Where's The Day After DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Tim_Prasuhn]

I'm unsure about the official status of the film's OAR, but from having seen the film in Widescreen (Laserdisc, 1.75:1) and fullscreen (VHS), this is how it appears:

While the top and bottom of the image lose an insignificant amount, there is a good deal of new information on the sides of the image, as well as what is apparently the true version of some shots (in the fullscreen version, some shots appear to have been optically reframed through zooming, to accomidate the cropping of the sides). The effects shots in particular gain a significant amount of side information without losing much at the top and bottom.

So, there it is. I'd be willing to bet Nick Meyer knew this was going to be released theatrically somewhere, and framed specifically for that. When it came time to release the fullframe version to American TV and VHS, he pan and scanned the film (it wasn't unmatted), and reframed certain shots optically.

Based on the look of the widescreen version versus the fullscreen version, thats what I think the deal is. But without specific confirmation from him, i'm just guessing.

Either way, its the AR he intended.

 

[Nelson Au]

Back in January, Nicholas Meyer was up here in the SF Bay Area at a Borders Book Store for the Star Trek 6 DVD signing. A fellow HTF'er requested that I ask him about The Day After on DVD.

I did and his response was that he didn't know anything about a DVD release. But he did say he would look into it. As far as a commentary, I didn't ask. He looked pretty tired by the time I got to him to sign my DVD. But he perked up enough when asked about The Day After! I think I saw a guy ahead of me have him sign a Laserdisc, but it looked like Time After Time and not The Day After, but it did look like it.

 

[Christian Preischl]

Now this is interesting. Thanks to street day breaking I received my copy today, and the disc is quite different from what was announced! Full screen, English mono, no extras, not even subtitles!

Quality is okay-ish. It's a 20 year old TV movie, and it shows. Make of that what you will. But it's the 126 min. version, at least that info was correct.

Chris

 

[Jack Briggs]

Christian, your Region probably is receiving a different version of the disc. As for this 1.78:1 issue: Perhaps Nick Meyers was exercising a director's shoot-to-protect option, which was common in the era of pan-and-scan for everything? I'm ordering this disc.

 

[Jeff_HR]

Maybe I should stay with my Brazilian version?

 

[Randy A Salas]

The question is, announced by whom and when? I'm looking at MGM's official press release for the R1 DVD, and its specs describe exactly what you have and nothing more.

 

[Christian Preischl]

Interesting. I was referencing the info from DavisDVD quoted above in post #33. Seems like this was only rumour mill material.

Chris

 

[Patrick Mirza]

The very earliest specs MGM sent out, which I also received, said 1.78 widescreen and a new featurette. The studio changed things around quite substantially after those early details (it happens a lot).

The disc is 1.33 fullscreen and there's no new featurette.

 

[Chris PC]

So how does the NTSC region one version differ from the other regions?

 

[Dick]

This is currently out of print, I believe in all regions.

 

[ScottR]

I have broadcast versions of Jesus of Nazareth and Lonesome Dove and there is considerable image there that is cropped from the sides on the dvds......and all presentations of the films were 1.33:1 on television and dvd.....weird!

 

[John*C]

"The Day After" will be releasing on May 18 it will have a 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio and monoural sound as seen on www.DVDempire.com$11.06 and www.amazon.com.$10.46


This will be *Full Screen* release, no wide screen release is given running time 127 minutes. UPC code is 027616911254 so you can look it up

 

[Chris PC]

Well since it was a "made for TV" movie, if I recall correctly, FULL SCREEN is about as good as it gets. Kinda like anamorphic 4:3. That is, if its enhanced for widescreen TV's!

 

[John*C]

I just seen the movie on my S-VHS VCR, Oh my God what a movie. Rent this one if you buy it you won't want to watch it for years. Running time on my Pre-Recorded VHS was 2H and 7 minutes. I think the last time I seen this was about 8 years ago, some of it was in my mind but most was like I never seen it before. If you think that A-Bomb in "Sum of All Fears" was something, it doesn't hold a *candle* to the "The Day After"!

Patricks DVD view is really *tame* to what your going to see on a line doubled progressive HDTV like mine. I stretched the VHS and if I were to view the 1.33:1 DVD I stretch all.


I put this on as a quick edit when I went back to see Patricks view Oh My God if this ever happens to us there will be no where to hide! In the movie it's said "We won't know who started World War 3 but World War 4 will be fought with 'sticks and stones'"~ this is a quote from Albert Einstein mentioned by actor John Lithglow in the movie over a shortwave set.

I know I am not going to sleep too well tonight, seeing all those people and all those bombs that went off again.
I think I will wait buying this one for some time, after all it took 8 years and 'your' posts to see it again! I don't have a smilie to give you, I feel awful I can't get those images out of my head!

 

[Jeff_HR]

When I watched it the first time it scared the hell out of me! And what is even scarier is how close we have come to it happening.

 

[Justin_S]

This is an excellent, frightening, and very moving film. I first saw it on TV many years back, and it really effected me. I got the DVD last Tuesday when a store broke street date. Wish it had some extras, but oh well. I'd say its the third best film on the subject, the best being the horrific Threads, followed by the heartwrenching Testament.

 

[John*C]

I usually sleep a bit longer but 7.5 hours is all I got I still have the images of the people. To quote the movie Under Siege with Steven Seagal "All the people will reach 10,000 degrees in less than a second" So you know your going to see what I believe is animation from human form to x-ray/bare bones then nothing. The heat at the crematorium that fills a glass urn with ashes of dead people, is a lot cooler than the 10,000 degree heat from the blast. EMP is seen widely EMP stands for Electo Magnetic Pulse generated by the explosion which knocks out all the cars and trucks ignition systems. If this movie is made much more clearer thant the VHS tape, be prepared with bowls to throw up if nauseated.

Don't forget this a *very mild* interpretation of what it would be really like if it ever happens(movie is based on 'only' 300 nukes hitting industrial and ICBM (Inter Continental Ballistic Missle) silos)targets. In "Wargames" with Mathew Broderick the number of nukes that were tracked was 2,400 8 times as many as this film is based on.

 

[John Swarce]

Just picked up this movie yesterday and watched it today. I can clearly remember this movie affecting me tremendously the first time I saw it on broadcast TV. But, as with anything produced years ago, I tended to key in on the hairstyles, clothing, etc. in the movie when I watched it today (did we really look and dress like that 20 years ago? ). I didn't have the same reaction as John*C above, though!

Pretty much a downer of a movie, and I was disappointed that it was not released with a better feature set (commentary, making of featurette, etc.). Can't complain too much for my $10, though.

I did catch Steven Furst (Vir from Babylon 5) in a small role!

 

[Trace Ahlers]

I was working in a grocery store the night this movie first aired. We might as well have been closed.
I've been waiting 21 years to see this movie and I finally got too. I think it would have had more impact on me in '83 than it did last night but, it was still worth waiting for. What I found amusing was how much technology has changed our lives. You would never see a long line of people waiting to use a pay phone now.