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Matilda Postponed, Annie's SRP reduced by $5 (1 Viewer)

Stephen_J_H

All Things Film Junkie
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As a father of 3 children who prefer widescreen over pan-and-scan, I find such comments to be entirely without merit. Maybe they should come clean and say "Wal*Mart and Target won't stock these titles unless there's a fullscreen version available."
 

Nick Graham

Screenwriter
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Oct 16, 2001
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1,406
Stephen, hsitory would indicate Wal-Mart is not the perp....otherwise, how many other OAR family titles would they not be carrying? All the local Wal-Mart stores in this area have entire displays of OAR Disney and Columbia family titles.

No, this is just plain ignorance. Columbia has released more than a few foolscreen only titles that weren't even carried by any of the major chains (Wal-Mart. K-Mart, Target, etc).
 

MatthewA

BANNED
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Some sad news semi-related to one of the films in this thread: Dorothy Loudon, the stage's original Miss Hannigan, has died at the age of 70:

http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4216228.html

I should note she also originated the role of Dotty in the original Broadway production of "Noises Off," also played on film by Carol Burnett (and also coming to DVD in 2004 in an unknown aspect ratio...)
 

Bryan Tuck

Screenwriter
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Jan 16, 2002
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Bryan Tuck
Well, I just sent an e-mail to Columbia Tristar. Just wanted to see what everyone thought:

-----------------

Dear Sirs or Madams:

I have recently learned that the film "Annie" is to be re-released on DVD in a new special edition. I was looking forward to purchasing the movie, as I missed the chance before the previous release went out-of-print. That was until, however, I found out that it is being released in the fullscreen format only.

I understand that you may be under the impression that most families and children prefer watching a movie in fullscreen, and therefore it is acceptable to release a film like "Annie" in this format only. However, it is my opinion (and that of many, many others, I assure you) that this is faulty logic, for the following reasons:

1. Widescreen televisions are becoming more and more popular. They are going down in price, and therefore many people are purchasing them, including families. It only stands to reason that they are going to want to watch movies in widescreen, if that is how they were intended to be seen. To release a widescreen film on DVD in 2003 in pan-and-scan only is a real head-scratcher.

2. I do not own a widescreen set, and yet I enjoy watching movies in their original aspect ratio. I am a 25-year-old single guy without children, and I want to buy the movie "Annie." True, it's mainly for nostalgic reasons, as I saw the film when I was younger, but that is still a sale that you would have were you to release the movie in widescreen. That brings me to the next point. You can never completely tell which demographic is going to like a certain movie. "Annie" is a film that appeals to adult fans of old-style Hollywood musicals, general film buffs, and adults who were children when it first came out, and most of them would want the movie presented in its original aspect ratio.

3. Who said most families and children prefer fullscreen anyway? Most of the people I know (including the ones with children) either don't care, or do, in fact, prefer widescreen. I think you'd be surprised how many people are realizing how much is missed with pan-and-scan, or who have grown accustomed to widescreen. I watched a movie in full 2.35:1 with a friend's 5-year-old son once, and he never once mentioned the black bars. All he could talk about was how much he enjoyed the movie. I think you'll find that more often than not, kids really don't care. And there are even some who actually prefer widescreen, if you can believe that.

These are just a few reasons I can think of for you to release a widescreen version of "Annie." And even if your research is correct, and the majority of people who would be interested in the movie would want it in fullscreen, I can assure you that there is still a substantial number of people who would prefer a widescreen release. There are at least enough for you to either include a widescreen version on the forthcoming release, or release a separate disc. Universal has recently released separate widescreen and fullscreen versions of two of its catalog family titles: "Babe" and "Casper," and because of that, they got a sale from me on the latter.

Please reconsider and make a widescreen version of "Annie" available for purchase to those who want it. I promise that it will get you more sales of this title if you do.

Sincerely,
Bryan Tuck, potential customer
 

jonathan_little

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
223
I wasted a 37¢ stamp, a few sheets of paper, and an envelope on this: To whom it may concern: I've recently been made aware that you are releasing the 1982 musical Annie on DVD again. I understand that this new DVD is going to contain 5.1 DTS and Dolby Digital audio tracks, which I'm sure will present the sound of this film better than ever before. Then I was very surprised to read that the film will be released as a pan and scan offering only. I'm very disappointed to learn of this decision, because while I like the film Annie, I will not buy DVDs which do not preserve the original aspect ratio of a film. Please release this film in widescreen so that everybody can enjoy it. It's unfortunate that so many people are unaware of how destructive the pan and scan process is for a presenting a widescreen movie, but any family that understands the process knows it's something that should always be avoided when purchasing any film on DVD. Thank you, Jonathan Little (With that last sentence I just had to make sure that I put the word "family" somewhere in my letter. ;))
 

Randy A Salas

Screenwriter
Joined
Apr 25, 2002
Messages
1,348
I was just pitched on this title by CTHE's PR firm. Here is the reply I sent:

I'm not planning to write about this--at least, not favorably. CTHE has taken a formerly widescreen DVD and is re-releasing it solely with a modified full-screen presentation. Why CTHE thinks its viewers would want DTS audio (generally favored by audiophiles, who are serious viewers) but not a widescreen presentation is beyond me. Please let them know that's why I'll be passing on it.

Thanks.

Randy

---
Randy A. Salas
Entertainment Wire Editor/DVD Columnist/Video Game Editor
Minneapolis Star Tribune
 

Jesse Skeen

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 24, 1999
Messages
5,033
Funny how their PR firm keeps sending out crap, but apparently nobody there reads anything that people send them!
 

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