What was the FIRST movie you ever watched in WIDESCREEN? (1 Viewer)

[Aaron Reynolds]

Manhattan on TV. Grey bars, but they didn't bug me. Then I saw 2001 on PBS in widescreen, and I went out looking for more OAR titles. Guy at the video store told me that laserdisc was the only way to go, so at age 15 I scrimped and saved and bought an LD player and was knocked out by the sound.

Hooray for laserdisc! My first LD was Presumed Innocent, but it came with the player. The first LD I bought myself was the Criterion Collection Blade Runner. I ended up with about 300 discs and three LD players (and a fourth is on its way to me now), and an insane mongrel of a home theatre.

edit: forgot about Innerspace on VHS, but another post reminded me. I saw it around the same time as Manhattan and 2001. Thank you Joe Dante!

 

[Jon Strong]

The Lost World: Jurrasic Park

 

[Dave H]

I don't remember other than it was a newer released movie...and I was wondering whay the black bars were there until they were explained to me.

 

[Bill McA]

The Criterion edition of Blade Runner back in 1990.
I bought that disc and my first LD player on the same day, and I quickly followed it with Criterion's 2001: A Space Odyssey

 

[Jack Briggs]

I assume you mean in the home environment, as I saw my first widescreen film in a commercial theater!
It was the commercial network broadcast of Manhattan in either 1981 or 1982.

 

[ScottR]

The Color Purple in 1987.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

The first letterboxed movie I saw was "The Color Purple"; didn't quite get it but I knew it was supposed to be that way. I'd seen several music videos prior to that which were letterboxed, and wasn't sure why they were like that either.

There was a VHS "magazine" called OverView, put out in 1987 by Michael Nesmith's Pacific Arts, which was supposed to be monthly but only lasted 1 issue- it includes a segment where Tim Lucas (The Video Watchdog!) briefly explains pan and scan where he says "Someone has to decide for you which part of the picture you're going to see." It shows a clip from the original "The Fly" first in pan and scan, and then letterboxed. Ever since then I've wanted everything in widescreen!

 

[Ricardo C]

The Star Wars trilogy. I became interested in widescreen the second I saw The Phantom Menace in theaters. When I realized how much of the image would be lost in P&S, I knew I had to make the move to widescreen. Before TPM came out on video, I acquired the original trilogy in Widescreen. Sweetness! I've never looked back.

 

[JenaroM]

The original Star Wars Trilogy on VHS. Remember that collector's edition box set that had a fourth tape with the making of?

 

[Dave Preston]

Last of the Mohicans

From what I remember, it was only released in Widescreen on VHS.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Manhattan on VHS. Later, I purchased a copy of Henry V (the Branagh version) that, though unlabeled, was 1.66:1 letterboxed. The first two laserdiscs I purchased were Raiders of the Lost Ark and Criterion Hard Boiled, both letterboxed.

Regards,

 

[Dmitry]

I feel like I'll be alone Streetfighter with Sonny Chiba. That was on a 14" TV, too and for whatever reason I didn't quite see the light :frowning: But after watching The Last of the Mohicans I slowly began to understand things and by the time I bought a "Deluxe Letterbox Edition" of James Bond movies I knew full well that was the way to go. BTW, it was still on the same 14" TV!

 

[Jeremiah]

I didn't even know you cold get the Star Wars Trilogy in Widescreen, looks like I know what I will be getting soon.

 

[Scott D S]

This is easy. It was Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home - Director's Series on VHS which, for some reason, our local Blockbuster had for rent, along with the regular version. I was interested in the featurrete hosted by Leonard Nimoy but I had no idea it was widescreen or what widescreen was. When he shows the clip of Kirk, Spock, and Gillian in her truck side-by-side (actually, it was one over the other), I was floored! I couldn't believe what I was missing! Ever since then, I have been widescreen only and I haven't looked back. My mom joined me and she complained at first but I showed her the comparison and she instantly knew what it was all about. This was around 10 years ago and I'm proud to say I don't own one P&S DVD.
On the other hand, as a kid, I would always watch Ghostbusters, my cheap, edited for TV, taped-off-the-air version. In the elevator scene, we only see Ray and Egon. On the VHS version from Columbia, it cuts to Venkman for his lines. I saw this and I wondered what was up. I knew I was missing something. I just didn't know anything about it. And that was at least 14-15 years ago!

 

[Brian Lawrence]

Another Color Purple viewer here
The first widescrren tape I bought was Lawrence of Arabia in 1989. Very shortly after I bought my first laserdisc player and my first three widescreen LD purchases where ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, BLADE RUNNER (criterion).

 

[James_G]

The VHS edition of Always.

 

[Robert Spalding]

Patriot Games on VHS in 1994

 

[Daniel L]

Possibly Criterion's Blade Runner or Close Encounters when I first started renting laser disc in 1989.
Definately Die Hard in 1990 or whenever it was first released on laser disc.
Daniel L
PS... What's VHS?

 

[Todd Phillips]

Dr. Zhivago
Can't watch it any other way.

 

[Oscar]

Well, i think it was Deep Impact on VHS