Untitled Document

DVD releases of British Films 1930 - 1980 - 'There's more than Powell and Pressburger' says Ted Farley

The British have a fondness for joint brand names: think of 'Marks and Spencer', 'Lea and Perrins', 'Huntley and Palmer', 'Powell and Pressburger' and 'Crosse and Blackwell', to name just a few.... Those too young to experience British films of this vintage on their inital release and whose knowledge of our national cinema lacks depth often rely heavily on such 'brand names' to guide their choice of viewing: 'James Bond', 'Carry On....', 'Ealing comedies',' Hammer horror', 'Doctor films' and of course, our old friends 'Powell and Pressburger'.....

'We have done these' students say, so we know all about British cinema ! But would an English literature student say that once they had read a few works by Shakespeare and Dickens, they had 'done Eng Lit.' ?

Then there are those always eager to promote a 'canon' of films for marketing purpoes - it makes life easier for them, and makes commercial sense - hence all of those '100 Best War Movies/Musicals/ Westerns' [at al] polls on Channel Four, the American Film Institute and elsewhere.

It also makes commercial sense for lazy broadcasters (such as BBC2, Channel Four and now regrettably, Film Four) to keep the screening the same films over and over again. (Battle of the River Plate at least once a year on BBC2 ! Why? - do they have to - is this written in stone ? )

A complaint often heard is that 'hardly any vintage British films are released on DVD'. Certainly one would gain this impression if you checked out your local HMV of Virgin superstore (which are places generally to be avoided, unless they have a sale on and you can pick up a title for £2.99). But there are more titles out there than you might think. Perhaps not the films you most want to see, as there are still many neglected areas: practically nothing on legitimate DVD release from such great stars of the 1930s/1940s such as Anna Neagle, Jessie Matthews, Jack Buchanan and Gracie Fields, as well as important films missing from directors such as J. Lee Thompson (Yield to the Night, Woman in a Dressing Gown, The Good Companions), Roy Baker (Flame in the Streets, Tiger in the Smoke), and Ken Russell (The Boy Friend, The Music Lovers). And whilst some genres [such as Sci-fi and Horror] are well represented, other genres, such as crime 'B' movies and the British musical, are grossly under-represented.

Smaller DVD labels [such as DD Video and Odeon Entertainment] that pay to properly licence fairly obscure films in the hope of selling a few hundred copies (you do the math...) deserve to be supported, especially as they are constantly undermined by illegal copies of films on DVD+/-R (remember that the cost of a blank disc to the seller is as low as 20p if you are tempted to bid on that home of illegal trading, E-Bay) This largely unpoliced activity can be regarded as the equivalent of entering a cinema by the back door without paying.

As both Amazon UK and USA offer list-making facilities, British film fan Ted Farley has compiled the lists below as a guide to what is available out there. As these are all legitimate DVDs, most titles are available to rent within their country of origin. For UK (Region 2) DVDs try the www.amazon.co.uk DVD rental service, which offers good value (only available if you live in the UK).

Remember that DVD titles may be cheaper to buy from other retailers (Play.com, MovieMail, HMV etc), so do check these out as well, especially if they offer free UK delivery.

With around 500 British film titles on DVD listed here, you may surprised just how many films are available. And there are probably another 500 waiting to be discovered, according to your interests.

One day, who knows, over 4,000 titles from our British feature film heritage may be available as legal downloads.....

EXPLORE and HAVE FUN......

Best Wishes,

Ted Farley, Santa Rosa, CA, USA

[you are welcome to email Ted: ted_farley@lycos.com if you have found these listings useful ]

Ted admits to being a (selective) Powell and Pressburger fan who would like to see Oh Rosalinda!! and The Queen's Guards some day on legitimate DVD releases

NOTE: Ted does not earn commission from any of these lists

Vintage British Films (1930 -80) available on DVD - General Lists

Even More Vintage British Films on DVD for 2007

More British Film Classics

British Films on DVD- More Releases for 2007

British Films on DVD for 2007

British Film Miscellany - DVDs for 2007

Best of British Film: Recent DVD Releases

Old British Films on DVD - Recent Releases

Vintage British Films : more classics and rarities on DVD

British Film Rarities on DVD Region 1 from the USA

More Classic Vintage British Films on DVD