Back To The Future W/S Framing Issues Here- (1 Viewer)

Spero D · Dec 13, 2002

http://www.gluxx.de/zidznewsindex102...?20021027.html
Click on English Version up the top to see how the W/S BTTF DVD's have been framed :frowning:
Old LD-

New R2 DVD-

Old LD-

New DVD-

Spero D.

Jeffrey Gray · Dec 13, 2002

Ummm...these are the same photos that someone else posted here, the site probably stole them straight from HTF...this is nothing new.

Gui A · Dec 14, 2002

That site didn't steal from HTF... I posted those shots on Ron's preview thread. I got them from that site. Post from Nov 22
Anyway, I saw a post on DVDtalk where one of the members met Bob Gale. He said Bob was extremely upset about the misframing, and Universal knows about it.
I'll see if I can find a link.

James Reader · Dec 14, 2002

He said Bob was extremely upset about the misframing, and Universal knows about it.

Of course Universal knows about it, it was the same on the International releases, and many, many people and websites have contacted Universal.

Click to expand...

Gui A · Dec 14, 2002

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=256765

...Gale was very upset about this, and made Universal do the transfers over again. So, the botched version will be released, and then a month or two later, a proper version will be released.

StevenJ · Dec 14, 2002

Figures, after waiting five years that Universal is gonna screw everything up.

But from what I heard, I tought Bob Gale overlooked the entire project along with Robert Zemeckis.

Interesting that he didn't notice this in the process.

Dave H · Dec 14, 2002

It just amazes me that whoever was in charge at Universal would allow such poor framing. I mean it looks terrible in comparison to the LD. Maybe this is just something that Gale missed when the DVDs were being made.

James Reader · Dec 14, 2002

...Gale was very upset about this, and made Universal do the transfers over again. So, the botched version will be released, and then a month or two later, a proper version will be released.

So what does this mean? Once again International consumers get screwed!?!
People have been on to Universal about this since the Australian release and have only been met with stoney silence.
I really do give up on all non-R1 releases of films because not only do the studio's not care, it seems like the filmmakers don't either. (See also Universal's botched International releases of E.T.).

Click to expand...

Cees Alons · Dec 14, 2002

It doesn't look to me as if we get "screwed".

First let's assume this is all true. OK, a mistake has been made, and a very clumsy one, but for a moment let's talk about that later.

Now apparently two misframed versions are packed and sealed inside a 3-DVD box set and busy being distributed.

Now what should Universal do? Get them all back and let us wait? Or go on with the initial distribution and give those that care a proper replacement for two of the discs? What I'm going to say may sound terribly practical, but it's true: they better have those sets unpacked by the consumers.

I don't feel "screwed" if I have to do that, provided I get a very propmpt replacement once they are available. It's a very unfortunate thing, very unfortunate indeed - but this way I won't feel cheated.

And James, you're right that we international buyers have more of a disadvantage, but I'll tell you: I decided to let the set come this way and handle the eventual replacements myself rather than having it done by my e-tailer (and have to wait).

Cees

David Lambert · Dec 14, 2002

I don't intend to wait a month or so after the street date and wait for corrected versions to hit the shelves. 1) I'll miss the street date bargains, and 2) There's no telling when we'll *know* it's correct...or how we'd know.

If Universal handles a disc replacement on a basis similar to the Jurassic Park situation, I'll be pleased enough.

Patrick McCart · Dec 14, 2002

Let's be a little more reasonable.
I'd hardly call misframing TWO SHOTS in a film screwing up the entire project.
And if you're going to pursue this, you might as well do the same for Ben-Hur. It's missing vital information as well.

James Reader · Dec 14, 2002

Cees Alons, I'm not refering the the difficulties of a international exchange on the R1 version.

What I mean my international customers get 'screwed' is that this issue has been known about on the R4/R2 versions since their release in August this year with the same problems (which have been brought repeatedly to Universal's attention by numerous individuals and a number of high profile websties) and yet no official response has been forthcoming.

Now, before the R1 release is officially on sale, the point is raised once more and all of a sudden Mr Gale is arranging for replacement pressings? While I'll admit it is possible that Mr Gale was unaware of the problems on the other regions, I find it hard to believe.

So once again there appears to be one rule for R1 and another for the rest of the world.

I'll tell you now - I'm fed up with it. The more popular DVD gets, and it seems to take more and more steps backward. The E.T. debacle was the straw that broke the camel's back as far as I was concerned. Since then I have not, and will not, buy any non-R1 releases of mainstream film titles. It's just not worth it.

For all the moaning studios do about parallel importing (a couple of weeks back, a representative of a major studio called such an action as "tantamount to pricey" in a newspaper article here in the UK - even though such actions are prefectly legal) they'd be better advised to channel the energy into treating their non-American customers with the same amount of respect.

I'm sorry if some of you think this rant is off-topic, but it is an issue I feel that needs to be brought up.

Kajs · Dec 14, 2002

I'd hardly call misframing TWO SHOTS in a film screwing up the entire project.

Exactly.

Click to expand...

Cees Alons · Dec 14, 2002

James,

I see your point. I believed you were referring to consumers (like me) who have more trouble in case of send-in-get-replacement-back operations than US-citizens. And indeed we have.
But your point is very clear too: how come the same mistake was apparent for some time in Australia and Europe and only now it's released in R1 leads to (late) reactions. Sorry I misunderstood that at first.

Cees

Michael Sliger · Dec 14, 2002

I'd hardly call misframing TWO SHOTS in a film screwing up the entire project.

You have not looked at the link in the first post of this thread. It is not just two shots which are misframed. It appears to me that new prints were made from the original Super35 negatives (a good thing), but the widescreen cropping was performed from scratch once again (and was not done well). None of the 8 scenes shown have compositions that match the laserdisk versions. Some of the DVD caps are zoomed as bad or worse than the ones shown in this thread. This is very disappointing. I will buy this release if I have to do so, but I will probably wait a bit to see if Bob Gale or Universal will confirm a recall or a better version in the future.

Click to expand...

StevenJ · Dec 14, 2002

James, you should be happy you got it at all. Two frames? Out of a 2 HOUR movie? I really don't think it's that bad. Plus Region 2 is better anyway. Not with BTTF but with other stuff. Region 2 gets so many better things than we do, or the same things we do but earlier (i.e. Family Guy, Buffy through season 5).
I was somewhat upset when I heard of this as well, but the fact of the matter is, I've been waiting four years for this release. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let two misframed shots stop me from buying this on Tuesday!

Ric Easton · Dec 14, 2002

Um, let me get this straight... Is this how the framing will be for region 1 DVD to be released on Tuesday? Also, I believe someone else has pointed out that it it not just two frames... but those are just two examples from the whole botched transfer.

Ric

Robert Crawford · Dec 14, 2002

James,
The same can be said from the viewpoint of Region 1 consumers who have waited patiently on several dvd releases available to the rest of the world, but not here. Some of those releases been available to other regions for 2-3 years while we still wait for an eventual release in Region 1.

In short, I don't buy your theory of bias against the other regions in favor of Region 1. Each region has it's issues to complain about and that's just the name of the dvd release game the studios are playing.

Crawdaddy

James Reader · Dec 14, 2002

In short, I don't buy your theory of bias against the other regions in favor of Region 1. Each region has it's issues to complain about and that's just the name of the dvd release game the studios are playing.

Robert, I respectfully disagree, and global release windows which are not the issue - commitment to quality is.

The flawed copy has been available in other regions for a number of months. During these months, the problem has been repeatedly raised with Universal, both the regional offices and the US parent. Many high-profile websites have raised this, as well as at least one on-line petition.

No official statement has been made by any of these Universal offices during this period - (implication: they don't care). The transfers in all releases have been supervised by Mr Gale (and Mr Zemeckis?)

Now, at the first sign of a complaint about the R1 release it appears something is going to be done (for the R1 release at least) - this is implied by the DVDTalk posting linked to on this thread and by Ron's cryptic comment on his DVD review thread.

I don't mind the fact that mistakes are made - these things do happen, that's why we have the word mistake in the first place. What matters is how these mistakes are dealt with. Something is obviously wrong when the issue is being addressed so quickly for R1, and ignored for the rest of the world's releases.

Click to expand...

Robert Crawford · Dec 14, 2002

James,
You can disagree all you want, but that still doesn't make your point of view correct. Furthermore, Universal still hasn't officially commented on this problem which means my copy of the dvd that I now have in my possession and the million or so copies sold this Holiday season in Region One are still without any type of resolution.

Crawdaddy

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