ROLLING THUNDER and other MGM titles to be released on DVD

Well, DVD-R to be exact. Taking a cue from Warner Archive, 20th Century Fox will be doing a DVD on Demand program in the near future (no date has been released as of yet) by releasing 50 titles from the MGM vaults on DVD-R (MOD). One of them is Rolling Thunder, the 1977 film written by Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver) and directed by John Flynn – which is one of my favorite flicks.  20th Century Fox is calling this program “MGM Limited Edition”.  Read on for the first 50 titles to be released.

From Home Media Magazine:

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Nov. 2 unveiled a program that enables retailers to custom order DVDs from MGM’s vaunted film library.

Through collaboration with Allied Vaughn’s “manufacturing on demand” technology, the MOD program allows retailers to offer MGM’s Limited Edition Collection for sale ($19.98 SRP) on their websites without having to order product upfront. Each DVD (no Blu-ray) is manufactured for a specific consumer order that is placed on a retailer’s site.

Initially, more than 50 films will be offered, with an expansion plan to release more than 400 new-to-DVD titles within the next 18 months.

The first titles include 1982 feature Still of the Night, starring Meryl Streep; Rolling Thunder (1977), starring Tommy Lee Jones, and The Hawaiians (1970), starring Charlton Heston. Other movies, featuring their original theatrical trailers, include Bad Jim (1990); By Love Possessed (1961); Diary of a Madman (1963), with Vincent Price; Futureworld (1976); The Satan Bug (1965), directed by John Sturges; The Spikes Gang (1974), with Lee Marvin; and Vigilante Force (1976), with Kris Kristofferson.

DVDs without theatrical trailers include The 7th Dawn (1964) with William Holden; 99 River Street (1953); Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl (1954); Crusoe (1989); Flight From Ashiya (1964), with Yul Brynner; Big House, U.S.A., with Charles Bronson; and Callie & Son (1981).

“MGM is deeply committed to making its library of films and TV shows available to as wide an audience as possible,” said Eric Doctorow, GM, MGM worldwide. “MOD provides an ideal solution to retailers who wish to expand the MGM DVD titles they offer to their customers without having to make an inventory investment. Our relationship with Allied Vaughn means we can now offer a simple MOD solution to any retailer who has a website and wishes to participate in this efficient business model.”

The complete 50 films that will be available first:

Bad Jim (1990), 92 min.

A cowpoke buys Billy the Kid’s horse and, upon riding it, becomes an incorrigible outlaw himself.

By Love Possessed (1961), 116 min.

Lana Turner and Jason Robards star in a drama of passion and propriety as blue-blooded pillars of a small New England town who must face their defiant son’s (George Hamilton) increasingly rebellious behavior.

Diary Of A Madman (1963), 96 min.

Vincent Price turns in a classic performance as a sculptor, possessed by an evil spirit, who hires a model (Nancy Kovack) to pose for him — then learns thereafter that she has been brutally murdered.

Futureworld (1976), 104 min.

An amusement park of the future caters to any adult fantasy. Lifelike androids carry out your every whim. A fun place, right? Not so, as a reporter and his Girl Friday find out while on a press junket to the newly opened Futureworld…

The Hawaiians (1970), 132 min.

A sea captain’s discovery of water on a plantation leads to planting of pineapples on the island.

Rolling Thunder (1977), 99 min.

A gang of sadistic thugs murder the wife and child of a Vietnam vet, who, along with his war buddy and a woman, track down and kill the murderers.

The Satan Bug (1965), 114 min.

John Sturges directed this sizzling suspenser about a nerve-racking chase to recover flasks of a lethal virus which were stolen from a government lab by a deranged and dangerous scientist, who has decided that now it is his turn “to play God”…

The Spikes Gang (1974), 96 min.

Lee Marvin gives a spellbinding performance as a wounded outlaw who appears as a romantic figure to two impressionable youths (Ron Howard and Gary Grimes). Nursed back to health by the boys, the outlaw enlists them in his robberies…and then callously betrays them.

Still Of The Night (1982), 91 min.

Roy Scheider and Meryl Streep star in a highly charged, Hitchcock- inspired murder mystery set among New York’s chic world of high- rolling antique brokers. Co-stars Jessica Tandy.

Vigilante Force (1976), 89 min.

In this fast-paced adventure, an embittered Vietnam veteran (Kris Kristofferson) is hired by the residents of a small California town, who are weary of the disruption caused by unruly oil workers. The vet brings in other workers who do the job, then take over the town themselves…

The Witches (1968), 100 min.

A film of five separate comedy to drama segments–directed by Visconti, Bolognini, Pasolini, Franco Rossi and de Sica. The international cast includes Clint Eastwood, Annie Girardot and Alberto Sordi, and features Silvana Mangano.

The 7th Dawn (1964), 123 min.

William Holden fights Communist terrorists hell-bent on winning Malayan “independence” in this action-packed, edge-of-your-seat adventure that also stars Susannah York.

99 River Street (1953), 83 min. 

A down-on-his-luck boxer, who is reduced to driving a cab, offers to help a would-be actress who is accused of murdering a stage producer…but finds that he must clear his name as well when his wife’s lifeless body turns up in the back of his cab] Based on a story by George Zuckerman.

Captain Kidd And The Slave Girl (1954), 83 min. 

In this energetic swashbuckler, Eva Gabor has been dispatched by villains to seduce Captain Kidd (Anthony Dexter). But love blooms, and she stands by his side as he battles his way across the seven seas.

Crusoe (1989), 95 min. 

An exciting and insightful re-telling of the classic legend. This historically faithful drama challenges the morals of the time as Crusoe, now an American slave trader, confronts a “Friday” who is his equal. Renowned cinematographer Caleb Deschanel directs in visually spectacular style.

Flight From Ashiya (1964), 100 min. 

A U.S./Japanese co-production. Three rescue pilots (Yul Brynner, George Chakiris, Richard Widmark) must overcome their fears, differences and hatreds as they undertake the dangerous rescue of raft-bound Japanese on storm-tossed seas.

Leo The Last (1970), 103 min. 

Marcello Mastroianni plays the last in a line of princes who gradually emerges from his decaying mansion to become involved with and help the people living in his deteriorating London neighborhood.

Big House, U.S.A. (1955), 82 min. 

A tough and realistic crime drama unfolds as ruthless convicts (Broderick Crawford, Charles Bronson, Ralph Meeker, Lon Chaney, Jr., and William Talman) execute a successful prison escape to secure $200,000 in hidden ransom money.

Callie & Son (1981), 120 min. 

Drama about a poor waitress who becomes the queen of a Texas publishing empire.

The Private Files Of J. Edgar Hoover (1977), 112 min. 

The story of the late J. Edgar Hoover, who was head of the FBI from 1924-1972. The film follows Hoover from his racket-busting days through his reign under eight U.S. presidents.