"Lord Of War" Exhange Program? (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Radke]

Ok, I know this isn't "Superman" or "Back To The Future" but this is an issue just the same. I'm basically wondering if there is a replacement program in place for "Lord Of War" starring Nicolas Cage. For those who don't know, the widescreen version of the DVD was mis-framed at 1:78:1 when in fact the film is 2:35:1. This is the ONLY film in my collection that isn't OAR, and frankly that bothers me. I remember reading that the disc was later re-issued with the proper ratio, but; 1) I can't find the re-issue ANYWHERE, and; 2) Why should I have to buy the movie a second time simply because they screwed up the transfer the first time.

I e-mailed Maple Pictures (the film's Canadian distributor) a number of days ago regarding the issue, and have yet to hear anything. If anyone can shed some light on this situation, I'd be extremely grateful.

 

[Frank@N]

There were 1 & 2 disc versions, maybe one was correct?

If they only corrected this in later pressings, you might need Ebay.

If you can't find one, take some comfort in knowing that Super35 films get altered frequently (I wish everything was either Scope or Flat).

Plus, you do own 'Apocalypse Now', right?

 

[Rhoq]

I bought the 2-Disc the day it was released. Upon hearing about the corrected discs a month or two later, I e-mailed Lions Gate to see if I could get them to exchange the disc for the "proper" one and never received a reply. This was almost a year ago.

 

[Steven Good]

Only the 2-disc version was re-issued in the correct AR. I bought the 1st and 2nd release, then returned the 1st release to the retailer, saying the disc was defective. Got a refund. Seems too many steps just to get the correct aspect ratio that I think all other regions got right the first time...

 

[CraigF]

Yup, I'm still on the case for this one, after returning the original 2-disc shortly after getting it ("DVD Aspect Ratio" indeed). Have not seen a corrected AR version in stores around here, nor can I get online vendors to verify they have the corrected AR version. Has anybody ordered the 2-disc from amazon.com lately and got the correct version?

 

[Todd Stout]

I found the 2-disc SE with the proper 2.35:1 aspect ratio at a local Target store about 2-3 weeks ago so I bought a copy. It was only $13.78 (the same price as the 1 disc version) and they had about 20 copies at the time.

 

[Andrew Radke]

Still no word from Maple. I hate it when studios inadvertently refuse to stand behind their product. At least Warner and Universal stepped up to the plate when they realized they had faulty product on the shelves. I even read a post where Anchor Bay sent a replacement disc of "Kentucky Fried Movie" because the one they owned was pooched.

This really does bother me. So because of Maple's (and I guess Lions Gate's) negligence, I'm unable to watch this film the way it was meant to be seen. Sure I could order the 2-disc, but as others above have stated, there's no guarantee I'll get the correct version. Can't win.


No actually, I don't.

 

[Shane Martin]

Best Buy has a ton of them around here. They put a sticker on the back. That is where I bought mine. I waited and waited to see what would be done and low and behold they did it right.

It makes a big difference.

As stated 2 disc only has the corrected AR.

 

[CraigF]

Thanks. I'll try to get one from Best Buy in the U.S. then. I am always wary of anything that comes out on a "Canadian" label, like Maple (Lionsgate), TVA, Seville, Alliance Atlantis (will they get better now they're sold to a U.S. company?). Wrong AR is bad enough, but non-anamorphic still??

 

[Soah]

After waiting on this since the day it came out I finally picked up the single disc version today only b/c it was under $5 at Zellers. I gave up hope LionsGate/Maple would release the proper version in Canada.

Did anybody try calling Maple or LionsGate instead of just emailing?


CraigF,

Are you saying the Canadian version is not anamorphic?

 

[Derek Miner]

Another one that doesn't get as much attention is 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.'

 

[Brian Little]

Just to let you know I have seen copies of the 1 disc with the proper AR on it.

 

[Soah]

in Canada? where??

 

[CraigF]

Soah: no, just some other releases in the last couple years by "Canadian" labels that weren't anamorphic.

I would pay $5 for LoW 1-disc, even in the wrong AR, a disposable price. I'll look for it at Zellers...my local one has drastically decreased their DVD shelves since Christmas.

 

[David (C)]

Everything is except Digital!

 

[CraigF]

I picked up the 2-disc Maple version for $5 at Wal-Mart (in Canada) about a month ago. Though not stickered, it is obviously not 1.78:1 ...I measured 2.20:1 but will presume that's just my display and it's probably "correct". OK, I'm off the case now, took long enough...

 

[Andrew Radke]

Well I'll keep an eye out at my Wal-Mart then as well since I'm only an hour from Toronto. Maybe I'll get lucky as well. Thanks for the info Craig.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

What is the A/R on the Austin Powers disc, anyway? It looks like 2:1 to me, but I could be mistaken.

 

[cafink]

The Austin Powers DVD is indeed 2:1, the same aspect ratio as Apocalypse now (though Austin has been opened up while Apocalypse has been cropped).

 

[Mark_Wilson]

The R2 Japan DVD of Austin Powers was 2.35:1