Not Happy With THREE WORLDS OF GULLIVER... (1 Viewer)

It's been said in this forum several times that THREE WORLDS OF GULLIVER was being PROPERLY presented in full-screen. But there are obvious instances throughout the film where actors are cropped and scenes are too tight, which go way beyond overscan. This is a PAN AND SCAN movie (there is a disclaimer before the film stating it is "formatted to fit your screen), the only one to appear in the Columbia Harryhausen series, yet I don't hear any protest about it the way I do some lesser titles upcoming from this studio. This is HARRYHAUSEN we're talking. But the transfer is also too dark and contrasty, just not a very good job. Worthy of a re-do. I'm gonna sell mine.

Dick,

I watched about 45 minutes of this DVD last night and I wholeheartedly agree with you. This DVD looks like a botch job, pure and simple. I hope MYSTERIOUS ISLAND isn't butchered this way when it comes to DVD.

I returned my copy of it, protesting that it did not have the black bars. NO OAR = NO SALE.

To add insult to injury, the trailer is shown widescreen and, during one of the featurettes, Harryhausen comments on storyboards that are drawn in a 1.85:1 (from memory) frame.
This defies explanation as much as Disney releasing White Fang P&S and White Fang 2 widescreen: It's not consistent with the other RH DVDs, and they could have put both versions if P&S was so important.
:frowning:

Ys, they could easily have put both versions of this disc by simply dropping THE HARRYHAUSEN CHRONICLES, which they have included on four differentr discs now. Come on, Columbia, don't start botching your classic releases!

Is it too early to ask if there is going to be a proper release of this DVD?

Yes, this movie is pan & scan. Another film I can add to Columbia's list.

P.S. - Columbia is releasing this film in widescreen in Region 2.

Are you sure this isn't open matte? I blew it up on my 1.85:1 television and there was still plenty of headroom. What sequences (time coded) are you seeing as crowded?

Mark - headroom is not the issue. The left and right sides are the issue. You can actually see a pan during the opening credits, as the producer and director credits appear, the camera pans toward the right so that the head of Gulliver in the long scroll up from his feet will be centered. Watch the lettering of the credits - the seem to "drift" toward the left. No reason for this to happen unless it is because the picture is being scanned to the right. Later, there are many instances of actors being cropped on the sides. Check out Gulliver's fight with the crocodile... the actors (including the evil sorceror) are cut in half by the cropping. As I said before, this is not overscan. It is another scary example of Columbia deciding, "This is just a kid's film and kids prefer full screen," even though countless examples have proven otherwise in this forum

Dick and Mark:

My memory may be faulty - it was a long time ago - but I can recall seeing the credits moving from right to left when I saw the movie in the theater. I always thought that was just a quirky part of the title design.

If only we could get Ray Harryhausen on the forum to set everything straight ...

--Bill

Bill,
Check out the earlier thread (http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...275#post635275) about this movie. In it I mention that I'll be spending two or three days with Harryhausen at the Lake Placid Film Forum in June. I will bring printed-out screen shots of all these films on DVD and ask him what the preferred aspect ratio should be. I'll even bring my laptop computer along on the off chance that I can get him to look at a couple of minutes of the discs. I will post his answers on the HTF.

The Pioneer Special Edition Laser Disc of 3 WORLDS OF GULLIVER was Full Frame. MYSTERIOUS ISLAND and 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH were also Pioneer Special Edition LDs which were Full Frame.

The Criterion JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS LD was Full Frame (not Pan&Scan). The Criterion collection claimed that it was in the correct projected aspect ratio. Another Full Frame (not Pan&Scan) Criterion LD title was CARRIE. Criterion claimed that CARRIE was being presented in it's correct aspect ratio. MGM released CARRIE on DVD twice in Widescreen. Nothing appears to be cut off from the Criterion LD during the spit screen sections.

Peter, I have an idea. When you bring your laptop along, will you have internet connectivity from the site you're at?

Perhaps you can work with Ron and Parker to set up an HTF account in Harryhausen's name, with a generic password that only you and Ron/Packy know. Then we can actually get a post from the genius himself on this subject!

At worst, it won't be used and can be removed later. At best, he can get on your laptop, log onto HTF, and respond personally!

I was only kidding when I said we should get Harryhausen on the Forum. Now, thanks to Peter getting to know him as a friend (wow!) and David's idea, it may become a reality. If this is a dream, don't wake me up!

Mark, the CARRIE widescreen DVD has important top-and-bottom information missing in the school gym scene before the prom, when Sue and her friend are on a ladder hanging decorations. On the gym floor is a school logo saying BATES HIGH SCHOOL - STINGERS, but you can't read it fully in the widescreen version. I always thought it was significant that DePalma included a homage to Hitchcock in the very name of the school.

I'm all for original aspect ratio, as long as it really is the original.

--Bill

Has anyone done a comparison between the ff/p&s region 1 disc and the 16:9 region 2 disc? I'd love to know if the region 2 disc has more information on the sides, or if it's simply matted from the full frame transfer.

I was the producer of the Pioneer Laserdisc editions of the Harryhausen films.

I was set to letterbox all of them but found I could not do so. some shots were 1.33 others 1.66 andothers 1.85. Ray Harryhausen told me it depended on which camera they had that day| If we letterboxed we cut off information top and bottom. if epanned in we cut off nfo on sides in some shots and not in others. We Pulled the studio prints and they were all open matte 1.33

For Gulliver we had a pristine interpositive to transfer from that rendered far better color than ison the DVD.

The Harryhausen films were a nightmare to transfer because they all had major problems, especialy Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and First Men in the Moon. I remixed Sinbad and Mysterious Island for surround stereo but the Sinbad DVD is mono.

Joe Caps,
See my post here: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...698#post770698
for what Harryhausen himself said about his aspect ratios.
(hope you are feeling better)

Speaking of Mysterious Island... why the hell has Columbia waited so long to release this one?