Re: Online availability of "Shadows Over Chinatown" and other Monogram Chan films
Rush,
A very interesting and sadly true observation. I very much appreciate the fact that we can, or have been able to (for the most part) stream the Chan's and other "Old Time" movies for free on services like YouTube, etc. for free. However, as you point out there are many streaming services that are making these and many older films that were once free to view as part of their subscription service (Amazon Prime, etc.) now part of a pay service or "free to view with advertisements". Sadly this is the result of the constant need for these providers to monetize their offerings.
One other thought regarding having "hard copies" (DVD's etc.) of these films is the Politically Correct Angle. As you and many of us long time Chan lovers know, years ago, Fox decided to pull its Chan films from broadcast on its Fox Movie Channel after the complaints of activists in the Asian community. To that end what is to prevent the streaming services from doing the same.
Not to sound like an alarmist but I sometimes feel that while my DVD collection is a bit of an anachronism, the day may come when it (and everyone else's) will be the last repository of serious film history (outside of the Library of Congress). So, long live the private collectors' efforts to preserve unadulterated film history.
