Allan Harris

1. When did you first get interested in DVD and why?

Following on from a job at a large video rental chain, I had amassed a decent sized collection of VHS tapes. Then one day about four years ago, I was scouring the internet when I heard about a new collectable format that would do for the home entertainment industry what CD did for the music industry. So I set about trying to find any hardware and/or software. As a boutique item, only a select group of stores had DVD players.

Instantly I fell in love with the breathtaking quality offered by some early Roadshow titles, not to mention the idea that the picture and sound quality would never degenerate. Having already collected several Special Edition titles on VHS, I relished the idea of any title still being as good 10 years after I bought it. Plus there was 6 Channel Dolby, Widescreen Video (devotees would understand how hard it was to get any VHS tape in Widescreen in Australia) and all the extras. Pretty much the same reasons that people are now coming across to the format. And it's an addiction, er, hobby that will I hope continue to stay with me for some time.

2. Did you ever expect DVD to become as popular as it has now?

To be honest, I thought DVD would be another Laser Disc. Being a Laser Disc enthusiast, the transition to DVD was easy for me. I hoped due to their close resemblance to CDs that the masses would come around as well, but I never imagined the relative speed and depth of penetration that DVD has enjoyed to date.

3. What are some of your favourite movies and some of your favourite DVDs?

Considering my tastes are fairly eclectic, there is a wide range of films that I enjoy watching. One that I can go back to time and time again is The Big Lebowski. The Region 4 release is a featureless disc, but the Coen Brothers have created the most wonderfully bizarre characters and settings I just can't resist. The Alien Films always pop up as favourites, and the five disc Region 4 Alien Saga is a great presentation. A film that at the time of writing has had a resurgence locally is Robocop. With the Region 4 Disc also making a home in my collection, the Criterion Version is hard to beat, with a fully integrated director's cut and a wacky audio commentary by director Paul Verhoeven. Another exciting DVD set is the Region 2 Japanese Premium Twin Pack of The Exorcist. The movie is an exercise in atmospheric filmmaking and the DVD has both the theatrical cut and the recent "version you've never seen". Apart from that, titles like David Fincher's The Game and the John Cusack comedy Grosse Pointe Blank are perrenial favourites.

4. Which 'not so good' DVDs would you never want ruining your collection?

I can't stand films that could easily have been great ruined by sub par transfers and/or average video or audio quality at the expense of extra features. Also, less-than-complete versions of the director's vision, because of censorship or regional distribution rights. Thankfully, I don't really have a hit list of shocking DVDs, except to say that I would rather not own a title than owning a poor quality release (I do however own the Region 1 "THX certified" Edition of Highlander though, so go figure).

5. Which DVD(s) not yet available are you looking forward to most being released?

In no particular order: Disney's Aladdin & The Lion King, Indiana Jones Trilogy, Star Wars - Episodes 3, 4 & 5 (the original theatrical cuts). I also look forward to the day when Australian distributors create plush packages, like the Region 1 Book of the Dead Version of Evil Dead. It has happened a little with The Matrix and Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition. I hope for more of the same in the future.

6. Have you ever gone to extraordinary lengths to satisfy your DVD addiction?

Yes. There are a few titles for which I have gone further than I ever thought I would. That was in the embryonic stages of my habit and now I think I have my DVD usage under control. I can handle it, okay? Put it this way, I have never woken up naked in a dumpster or anything like that. Alright, maybe once. My name is Allan, and I have an addiction. I'm doing the only thing I can, taking it one luscious release at a time.

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