I am convinced there is a manic and insane underbelly in the film world that is rights and licensing, and I am obsessed with it. It started with Dawn of the Dead not being able to be found online, anywhere: https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2564177/why-george-romeros-dawn-of-the-dead-1978-isnt-streaming
And if not a documentary, or a limited series, I would kill to see how and why some work just ends up not available at all, or really, really difficult to find. This stuff is art, and like the Record-O-Rama mini documentary, I realize there’s a LOT of art that isn’t transferred yet, and that’s one of the many reasons I am so fascinated when I find something not available. This weekend, I found a 2011 Kevin Smith movie doesn’t exist ANYWHERE… it’s called “Red State”. So weird. How? Why?
And there’s legit complexity and a litany of reasons why we aren’t seeing some old stuff, and honestly often that tends to be the clearing of soundtracks.
Distribution Denied! 25 Films You Can’t Get on DVD https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/films-dvd/
Then, there’s films like Capra’s Mindwalk or Cameron’s The Abyss which desperately need, but do not have, proper restorations. The former is a personal favorite, but not having the latter with an extended edition 4K remaster from a guy like James Cameron is almost incomprehensible. But, as busy as he keeps himself, and as much creative control as he likes, we can only assume it’s coming.
But what’s more, it’s nearly impossible to follow *what* is actually getting remastered. A famously overlooked 1976 film “Massacre at Central High” got a limited edition restoration that is SPENDY but worth it… but how do you find a list of all companies doing those sort of one-off remasters, especially that aren’t high profile companies like Criterion. https://www.synapsefilms.com/product/massacre-at-central-high-blu-ray-dvd-limited-edition-4000-piece-steelbook/
Why?
And that’s just DVD, whilst streaming has missing movies across the board.
Popular movies that aren’t available to stream anywhere – Cocoon, Rebecca, Sleuth, Dawn of the Dead, Silkwood, Prizzi’s Honor, Wild at Heart, Il Postino, Dogma, All That Jazz, Spice World, Better Off Dead, Angels in the Outfield, Wall Street, The Flamingo Kid, the Heartbreak kid, The Abyss, Harry and Tonto, Silent Movie: https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/popular_movies_that_arent_available_to_stream_anywhere/s1__34450367
For some reason, Vanishing Point, Cannonball Run, and 2 Lane Blacktop aren’t streaming anywhere. Most of these films can be found on DVD and Blu-ray as physical media, but they sometimes trade at wild prices on ebay and amazon, both DVD and Bluray for non-restored, poor quality versions. Two Lane Blacktop has a Criterion edition, but that’s not exclusively keeping them from streaming. (Honestly, archive.org has a lot of stuff in poor quality)
The list—which evolves occasionally as streamers add to their lineups—can be frustrating for cinephiles. It includes notable films by Mr. Lee (“Jungle Fever” and “Bamboozled”), Bong Joon Ho (”Memories of Murder”), Mike Nichols (“Silkwood”), Elaine May (‘The Heartbreak Kid”), Peter Bogdanovich (“Mask”), Sydney Pollack (“They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?”), Woody Allen (“A Rainy Day in New York”), and Samuel Fuller (“White Dog”). No digital subscription or on-demand service offers “Rebecca,” which won Alfred Hitchcock his only Best Picture Oscar (though a bootleg has popped up on YouTube). https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-some-classic-films-still-arent-streaming-from-jungle-fever-to-silkwood-11600868176