Demise of the DVD

  

                         

It was sad to read the news that Netflix is planning to discontinue the DVD mailing service that originally launched the entertainment giant, and rely exclusively on its movie streaming service. I suppose that streaming is more profitable, but I will miss the DVDs that came in the mail in their distinctive red envelopes. It was a great service. You had listed the films you wanted to see on your online queue, and the one on the top came quickly in the mail. You could keep it as long as you wanted, and when you returned it in the convenient envelope, the next one was sent.

 

I did try streaming when first introduced by Netflix but did not like it for a number of reasons. Chief among them was the fact that streaming provided fewer film choices. In particular, very few foreign films were available. Also, many American film noir classics from the 40s and 50s were available on DVD, but could not be streamed. Perhaps Netflix has added to its streaming menu but there is another DVD feature that streaming does not provide.

 

Many DVDs come with special features in addition to the movie itself. There are often video biographies of the  people involved in the production of a particular film. Not just the stars, but directors, producers, musical composers, and even costume designers are often featured.  These can be of varying quality, but some are intelligent and informative. 

For example, the Criterion Collection’s two-disc set of Now Voyager, the 1944 Bette Davis classic provides a treasure trove of commentary. There is an interview with film critic Farran Smith Nehme on the making of the film; a scene-by-scene commentary by scholar Jeff Smith on Max Steiner’s Academy Award winning musical score; and even a discussion of the important role played by famed costume designer Orry-Kelly in dressing Bette Davis to fit changes in the character she portrayed.

Also many DVDs, especially of important films, come with an expert audio commentary that plays along with the film. You can actually, watch a film one night, and the next night view it again with a commentary. Like the biographies, these commentaries can vary in quality, but some are excellent. A few years ago all of the Fred Astaire--Ginger Rogers musicals were issued in two boxed DVD sets. The DVD for the 1936 Swing Time, the best of them all, includes a commentary by John Mueller that provides almost a step-by-step discussion of every dance number. In another example, film scholar Marian Keane’s commentary for the Preston Sturges 1941 film, The Lady Eve, is a masterpiece in itself. It certainly helps understand why many consider Barbara Stanwyck one of the greats of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Gene Tierney: Laura Portrait

My favorite commentator, however, is Jeanine Basinger, the founder of the Wesleyan University Film Archive that houses the Gene Tierney collection. Basinger’s audio commentaries for two Tierney films, the iconic Laura of 1944, and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir of 1947 are superb. It is true that the films are wonderful  and certainly can be watched over and over again by themselves. But watching a great film with Basinger as your guide is an experience in itself.

Whatever Netflix decides to do, it is still possible to build your own DVD collection, and enjoy these films without commercial interruption or pop-up ads. Many people have thrown away their DVD players, but they can still be purchased inexpensively, as can the DVDs. But I will still miss the red envelopes.

 

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