The Birth of UK Home Video – Dirty Harry first release

The Birth of UK Home Video – Dirty Harry first release

I was browsing Ebay last night. It was nice to discover this one up for auction. It just goes to prove that some old VHS video cassettes are sometimes worth their weight in gold.

This is the first ever UK Warner Home Video release of Dirty Harry (released on both VHS and Betamax format). Known as Warner’s 'Big Box' releases – everything is spot on here, the video cassette (on Scotch video tape), white label and white spine, embossed inside case, AND the original cast card. 

I know every inch of this VHS, as it was the first ever Video Cassette I bought. These days I still have the original sleeve and the cast card, together with a whole collection of other old Eastwood video sleeves in a binder – held over for history and pure nostalgia. 

And I can never forget the price I paid for it, a very hefty £35 – which I can assure you was a lot of money back around 1981. No trailer, no bonus material, no widescreen, just a grainy panned and scanned 4 x 3 academy ratio - but it was like owning a piece of treasure at the time. 

These days, well, prices can vary, but this particular one is up now at a very expensive £70.00, despite the sleeve being a bit battered and the cast card a little creased. But you don’t see many of these surface – especially in this complete form.

A very rare thing these days, but something that still brings back some priceless memories from the early Home Video era.