Legendary DVDs (1 Viewer)

[RobertR]

Shouldn't Gladiator be included here for sheer ubiquity, if nothing else? Is there anyone who doesn't have this thing?

Me.

 

[Patrick Soucy]

Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone (Sorcerer) (Sell total)
Shrek (Sell total)
Robin Hood Extented Edition (The poor quality)

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Terminator 2: Ultimate Edition--first mass produced DVD18 that didn't fare so well in many players

I don't recall player problems so much as production problems. Artisan preceded it with some other DVD-18s such as Lonesome Dove, Jesus of Nazareth, and The Stand.

Regards,

 

[Simon_Lepine]

I might add Criterion's Salo for the ridiculous amount it sold for on the secondary market.

 

[Duncan Harvey]

The first T2 disc came out in 1997 - I got mine in late October.

I'd give marks for:

Contact and Austin Powers - for extras and overall package.

Air Force One - a very early "event disc" in terms of shipped copies

The Stand - first DVD 18 title

Whichever was the first title to contain BOTH DD 5.1 and DTS on the same disc - cant remember what it was.

Doctor Who - The Aztecs - first DVD to contain a telerecording that had been fully subjected to the VIDFIRE process - to see it is to believe it!

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

The first T2 disc came out in 1997 - I got mine in late October.

You are right. I pulled the date in my previous post from DVD File, but the actual release date was October 21, 1997.

I believe Titanic was the first DVD to sell a million copies.

Regards,

 

[Dmitry]

Wasn't there a big deal about the first pressing of the Devil's Advocate some time ago? Shows how quickly those "memorable" things are forgotten

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Bobby Sox- first porn title on DVD
Kalifornia- first to include seamless branching to include both theatrical and unrated versions- I've watched both several times and still can't tell the difference though; unrated runs about a minute longer
Bandits- first DVD-18 to include both widescreen and pan and scan on 1 disc (I bought it just because of that)
Patch Adams- first separate WS and PS release- WS had extras, PS didn't
The Mummy- first separate WS/PS release with identical content (still don't know why the PS people would care about the extras though)
American Pie II- first movie to have FOUR simultaneous releases (rated and unrated, WS and PS)
The Terminator, MGM Special Edition- first DVD-14 (side A dual-layer, side B single-layer)

 

[Rob Gardiner]

I think THE ABYSS deserves to be mentioned. Is there an earlier disc with such elaborate menus?

BTW what was the first 2-disc SE? That would surely be noteworthy.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the old METROPOLIS for sheer awfulness.

How about BLACK ORPHEUS the first DVD relase to improve upon a Criterion LD (extra footage from intl cut).

Didn't QUEEN put out the first DTS 24/96 disc?

Was T2:UE the first disc with DTS ES?

SW:TPM is to my knowledge the first disc with online-only text commentary.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Salò the still hotly debated Pasolini film as to whether it is a work of genius or should never have been made. Add to this, the fact that the only R1 version is the OOP Criterion, arguable the single most expensive DVD to be had on places like eBay, making it also one of the most ripped-off DVD editions and you have the stuff of legand.

 

[Steve Christou]

The Matrix. It was the first DVD I bought, nearly 4 years ago and really opened my eyes to what DVDs can do, it had fantastic menus, great picture and sound, superb extras, the legendary follow the white rabbit function, which was the first of its kind methinks, it's certainly a legendary DVD and gets my vote as the greatest DVD of all time for purely personal reasons.

Others...

Brazil - Criterion

Alien

The Abyss - Special Edition

T2 - Ultimate Edition

Star Wars - Episode I

North by Northwest

Fantasia Box Set

Fellowship of the Ring - Ext.

 

[Matt<>Broon]

Aaah yes, the infamous Salo.

I have it sitting on my shelf, unfortunately in the BFI version, otherwise I'd sell it and buy a swathe of films I actually care for. Aaah well, one can't complain.

 

[KyleK]

Some more I thought of:

Fight Club
Legendary because of its huge amount of extras, and being a love-it-or-hate-it film.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Special Edition
Ah, the infamous sporadic/missing subtitles! Brings back memories, doesn't it? Actually, to be fair to Columbia-Tristar, they did fix, well, half of the problems with the disc, although the first Sweedish subtitle is still MIA.

Jurassic Park
The faulty DTS track.

Memento: Limited Edition
Legendary for its interesting-but-non-functional menus, and also for its interesting-but-non-functional packaging.

Lawrence of Arabia
Nifty packaging, but if I remember correctly, Robert A. Harris said that the color timing was not true to the original film.

 

[Haden]

Ahem.... Final Countdown.

I'm sure we ALL know why this is a legendary release.


And I'm curious about a few firsts:

- First DVD with an original commentary track (not imported from a laserdisc version)?

- First 2-disc DVD? (I bet it was a Criterion)

- First DVD with 3 or more discs? (I bet it was Criterion's Brazil).

- First DVD to contain deleted scenes as a supplemental extra?

- First DVD to contain a new cut of the film (not previously released on laserdisc or another format)?

 

[Dan Rudolph]

For infamous, there's the Madacy Metropolis. It has one of the worst transfers in the history of the format, the movie is cut. On top of that, the packaging is ugly and the menus are downright tacky.

 

[Ric Bagoly]

Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas - Criterion

They Live - OOP

Tales From The Crypt Presents Demon Knight - OOP

 

[Jesse Skeen]

First 2-disc release was Metallica's Cunning Stunts. First multi-disc release (with a large price tag) was From the Earth To The Moon.
Anyone know what was the first low-quality public-domain release, and which company put it out? Also which new movie was the first to NOT be issued on laserdisc?

 

[Robert Dunnill]

I believe Titanic was the first DVD to sell a million copies.

I seem to remember it being creamed in the sales figures by The Matrix. It was a good lesson to Paramount in how not to market DVD.

RD

 

[Jack Briggs]

So, 37 responses and 37 different answers and zero consensus!

Naturally, I would include the Warner reissue of 2001. But there are certain DVDs all HT enthusiasts should consider owning even if the films themselves are subpar, simply because of the audio and video quality. Hence, I have the Superbits edition of The Fifth Element. Nothing wrong with showing off the system, eh?

(We'll also let the fact that this is a poll slide for now. The thread's established!)

 

[Steve_Ch]

>>So, 37 responses and 37 different answers and zero consensus!