Michael: No widescreen? (1 Viewer)

[Mark C.]

I know, it's a Travolta movie, but it's probably the only Travolta movie I like. And my wife loves it. But there doesn't seem to be any widescreen versions out there. Any word whether there will be a reissue of this movie in widescreen?

 

[Jack Briggs]

It's pan-and-scan only, Mark. I had a free copy of it once, which I gave to an HTF member, oh, three years ago I believe. The studio believes that since it's a light "comedy" you don't want to see it in widescreen. The studio believes you're not critical as a viewer, and that pan-and-scan on this title would be perfectly acceptable to you. So there you go.

 

[Carlo_M]

Yup, p&S only. I too liked this movie. Hurt, Travolta, McDowell, what's not to like? Oh yeah, Pan-n-Scan.

 

[John P Grosskopf]

Things like this make me happy that I still have all my laserdiscs.

As far as I know, only the LD version of Michael has ever been letterboxed, though some other region DVDs may be widescreen.

I have compared the DVD to the LD, and the movie was shot open matte, so on DVD you gain a lot of head and foot room in the picture. The DVD is slightly cropped on the sides, but overall you miss nothing of importance.

This however does not justify the lack of OAR on this (or any) title. My copy was a freebie and I decided to give it to my parents instead of keeping it. I'm happy with the letterboxed LD.