Will Woody Allen's movies ever make HD? (1 Viewer)

[Guy_K]

I know I would probably pick up 90 % of them if they made HD, however I read somewhere that the transfers of them aren't in good condition and he has no interest in revisiting / remastering them, which is why the DVD transfers were fairly uneven. Do you think they will ever be brought out?

 

[David Wilkins]

Good question. I would be interested in quite a few of them. Even among "older" titles, they certainly don't fit into the studios widely perceived "demographic" of hi-def customers.

Woody doesn't come across as the kind of guy who would have the least interest in such matters. How long was it before his first picture with plain old stereo sound? Not that it matters one wit to me, but it sheds some light on what he's about, so far as technological advances.

Perhaps Criterion will come to our rescue.

 

[Rob W]

To this day Woody Allen has never made a film with a stereo soundtrack. Even the newer titles which come with digital soundtracks are mono.

Considering he was among the first directors to insist that one of his films be released on home video in it's proper aspect ratio ( Manhattan ) I would say it's unlikely he has no interest in revisiting the transfer of his films.

At any rate, my high-def classics channel has run very nice high-definition transfers of titles like 'Radio Days' , 'Annie Hall' and 'Crimes and Misdemeanors' over the past 19 months so there are masters of these titles in existence.

 

[Douglas Monce]

I love Woody Allen's films, particularly the early FUNNY ones!

I think Zelig with all of its faked ageing of film stock would be particularly interesting in HD, as long as some one didn't decide to remove the intended grain or clean up the scratches!

Doug

 

[Marc Colella]

Count me in for an HD release of Manhattan, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Annie Hall.

Unfortunately I suspect it'll take 2 or more years before we see any of these titles come to BD.

 

[Brandon Conway]

I can see Match Point being the first catalog title from Allen's filmography to come out, seeing as how it's a recent title which likely has an HD master ready to go via DreamWorks, as well as it being his most well regarded work of the last 10 years.

 

[Rachael B]

That's exactly what Ii thought when I saw this thread. I think we're about to enter a period where they release the easy....read: cheap, to release titles and Match Point fits the M.O. Yeah, I wanna get Bananas, Sleeper, Love And Death, Everything about..... , Annie Hall, and about 10 more Tiger Lily, que pasa, por favor.

Manhattan has been on HD Net Movies. I watched it just a few months ago....'an if I'm not mistaken I either have or will soon get Love And Death on one of my HD Tivos. HD Net can be a hopeful sign...? ....sort'a....

 

[Rachael B]

"....my brain...it's my second favorite organ...."

"....but I ate Kozmic Rice...."

 

[Mark-P]

I've got news for you Rob. You need to check out the just released DVD of "Cassandra's Dream." Yes it is indeed Woody Allen's first-ever stereo soundtrack (3.0 to be exact, dialog in the center, and music and effects mixed in stereo across all three channels.) My guess is that he lost the battle with the studio on this one and they compromised with 3.0 channels instead of 5.1

And by the way, Douglas, in MY opionion the early ones are not the funny ones, the later ones with their wonderful neurotic intellectualism are the funny ones.

 

[MatthewA]

Woody Allen's films would be perfect for MGM's Blu-Ray pricing scheme. No extras and $35.

 

[Douglas Monce]

I was paraphrasing, from Stardust Memories.

Doug

 

[Jerry R Colvin]

We still don't have anamorphic Annie Hall on regular DVD yet, right?

His only Best Picture winnner... shame.

 

[BennyBlu]

I'm sure in a few years, even Ed Wood's movies will be available on Blu-ray.

 

[dannyboy104]

UK Disc is anamorphic
DVD Times - Annie Hall

 

[Rob W]

I should have guessed I would look like a dope when I posted! It's one of the very few Woodys I haven't caught up with. After 'Scoop', i may never go near a Woody Allen film again after following his entire career since I saw 'Bananas' first-run as a kid.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Ah, c'mon, Scoop wasn't that bad. I doubt I'd ever revisit it, but it was no worse than mediocre in my book.

 

[Jrf2]

I figure Annie Hall + Match Point will be his first titles to hit BD, though I'd prefer to get Purple Rose of Cairo or Crimes and Misdemeanors first. It is a damn shame that Annie Hall still doesn't have a 16x9 transfer in R1.

 

[Mark-P]

I liked Scoop too, but I'll admit from Annie Hall on, I have not been dissappointed with a single Woody Allen picture. I'm just a little bit obsessed with his work.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

I found Scoop to be surprisingly non-sucky, considering the reviews.

And not just because of Scarlett's red swimsuit. . .

Certainly not as good as Match Point, though.

 

[Scott D S]

Let's not forget his Miramax titles (which are all non-anamorphic on DVD) like Mighty Aphrodite, Bullets Over Broadway, and (one of my favorites) Everyone Says I Love You.