Strange to discover that The African Queen, John Huston’s ultra-classic 1951 adventure saga that earned Humphrey Bogart his one and only Oscar (he was nominated for Casablanca and The Caine Mutiny, but lost) was never released on DVD in North America. Shot largely on location in Africa—a real rarity for the time—the film is set in the early days of WWI, in the heart of “German East Africa.” Bogey is Charlie Allnut—one of the great Canadian characters of all time!—a small steamship operator who teams up with buttoned-down missionary Katharine Hepburn to travel downriver on his boat and attack a much more powerful German warship.

Shot in gorgeous Technicolor by legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff (who was still working up until his death last year), it’s a rip-roaring adventure and quite a touching romance as well. Bogart is scruffy and hilarious, Hepburn is proper but feisty, and the scenery is incredible. Really bizarre that it was MIA for so long. Well, Paramount has fixed that up, with a really spectacular new restoration of the film, approved by none other than Cardiff himself, who gave detailed notes on their work. It’s now out on DVD and Blu-Ray, with not many extras (just a new making-of), but well worth it regardless.

Fans of great Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki have reason to celebrate this week, though it’s a bit of a mixed blessing. The master’s latest, Ponyo, is now out on Blu-Ray/DVD, and three Studio Ghibli classics have been reissued on DVD: My Neighbor Totoro, Castle in the Sky and Kiki’s Delivery Service. All discs feature the English dubs, with big-name actors like Dakota Fanning, James Van Der Beek, Anna Paquin, Kirsten Dunst and the late, great Phil Hartman as well as original-language tracks you can watch with subtitles, if you’re a purist. But the Blu-Rays of these films (and my personal fave, Spirited Away) have still yet to be announced, so high-def fans will have to wait.