With the discussion of the boots of "THE KEEP" being talked about I thought it would be fun to talk about grey market media items and what we have seen or own. The big question is "WHY?" What makes us goout of our way to roll the dice and pick the damn things up? What are the attraction?
Being the wild fans that many of us are, it makes sense to do whatever is necessary to get a copy of your item. I think it's funny that FPW was commenting in the other bootleg thread. :p Maybe he wants to get the news out any way possible, and if there are no other avenues than bootlegging... ?
From what he's said The Keep was too bad for anyone to want to own anyway.
From what he's said The Keep was too bad for anyone to want to own anyway.
There are parts I liked of THE KEEP and I'll watch it if I'm in the mood (I crack up everytime I see the SS wearing DRESS uniforms and carrying British sten machineguns). As to Grey Markets, for myself, I bought up a lot of TOHO Godzilla/Kaiju films-all beautifully subtitled with extras, from a company called Video Daikaiju back in the 90's. The studios didn't want to release the original Japanese films and collectors of film like myself were dying to get a chance to view them.
For the most part, we can find SOME way to get the things that tug at us. It bothers me when there seems to be a barrier to legitimate collectors. :eek:
Subtitles... Nothing like combining watching TV with reading...
Subtitles... Nothing like combining watching TV with reading...
I could say "The Devil (and VIDEO WATCHDOG) made me do it" but that would be a lie. I used to go to the CHILLER cons (before they really started to creep me out!) and would find some pretty rare items: Luminous Video's copies of the uncut "DUST DEVIL", Made For TV films on vhs etc. And to find longer versions of films I've seen were great.
Today, most of this stuff is pretty easy by just going on the web!
Today, most of this stuff is pretty easy by just going on the web!
The amazing information age! My parents love looking for the old shows from the 70s that they loved as they come out on DVD.
My Holy Grail are finding two pristine transfers of the telefilms "FEAR NO EVIL"
(Universal 1969) and "BROTHERHOOD OF THE BELL". Both from Paul Wendkos. I saw to ...sssiiiggghhhhh...pristine transfers off 16mm some years back from a collector so I know they are out there. Even "DARK INTRUDER" starring Leslie Nielson (Have a mint film poster to that one!).
(Universal 1969) and "BROTHERHOOD OF THE BELL". Both from Paul Wendkos. I saw to ...sssiiiggghhhhh...pristine transfers off 16mm some years back from a collector so I know they are out there. Even "DARK INTRUDER" starring Leslie Nielson (Have a mint film poster to that one!).
I've gotten some "grey market" items in the past, but I'd say my examples are pretty tame.
First example: I love the soundtrack to the movie The Black Hole. Mediocre movie, great score by John Barry. Ironically, it's one of the first (the first?) digital recordings ever made, or so I've read, yet it has never been released in a digital format. I have the LP, but I never got a turntable hooked up to the computer to transfer it. Instead, I found it on the old Napster, back when it was a copyright-infringement free-for-all. (For the record, that was the only thing I ever downloaded and kept from Napster, and as I said, I did already own the LP.) I've since found a better copy on Usenet. Now if Disney would ever pull their collective heads out of their gigantic rear end, I would buy an officially released version.
Second example: The original versions of the Star Wars Trilogy. Before Lucas finally released them (in non-anamorphic widescreen as "bonus" discs), I had copies on DVD that were very good transfers of the 1993 (-ish) laserdisc releases, which I also own. When Lucas released the official versions on DVD, I bought them.
I guess I mainly track down items that I want in a modern format that have never been released in such a format. Otherwise, if it's available, I just buy it. I'm not out to cheat anybody. If I want it, I want it, and others have often done a better job with the transfer than I could have.
That brings up a last example: Genesis bootlegs, both audio and video. I'm a huge fan of the band, and I love good live recordings. It used to cost collectors a fortune to get recordings of questionable quality, but now, thanks to the Internet, you can get excellent audio and video for free. You can even discuss and trade such recordings at the official site. As long as money isn't changing hands, the band and their management generally don't care. (They even turned to the bootleg community to obtain copies of some bonus items for the DVDs included with the latest album releases.) As a result, I've amassed a pretty good collection.
I also try to keep people informed about how easy it is to get this stuff for free; there's some idiot on YouTube who posts old Genesis clips as advertisements for DVDs he sells. Yet everything he sells is available in much better quality than he offers, and all for free. It's just a matter of trading or downloading from an appropriate location.
Blake
First example: I love the soundtrack to the movie The Black Hole. Mediocre movie, great score by John Barry. Ironically, it's one of the first (the first?) digital recordings ever made, or so I've read, yet it has never been released in a digital format. I have the LP, but I never got a turntable hooked up to the computer to transfer it. Instead, I found it on the old Napster, back when it was a copyright-infringement free-for-all. (For the record, that was the only thing I ever downloaded and kept from Napster, and as I said, I did already own the LP.) I've since found a better copy on Usenet. Now if Disney would ever pull their collective heads out of their gigantic rear end, I would buy an officially released version.
Second example: The original versions of the Star Wars Trilogy. Before Lucas finally released them (in non-anamorphic widescreen as "bonus" discs), I had copies on DVD that were very good transfers of the 1993 (-ish) laserdisc releases, which I also own. When Lucas released the official versions on DVD, I bought them.
I guess I mainly track down items that I want in a modern format that have never been released in such a format. Otherwise, if it's available, I just buy it. I'm not out to cheat anybody. If I want it, I want it, and others have often done a better job with the transfer than I could have.
That brings up a last example: Genesis bootlegs, both audio and video. I'm a huge fan of the band, and I love good live recordings. It used to cost collectors a fortune to get recordings of questionable quality, but now, thanks to the Internet, you can get excellent audio and video for free. You can even discuss and trade such recordings at the official site. As long as money isn't changing hands, the band and their management generally don't care. (They even turned to the bootleg community to obtain copies of some bonus items for the DVDs included with the latest album releases.) As a result, I've amassed a pretty good collection.
I also try to keep people informed about how easy it is to get this stuff for free; there's some idiot on YouTube who posts old Genesis clips as advertisements for DVDs he sells. Yet everything he sells is available in much better quality than he offers, and all for free. It's just a matter of trading or downloading from an appropriate location.
Blake
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