An Update About "Movie Night"

It was brought to my attention recently, thanks to our friends at Online Ghibli, that some of the movie files from YouTube have been taken down. This sparked my attention, so I quickly went through this weblog to see what's still available.

The bottom line is that most of the video clips are gone. Most have been removed due to YouTube's "terms and services" which are violated when you upload videos of movies you already own, or TV shows you're watched or paid for (DVD box sets, cable bill). Yes, I'm a little cross about all of this. I'm also aware of how mass media corporations are trying to gouge more and more money from our ever-thinning wallets, with iPods and next-generation DVD formats and the coming of video-on-demand.

Still, friends, we knew this from the beginning. As I've explained before, YT reserves the right to remove any video files at any time. Is it fair? Probably not, but that's merely my opinion. Them's the rules. And those rulese aren't about to change anytime in the future.

So here's a rundown of where everything stands in regards to Movie Nights:

Porco Rosso - Shut Down.

My Neighbor Totoro - Shut Down.

Umi ga Kikoeru/I Can Hear the Sea - Shut Down, only available via private request.

Ghiblies Episode 2 - Shut Down.

Nemo Pilot Film (1984) - Still Available, thanks to Google Video.

Omohide Poro Poro - Still Available

Horus, Prince of the Sun - Still Available

It seems the only Miyazaki and Takahata videos still available on YouTube are the ones I've uploaded myself. Perhaps this is due to their relative obscurity, and the fact that Poro Poro and Horus are still unavailable on DVD in North America.

I pretty much expected the movies that are available here on DVD to be deleted eventually. There's no reason why you shouldn't have bought them already. What more are you waiting for? I'm more cross at films that have not been released here, such as Ghiblies or I Can Hear the Sea. Surely, this isn't cutting into anybody's bottom line. As if anyone would prefer to watch a movie on a tiny 400-pixel window, instead of their brand-new widescreen TV.

I'm still uploading movies to YouTube, including Future Boy Conan, Anne of Green Gables, The Flying Ghost Ship, and Like the Clouds, Like the Wind. There's no promise that any of them will stay for any length of time, so we'll just have to enjoy them while we can.

Don't forget your two best options for watching these classic films and shows: import, and fansubs. You should have no trouble with either. Pass along, share, and enjoy.