It's either the Red Edition DVD or a DVD-R burned from the Japanese laserdisc. Either way, I wouldn't pay that much for it.

A master copy of the cancelled Buena Vista R1 DVD might exist in a vault somewhere, because I remember they pulled it out at the 11th hour. I think MGM is said to have a digital print in their possession for whatever reason, but they can't do much with it because of the distribution rights.

I wonder what extras, if any, exist on that DVD. I also wonder how the print quality is. The Red Edition is okay-looking, but could have been better, I think.

The Hartbox DVD, which is also on the front page, appears identical to the Laser Paradise disc. Don't be fooled by the charming cover art, at least not before receiving a second opinion from someone who's actually seen through the release.

And to answer your question mark (only been six months ) simplifying it a bit; Weinstein's have left Miramax, and before they did, I've gathered they didn't seem to care enough of Hardware to step up against Stanley, or anyone else interested. Buena Vista, which practically owns the Miramax back catalogue, is on the other hand extremely precious about their rights.

As I've already said numerous times, there were Palace Pictures (UK), Wicked Films (UK) and Miramax (US) involved. Miramax was bought by Buena Vista in 1993. Palace was taken by PolyGram around the same time, and in 1998, PolyGram itself became a part of Universal. Confused?

Add up the fact that MGM has a negative and a new print in their vaults, which they wanted to put out, but lost track of the rights. Also, MGM was sold to Sony in April 2005, which means it's quite possible they're not fighting for the film anymore, simply because of corporate shuffling.

Imagine the situation. People from Universal calling Buena Vista, asking "Excuse me, could we release our film in the States?"

...and around and around and around we go!

(Too bad there isn't a "dizzy" smiley.)

sigh... maybe one day... (I am, of course, referring to a Hardware DVD, and not a "dizzy" smiley.)

I used the new laser paradise logo on my home made DVD cover, I took the logo from the laser paradise site while it was just a page saying 'under construction' with the new logo at the top.

I just looked through their now constructed site www.laserparadise.de and there is now no mention of Hardware or Mark 13 that I can see.

This could actually be a good sign, if the MGM rights have now reverted to Sony they may have secured the rights for distribution in various territories.
That's just speculation on my part, but recently a lot of rights issues have been cleared up on other films (Superman III and IV are now available on DVD in Britain for example, even though for years Warner Bros. didn't have the rights for British distribution). Also, many studios are working together putting box sets of films together, despite different distributors, etc.

I think a lot of studios have started to put aside rivalry and arguments over distribution rights because the DVD market is such a huge source of $$$$$'s for all involved.

They have a site? What progress. I remember some years ago being apparently among the selected five people on earth to know about the upcoming MARK-13 DVD, just because I had read a very brief mention of it being delayed from an obscure German website.



If MGM had any concrete distribution rights, that would be a good thing. Currently, they have a new digital print. I suspect this is because they own at least the Spanish and German cable-TV rights for HARDWARE. I don't know whether they have other (European) countries under that umbrella, but I do have a pretty good hunch their hands are tied when it comes to the film itself.

I'd get a kick out of seeing HARDWARE in Espanol!

According to www.babelfish.altavista.com , the phrase "this is what you want, this is what you get" is translated to:

"El es lo que usted desea, esto es lo que usted consigue"

which, translated back into English, comes out as:

"He is what you wish, this is what you obtain."

Some vendors received the specs early, a few are still online.

DVD Features
Region 1
Keep Case

Interactive Features
Scene Access
Interactive Menus

- Rotten Tomatoes

In our series of interesting details, Buena Vista apparently sent HARDWARE to the MPAA for evaluation in 2004.

Hardware (2004)
Buena Vista Home Entertainment
R Rated R for strong violence, sexuality and language.
** (edited version)

Hardware (1990)
Miramax Films
R Previously rated (X).
*** (edited for re-rating)
---

I'm positive it's the R1 DVD; THE EXORCIST for instance has two ratings, one for the 1973 film and one for the 2000 re-release. What's curious is that the 2000 version counts as an "edited version", just like the version of HARDWARE Buena Vista sent over. Could it actually mean they were going for an R rating with the uncut UK print?

Thanks for the info, Sic!

That's so bare-bones it isn't funny. Someday they're going to put out a decent disc, and when they do, I wish for an Easter Egg of Stanley giving the finger to whoever sat on the rights all these years.

hi guys - so let me get this straight. If we in the US (region 1) want to watch Hardware on DVD, we're screwed?

Yes and no-

Get a region-free DVD player, and grab a Region 2 DVD (like I did) and you'll be all set!

It means a little work and parting with some cash, but it's worth it. Besides, having a region-free player lets you rent & see other movies from all over the world anyway.

eBay link

I didn't think there were any region 0 DVD's of Hardware, is this legit? and it will play in a USA DVD?

edit: Irritatingly long URL, caused horizontal scrolling. - sic.

eBay link #2

ditto. - sic.

If it is a Region 0, it could be a bootleg with the regional encoding broken...