Strategic Air Command (1955). How bout Jimmy Stewart and the B-36 on Blu? (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

This is one of the few Jimmy Stewart films I've never seen. Don't know why I don't at least have the DVD, but I don't, and since I know it's VistaVision, I only want to see a wonderful Blu-ray copy of it.

 

[laser]

This has been on my list for a while. Surprised that not even an MOD is available.
Continuing with Jimmy Stewart, my mother has fond memories of Fools Parade (aka Dynamite Man From Glory Jail as she saw it). Currently, I can only locate it as a bootleg.

 

[Dr Griffin]

How is the DVD that is out there? Was it a US release? Otherwise, where is this movie? After enjoying the Perspecta Sound that Criterion has provided on some releases, I'd also like to have that track for any future release of Strategic Air Command.

 

[OliverK]

I would suggest to rent the vudu HD or HDX version if you have to watch it now, it looks better than the DVD.
Not good enough though knowing how VistaVision SHOULD look.

 

[skylark68]

This one has been No. 1 on my want list for years. I have the old pan/scan laserdisc that just doesn't do justice to the film.


It seems strange that it hasn't been released on DVD or Blu. The DVD that floats around on ebay and the like isn't an official release that I'm aware of.


This film would appeal to Stewart and Allyson fans, VistaVision enthusiasts, as well as aviation buffs and cold war historians as well.


EDIT - Anthony Mann fans as well...

 

[Robert Harris]

A very expensive restoration

 

[Dr Griffin]

A very expensive restoration

Oh no, not another one!

 

[skylark68]

A very expensive restoration

Unfortunate to hear, to be sure.


Any donors want to funnel some cash to make it happen?

 

[ahollis]

A very expensive restoration

Disappointing news.

 

[Keith Cobby]

Since the release of Gunfight at the OK Corral the VistaVision vault has been locked. I think if High Society is too expensive to be released there is no chance of any other titles.

 

[OliverK]

A very expensive restoration

At least it should be much easier to get the color right than with other titles.

 

[Robert Harris]

At least it should be much easier to get the color right than with other titles.

?

 

[billw6560]

Like a lot of other movies that are currently NOT available for sale (at least in the US), Strategic Air Command (I believe) has been restored, but what's available to the public is being shown on the cable channel Retroplex (and maybe others) now and then. Unfortunately, while it's a 16:9 version (not VistaVision 1.66:1, according to IMDB) and still an HD pan and scan, it is HD. I've seen it and it looks good.


That leads me to believe that there are many classic movies out there that have been either restored and/or undergone an HD transfer. However, someone's holding on the rights to these films, and not allowing them to be released.


Many years ago, TCM played it in full VistaVision (but it was a SD letterbox print), but it's been a very long time since they showed it, and no sign of it in the future.


I don't know about the rest of you folks, but being a tail end baby boomer, I remember many of these great films, and I'm (we're) not getting any younger. Soon, the audience for these films will be gone, and so will the loss of potential revenue these could generate.


As I said in an earlier post, it would take very little overhead expense for the studios to take these films and distribute them on-line (in HD, but not at Blu-Ray bit rates), so a 2 hour movie would typically be about 5GB (at about 6MBps). That's my standard conversion rate I used to take my physical Blu-Rays and load them up on my media server (big disk changers are a thing of the past). On my 61", they look very good. And with most folks having some level of high speed internet, DL times would not be too painful, no more than streaming HD content.


Dear studios, I'm very willing to pay $10-15 for a digital DL version of these films in HD. Why don't you want my money?


Just saying!


Thanks,

Bill

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Like a lot of other movies that are currently NOT available for sale (at least in the US), Strategic Air Command (I believe) has been restored, but what's available to the public is being shown on the cable channel Retroplex (and maybe others) now and then. Unfortunately, while it's a 16:9 version (not VistaVision 1.66:1, according to IMDB) and still an HD pan and scan, it is HD. I've seen it and it looks good.

That leads me to believe that there are many classic movies out there that have been either restored and/or undergone an HD transfer. However, someone's holding on the rights to these films, and not allowing them to be released.

Many years ago, TCM played it in full VistaVision (but it was a SD letterbox print), but it's been a very long time since they showed it, and no sign of it in the future.

I don't know about the rest of you folks, but being a tail end baby boomer, I remember many of these great films, and I'm (we're) not getting any younger. Soon, the audience for these films will be gone, and so will the loss of potential revenue these could generate.

As I said in an earlier post, it would take very little overhead expense for the studios to take these films and distribute them on-line (in HD, but not at Blu-Ray bit rates), so a 2 hour movie would typically be about 5GB (at about 6MBps). That's my standard conversion rate I used to take my physical Blu-Rays and load them up on my media server (big disk changers are a thing of the past). On my 61", they look very good. And with most folks having some level of high speed internet, DL times would not be too painful, no more than streaming HD content.

Dear studios, I'm very willing to pay $10-15 for a digital DL version of these films in HD. Why don't you want my money?

Just saying!

Thanks,
Bill

Strategic Air Command appears to be available to buy in HD on Vudu and Amazon, and iTunes in SD.

 

[Rodney]

Jimmy Stewart and Anthony Mann.


Hello! Take my money and give me it on Blu!

 

[laser]

A very expensive restoration

I was worried about that, but can't they at least put out a non-anamorphic DVD transfer of the laserdisc master (like the Star Wars pre-special editions)?

 

[Matt Hough]

One thing I thought was true about VistaVision was that it was a flexible format that could allow 1.66:1 up to 2:1 framing. So, if one of these digital options is 1.78:1, that wouldn't be pan and scan. It would just be a formatting option available with a VistaVision original. It would probably look quite good at 1.78:1.

 

[billw6560]

Strategic Air Command appears to be available to buy in HD on Vudu and Amazon, and iTunes in SD.

Yes, but a few points. First, yes you can "buy" them, but you don't physically have unlimited acess to them, unless you use their player. In some cases, you can even D/L them locally, but you can't stream them to your DLNA device (i.e. PS3/4, etc.) as they are encripted. Also, has anyone actually seen SAC on one of these services in HD? Is it widescreen, or 4:3 format?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yes, but a few points. First, yes you can "buy" them, but you don't physically have unlimited acess to them, unless you use their player. In some cases, you can even D/L them locally, but you can't stream them to your DLNA device (i.e. PS3/4, etc.) as they are encripted. Also, has anyone actually seen SAC on one of these services in HD? Is it widescreen, or 4:3 format?

Your points don't concern me as I buy HDX from Vudu all the time. Also, it is in widescreen with the rental price for HDX is $3.99 or purchase at $13.99. It's not what we want here, but right now, it's probably are best option for the foreseeable future.

 

[OliverK]

?

That was a big blunder from me as I remembered this as being black and white. I never got around to watching it as I only peeked into the HD version on vudu once where it looked very lackluster and that was some time ago. I must have mixed it up with the other Anthony Mann directed VistaVision production The Tin Star that actually was shot black and white.