Q Are you aware of a reason (estate problems, contract fights) that "At Play in the Fields of the Lord" and "Prospero's Books" are not yet available on DVD?
— John F. Farney
ABoth films seem to be caught in the trap that's befallen loads of lost classics that were released on VHS but never made it to DVD: a lack of urgency on the studio's part to get them out there, due to perceived lack of demand and a glut of other nonreleased titles with priority.
Until last month, two of my favorites, Billy Wilder's "The Spirit of St. Louis" and the classic Fred Savage Nintendo flick "The Wizard," were similarly stuck, but now both are on DVD. The good news is that both films you asked about are controlled by powerful studios with the distribution infrastructure to quickly crank them out onto disc. "Prospero's Books" is owned by DVD-happy Miramax, while "At Play in the Fields of the Lord" is under the Universal banner. Keep an eye on DVD news sites videoeta.com and dvdbeaver.com, as well as retailer amazon.com, for updates.
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E-mail film critic Phil Villarreal with your questions at pvillarreal@azstarnet.com.
