Anamorphic transfers of Vertigo and Psycho! See post #54 about new boxset. (1 Viewer)

[Jake Johnson]

I have been holding out on buying these two. They are two of my very favorite movies, and have not bought them due to a lack of anamorphic transfers. Who wants Universal to sprinkle some anamorphic zest on these movies?

 

[Tommy G]

I probably would end up double dipping on these but I have to tell you the normal LBX ones look pretty darn good as they are.

 

[Brian W]

Long over due in my opinion, anamorphic and 2 disc special editions please...

 

[Patrick McCart]

I have the current R1 Psycho and...

It's probably one of the best B&W DVD's I've seen. It has a little bit of print damage, but it still is an incredible looking transfer.

Unless you have a 16x9 TV, it really won't make a big difference. Vertigo is basically flawless... it's only missing that extra 33% of resolution from being 16x9 enhanced. I feel the same way about non-16x9 DVD's like Young Frankenstein and The Abyss (which are both superb looking DVD's even in 2004). On the other hand, the non-16x9 DVD's of 2001 (MGM version) and Some Like It Hot are mediocre.

I don't see any reason to avoid them unless you expect to get a 16x9 TV in the near future or you already have one.

 

[jon_farthing]

the region 2 release of Vertigo is anamorphic, if you have a multiregion player. All the extras are on there too

 

[obscurelabel]

In addition to the anamorphic transfer, I would encourage Universal to include an original mono audio track. The current DD 5.1 track includes added and re-recorded sound effects and music that isn't always synced properly, also pushed to high volume levels.

Give us the choice of original (or as close as possible), and then if the studios want to play around with remixed sound, ok, but let the consumer have the original sound.

An article about Vertigo's "restored" sound here:

http://www.hermenaut.com/a36.shtml

 

[Tim_Stack]

Yep - I avoid non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs at just about any cost. As a 16x9 owner, there is no greater sin than a recent non-anamorphic widescreen release. The new Ransom SE is a perfect example. They ain't getting my money.

I'd netflix those bad boys and watch them on my regular TV or computer.

 

[Chuck L]

While I would revisit PYSCHO with an improvement or format change being that it is one of my favorite titles, besides getting just the anamorphic enhancement, I would much prefer cast commentary from Janet Leigh and Vera Mills, being that they are the last two main stars remaining from this classic film.

It is too long overdue.

 

[Patrick McCart]

It has incorrect color timing, despite being anamorphic. It also has cropping to the image that isn't present in the R1 DVD.

So, you get your 16x9 enhancement at the cost of losing the correct framing and color timing.

 

[Sten F]

Altough Vertigo & Psycho can be optained in anamorphic in both Region 2&4 the Region 1 is still the best version around.

Here is a comparrison:DVDBeaver

 

[Felix Martinez]

 

[Paul Arnette]

While I agree that "in this day and age" a company that releases a non-anamorphic widescreen DVD ought to be summarily beaten for their trouble, I think it is foolish to avoid all non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs as a general rule. This is especially true of older DVDs, which will most likely not receive a new special edition treatment any time soon.

Conan The Destroyer is a good example, and one fresh in my head seeing as how I just watched it. While I wasn't impressed with the audio, the video was quite nice on my ISF calibrated set.

I guess what I'm saying is this: it seems like some people have equal distain for non-anamorphic DVDs as they do MAR DVDs. Now I'm not saying you do, but your quote above kinda brought it all home for me again.

In the end, I'll take a non-anamorphic OAR disc over a MAR one every day of the week and twice on Sundays. I'd prefer everything being enhanced for 16X9 TVs, but I'll settle for just plain correct OAR when I can't. The movie, as always, is what is most important to me.

 

[Carlo_M]

Luckily, I own an RP91 which does a more-than-decent job at zooming non-anamorphic widescreen DVDs. Vertigo ends up looking *nearly* as good as an anamorphic transfer. And has been said, anamorphic enhancement is a tool that, if used right, increases the quality of the picture. As DVD Beaver points out, anamorphic enhancement by itself isn't a guarantee of superior picture.

That said, I realize that not everyone has a superb scaler or an RP91, and I would double dip on a 16x9 enhanced transfer (done right, of course) in a heartbeat.

The previously suggested Miles/Leigh commentary would be awesome too!

 

[PaulP]

I would also love these as anamorphic SEs. Would pick them up in an instant.

 

[Dan Hitchman]

How about a full Psycho restoration... negative restoration that is...

Dan

 

[TonyDale]

Which will come as a major shock to John Gavin.

 

[Jake Johnson]

Glad to hear that some of you agree with me. Universal needs to hop on this.

 

[george kaplan]

I will agree with those who say that the current region 1 dvds are amongst the very best looking out there. However, they aren't perfect.

In particular, on Vertigo, when Midge is in her car outside Scottie's apartment, there are video artifacts in her glasses, and then the same artifacts when Madeline exits his apartment. Other than that, the dvds are excellent quality, but that one section always bugs me.

 

[Francois Caron]

Very interesting article. But weren't the sound effects recreated based on an actual sound effects script?

As for the annoying panning effects of moving vehicles, I couldn't agree more. It is a distraction we can do without. Sometimes less is more.

 

[Mike Williams]

That is true for any widescreen movie, anamorphic or not, since without a widescreen TV, or a TV that features widescreen enhancement, you don't get the benefit of either anamorphic or progressive scan.