual issues, influence the timing and content of our DVD releases. Unfortunately, no further information is available as to when these titles might become available on DVD in the United States.

For a listing of upcoming releases, please check our website periodically at: http://www.universalstudioshomeentertainment.com.

We appreciate your interest and hope that you will continue to enjoy Universal products.

Sincerely,

Consumer Relations
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

---

It's basically a sign of typical American laziness!

“I do write music for people, not for computers.” — Dr. Miklós Rózsa (1907-1995)