Another Columbia pan & scan travesty - "Castle Keep' (1 Viewer)

[Jay E]

Just found out that the DVD for Castle Keep is pan & scan which is especially disgraceful since the film was shot in Panavision. I just cancelled my pre-order. Very upsetting, I was really looking forward to this DVD.

Columbia continues to sink to new lows!

http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s1284keep.html

 

[JPCinema]

Why is Columbia mutilating their films like this!? I now have canceled my pre order as well! Is there some sort of petition that can be started? Can we find out who is responsible for these PS travesties on DVD?
I hope the director of "Castle Keep", Sidney Pollack, (who hosts "The Essentials" on TCM ) is aware of this travesty and will contact Columbia and complain as well.

 

[Robert Crawford]

As an owner of 2500 dvds, I have been boycotting buying Columbia dvd releases because of situations similar to this one. I think Columbia's pricing structure and their continue efforts in releasing Pan and Scan product is worst than anything that Univeral or MGM has done over the last couple of years. IMO, Columbia is the worst studio putting out dvds today.

By the way, I watched this film in a movie theater in my youth and it was a beautiful film to see in the widescreen process.







Crawdaddy

 

[Robert Ringwald]

I have also been trying to avoid their releases, buying their titles off of ebay whenever possible.

 

[Robert Harris]

While the packaging state 1.33, the Sony website clearly states that the release is widescreen.

I have not physically seen the DVD, and am hopeful that the packaging is a simply layout error.

RAH

 

[WillG]

Didn't they specifically mention that "Gidget" would be shown in its CinemaScope format only to have the 1.33:1 spec on the packaging be correct?

Does anybody here have any contacts in the DGA? Maybe this practice should be brought to their attention.

 

[Jay E]

The DVD review I linked to confirms that it is 1.33.

 

[Malcolm R]

I still don't understand why a studio that has a sister company that is a major electronics manufacturer, which would seemingly want to sell lots of widescreen HDTV's, would not support that sister company with widescreen software releases. It just boggles the mind.

 

[Robert Crawford]

You're not the only one.

 

[Robert Crawford]

In Glenn Erickson's review, he stated the dvd is pan and scan.

 

[Walter Kittel]

I completely concur, Robert. Disappointing in the extreme.

- Walter.

 

[Dan Hitchman]

That's why Sony should not get the rest of the MGM library!!! Frickin' punks that they are.

 

[WillG]

Bit of a nail biter isn't it? Between Sony and WB.

Pray it's WB that gets the MGM library

 

[Dick]

All we can hope for is that, as with Warner Bros. at the end of its several-year period of putting out crap and not nearly enough of it (!), the Columbia/Sony DVD division will hire on some new blood that will turn it around and bring it at least up to the quality level it once enjoyed.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

What happened to the people who were running it IN THE FIRST PLACE, when 95% of releases were either both formats or widescreen only?? What the fuck is with DROPPING the widescreen version on previous releases that originally included BOTH????
I used to see their brand as a mark of a quality DVD release. The people in charge now have irreparably tarnished that mark.

 

[Gordon St Pierre]

Wow I can't believe this movie of all movies they choose to do in P&S ..Was some great cinematography in this film ...No way I'll buy it although I'd love to have the Widescreen version

 

[Dick]

Keep your fingers crossed for TESS...

You know, I am exasperated. I have sent letters and e-mails to Sony and tried phoning them, but get nowhere. These people genuinely do not give a rat's ass about their consumers, except for the full-screen junkies who greedily empty the Wal Mart $5.50 bins. There is a primal scream in me about Sony's moronic policies during the past year or two, but I have no idea where to direct it or to whom, except by simply not buying their DVD product. It's anger with no appropriate release. I know, I should get a life. But this company is deliberately turning out DVD's that are just as cheesy as Madacy's or Goodtimes' or Alpha's, and practically pricing them as though they were Criterion's. Do they actually feel pride about this? Are there actually executives in Sony's Home Video division who feel a sense of accomplishment? My blood is boiling again, so I'll take a deep breath and try to think of something else. ANYthing else.

 

[Bradley-E]

SONY is truly the disgrace of the DVD Community. I now regret not getting titles like About Last Night, Bite The Bullet and others because the Widescreen editions have been replaced by WAL MART friendly FF. They really suck!

 

[Robert Ringwald]

It makes me sad, because there are maybe 30 titles that they've pulled the widescreen version off of... that I've never seen before... and might have in the future. Now I'm going to avoid even SEEING them because I know if I really like them, I won't be able to buy a widescreen copy.

Now I've just got to hunt around ebay looking for a widescreen copy of hush and wild things (not the unrated cut...)

 

[Craig S]

Jeffrey Wells has Link Removed (scroll down past the I, Robot review to get to the CK article). He talked to both Syndey Pollack, who is understandably upset, and to Grover Crisp, Sony's restoration guy, who says he made a perfectly acceptable scope transfer over a year ago and doesn't know why it wasn't released.

But the topper is Wells' conversation with CTHV marketing VP Alison Eiggers. Her remarks confirm that CTHV doesn't have a clue when it comes to DVD.

Also, there are a couple of good reader letters on the subject near the end of the column.