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Films that need DVD Releases with their Original Aspect Ratio, anamorphic if need be!

#1
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11/21/08 at 4:11pm
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From the "Show Business Bible" - Variety - July 14, 1954:

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#2
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11/21/08 at 4:43pm
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Furmanek
From the "Show Business Bible" - Variety - July 14, 1954:

Well, can't get more definitive than THAT! Now, what about Sabrina? DVD is full frame - released in October 1954. I've only seen it full frame, but suddenly if one looks at the headroom - well, a bit much, methinks. What thinks you?
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#3
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11/21/08 at 5:18pm
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

SABRINA began production in late September 1953, and Paramount went all wide-screen in mid-March of that year.
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#4
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11/21/08 at 5:58pm
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Furmanek
SABRINA began production in late September 1953, and Paramount went all wide-screen in mid-March of that year. Their pre-VistaVision wide-screen ratio is 1:66.
So Paramount just released it again last week without it being in its OAR.







Crawdaddy
G.W. McLintock: Camille, you're on your own.
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#5
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11/21/08 at 7:07pm
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

The tech folks at Paramount are under the impression that wide-screen at the studio began with VistaVision. In the second Martin and Lewis box set, all the VV titles are 1.85 but LIVING IT UP is 1.37. It should be 1.66.

In fact, there's an interview with director Norman Taurog in Motion Picture Daily discussing the difference in composing a comedy for wide-screen.
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#6
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11/21/08 at 8:10pm
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

SABRINA's aspect ratio is actually 1.75:1. The DVD is a true open matte and using a crop function in a program such as The KMPlayer works quite nicely.

-J. Theakston

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#7
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11/21/08 at 8:17pm
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyFeldman
Well, can't get more definitive than THAT! Now, what about Sabrina? DVD is full frame - released in October 1954. I've only seen it full frame, but suddenly if one looks at the headroom - well, a bit much, methinks. What thinks you?

In my review, I quoted one of our resident experts Jack Theakston who told me SABRINA was supposed to be framed at 1.75:1. I checked this before I posted the review because it looked like way too much headroom.
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#8
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11/21/08 at 10:22pm
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

I'm glad to know my eyes aren't deceiving me. I wonder if we could make a list of all the transfers from 1954 releases that are incorrectly transfered? I think it would be interesting.
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#9
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11/21/08 at 10:53pm
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

First, you'd have to compile a list of films from 1954 that are OUT on DVD to begin with!

This is, unfortunately, a problem that isn't just limited to films that were made in 1954, of course.

-J. Theakston

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#10
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11/21/08 at 10:57pm
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

I think this is a great idea, and it definitely should not be limited to a single year.
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#11
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11/22/08 at 12:34am
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack Theakston
First, you'd have to compile a list of films from 1954 that are OUT on DVD to begin with!

This is, unfortunately, a problem that isn't just limited to films that were made in 1954, of course.

This I know. The already mentioned The Night Of The Hunter, The Bad Seed, the region one of Dial 'M' For Murder - I'm going to go through my DVDs and see what else I can find.
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#12
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11/22/08 at 1:27am
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyFeldman
This I know. The already mentioned The Night Of The Hunter, The Bad Seed, the region one of Dial 'M' For Murder - I'm going to go through my DVDs and see what else I can find.

From my collection alone


Them!
Bride of the Monster (Wade Williams)
Creature With The Atom Brain
Moby Dick*
Deadly Mantis (not even true open matte, heavily zoomed in)
She Demons
Monster From Green Hell
Invisible Invaders
Plan 9 From Outer Space (Wade Williams)
Reptilicus*
Blood Feast*

Too tight on a 16:9 zoom, copes ok on a 14:9 zoom

Were Disney's first two 1.66:1 animated features, 101 Dalmations and Sword in the Stone, filmed open matte? The DVDs of them are 4:3, probably because everyone whined when Jungle Book and Robin Hood were released widescreen
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#13
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11/22/08 at 6:29am
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

This should really be done in a new thread, but here goes:

Ma and Pa Kettle at Home
Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki
The Kettles in the Ozarks
The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Revenge of the Creature
The Creature Walks Among Us
Baby Doll
Kiss Me Kate
The Long, Long Trailer
Cowboy
The Moon-Spinners
In Search of The Castaways
Blackbeard's Ghost
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#14
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11/22/08 at 9:29am
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

The new films actually composed for wide-screen began hitting theaters around July/August of 1953. Prior to that, the films shown theatrically in wide-screen would have been filmed prior to the transitional period of April/May. I would start a list based on releases post 7/1/53.

I made a mistake in assuming SABRINA was 1:66. (Making assumptions is a dangerous thing!) Paramount did convert to a house ratio of 1:66 in late March of 1953, and that remained their preferred ratio until the introduction of VistaVision in October, 1954.



However, SABRINA was a rare exception and should be 1:75.



By the way, I found this some time ago but forgot to post it.

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#15
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11/22/08 at 9:31am
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark B
This should really be done in a new thread, but here goes:

Ma and Pa Kettle at Home
Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki
The Kettles in the Ozarks
The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Revenge of the Creature
The Creature Walks Among Us
Baby Doll
Kiss Me Kate
The Long, Long Trailer
Cowboy
The Moon-Spinners
In Search of The Castaways
Blackbeard's Ghost

Maybe we should spin this off into a new thread? Of those you listed, Cowboy is correctly widescreen on a region 2 DVD I have.
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#16
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11/22/08 at 9:43am
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

I agree, the information is going to get lost here.

Perhaps the moderators would like a separate, pinned Aspect Ratio thread for this forum? If so, I will be happy to contribute.
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#17
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11/22/08 at 10:15am
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Re: HTF DVD REVIEW: Columbia Pictures: The Best Picture Collection

So will I. How do we do it?
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#18
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11/22/08 at 12:50pm
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re: Films that need DVD Releases with their Original Aspect Ratio, anamorphic if need be!

Here you go.........






Crawdaddy
G.W. McLintock: Camille, you're on your own.
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#19
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11/22/08 at 1:17pm
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re: Films that need DVD Releases with their Original Aspect Ratio, anamorphic if need be!

Thanks, Robert! This thread is a wonderful idea, and hopefully will do some good in correcting a lot of misinformation out there - at least, for those with open minds who believe proof when it's offered.

Just to have it in this thread - Columbia's Anatomy Of A Murder DVD is incorrectly transfered open matte - the UK DVD is anamorphic and correctly transfered. (Unless Columbia has done a new transfer that I somehow missed).
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#20
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11/22/08 at 1:25pm
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re: Films that need DVD Releases with their Original Aspect Ratio, anamorphic if need be!

Quote:
Originally Posted by BillyFeldman
Thanks, Robert! This thread is a wonderful idea, and hopefully will do some good in correcting a lot of misinformation out there - at least, for those with open minds who believe proof when it's offered.

Just to have it in this thread - Columbia's Anatomy Of A Murder DVD is incorrectly transfered open matte - the UK DVD is anamorphic and correctly transfered. (Unless Columbia has done a new transfer that I somehow missed).
I have an high definition recording of Anatomy of a Murder on my DVR that HD Net Movies had months ago. It was in its OAR.





Crawdaddy
G.W. McLintock: Camille, you're on your own.
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#21
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11/22/08 at 2:03pm
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re: Films that need DVD Releases with their Original Aspect Ratio, anamorphic if need be!

CALAMITY JANE is another movie that has gotten open matte treatment on DVD. According to a listing posted on HTF some months ago, it was supposed to be framed at 1.75:1.
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#22
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11/22/08 at 8:44pm
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re: Films that need DVD Releases with their Original Aspect Ratio, anamorphic if need be!

This is a great thread. Thanks for pinning it.
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#23
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11/23/08 at 7:53am
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re: Films that need DVD Releases with their Original Aspect Ratio, anamorphic if need be!

I will be glad to contribute to this discussion as often as I can, but please understand that it can take a bit of time to research each individual title. With that in mind, I would suggest that if there is a film announced for release and the AR is in question, let me know and I will make that research a priority. Perhaps, if the information is discovered in time, the DVD can be corrected. I'm not optimistic, but it's worth a shot!

Here's some material which was handy from recent searches:











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#24
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11/25/08 at 2:07am
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re: Films that need DVD Releases with their Original Aspect Ratio, anamorphic if need be!

Here are the ratios for the films listed that I could find ratios for:

Them! (1.75-1)
Bride of the Monster (1.85-1)
Creature With The Atom Brain(1.85-1)
Deadly Mantis (1.85-1)
She Demons (1.85-1)
Monster From Green Hell (1.85-1)
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1.85-1)
Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (2-1)
The Kettles in the Ozarks (1.85-1)
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1.85-1)
Revenge of the Creature (2-1)
The Creature Walks Among Us (1.85-1)
Kiss Me Kate (1.75-1)
The Long, Long Trailer (1.75-1)
Cowboy (1.85-1)
The Moon-Spinners (1.85-1)
Blackbeard's Ghost (1.85-1)

-J. Theakston

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#25
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11/25/08 at 4:57am
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Request for Sticky: Titles on dvd presented 4:3 instead of correct matted ratio

If possible please specify whether title is true open matte or has been zoomed in too much

Off top of my head - studio by studio

Columbia
Creature With The Atom Brain
Homicidal
On The Waterfront
Piranha II (non anamorphic DVD avaliable in UK, apparently anamorphic DVD avaliable in Holland)
3 Worlds Of Gulliver (UK DVD is apparently anamorphic widescreen

Disney
The Fox And The Hound
101 Dalmations (1961)
The Sword In The Stone

MGM
Attack of the Puppet People
Four Skulls Of Jonathon Drake
Invisible Invaders
IT! The Terror From Beyond Space
Moby Dick
The Monster That Challenged The World
Night Of The Hunter
Paths Of Glory
Reptilicus
Village of the Giants
Voodoo Island


Paramount
The Naked Jungle

Universal
Abbott And Costello Meet The Keystone Kops
Abbott And Costello Meet The Mummy
Creature From The Black Lagoon
The Creature Walks Among Us
The Deadly Mantis (zoomed in too much)
Mole People
The Monolith Monsters
Monster On The Campus
Revenge Of The Creature

Wade Williams
Brain From Planet Arous
Bride Of The Monster
Cosmic Man
Frankenstein's Daughter
Jail Bait
Monster From Green Hell
Phantom Planet
Plan 9 From Outer Space
She Demons

Warners
Bad Seed
The Black Scorpion
Dial M For Murder (Region 1. Region 2 is anamorphic widescreen)
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#26
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11/25/08 at 7:42am
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re: Films that need DVD Releases with their Original Aspect Ratio, anamorphic if need be!

How about Island In The Sky? Full frame transfer, but in the documentary clearly shown is the premiere and just as clearly the theater is touting it in widescreen - pre The Robe by a few weeks, I may add.
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#27
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11/25/08 at 7:48am
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re: Films that need DVD Releases with their Original Aspect Ratio, anamorphic if need be!

The Killing - 1.75:1
Paths of Glory - 1.85:1 (hard matted 1.66:1)
101 Dalmatians - 1.75:1 (hard matted 1.66:1 on original prints)

Tell The Weinstein Company to release Richard Williams' animated masterpiece The Thief and the Cobbler on DVD in Panavision widescreen and uncut! See and hear what you're missing from their Bitsy Award winner of Worst Standard Edition DVD of 2006 on YouTube!
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#28
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11/25/08 at 8:45am
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Re: Request for Sticky: Titles on dvd presented 4:3 instead of correct matted ratio

I'd like to see some newspaper clippings for when those budget studios went wide. Even those experts over at various sites who have interviewed these directors never seemed to get into the discussion of widescreen taking over during that period.

Wade Williams is still alive so someone should get ahold of him and find out what type of rights he bought for those films. For starters, all of them are now out on various PD labels. Secondly, does he have any original materials on them. At one time Warner said POLICE ACADEMY 4 & 5 would be released open matte because they didn't have the materials to do widescreen.
IMDB Reviews
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#29
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11/25/08 at 8:57am
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Re: Request for Sticky: Titles on dvd presented 4:3 instead of correct matted ratio

Michael: As we've discussed before, low-budget films went wide the same time as the majors in mid-1953.

In doing research on other titles, I found the following all recommended for 1:85.

Cat Women of the Moon, Creature with the Atom Brain, The Thing that Couldn't Die, Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman, War of the Satellites, The Haunted Strangler, Fiend Without a Face, The Astounding She Monster, I Bury the Living, Macabre, Giant from the Unknown, She Demons, The Flame Barrier, Return of Dracula
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#30
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11/25/08 at 9:31am
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Re: Request for Sticky: Titles on dvd presented 4:3 instead of correct matted ratio

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Elliott
I'd like to see some newspaper clippings for when those budget studios went wide. Even those experts over at various sites who have interviewed these directors never seemed to get into the discussion of widescreen taking over during that period.

Wade Williams is still alive so someone should get ahold of him and find out what type of rights he bought for those films. For starters, all of them are now out on various PD labels. Secondly, does he have any original materials on them. At one time Warner said POLICE ACADEMY 4 & 5 would be released open matte because they didn't have the materials to do widescreen.

Perhaps, or maybe Warners was being cheap back then
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