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Casual movie watchers might assume pretty much everything is available on streaming these days, or at the very least, easy to find on DVD or Blu-ray. Sadly, that’s not the case…not even close. A great many films, from obscure cult releases, to nostalgic favorites, and even big-budget blockbusters, are enormously inconvenient to watch in 2024.
The streaming era has trained us to believe watching a movie at home should be a seamless process, and yet for any number of reasons, from rights issues to the indifference of the rights-holders, these 19 movies can’t be found on streaming, nor are they currently available on physical media (at least in North America).
Some of these films are available on DVD if you’re willing to pay for a used or imported copy, but since many of the latter are likely to be region locked to play only machines sold in a particular part of the world, that’s not always helpful. Be extra cautious when buying imports and used copies, lest you wind up with a dud you still can’t watch.
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
The toll that war takes on children (a sadly evergreen topic) is made beautifully and heartbreakingly clear in Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies, the director’s first film after co-founding Studio Ghibli. A pair of Japanese siblings narrowly escape the American firebombing of Kobe in the final months of World War II, but their struggles continue as they travel a war-torn countryside, with nowhere to live, no money, and no food. It’s widely considered one of the saddest films ever made, with a visual palette to match—the animators used a soft brown as a base, rather than the more traditional black ink, which gives the film a unique and dreamlike visual quality. It’s a beautiful and challenging, and inexplicably hard to find.
How to watch it anyway: This is a tough one: North American DVDs and Blu-rays are all out of print, and can cost hundreds of dollars from resellers. If you have a region-free player, however, imported versions go for much less.
Starbooty/Starrbooty (1987/2007)
It’s RuPaul’s world, and we’re just living in it. So how come it’s so hard to come by the drag queen supermodel’s first film? Made for pretty much no money way back in 1987, the original Starbooty was Ru & co’s answer to the blaxploitation era, while the 2007 remake (Starrbooty, with an extra “r”), released just a couple of years before Drag Race started, covered some of the same territory with slightly larger budget. Neither is readily available, with the original film (technically a trilogy of short films that add up to about an hour) available on DVD from only one website; DVDs of the reboot are entirely out of print.
How to watch it anyway: The out-of-print DVDs of the 2007 film go for upward of $50 on eBay and other online sellers. Earlier versions occasionally pop up on YouTube, but they generally don’t last long.
Dogma (1999)
Kevin Smith’s masterful satire of organized religion was met with protests upon its release, though that isn’t why it’s unavailable. Turns out the films rights are personally owned by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, and they don’t seem to have any interest in doing anything with them, nor does Smith want to pay Weinstein a dime to get them back. On Harvey Weinstein, Smith said: “My movie about angels is owned by the devil himself.”
How to watch it anyway: The out of print DVDs are at least relatively easy to find, with prices starting around $20, but you’re shit monster out of luck when it comes to streaming.
Swimming Pool (2003)
Popular detective novel writer Sarah Morton (the always great Charlotte Rampling) is struggling with her current novel and decides to take a mini-vacation for some peace and quiet—just to clear the cobwebs—at her editor’s summer place. There, she meets the uninhibited Julie (Ludivine Sagnier), daughter of the editor, and the two form a connection; Sarah is initially repulsed, then fascinated by the younger woman’s sexual freedom. The emotional intrigue grows increasingly fraught, until the inevitable murder complicates things even further. The film’s sexual content was toned down for its original American release, so the “unrated” original French version is the one to look for.
How to watch it anyway: The DVDs aren’t technically in print, but new and used copies are pretty easy to find from resellers. But if you want a Blu-ray you’d have to go the international/region-free player route.
Kids (1995)
Larry Clark and Harmony Korine’s portrait of teenage depravity circa 1995 is simultaneously lurid and moralizing, but the controversy surrounding it made it a box office success. It also introduced the world to Chloë Sevigny, and yet it’s nevertheless hard to come by in 2023.
How to watch it anyway: The out of print DVDs go for $15–20, and there’s an all-region European Blu-ray that’ll probably set you back around $30. No streamer has it though.
Lagaan (2001)
Old-school Hollywood musicals get an Indian makeover with this big budget, high-profile epic that blends historical romance with the tropes of the sports movie. Yes, it’s like four hours long, and yes, it’s worth the investment: consistently delightful, with an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink vibe that ensures that it never, ever gets dull, even at such an extended runtime. It’s got silly comedy and over-the-top-villains, and enough meat to the story to hold things together. The A. R. Rahman soundtrack is just the icing. Alas: good luck watching it.
How to watch it anyway: No official channels, but you can find it on YouTube, or on all-region DVD import (but buyer beware—there are a lot of sketchy versions for sale out there).
Sleuth (1972)
Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier both received Oscar nominations for this film, two-hander mystery thriller, as did director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. This was the All About Eve director’s final film, and it earned rave reviews—even with that pedigree, however, it’s still tough to find.
How to watch it anyway: 1998 and 2002 North American releases are out of print, and go for anywhere from $20 to $40. Releases from other regions are cheaper, if you have the right player. It also shows up in full on YouTube if you’re not too picky about picture quality.
It’s Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
With a deceptively simple art style and a stunning sense of design, Don Hertzfeldt’s film chronicles the disintegration of a mind—belonging, in this case, to Bill, suffering from an unnamed neurological disorder. It veers from moments of humor to profound sadness, but builds to a climax of extraordinary beauty. Deservedly, the film frequently appears on all-time best lists for animation. (An earlier short carries the same name; the feature version runs just over an hour).
How to watch it anyway: While it’s not streaming and there’s no broadly available DVD, you can order a Blu-ray (originally produced via Kickstarter) directly from the studio website.
Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)
Diane Keaton stars in this blockbuster as a teacher who cruises at night looking for rough sex with random guys. Her obsessive need for thrills puts her in increasing danger, particularly from Richard Gere. It all gets a little nuts before the end, but Diane Keaton is great.
How to watch it anyway: An all-region Australian import that should play on a North American player, will cost around $20. Because of music rights, there’s never been an official American release in any format.
The Panic in Needle Park (1971)
Al Pacino’s breakthrough (his second film appearance) came with this admittedly dark drama about the love story between a heroin addict and the woman who loves him, and whom he inadvertently gets hooked.
How to watch it anyway: The 2016 Twilight Time Blu-ray is out of print, with sellers charging upwards of $60 (it’s a pretty good release, for what it’s worth); a Portuguese Blu-ray release is readily available, but probably won’t run on your North American player.
Longtime Companion (1989)
Taking place over nearly a decade, Longtime Companion was the first mainstream film to deal with the AIDS crisis in America throughout the 1980s (the movie’s director died of complications from HIV/AIDS just a few years later). Aside from being groundbreaking, it’s a nicely staged, moving drama with an impressive cast.
How to watch it anyway: Prices vary wildly, but North American DVDs start at around $40. An Asian import version, allegedly all-region, sells for much less.
Making Love (1982)
Another early gay classic (even if it is excessively soapy), Making Love stars Kate Jackson, Michael Ontkean, and Harry Hamlin as a married woman, her husband, and the man who comes between them. It’s a good movie, if not a great one, and deserves to be available.
How to watch it anyway: Here, too, prices vary wildly, with the 2006 DVD release selling for anywhere from $15 for used copies to $100+ for sealed ones.
Raintree County (1957)
Though it received several Academy Award nominations, mostly by virtue of its acting talent, the beautiful and expensive Raintree County is, in many ways, an overstuffed bore. Those production values alone make the movie worth watching, though, and any movie that teams Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift (who very nearly died in a car accident during production), Eva Marie Saint, and Lee Marvin is worth a look. If it’s not quite a great movie, it’s a fascinating failure and a piece of Hollywood history.
How to watch it anyway: A 2014 Australian release, widely available at reasonable prices, should play on a North American player.
Titus (1999)
Julie Taymor, best known, perhaps, for her lush stage production of The Lion King, had her motion picture directorial debut with this similarly stylish Shakespeare adaptation that veers between camp and tragedy with surprising adeptness. Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, and Alan Cumming star.
How to watch it anyway: The out-of-print 1999 DVD will set you back between $20 and $40.
Fire (1996)
The first film in director Deepa Mehta’s Elements trilogy, Fire was wildly controversial on its release as one of the first mainstream Indian films to spotlight a lesbian relationship. Mehta is a major director who’s broken ground with each of her films, and Fire is a sensuous and compelling romantic drama in its own right.
How to watch it anyway: Copies of the 1998 Region-1 DVD release are out there, and sometimes even at reasonable prices.
Frankenstein Unbound (1990)
It’s a weird, fascinating, somewhat garish novelty that doesn’t entirely work, but Frankenstein Unbound is more than interesting enough to earn a watch…if you could. Based on the novel of the same name by Brian Aldiss (who also wrote the story that inspired Spielberg’s A.I.) it brought co-writer Roger Corman back to the director’s chair after two decades, and remains his last (or, at least, most recent) effort. John Hurt, Raul Julia, Bridget Fonda, and Jason Patric star in a story about a scientist (Hurt) of the future working on a weapon so destructive that, he hopes, it will end all war. As happens with these things, it instead sends him int the past…where he meets a certain Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Julia), himself working on a slightly ill-conceived project.
How to watch it anyway: An decent copy of the out-of-print 2006 DVD release will set you back $20-30. You might be able to find it on YouTube as well.
Porgy & Bess (1959)
Having received mixed reviews, director Otto Preminger’s adaptation of Porgy & Bess disappeared fairly quickly following its initial release, the sad fate of many movies of the era with all- or mostly-black casts, especially ones that failed to achieve blockbuster status. Reportedly producer Samuel Goldwyn only had the rights to the underlying story and music for 15 years, after which point the distributor would have to renegotiate a deal with the estate of producer George Gershwin. But Gershwin reportedly hated the movie, which didn’t make enough of a splash to justify the extra expense. Still, the cast alone is enough to make you wish you could see it for yourself: Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis, Jr., Pearl Bailey, Diahann Carroll, Brock Peters, Nichelle Nichols, —these are some of the most talented, iconic entertainers of the 20th century, and it’s a shame that we can’t easily see them gathered on screen together.
How to watch it anyway: Copies of an all-region DVD release from 2002 run to $100 or more; a more recent release from Crescent Media is cheaper, but the quality is pretty poor. It can also be found on YouTube, though, again, with poor picture quality.
The Fall (2006)
Following up his feature debut The Cell (the one with Jennifer Lopez), director Tarsem went even further afield with this visually unparalleled adventure fantasy set in 1920s Hollywood that finds a bedridden little girl in a hospital being regaled with a fantastical tale from a stuntman and fellow invalid. Audiences couldn’t be bothered, and critics were mixed on the plot, but pretty much everyone agreed that the movie’s style (stunning visuals from cinematographer Colin Watkinson; costumes by the late Oscar-winning designer Eiko Ishioka) made it something very special.
How to watch it anyway: You’ll probably have to shell out $150 for an out-of-print Blu-ray, or around $40 for a DVD.
Duel in the Sun (1946)
It’s an epic western from legendary director King Vidor, produced and written by the equally legendary David O. Selznick, and with a top-tier cast including Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Gregory Peck, Lillian Gish, Walter Huston, and Lionel Barrymore, but good luck trying to watch it. It’s a weird and overblown sexual fantasy involving a young woman of mixed heritage experiencing lust and prejudice, but that hectic jumbling of plot elements is a big part of what makes it fun. Critics nicknamed it Lust in the Dust, which much later was taken as the title of a 1985 film starring Divine and Tab Hunter. That one is actually available on streaming.
How to watch it anyway: An out-of-print DVD can be had for around $20, while a similarly out-of-print Blu-ray goes for quite a bit more. It can also, sometimes, be found on YouTube.
Cocoon (1985)
A huge box office hit from an Oscar-winning director, a movie that even got a sequel—and yet these days, you can’t stream Ron Howard’s Cocoon, it has never been released on Blu-ray in the U.S., and the DVDs are out of print. What does Disney (which acquired the film when it purchased 20th Century Fox in 2019) have against this warm-hearted sci-fi film about a bunch of senior citizens (including Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Jessica Tandy, and Gwen Verdon) who become young again through their encounter with alien technology? It even won two Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Ameche and Best Visual Effects.
How to watch it anyway: You’ll have to pay around $30 for a used DVD, or grab a region-free Blu-ray imported from Germany.
