The Taking Of Pelham 1-2-3, anamorphic? (1 Viewer)

[walter o]

Sorry Marc, but Julius Harris past away last year....

 

[Mark Edward Heuck]

Darn it, saw him on the cover of a recent SHOCK CINEMA zine and thought he was still around.

 

[Robert Saccone]

Joseph Sargent, the director, is still around to do a commentary.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

One of my favorite all-time films.

Hope it sees a SE one day.

 

[Carlos Garcia]

Just saw it again yesterday. I love this film! The DVD looks great, but does definitely need an anamorphic release. This one's a classic period piece that shows what it felt like to live in NYC back in the mid-70s, before the 90s cleanup of crime and grime.

 

[Harry-N]

I started this thread so I thought I'd update it. Thanks for all of the replies - it's nice to know that there are fans of this film, just like me. I too hope it someday gets a better release, but, meantime...

I ordered the DVD online and just received it today, and have just finished watching it. I can say that it's a lot better than the LaserDisc transfer, if for nothing other than color balance. In the LD, all of the flourescent lighting has an overly-pinkish cast to it, making it look very unnatural. The DVD corrected this problem almost everywhere, giving the film a much more realistic look to it. The one place where the pinkish color still remains is on certain views inside the train car from the station's perspective, as if the color balance were set for the station and not the train. Shots of the lighting inside the train itself do not stand out as being pink, though.

Other color differences were noted inside the Command Center, where the furniture had a greenish look about it on the LD, but was a more institutional grey on the DVD.

I also noticed a slight framing difference in the two transfers. The LD seemed to have a bit more headroom at the top, where the DVD revealed a bit more information at the bottom. The side framing looked close to the same to me.

If anyone's interested in some comparison screenshots between the DVD and the LD, I suppose I could manage that.

Harry

 

[walter o]

Harry, on a previous post I mentioned the misframing of the bottom on the LD, but I didn't know the DVD has a odd framing on the top of screen. thank for pointing it out.

 

[Tim RP]

Yes please Harry! Though for comparison purposes really as I caved in on the basis of this thread and have ordered the dvd - so I can now retire my off-air vhs!

I love this film. As has been mentioned 'Pelham superbly portrays the grit and vibe of NYC in the 70s. Definitely beats French Connection in the battle of the grittiest... Everything about it is right: gripping story, genuine locations, ACTORS portraying believable characters and one of the best 70s flavour scores I've heard. Well edited too considering that for a film plot device that is static the majority of the time the film doesn't drag. A good example of an underrated gem.

 

[Jeff D Han]

I also like Pelham. Good script, funny at times, good cast.
I will be patiently waiting for a 16x9 re-release- I think
it will eventually get an updated transfer because of the
studios now common practice of multiple releases.

 

[Harry-N]

OK, here are two pictures. The first is from the region 1 DVD, the second is the same frame from the LaserDisc:




Now that I see these two together, I can see a slight left/right discrepancy as well in the framing. Notice the overhead station lighting on the DVD that looks white, and in the LD it looks pink. Overall the LD has that washed-out pinkish cast to it.

Harry

 

[Jeff D Han]

WOW!!! That's a big difference in picture quality.
The laserdisc was definitely overbright and too
pink- almost unwatchable compared to the DVD release.

 

[Richard N]

Just saw this and really enjoyed it. We need an anamorphic DVD!!! is there any chance of this title being revisited soon?

Also, I have a review up over at my blog if anyone is interested:
http://directcinema.blogspot.com/200...e-sargent.html

 

[Jon Hertzberg]

There is a remake (surprise, surprise) in development so it would be no great shock if MGM/Fox waits for the release of the new film to roll out an anamorphic SE of the original--even a crummy remake can be good for something, I guess.

 

[Jeff_HR]

Great Film! I've owned it for years & years in various forms. I'd repurchase a Special Edition DVD.

 

[Micah Cohen]

You guessed it, I'm bumping this thread in hopes that the new remake -- which looks absolutely awful, from the trailer (and also just... because) -- will disappear quickly after some savvy reviewer trashes it away and we will still get a serious anamorphic SE DVD of the original film.

Any whisper of a new DVD?

A pox on Tony Scott for this. Even dead, Robert Shaw could kick the butts of everyone involved in this mess.

Seeing this trailer this morning has ruined my day. I think I feel sick.

MC

 

[Sergio A]

This would seem to be a golden opportunity to come up with an anamorphic transfer for standard and Blu-ray DVD - although most of the participants are sadly no longer around, a commentary track or interviews at least could also be assembled one would hope from director Joseph Sargent (who is still making films at 83) and cast members Hector Elizondo, Doris Roberts, Tony Roberts and Jerry Stiller - and of course, composer David Shire who wrote that amazing score.

 

[Robert Crawford]

As big of a fan as I am with the original, I wouldn't make my final judgement about this remake based on the trailer. When was the last time Denzil Washington been in an awful film? It's even been a while since Tony Scott directed a terrible film.

In closing, we definitely need an anamorphic dvd release of the original.




Crawdaddy

 

[AlanBrom]

That's the only way we'll ever see a SE of this gem, because (and I hope I am proved wrong in the near future) MGM no longer gives a rat's ass about releasing catalog title on DVD.

 

[DrBenway]

The original cast was good but we have good actors now too. The problem is that Tony Scott = overlystylized, badly edited wankfest. I wait at the station for the original to come rolling in.

 

[Jari K]

Fully agree. Really looking forward to this one, even when the trailer wasn't all that great.

But yes, where is that new release of the original film? In Blu-ray too, please.