No OAR for THAT one? Informal Poll (1 Viewer)

[Louis C]

This likely has been done before, but it would probably be a good idea to revisit.

Name the most-criminal oversights of films not available as Region 1 DVDs in their original aspect ratio.

We'll start with the most agreggious 'full frame only' but
as the list fills up you may also post non-anamorphic pass-overs. Please try to limit selections to the more popular and/or acclaimed films.

Here are a couple off the top of my head:

Full frame only!!

The Sting
The Karate Kid
Arthur
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Police Academy (I think)

 

[Bill J]

A Midnight Clear

 

[Jack Briggs]

All of 'em.

But for here, another title:

• The Candidate

 

[Jeff_A]

Purple Rain
A Christmas Story

 

[Gabe D]

Anantomy of a Murder
Chariots of Fire
Driving Miss Daisy
Moonstruck

 

[Bjorn Olav Nyberg]

Judgment night
Turbulence
(both reformatted to 1.85:1 from the original 2.35:1)

Space jam
Babe

 

[Angelo.M]

miller's crossing

 

[ChuckDeLa]

A Woman Under the Influence (available in OAR on VHS!!)


I'm pretty sure there's a list of these somewhere else on the HTF.

 

[LukeB]

The Muppet Christmas Carol
Happy Gilmore
Cheetah
Funny Farm
National Lampoon's Vacation
My Blue Heaven
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

 

[Tommy G]

You can add The Country Bears to the aforementioned as well.

 

[Elizabeth S]

Fearless
The Postman Always Rings Twice

 

[Rain]

Anatomy of a Murder
Moonstruck
A Christmas Story
Babe
Chariots of Fire
84 Charing Cross Road
BTW, Gabe D, there is an OAR SE of Driving Miss Daisy coming early next year...it's been announced.

 

[Brook K]

To follow up on Chuck's post, I believe all of the Pioneer releases of Cassavetes films, except possibly Faces are non-OAR and are a great tragedy and travesty

A Woman Under The Influence
Opening Night
The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie

There is a nice release of Minnie & Moskowitz from Anchor Bay and an upcoming release of Gloria from Columbia. I don't believe Lovestreams is available.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Ben-Hur (overmatted from 2.55:1 to 2.76:1 either to fake the aspect ratio or because the splice lines were screwed up. I have a feeling this transfer was done at MGM before WB released it...)
MGM ironically released the gutted version of It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World correctly at 2.55:1 (the correct AR for a 35mm print of the film).
I could live with any flat film being on DVD open matte. However, it's disgusting to see true widescreen films transferred carelessly like Ben-Hur.

 

[Louis C]

Is the only solution for Ben Hur to use the 70mm print?

 

[Louis C]

Oh yeah, I also forgot one other MAJOR foolscreen grievance

Kindergarten Cop


Come on! No 16:9??????

 

[Patrick McCart]

Is the only solution for Ben Hur to use the 70mm print?

Not at all!
First, the DVD transfer could have been transferred from the exact same 35mm anamorphic source. All that had to be done was NOT matte it to 2.76:1. It wouldn't have hurt much if the film was restored on 65mm, then a mint condition 35mm anamorphic interpositive was struck off the 65mm negative. The 35mm IP would crop the 2.76:1 image to 2.55:1, but that's fine. The film was never meant for 2.76:1 exhibition since the only non-Cinerama screens were 2.55:1 at the widest.
Then, the 35mm scope IP would be transferred into a new high-def transfer. The HD master would be downconverted into a 16x9 2.55:1 widescreen DVD.
And it wouldn't hurt to have the IP made in the dye-transfer Technicolor process.
The other solution would be to make a 65mm 2.76:1 interpositive off the original negative and then make the HD master from which the DVD master would be made. The advantage to the earlier method is that the negative likely wouldn't have as much stress since the 35mm scope IP would be optically duplicated.

 

[Eugene Esterly]

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