Davie50

So I am attempting to go through the list of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die from the book by Steven Jay Schneider. After some exhaustive research myself I have found that there are 20 of the 1001 that I just cannot find. Some are on amazon/ebay in VHS form for $200+, some are on YouTube without subtitles, etc. So I am including those titles because I still need them but am a poor kid who doesn't speak Italian or French, etc.

I started working on the list about 2 years ago and have now seen 602 of them, and own or have access to the rest of them, its just those elusive 20 films that I need. So any help from you guys on where to view these films would help me out a lot.

1. The Story of a Cheat
2. The Baker’s Wife
3. Story of the Late Chrysanthemums
4. The Man in Grey
5. Europa 51
6. Hill 24 Doesn’t Answer
7. Keeper of Promises
8. Heaven and Earth Magic
9. Blond Cobra
10. Mediterranee
11. Before the Revolution
12. Hold Me While I’m Naked
13. The Ear
14. The Traveling Players
15. Last Chants for a Slow Dance
16. Too Early, Too Late
17. Tale of the Wind
18. Asthenic Syndrome
19. No Fear, No Die
20. Deseret

I have done the research on these titles and know they are hard to find/get, so I was hoping somebody here (being as you all love movies as well) may have one or more of these films in your collection or know how to procure one, well that would be amazing.

Dr Mabuse

There are ways to have them all.

But we don't discuss such things here, if you follow my meaning.

Ash Ketchum

Turner Classic Movies has run THE BIG SKY. You just need to check their schedule. And then watch it when it's on or record it. (If we're talking about the Hawks western with Kirk Douglas.)

MAN OF IRON (I'm assuming you mean the Wajda film, not the Shaw Bros. kung fu classic) was available on VHS and it did run on a local educational station in New York a few years ago. Last I heard, MGM had the rights to it. Whether there's a DVD release coming, someone else here should be able to tell you. It may be one of those "on demand" archive titles.

I have not heard of many of the titles on your list of 29. (ASTHENIC SYNDROME????) And I'm a film buff with four decades of visiting revival theaters and arthouses. If I haven't heard of something, it's a safe bet it wouldn't be on my list of films to see before I die.

HOLD ME WHILE I'M NAKED by George Kuchar is an interesting title and necessary to see for devotees of the history of avant-garde/experimental indie films, but it's by no means a must-see film for anyone else. Some of the films on your list would appeal to very specific interests but aren't crucial. I mean, there are Audie Murphy westerns that would be much more worth your while. (POSSE FROM HELL, anybody?)

I want to see every Elvis Presley movie before I die. I've seen most of them, but two or three (e.g. THE TROUBLE WITH GIRLS, STAY AWAY JOE) have slipped through. I wonder if any Elvis movies are on Schneider's original list of 1001 titles. It's not that they're must-see movies, it's just that Elvis is a fascinating entertainment figure and everything he did holds some interest for me. He's a sad figure to me because he had the potential to be a great movie star and a fine actor, but forces around him (or within himself?) prevented that from ever happening. So I like to watch even his most mediocre films for moments when that potential reveals itself. I'd rather see every Elvis movie than every Ingmar Bergman movie. Not a knock on Bergman at all, just that I have my priorities.

Is there a site that lists all the movies on Schneider's list? (I don't want to buy the book just to see what he lists.)

I'm curious about something, Davie50. Of the 602 you've seen, how many made you think, "Wow, I'm glad I saw that before I died"? And how many made you think, "Did I really need to see that--at all?"

Davie50

Yeah, that is the version of The Big Sky I am looking for. I will comb through TCM again to see if it will ever reair.
And yes, the Wajda film Man of Iron, I found Man of Marble also by Wajda which was hard to find also (on YouTube of all places) but no Man of Iron.

Yeah, I hear you on the being a film buff and if you haven't heard of certain titles it probably isn't something that "needs" to be seen before you die, but alas it is on this list, so I must see it somehow. I of course hadn't heard of a great majority of the films on the list until I started working on it. Now I know these films titles so well it is borderline obsessive.

There is a 5 minute excerpt from Hold Me While I'm Naked on YouTube and it looks fascinating, in a Dog Star Man kind of way, but I need the whole film.

Yeah, there have been a few here and there that I have watched where I was like why in the world did I have to see that before I died? But I see a lot of merit in this list in particular in that it represents a good selection of languages, decades, genres, directors, etc. By no means do I agree with the inclusion and exclusion of certain titles, but it is what it is. I am on this quest now, just wish it weren't so difficult to find some of these films. This isn't the only list I am working on either, I completed the AFI Top 100, and am concurrently working on the They Shoot Pictures, Don't They List which is a really strong list of great films to see, but not necessarily before one dies.

Here is the link to a copy of the list. That site is great for keeping track of multiple lists in a variety of subjects as well.

http://http://www.listsofbests.com/list/1081-1001-movies-you-must-see-before-you-die-6th-ed

And I know there may be ways to get these movies in the way we do not speak of (which trust you still cannot find those 29) but we won't speak of that way here, so I am seeking another way now.

Dr Mabuse

Fair enough.

But a group actually did some nice work and put the whole collection from that book together on a private classic film site.

So you might consider resorting to that in the future.

Mondo Kane

TCM is showing The Big Sky on July 10th, 1:30pm (One of Scorsese's selections of the month)

TCM's shown both. I saw Trouble/Girls on either Elvis' Birthday-marathon or on their "Summer of the stars" marathon. Odd film. Elvis is barely in it.

They showed Stay/Joe either last month or the month before as part of their "Native Americans on film" showcase. Taped it, but still haven't watched it yet.

Davie50

Wow, thanks Mondo Kane, just checked the TCM site and signed up for the reminder email. Not even going to bother with the DVR, I am going to be glued to the tv for that one.

I knew finally asking the awesome people on this site for help would yield some results.

Norm de Plume

The Ear is available on R2 DVD, but it's hard to track down at a decent price. I wish I could remember where I ordered my copy, but I paid about £10 including shipping.

As was alluded to earlier, there are alternative ways and means for most rare movies...

Mabuse

3. Story of the Late Chrysanthemums - will probably be put out by Criterion one day
5. Europa 51 - very hard film to find. I've never found it. There's a Scorsese doc called "My Voyage In Italy" about Italian cinema and it features extensive clips from Europa 51 (like a 5 minute synopsis including the ending). So you can see like a Cliffs Note version. I wouldn't give up on Criterion for this one either, they've been on a Rosselinni kick lately.
6. The Big Sky - TCM
11. Passenger - If you mean the Antonioni film, this is on R1 DVD from Sony with Jack Nicholson commentary
18. Man of Iron - my local library has this on VHS. Wadja also made a film called Man of Marble
21. Hotel Terminus - I'm sure this must be on DVD somewhere in the world

Norm de Plume

He's probably referring to the 1963 Polish film, which was never completed because the director died in a car crash. I've seen it. Not worth having, IMO.

Heat

Maybe it's Passenger 57, with Wesley Snipes?

Davie50

Yeah, it is the Polish Passenger I am looking for. I actually found a copy of it on YouTube but it doesn't have any English subtitles. So that was no good to me, but still couldn't believe I found a copy on YouTube.

I have found a few more with the help of some of you guys and surprisingly my college library had 2 of them (The Puppetmaster, and A Tale of Winter). And I found Utu and Hotel Terminus, so I am going to edit my first post, so there will be fewer titles to look for. I also saw I may be able to find some of these through the schools interlibrary loan program, so if I do manage to get any I will edit the first post again. One of them I think I will only be able to get in 16mm, good thing I know some people at the school theater.

Thanks so far for the help and any more help would be great.

And I watched A Tale of Winter last night with one of my friends who likes girly type movies, and this one was supposed to be "the perfect romantic comedy". Wow, it was not very good, and we hated the lead female and it wasn't romantic and definitely not funny in any way. But for whatever reason I had to see it before I die so I did.

DVD Guy ATL

Passenger (1963, directed by Andrzej Munk) is in print and readily available on Amazon UK. It includes English subtitles and is R0 PAL. Is your setup equipped to play PAL discs?

RyoHazuki

I have a copy of Heaven and Earth Magic. It's a bootleg but I've never seen any kind of official release for it. Send me a PM maybe we can arrange to get you a copy.

Davie50

Thanks for all of the help so far. From the orginal list I have found quite a few more.

Now the only ones I need are:

The Story of a Cheat (coming out on dvd in Criterion eclipse series on July 27th, so I could wait for this one probably)

The Baker's Wife (found a copy but am in desperate need of an english subtitles file)

The Man in Grey (found a used copy on vhs on amazon for $12 so I may break down and get that)

Hill 24 Doesn't Answer (this is apparently available on a Jewish dvd label but for $35, so I may break down and get that but would like it cheaper of course)

Blonde Cobra (possibly a phantom copy is available on dvd on Ioffer, but I don't know how much I trust it)

Before the Revolution (found a used copy on vhs on amazon for $10 so I may break down and get that)

Hold Me While I'm Naked (no hits on this one anywhere)

Last Chants for a Slow Dance (contacted the director, said he would send me a copy on dvd for $33, so I may break down and do that)

Too Early, Too Late (no hits on this one anywhere)

Tale of the Wind (no hits on this one anywhere)

No Fear, No Die (found a used copy on vhs on amazon for $10 so I may break down and get that)

Deseret (no hits on this one anywhere)

So I have found quite a few of them and have a way to get some others by spending some money here and there, but anymore help from you avid movie lovers would help me out a lot. Thanks in advance.

Dr Mabuse

You might check out Movies Unlimited for some of these. That's one of THE sites to check for hard to find stuff.

They have 'The Baker's Wife' on DVD, on sale, for one instance.