Is the American Masters doc on Stagecoach disc 2 presented in 4X3 letterbox or 16X9 enhanced? I missed it in HD, but it'd be nice to have it in 16X9 on DVD.
My father always has been and always will be a John Wayne fan (never much cared for him myself). However, I had the pleasure to see The Searchers in a film class a couple years ago in college and loved every single second of it. Excellent news that this looks fantastic. I can not wait.
I may just get two of these: one for me and one as an olive branch for my father.
Thanks for the early preview of the box set Robert...can't wait till Amazon ships mine out! Two questions, if you don't mind:
1) How much of an improvement is Stagecoach over the previously released version? The one released in 1997 looked like it could have come from a PD company, and I'm really hoping this release will stand head-and-shoulders over it.
2) How is the letterboxed version of 'The Wings Of Eagles' look? FINALLY, finally...I get to see this under-rated gem in it's correct aspect ratio.
Because Paramount had already bought the rights to the Republic library, and had control of the elements, but Artisan's contract with Republic to distribute their films on DVD hadn't expired yet. Paramount didn't want Artisan coming out with any restored special editions when they could do that themselves a year later.
A pan-and-scan version was on cable Friday night, and it looked so good I'm assuming it's from this new restoration. Crystal clear and colorful--no flaws apart from the odd sparkle of negative dirt.
The new Searchers set is also supported by two quality documentaries. One, produced c. 1998, regarding Wayne, Ford and the production, takes on the tonality and rhythm of a Ken Burns work.
To my mind, this is one of the finest companion pieces yet to arrive on DVD.
Oh, so The Searchers was Warner's only VistaVision production?
Which element was used for the DVD transfer of The Music Man?
Also, is it true that MGM used the original 8-perf negative for the transfer of The Vikings? Gorgeous transfer. Is it easy to transfer an 8-perf Technirama element? Do you just run it through an 35mm telecine and then unsqueeze by 1.5x and flip over in the digital domain or do you need a 1.5x complementary lens?
Finally, which other 8-perf VistaVision transfers have Paramount created, aside from Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (a difficult transfer, apparently, but great results) and The Lonely Man[/b]?
Thanks for sharing the knowledge, Ken, Robert; much appreciated.