Widescreen version of "Karate Kid" ????

Jeff Holton · 01-02-2003, 12:42 PM

I really want to add "The Karate Kid" to my collection, but the only versions I have been able to find on DVD are formated 3:4 version...

Has anyone seen, or know about a widescreen version?

Jason Whyte · 01-02-2003, 02:04 PM

moving to software....

DaViD Boulet · 01-02-2003, 02:35 PM

Jeff,

we're all waiting for Columbia to wake up on this one. We're there with ya!

-dave

Walt Riarson · 01-02-2003, 03:12 PM

This just seems like a title that they will eventually re-release as a SE. I mean, they did put a couple of extra features on their Karate Kid II disc. Then again, this isn't the same Columbia of a couple of years ago. I hope they'll consider a SE of Karate Kid.

Jeff Adkins · 01-02-2003, 04:14 PM

You can get all three of them here for $17.81, all in anamorphic widescreen if you can do PAL Region 4.

Here is a review. Looks like the Australia and UK discs are the same, only the Aussie version is much cheaper.

Jeff

**HTF Ads**

Gary_O · 01-02-2003, 06:25 PM

I've been waiting for this as well.

I'm guessing they may be holding off until 2004 so they can do a 20th Anniversary SE

Louis C · 01-02-2003, 08:44 PM

I too am patiently waiting. It seems ridiculous you can get Karate Kid II in widescreen but not the more popular first one.

David Von Pein · 04-02-2003, 12:44 AM

Is the current Karate Kid (1.33:1 DVD) Full-Frame or Pan-and-Scan?

What is the OAR of TKK? 1.85 or 2.35?

If 2.35, then (obviously) it's gonna be a P&S 1.33 DVD. But aren't MOST 1.85 AR films matted, with no P&S'ing needed/required? (Is P&Scanning even needed on a 1.85 ratio?)

If TKK is not P&S (but matted instead), I don't see any huge reason to be overly upset by a 1.33 DVD release. You won't be missing any picture information. Just like Anatomy Of A Murder, which is 1.33, but not P&S'ed.

Anatomy is just TOO good a film to not be in most people's DVD collections (FF or otherwise). IMO.

Jeff Kleist · 04-02-2003, 01:09 AM

It's open matte

Patrick McCart · 04-02-2003, 01:10 AM

Karate Kid is 1.85:1. The DVD is presented sans matting.

Anatomy of a Murder is a different situation in that it wasn't made for a lot of matting. 1.85:1 ends up making very unbalanced compositions. IMO, 1.66:1 would be the ideal matting ratio for DVD, but Columbia doesn't do anything lesser than 1.85:1 for DVD.

David Von Pein · 04-02-2003, 01:20 AM

Thanks, Jeff & Patrick.

I assume, then, since "Karate" is 1.85 Open Matte, this means it's NOT a P&S release? Correct?

It was shot in 1.33, but matted to 1.85 for theaters...correct?

If I am assuming correctly....then many, many DVD e-tailers (and DVD Profiler as well) are in error when listing TKK as "P&S". It makes it very difficult to figure out what's correct and what's not.

Amazingly (obviously an oversight), DVD Empire shows that "Karate 1" is the very first Anamorphic 1.33:1 DVD!