- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,428
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
I do not believe that there is any large format derived video master for Big Country.
It is truly astonishing that MGM did not know of this anamorphic 'stretch problem
Mythical indeed as there was never a 70mm print of this film.So I guess the verdict then....Not Guilty by existing elements. I still think the mythical 70mm print is either in hiding or just an urban legend.
Well, another possibility is that there are new people in charge since the MGM release, and those new people were unaware. That release was in 2011, after all.
November 25, 2011:
That rabble's restless again. Not good enough that we gave them the film on disc, now they're clamouring for correct A/R.
I may have made a mistake using the shot of Peck looking up at his hat, as most people would likely argue that it was deliberately composed that way but I would disagree.
I get such a schizoid feeling from Kino. Their release schedule would suggest they care about film history and their customers; yet their representative often appears to hold both the films and the customers in disdain. It's hard to reconcile those two things sometimes; I never know how to feel about that label.
I'm completely out of my depth on technical matters, and wouldn't presume to know. Nevertheless, I'd have thought that if any close-up in this film needed to be vertically shifted, then the one with the hat would be it.
That scene was all about mocking Peck's choice of hat, and what better way to accentuate the 'fish-out-of-water' aspect, than to tilt the shot's bias into the hat's favour?
Fair argument. I should have picked another screengrab. I hoped with the rest of the samples that you and others would recognize the error. I repeat that this example is far from an isolated case. At the same time I realize that I was taking a chance with bringing up this subject again (I did some time ago with little support as a result) on this forum.
For some reason, having established the correct aspect ratio, vertical composition varies - particularly with older pre-SMPTE titles. Camera operators (when exposing the entire frame, but intended for wide-screen) added extra headroom protection and then when the SMPTE chart is applied in telecine, this problem is introduced. Not so much in later years when SMPTE introduced standards, so as a result the mattes aligned correctly over the frame.
To Stephen Pi ... I think your second screen-shot in particular illustrates why I find this horizontal stretching so abhorrent. I know there are many members here who just don't notice it ... but this image in particular brings the problem right home!
I'm amazed that there has been no word yet from KL on whether this problem is going to be addressed!