Ten little-known great films that are not available on DVD but should be
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10 titles
- DirectorJohn FlynnStarsWilliam DevaneTommy Lee JonesLinda HaynesA recently-returned Vietnam POW loses his family and his right hand during a violent home invasion, and seeks retribution against those responsible.Famous for being one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite films (he named his distribution company after it), the unavailability of this title on video can only be explained by some kind of legal rights dispute. William Devane stars as the hook-handed Vietnam vet on a revenge spree after criminals who shot him and stuck his hand down a garbage disposal unit. Written by the great Paul Schrader.
- DirectorJohn MackenzieStarsDavid HemmingsCarolyn SeymourDouglas WilmerA new school teacher learns that the previous teacher was killed by his pupils, and he fears the same will happen to him.Creepy and effective British thriller set in a school where the kids may be plotting against their teachers.
- DirectorCosta-GavrasStarsJosé GarciaKarin ViardGeordy CouturiauA chemist (Garcia) loses his job to outsourcing. Two years later and still jobless, he hits on a solution: to genuinely eliminate his competition.Legendary french director Costa-Gavras adapts a very black comedy written by late crime novelist Donald E. Westlake about an out of work white collar executive in the running for a new job who decides to literally eliminate the competition.
- DirectorMichael ReevesStarsBoris KarloffElizabeth ErcyIan OgilvyAn aging hypnotist creates a device that allows the user to control the mind of another person, but his wife abuses its power by manipulating a younger man to commit evil acts.Michael Reeves' first film is a creepy and very original horror film about mind control, starring Boris Karloff in one of his last roles.
- DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsJames CoburnJennifer O'NeillPat HingleAt a Boston hospital, a new surgeon, Dr. Carey, becomes an amateur sleuth to help clear a colleague's name who's been accused of botching an illegal abortion that killed a 15 year old girl; the daughter of the chief surgeon.James Coburn starts as a very hip surgeon trying to solve a murder mystery set in a Boston hospital. A bit dated in its look and approach to social mores, but still worth watching. Directed by Blake Edwards.
- DirectorKen RussellStarsVanessa RedgraveOliver ReedDudley SuttonIn 17th-century France, Father Urbain Grandier's protection of the city of Loudun from the corrupt Cardinal Richelieu is undermined by a sexually repressed nun's accusation of witchcraft.Ken Russell's infamous and controversial adaptation of Aldous Huxley's play is still unavailable on video, almost forty years after it shocked audiences in cinemas. It's time for a restored uncut version to be available. Warner Brothers, are you listening?
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsJames MasonRobert PrestonBeau BridgesAt an exclusive boys' school, a new gym teacher is drawn into a feud between two older instructors, and he discovers that everything at the school is not quite as staid, tranquil and harmless as it seems.Directed by Sidney Lumet and starring James Mason, yet not available on DVD! How is this be possible? Another boarding-school thriller, clearly inspired by Rosemary's Baby, where nothing is what it seems.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsRoy ScheiderJanet MargolinJohn GloverHarry breaks down and loses his job after his wife is assassinated - could it be his turn next ?Jonathan Demme directed this very heavily Hitchcock-influenced conspiracy thriller starring Roy Scheider and the lovely and criminally underused Janet Margolin. Not the best paranoia-themed thriller of the seventies, but definitely worth of being made available again.
- DirectorGillo PontecorvoStarsGian Maria VolontèÁngela MolinaSaverio MarconiAs 1973 winds down, Francisco Franco is still governing Spain with an iron hand. Opposition parties are forbidden, labor movements are repressed, and Basque nationalists are mercilessly hunted down. The caudillo is aging, though, and the continuity of the régime is in question. One man has the trust of Franco, enough authority and experience to assume the leadership, and an impeccable track record of dealing with enemies of the State: admiral Luis Carrero Blanco. For the embattled clandestine Basque organization ETA, Carrero Blanco must be brought down. Daring plans are made, requiring a meticulous execution.The plot to assassinate a prominent member of Franco's cabinet in 1973 Spain is brought to the screen by the director of The Battle of Algiers. A very political and partisan film that is successful both as a pure visceral thriller and as a debate on the blurry line which divides terrorism and freedom fighting.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsPeter O'TooleRichard AttenboroughCliff GormanRenowned producer-director Otto Preminger captures international terrorism in this film about five teenage girls who are kidnapped from a yacht by the P.L.O. Stars Peter O'Toole and Richard Attenborough.Not exactly successful or great, but still an entertaining oddity, worth watching for some early performances by later well-known actors (Kim Cattrall, Isabelle Huppert) and for a totally bizarre turn by Sir Richard Attenborough as a mad terrorist in full arab garb. And since this was directed by Otto Preminger, its unavailability on DVD is baffling.