So far, Artisan Home Entertainment has not made mentionable use of the films from the Republic library the studio acquired a few years ago. A handful of titles were repeatedly re-released, such as “High Noon, ” “The Quiet Man” and “Rio Grande” but the majority of the gems remained untouched. All this will change in 2003. The studio has already announced three previously unreleased classic films from the library for January.

Raoul Walsh’s brilliantly staged 1947 film noir Western, Pursued is one of these films. Starring Robert Mitchum as a man who is pursued by a series of tragedies. Facing a bleak future, he decides that it is up to him to make a change and he begins to pursue the things that are the most important for him in life. Shot in Northern New Mexico, the film features a superb cast headed by Robert Mitchum, Teresa Wright and Dean Jagger.

The next films in the line-up are the 1945 Western Flame Of The Barbary Coast starring John Wayne, and Lady Takes A Chance, also starring John Wayne alongside Jean Arthur.

The Magic Christian is a cult fan favorite that is finally making it to DVD as well. This quirky comedy stars the great, late Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, in which a wealthy man adopts a homeless bum, who quickly gets used to the rich lifestyle – a little too quickly maybe. The 1969 features a series of great cameo appearances of superstars of the time, inlcudin Christopher Lee, Yul Brynner, Raquel Welch, Roman Polanski, and Richard Attenborough among others.

The 1947 comedy Copacabana is the next in line. Starring Groucho Marx – this time without his brethren – alongside Carmen Miranda, this musical comedy is a cat and mouse game par excellence.

All titles are scheduled for a release on January 21 at a low suggested retail price of only $14.95. Let’s just hope the low price tag is not an indication that the studios didn’t spend any money on restoration of these films…