I think the Rank films have been treated better for home media... It's only very recently that the Anglo-Amalgamated and Rank films have been packaged together on DVD. Prior to that it was the Ranks that had the sparkly box sets while the Anglos were only released individually. The Ranks also had special editions with bonus features for some time before the Anglos were given the same treatment.
Perhaps that trend is now reversing though. After all, the first four films to be cleaned up for Blu-ray are Cleo, Cowboy, Screaming and Jack.
Perhaps it's telling about the dwindling demand for physical media that, all these years later, these remain the only four given official UK Blu-ray releases. Perhaps it's indicative of a decline in the popularity of the films themselves, which seems a bit mind-boggling given their ubiquitousness for my entire childhood and young adulthood.
Ironically, the
Carry Ons are being treated far more respectfully some ten thousand miles away, with all twelve Anglo-Amalgamated films now available on BD through Via Vision.
I've bitten the bullet and ordered all three gorgeous box sets which contain the twelve films:
The same company has also become the first in the world to release a number of other vintage British films on Blu-ray - mostly movie spin-offs from successful series - so several of these found their way into my basket as well.
Based on experience, I know I'm probably looking at Christmastime before the
Carry Ons arrive - and possibly February 2024 for others since some aren't released until the end of the year. But I'm sure they'll be worth the wait.
