History KeepCirculatingTheTapes / Film

* Music/TheBeatles' documentary film ''Film/LetItBe'' remained out of print for decades, but fans have continued to distribute it themselves for almost as long. The film was commissioned as a documentary about the recording of what ended up being the band's final album, but it ended up putting a spotlight on the many personal conflicts that led to their breakup. Since showing such an ugly side of The Beatles was not in the best interest of Apple Corps, the movie is considered to never be released in its original form again. (This makes it an unusual example of a film that won an Academy Award -- "Best Music, Original Song Score" for 1970 -- going out of print.)
** In May 2024, after decades of unavailability, the film will debut on Creator/DisneyPlus, with a remaster by Creator/PeterJackson, following the release of his own documentary of the recording sessions (''The Beatles: Get Back'', released in 2021).
** If you get the chance to watch it via some bootleg, illegal download, or legal 1981 Magnetic Video tape or disc, you might wonder what the fuss is about. The little sniping argument between Harrison and [=McCartney=] aside--"Whatever it takes to please you, I'll do it"--it really isn't that bad.
** Music/PaulMcCartney was often asked about the film's reissue in interviews, and even he has wondered why it hasn't been released. In [[http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/paul-mccartney-looks-back-the-rolling-stone-interview-w433437 a 2016 interview]] with ''Rolling Stone'', he said that he has campaigned for the film's release to the Apple Corps board, but nothing ever comes to fruition. He had no objections to a re-release of the film, even though he admits he came off poorly in it.

* Music/TheBeatles' documentary film ''Film/LetItBe'' has remained out of print for decades, but fans have continued to distribute it themselves for almost as long. The film was commissioned as a documentary about the recording of what ended up being the band's final album, but it ended up putting a spotlight on the many personal conflicts that led to their breakup. Since showing such an ugly side of The Beatles was not in the best interest of Apple Corps, the movie is considered to never be released in its original form again. (This makes it an unusual example of a film that won an Academy Award -- "Best Music, Original Song Score" for 1970 -- going out of print.) Creator/PeterJackson announced his intention of releasing a remastered version of the film, following the release of his own documentary of the recording sessions (''The Beatles: Get Back'', released in 2021); which so far has yet to happen.

** This was the case for many years with Creator/RidleyScott's ''Film/BladeRunner'', as the theatrical version's VHS was steadily rising in price for collectors. With the 2007 release of the Final Cut box set, all the cuts of his masterpiece came together at last. However, it went out of print during TheNewTens, in favor of releasing the Final Cut by itself. [=iTunes=] does carry the US Theatrical Cut as well as the Final Cut, and Amazon Video also sells the first Director's Cut, but neither carry any of the other versions.

* While most of the films produced by Talia Shire's production company Taliafilm have seen digital media releases as of 2020 (when ''Film/{{Rad}}'' was finally rescued), ''Hyper Sapien: People From Another Star'' has been unavailable on video since at least the early '90s.

* In 1993, actress Susan Hart inherited the rights to 11 films released in the 1950s and 1960s by American International Pictures because she was the widow of AIP co-founder James Nicholson. Most notably, this includes ''Film/IWasATeenageWerewolf'', ''I Was A Teenage Frankenstein'', ''Film/TerrorFromTheYear5000'', ''Film/TheAmazingColossalMan'', and ''Film/AttackOfTheEyeCreatures'', and none of them have seen the light of day since. Attempts have been made to license them for television broadcast and DVD/Blu-ray, but Hart notoriously asks for exorbitant amounts of money when anyone is interested in utilizing the films for any purpose. They haven't even received new transfers since the late 80s/early 90s, meaning they can't even be bootlegged in decent quality. Some of these films were featured on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' before Hart claimed the rights, and they're among the few episodes from that series not available on DVD because the footage can't be cleared. It may change, however, amid reports that Hart and Shout Factory are working towards a licensing deal in the midst of a FrivolousLawsuit Hart had filed over the use of ''stills'' of those films in a documentary about AIP.

* ''Film/{{Oklahoma}}'' became harder to find in its original TODD-AO format after the 2023 expiration of Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios' license required them to stop selling it on DVD, Blu-ray, or digital, and for Creator/DisneyPlus to remove it from their service. After Samuel Goldwyn Films obtained streaming and Blu-ray rights, they only distributed the CinemaScope version; even though it boasts inferior picture and sound quality, and arguably weaker performances.

*** In 2021, six Paramount titles (''Film/DontLookNow'', ''Film/{{Nashville}}'', ''Film/DaysOfHeaven'', ''Film/LaDolceVita'', ''Film/RosemarysBaby'', and ''Film/HaroldAndMaude'') were taken out of print so Paramount could release them on their new home video line. The ''Nashville'' Blu-Ray included a new scan but not all of Criterion’s extras. Criterion has since announced a 4K Ultra HD release of ''Days of Heaven'' for November 2023.

** This the case for ''Film/{{Amadeus}}''; the Academy Award-winning theatrical cut was released on DVD in 1997, but all subsequent DVD releases, and the Blu-ray edition, include only the director's cut. Despite that, the 1997 theatrical cut DVD is fairly easy to find.