Blu-ray won the battle with HD DVD, but it’s still struggling to represent Hollywood’s classic films. Actually, if it weren’t for Warner Home Video, classic films made, say, before 1970 would have an even poorer showing in high-def. Warner is the only studio that has consistently raided its vaults for films such as Casablanca, Forbidden Planet and The Adventures of Robin Hood — ironically, none on Blu-ray, but that will change eventually. In fact, Warner issues the 1967 film Bonnie & Clyde on Blu-ray Tuesday.

Sony, the main backer of Blu-ray, will be trying to catch up soon. On April 15, it kicks off its new Cinema Classics line on Blu-ray with the release of A Passage to India. Of course, that film hails only from 1984, so it’s not exactly the kind of “classic” that movie fans envision when they see a banner saying “Cinema Classics.” Lawrence of Arabia? The Bridge on the River Kwai? From Here to Eternity? Those are the kind of films we’re waiting for.

The other traditional Blu-ray studios are even worse. But Fox is finally releasing 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on May 13. And then it will release its traditional war-horse trio — Patton, The Longest Day and The Sand Pebbles — on June 3. Disney has Sleeping Beauty planned for Oct. 7.

And, well, that’s all that is on the release schedule at the moment. Maybe fortunes will change for fans of truly classic cinema now that Blu-ray has no competition.Â

This entry was posted on Monday, March 24th, 2008 at 7:29 am and is filed under DVDs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.