Will THE GREAT ESCAPE be from a new scan? The Criterion website doesn't state it's new. Usually, this means it's a preexisting master...could this mean same master with additional work done?
So far, I've found four of my discs have rotted.. Curious thing is all of them are Warner DVDs.
THE MALTESE FALCON (disk 1 of 3-disk collector's set)
Val Lewton's CAT PEOPLE double feature DVD.
STAGE FRIGHT (1950) (Hitchcock Signature collection)
I CONFESS (1953) (Hitchcock Signature Collection)
Apparently the 3 disc edition has gone out of print. Could it be they're reissuing it on standard package (and minus the DVD) or.... they´re just reissuing a 1 disc version?
Well, if they found this same anomaly after scanning the negative then it problably means it was some sort of optical distortion at the time of filming.
I just received a reply from Jon Mulvaney:
"Hello Ricardo,
I hope this email finds you well.
In the course of preparing the master for Criterion’s new release of
Dressed to Kill, director Brian De Palma asked if there was anything
that could be done to correct what he felt was a distortion...
Judging by the blu-ray.com screenshots, the "squeeze" problem does not affect the entire film, there are indeed some shots that look fine (and centered). I suspect, however, that Mr. DePalma went a bit too far revising the color timing (oh, well it's his film anyway).
In my humble opinion the new blu ray is definately squished.
As we know, DTK was scanned straight from the negative. This element, of course, includes image information on the left side of the frame that will never be seen at the theaters since the sound stripe will be placed there on the...
Judging by those dvdbeaver screenshots, seems like the Criterion transfer was botched at some point during mastering. It looks stretched (faces look thinner, circles look like ovals) and includes more information on the frame that was likely never meant to be seen when projected.
I hope the release of Herbie 3 and 4 is a sign they would be willing to release the lesser known titles. I for one would like the rest of the less popular Hayley Mills titles. Particularly, That Darn Cat and Moon Spinners.