Performances by Anne Bancroft, Kirk Douglas, Omar Sharif and other silver-screen stars are available digitally, but too many of their films lack enough fans to justify, from a commercial standpoint, the printing of entire runs of DVDs leaving unfulfilled those viewers who would pay for them.

Making matters worse, some – by no means all – fans of those classics lack the equipment or inclination to stream or download movies to their television sets. What's a movie studio to do?

To solve this long-tail riddle, Sony's Columbia Classics' new Screen Classics by Request department will manufacture any film from a catalog with 100 titles for starters, in the DVD format, accepting orders by web or phone. Titles available at launch include *The Pumpkin Eater *(1964, Anne Bancroft, Peter Finch), Footsteps in the Fog (1955, Stewart Granger, Jean Simmons), The Juggler (1953, Kirk Douglas), I Never Sang For My Father (1970, Melvyn Douglas and Gene Hackman) and Genghis Kahn (1965, Omar Sharif).

Movie buffs who might be really into movies from 1955, and who know more about Jean Simmons than Gene Simmons, might not to want to stream or download them, and even many technologically adept movie buffs might prefer the DVD format for any number of reasons. Sony's on-demand DVD manufacturing service will deliver long-tail, classic movie content to the niche that wants it in a way they can use – making, rather than losing money in the process.

However, Sony's Screen Classics by Request service stops short of delivering films by Blu-Ray, digital download, or digital stream, limiting the options of those classic film buffs who have invested in the latest equipment or otherwise know how to stream internet-delivered content on a television, for example, with a Media Center PC or Mac Mini.

These films will "not initially [be available on Blu-Ray or for digital download], but this is something we are contemplating based on available technologies, future capabilities, and consumer demand," reads the company's FAQ. (Why wouldn't Sony just partner with Amazon or Netflix, where customers already go to look for movies? We've asked, and hope to have an answer soon.)

Overall, this is a good thing for movie buffs and Sony's Columbia division, because it makes classic films available to those who want them, on a format just about anyone can use (after all, computers have DVD slots). We know businesses have to think about dollars, but if Sony had film conservation, rather than just commerce in mind, it would gamble on pure digital delivery, rather than on manufacturing bits and sending them via the postal service, and might end up expanding the market for these films.

Instead, these films cost $19.94 – plus shipping.

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