There are a number of DVD's that are priced really high, but rarely get the sale. Althought some of these have become classics or staples in the OOP arena, they sell infrequently. So in this article, I would like to explore some of the realities of high priced DVD's. Now, first off, on eBay, there are a number of sellers that sell off collections for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars for 100+ DVD collection. I am not going to include these as they are not reflective of individual DVD's.

The Expensive DVD

A DVD like Wonder Man, distributed by HBO starring Danny Kaye, is priced nearly $500.00 and sometimes more. The problem with this DVD is who is willing to pay these prices for such a DVD? No doubt a rare DVD, however, the film is not enticing to see with cheap versions available from other companies that publish only public domain films, not to mention some bootlegs and "import" versions to push the price down.

Another DVD that has been seen to sky-rocket in prices is God's Little Acre, the film directed by Anthony Mann, based on the book by Erskine Caldwell. This DVD was at once to also sell for as high as $4-500.00 on Amazon. Again, with such high priced DVD's, bootlegs are bound to become a problem.

How about a film like Salome's Last Dance, Ken Russell's bizarre film of Oscar Wilde's writings. This DVD is asking above $250.00 for an official copy. Just check out Amazon! Copies on eBay are scant with only the VHS version available. I would suspect that there are not bootlegs out there for this DVD and that buyers are not looking for this one as hard, despite its high ticket.

Another expensive DVD is Ball of Fire. I have seen this priced at $1,000.00, but the current high is 799.99. Again, the problem ensues, that people are more willing to buy the cheap bootleg rather than hold out for the original.

A film like Thursday poses an interested problem for the person who wants the original. The fakes have become very well done and one only hopes the seller is honest about his product, such as this one. Note the seller states "looks exactly like the original...". Otherwise the original is very difficult to get and expensive to buy. There are lots of buyers who are willing to pay 30 dollars for a copy, but less when they start getting in the hundred dollar range.

Some little known classics at the time of release become better known once they are discontinued. Such a film is Farewell, My Lovely, starring Robert Mitchum. Released by Pioneer Video, this DVD has transcended the $100.00 mark, and so has spawned either fakes or foreign imports or both.

Other DVD's that have given rise to cheap foreign knock-offs which suppress the potential price of an original are Fire Over England, both Vladimir Horowitz - The Last Romantic and Horowitz in Moscow. Remember Clownhouse? Was that film really selling at $800.00? I am not sure what people are selling out there now. I see this item at regular DVD price and yet still maintaining OOP status.

So how can one build a nice, high-priced collection that can sustain its value in a ever-changing market place? Well, first, let's be frank about this - once a DVD is re-released from a studio, the original price plummets. Usually because the re-release is remastered, an extra disc, special features, a book, etc., etc. Also, there is no telling when or how a DVD will come back into our everyday lives, so whether we invest in a DVD that will come back into production is ultimately a risk we are all taking (think of those that bought M. Hulots Holiday for $200.00 or more!).

However, in the meantime, one can still vallue their DVD's as one does a first edition book of say, Hemingway or Steinbeck. Let's look at a DVD that has not been re-released or been duplicated by foreign bootlegers. Black Rain. This is not the Michael Douglas film, but the Japanese film directed by Shohei Imamura. Released from Image Entertainment, this DVD is difficult to find mainly because of the style of casing that it came in - the snap case, which prevented foreign bootlegs. You can see a photo on the information page of the original case. This fact alone kept the price well above $100.00 and continues to be hard to find - not to mention a really good film.

The List

If I were to make a High Priced DVD Collection, but at the same time, reasonably afforadable, this would be my list:

Black Rain
Last Year at Marienbad
The Woman in Black
Double Indemnity
Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe: An Evening of Yes Music Plus
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie
Swamp Thing
Little Shop of Horrors
Let the Sleeping Corpses Lie (Limited Edition)
Flash Gordon

To me, these DVD's seem to have stood the test of time (roughly 1-5 years) and have shown stability in marketplace value. These are not ridiculously hard to find (perhaps the Yes DVD is the hardest), nor are they out of range to buy. The collection itself might be anywhere from $500.00-$800.00, depending on how frugal and versatile a shopper you are. But aside from display, you will also have some very good watching! Personally I love movies and I do not see reason for paying 300.00 for a movie that basically sucks. There are plenty of OOP movies out there, but I feel the reality is no one wants it, which forces it out of print. I did not put any Disney or Criterion in the list for certain reasons. Disney almost always will re-release their product, even if its 7 years later. Criterion has been a staple in most OOP collections and to nominate them would almost be redundant. This is not to say I would not want Salo or The Killer in my collection, but their prices are exceedingly high for most people. With other DVD's like Blood for Dracula and Flesh for Frankenstein, they are too new to the OOP market that its hard to say whether they will show up from other distributers. So for now, Criterion is essential, but obvious.

So that raps up this write-up for now. Just remember, it is ok to be discouraged about the many bootlegs out there that people are selling. But, be knowledgeable about what you are buying before you buy and then you will have nothing to be discouraged about.