Blu-Ray Wish List Revisited

Exactly one year ago, I posted my Blu-ray Wish List, films that may be available in other formats (DVD or streaming), but not on Blu-ray. As of today, not one of the 11 films/categories from last year’s list have been given a domestic Blu-ray release. I believe one of those films is in the works, but other than that, zip.

So while we’re waiting on those films to emerge all nice and Blu, here are five more films/categories I’d like to add to my original Wish List:

A Shot in the Dark (1964) Blake Edwards

If memory serves me correctly, this was the first Inspector Clouseau movie I ever saw, and while it may not be the best, it’s certainly my favorite with regulars Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom in top form, featuring nice work by Elke Sommer and George Sanders. Sellers gets the award for Best Use of a Guitar at a nudist resort.

(Streaming on Amazon for $2.99)

ffolkes (1979) Andrew V. McLaglen

Also known as North Sea Hijack, ffolkes (and yes, all the letters are meant to be lower case) is one of those movies that practically no one has seen, but should. It’s a nifty little thriller with Roger Moore as a commando leader taking a team of men on a mission to stop a crazed Anthony Perkins from exploding an oil rig in the North Sea. Available on DVD.

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) Jack Clayton

I haven’t seen this in decades, but I have fond memories of this adaptation of one of my favorite Ray Bradbury novels about an evil carnival coming to town. This one’s owned by Disney, so who knows when or if we’ll ever see this one on Blu-ray. Available in DVD and currently on Mubi.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) Richard Fleischer

Another Disney movie that certainly deserves the Blu-ray treatment. James Mason, Kirk Douglas AND Peter Lorre, all in the same movie! Available on DVD and streaming in various places for $2.99.

Any W.C. Fields films

Each year I grow more and more fearful that many of the great comedians of the past have been forgotten. Last year I lamented the fact that (as far as I can tell) no Marx Brothers film has been issued on Blu-ray. The same can be said of W.C. Fields. While I would love to see my favorite Fields film, The Bank Dick, on Blu-ray, I’d settle for any of them or better yet, a boxed set.

You can stream some of his films on Amazon Prime, but as far as I can tell, his major films are unavailable to stream. Currently the best way to discover these films is on DVD, but those sets can be expensive. I was delighted to receive the 10-movie W.C. Fields Comedy Favorites Collection for Christmas two years ago. At that time, the set sold for around $15, but has since ballooned up to $41.77. Check your local library or maybe Amazon Prime or YouTube.

So, tell me what films you’d like to see on Blu-ray.

(Photos: Peter Sellers Appreciation Society, The Red Dragon, Mubi, The Movie Scene, The Telegraph)