The Good ... The Bad ... and The Ugly

August 15, 2005
Thirteen years ago this month, The Criterion laser disc version of Barbra Streisand's "The Prince of Tides" was released.  It was a gem, chock full of bonus features, including director commentary, deleted scenes, auditions, and more. When Columbia released the DVD version of the film years later, all those wonderful features were missing. Since DVD technology offers so much for the home viewer, why wouldn't any studio want to offer its customers as much bonus content as possible?

In their rush to cash in on the lucrative DVD market, studios are releasing some older films with disregard  to quality, content and detail. They might eventually get around to releasing a second DVD edition with certain bonus features, and fans of those films end up buying the same movie twice. It's unfair, but I suspect that's what the studios want consumers to do.

In an unrealistic world, I think directors and artists should have a definite influence over the DVD release of their films. I applaud Barbra for being able to get the studios to hold back on "Yentl" and "A Star Is Born" until those films are ready for a proper DVD presentation. With Barbra's influence and input, I'm sure these films will take full advantage of everything digital technology has to offer. It's a shame other artists and directors don't yield as much clout.

UPDATE: Feb 28, 2006
We've updated our ratings chart to reflect the recent addition of "Yentl" and "A Star is Born" to the Streisand DVD library. With the advent of BluRay technology, it is our hope that all of Barbra Streisand's films will eventually be re-released in that format.   

The Good: "Yentl" and "Nuts" have the best Streisand DVD commentaries
The Bad: "The Prince of Tides" omits those great Criterion bonus features
The Ugly: "The Owl and the Pussycat" uses an edited version of the film as its DVD master

The Streisand DVD Catalogue - Our Features & Technical Ratings (0-5)