MovieChat Forums > When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1971) Discussion > DVD 'Unavailability'

DVD 'Unavailability'

posted 17 years ago by moondoggiedaddy2007
16 replies | jump to latest

As soon as I read WDRTE was available widescreen and uncut on DVD from Best Buy, I called up our local store and did an inquiry to see if they had it in stock. They did a check and said no. Deciding to see for myself, I went to the store several days later. The person in the video movie department said the title was familiar, but checked and it said wasn't there. I personally went to the science fiction section and found it, on the top row, selling for $16.99. The video clerk said it wasn't listed "alphabetically" --- it was on the "cheapie" row --- and thought instead that the movie was an expensive 2-pack DVD set, not a double billed DVD.

The MORAL of this incident is that you should not take for granted what others tell you. Some of the people just do not know. You have to go out and find out for yourself. I did, and now own two (2) copies of this DVD!

[–] hobnob53 17 years ago

Yes -- I saw the three WB sets stashed in the science fiction section under S -- for "Sci-Fi Double Feature". But at least they were all together.

[–] JPfanatic93 17 years ago

But what of the rumoured recall of this movie in BB stores?
Can someone advice me whether I should wait for a more widely available DVD edition (possibly R2), or get the BB version as quickly as possible before they're all gone? And if there is going to be another DVD edition, what are the chances it will still be uncut?

Need some counsel here...

[–] hobnob53 17 years ago

I hadn't heard of any recall, though this may explain its absence (the other two Warners discs were there) in a BB yesterday. You mean, a recall of just this one DVD (WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH and MOON ZERO TWO)?

I've long since learned that when a DVD becomes available, grab it, especially when it's an "exclusive" to one store or site. You never know how long it'll be -- or if ever -- before it's available again.

My guess is the DVD should remain uncut, regardless.

Hope this helps.

[–] JPfanatic93 17 years ago

I guess you're right. Better not take chances on a movie I've waited for so long, especially when there's limited chance of an R2 release. Thanks!

[–] moondoggiedaddy2007 17 years ago

I agree that you should buy WDRTE at Best Buy because the movie may not be there in the future. Whether it's sold out or recalled, what's the difference? It will be unavailable. Besides, it's just $16.99. If a better edition comes out with the same specifications, i.e., widescreen and uncut, but with extras like cast interviews, trailers/teasers, art work/posters/movie pressbook, documentaries, special visual effects/behind-the scenes peeks, etc., I'll probably purchase that one too. Don't you have several copies of favorite movies?

[–] JPfanatic93 17 years ago

I'm not from the US (Netherlands instead) so I can't buy it at BB. But I went with the advice and just bought it at Ebay for 25 bucks. More expensive than at BB, but I wanted this movie for years so I can live with that.

Now I just hope my region free DVD player doesn't screw me again and is actually able to play this baby... which unfortunately wasn't the case with my copy of The Lost World 1960. That sucked so bad.

BTW, I thought this DVD already contained the widescreen and uncut version of WDRTE? Or did I misunderstand you there, moondoggiedaddy?

[–] hobnob53 17 years ago

Hi roselaar -- it's hob. Yes, I was surprised to see moondoggiedaddy's remark that inferred WHEN DINOSAURS wasn't widescreen and uncut. It definitely is both. (But assuming you read this, moon, yes, I do indeed sometimes buy additional copies of favorite movies; I just did so with another of these WB Sci-Fi Double Feature discs, the one with WORLD WITHOUT END -- one of my all-time favorites, and one I'd never seen all the way through in proper widescreen. Love that movie.)

On the availability subject, I went into another Best Buy today out of curiosity and it, too, was out of WDRTE (with its co-feature, MOON ZERO TWO), but had both the other DVDs in this series. Still not absolutely conclusive of a recall, but it looks ominous. I wonder why they'd be recalled, if indeed that's what's happening. (And if so, is it because of DINOSAURS or MZT -- or both? Both are Hammer films.) If I learn anything one way or another I'll post. But even now I can see the copies being sold on ebay and Amazon at $300 a pop.

Roselaar, I must commend you -- your English is flawless, much better than that of many of us native speakers in the US & UK! (Or is that "many of we native speakers"?)

[–] JPfanatic93 17 years ago

Thanks, I try (and I actually care about spelling, though it seems a waste of time and effort on Internet discussion boards). :)

Anyway, about the potential recall: what are the odds it has something to do with the nude scenes? Are there other Hammer movies that got their nude scenes cut in the US? Maybe it's the rating they feel like changing. I dunno.

[–] hobnob53 17 years ago

Well, yesterday I went to yet a third Best Buy and lo and behold, there were several copies of WDRTE/MZT. (Sounds like a chemical formula to extinguish all life on Earth.) Anyway, no sign of a recall there, and oddly enough, this store was out of one of the other DVDs in this release (the worst one, featuring BATTLE BENEATH THE EARTH and THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR). Acting against the advent of a genuine recall, I plunked down for another copy, but all seemed outwardly normal...!

But to answer your question, no, I can't believe there'd be any problem with the nudity, which is in any case relatively brief in duration -- in fact, maybe the inference of rape in those scenes is more troublesome. But VHS was a more cautious medium than DVD, and I think Warner probably used the TV print for that version, with the nude scenes excised, instead of the original theatrical material used in the DVD. (I didn't see the movie in cinemas, but assume that the nude scenes were intact for theatrical release when the film came to the US in 1971.) Hammer had nude scenes in many other films at this time, mainly various vampire flicks and such, and I do know that such nudity was removed for American TV prints; but in the cases I know of it's intact in all its glory on the DVDs.

[–] JPfanatic93 17 years ago

Good enough explanations, thanks!

I guess recall was too strong a term since they're still available in most BB stores. Still, I'm glad I took no chances and got the DVD off Ebay. Won't be long now before it arrives I hope.

[–] chaosHD 17 years ago

The Best Buy website currently lists it as Backordered. I went to my local store anyway and luckily they had one copy left. If they have indeed "stopped the presses" on the double feature, the question now is whether new copies with a correct rating on the back are now being created, or will the new copies still say rated G on the back and contain the edited american print instead. It will be interesting to see what happens...

[–] JPfanatic93 17 years ago

I just received it in the mail. And to my pleasant surprise it also plays without incidents on my R2 DVD player! I'm a happy man at the moment.

[–] ColinKe 16 years ago

You can find a torrent on mininova.org

[–] moondoggiedaddy2007 17 years ago

Sorry, you are not reading what I wrote. I said WDRTE is uncut and widescreen. This was done in the very first entry comment.

[–] JPfanatic93 17 years ago

You meant to say 'if a new edition comes out, better than the widescreen uncut version this is' then?

Sorry for the mixup.

[–] hobnob53 16 years ago

Picking up where we left off last summer, I've discovered by chance that the double feature When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth/Moon Zero Two is indeed now off the market.

When this occurred, I do not know, nor why. The other two WB Sci-Fi Double Feature discs released with it last year -- World Without End/Satellite in the Sky and Battle Beneath the Earth/The Ultimate Warrior -- are still for sale as usual, so I can only assume some rights or other legal issue forced the withdrawal of this DVD.

Hope we took last summer's unavailability rumors to heart and are all sufficiently stocked up on early Victoria Vetri.