replacing all of my non-anamorphic titles (1 Viewer)

I went through my collection of DVD's this week, and was disgusted to find several non-anamorphic transfers. I hope it's because many of my copies are just old, and that new anamorphic versions exist. I've done some homework and added what I think is the UPC to the best anamorphic transfer, but I would really love it if you guys could tell me if I'm buying the right discs. Also, if you could help me find the ones I'm missing, I'd be eternally greatful.

a clockwork orange
beautiful girls
blair witch project
boondock saints - 024543233879
color of money
crow - 786936690804
days of thunder - 097360360042
english patient
eyes wide shut
fistful of dollars
for a few dollars more
game
good will hunting - 717951001498
graduate - R2-PAL Optima (upc?)
great expectations
high plains drifter
last of the mohicans
mission impossible - 097360360042
office space - 024543211990
pi
private lessons
ref
rounders - 786936701548
sliding doors
trainspotting - 786936237658
tres pajaros
troy - 085392841127
truman show - 097360309140

Where did you get a non-anamorphic Troy in the first place?

A female Brad Pitt fan gave it to me, I'm going to tell her I watched it and finally give it back now...

Region 1:

a clockwork orange - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know?

beautiful girls - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know?

blair witch project - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know?

boondock saints - 024543233879 - that UPC is for UMD for PSP - try this UPC: 024543231387 (cool tin packaging too)

color of money - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know? (packaging is mis-labeled - states it's anamorphic)

crow - 786936690804 - that UPC is for UMD for PSP - try this UPC: 786936142723 as it replaces the first non-anamorphic DVD release.

days of thunder - 097360360042 - no that's the same DVD in the box set - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know? (needs a new version IMO)

english patient - purchase this one - UPC: 786936239065 as it replaces the first non-anamorphic DVD release.

eyes wide shut - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know?

fistful of dollars - no anamorphic DVD exists right now but a rumoured Special Edition IS coming!! (about time)

for a few dollars more - no anamorphic DVD exists right now but a rumoured Special Edition IS coming!! (about time)

game - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know?

good will hunting - 717951001498 - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know in the USA, however the version available here in Canada from Alliance Atlantis is anamorphic

graduate - R2-PAL Optima (upc?) - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know?

great expectations - which one? I assume 1998 - - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know?

high plains drifter - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know?

last of the mohicans - purchase this one: UPC - 024543010883 (with DTS)

mission impossible - 097360360042 - no that's the same DVD in the box set - purchase this one: UPC - 097360420449 as it replaces the first non-anamorphic DVD release.

office space - 024543211990 - that UPC is for UMD for PSP - try this UPC: 024543160892 as it replaces the first non-anamorphic DVD release.

pi - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know?

private lessons - despite a recent 25th Anniversary Edition - there's no anamorphic DVD

ref - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know?

rounders - 786936701548 - not sure about that UPC but purchase this one: 786936243635 as it replaces the first non-anamorphic DVD release.

sliding doors - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know?

trainspotting - 786936237658 - the *new*anamorphic DVD replaces the first non-anamorphic DVD release. Great DVD!

tres pajaros - no anamorphic DVD exists as far as I know?

troy - 085392841127 - hmmm...Troy has always been anamorphic - UPC: 085392841127 is the two-disc set - not sure what Region you currently have. Bootleg maybe??

truman show - 097360309140 - Correct, purchase this DVD as it replaces the first non-anamorphic DVD release.

many thanks ChristianB...

By the way, for anyone else looking at the few that are left, any region is fine, as long as it's the best anamorphic copy, thanks.

Both A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More are available in anamorphic Region 2 special editions.

You may want to hold onto the non-anamorphic Last of the Mohicans. I never had that one, and it was apprently a poor transfer. But the current version (with the DTS sound) is the "director's cut" version. I don't remember if the earlier non-anamorphic DVD was the original cut or the director's cut. I'd keep it if it's the original, just to have both versions. If it's the director's cut, then it's just a crappy disc you can get rid of. I kept my Dolby Digital laserdisc in order to preserve the theatrical cut.

The Blair Witch Project was released theatrically at 4:3. It was windowboxed in a 1.85:1 frame. It should never be released at any other ratio, so anamorphic enhancement is a moot point.

Regards,

Thanks for mentioning this Dave, I checked mine and it wasn't a director's cut, so it's the cut I want, just not the right transfer. The one ChristianB mentioned is anamorphic, just not the original cut. Some reviewer on amazon.com is saying to buy the R2 version from Warner on amazon.co.uk instead of the R1 versions from Fox, but the R2 version doesn't seem to be anamorphic either. Anyone have an idea if an anamorphic version of the original theatrical version exists in any region?

Thanks Ken, this is just the kind of input I need so that I can stop wasting time looking for something that will probably never exist.

That was my point, really--there is no non-anamorphic widescreen Troy. Unless she gave you the full-screen version, of course.

I knew it was 4x3, but I didn't realize they windowboxed it. Why did they do that??

I have both The Game (251190-361690) and The Graduate (060021-171436) on R2 in anamorphic form.

You're correct, it's a pan and scan full screen version. It definitely needs to be replaced.

The Game - R2-PAL - UPC: 3259190361690

You didn't mention these, but I found them (I'm doing what you are doing):

Lake Placid - R2-PAL - UPC: 5039036004879

Armageddon - R2-PAL - UPC: 5017188883146

The following site helped:

http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/search.php

Pete

Ernie, getting back to Last of the Mohicans: I found THIS VERSION at Amazon.co.uk. If the info there is accurate, it is the original cut (107 min. vs 114 min.) and is anamorphic.

I may pick that one up myself.

The same reason that a widescreen movie is letterboxed on a 4:3 display. When the aspect ratio of the film differs from the aspect ratio of the screen, there is going to be some unused portion, which takes the form of "black bars" above and below the image for a letterboxed presentation, or on the sides for a windowboxed presentation.

Modern theaters are not equipped to display 4:3 material, so the only practical solution was to windowbox it within the 1.85:1 frame.

Carl, I just realized my missunderstanding. I thought Ken meant that the DVD was windowboxed. That's why I was like huh?

I didn't realize that theaters can't display 4x3.

I can see how Ken's post can be read that way.

As it happens, however, the Blair Witch Project DVD is windowboxed. It's 4:3 encoded (as it should be), but with a black border around all four sides of the image. I presume that the DVD producers didn't want any detail to be lost to overscan, but there's no shot in the film that sticks out as having important details near the edge of the frame any moreso than any other 4:3 film I've seen. The film image also has "rounded" corners instead of right angles. The DVDs windowboxing is perplexing and an exceedingly poor choice, in my opinion.

But at least they didn't encode it in 16:9 and windowbox it within a widescreen frame!

I'm seriously considering picking that one up too, except it doesn't list 'anamorphic' in the format section...

see these examples of ones I plan on buying that do:
The Game - ASIN: B00005UDUV
The Graduate - ASIN: B00004CYS5

Can anyone verify this disc is anamorphic?

The Amazon UK site is sparse on details in the fomrat section, and seldom uses the word anamorphic in the format section. In the review, it says this:


I guess it is sort of a crap shoot. However, it would not be the first time a movie from another region was anamorphic while its region 1 counterpart was not...