"Apparently all of MGM's 'theatrical wide screen' DVD releases for the last few years have been the pan-scanned versions with the top and bottoms cut off."

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― Reviewer: Sir Potomus (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (ex machina), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Cinephiles pwned.

― bprofane (AaronHz), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:14 (twenty-one years ago)

What? And they got away with doing this for six years? What a bunch of cynical bastards, to think that no one would ever notice. Then again, it looks like a lot of their catalog is b-list shit, anyway.

― Pears can just fuck right off. (kenan), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:28 (twenty-one years ago)

hahahahaha! widescreen's only good for shooting snakes and coffins anyway.

― Miles Finch, Friday, 28 January 2005 15:33 (twenty-one years ago)

And lines of technicolor dancers! Fabulous fabulous dancers!

― Pears can just fuck right off. (kenan), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

All the Woody Allen movies.

― Reviewer: Sir Potomus (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (ex machina), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Downloadable list of movies here. Most of the James Bonds are listed = I guess I'm in on this!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

At last those people who purchased 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag can get satisfaction.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:40 (twenty-one years ago)

This'll be US only, right?

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:40 (twenty-one years ago)

There's a lot of great stuff in there. I only own like seven of them.

― bprofane (AaronHz), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I take back my "b-list shit" comment. It's a very mixed bag to be sure, but there's surely greatness.

― Pears can just fuck right off. (kenan), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:44 (twenty-one years ago)

So the anti-letterbox "but I'll lose that part of the picture" people that film snobs sneered at were right all along, at least with these MGM films.

― bprofane (AaronHz), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Some of those movies I would buy, like 24 Hour Party People, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Yellow Submarine, etc, only I haven't gotten around to it yet... will they be re-releasing the DVD's in the correct formatted versions? The settlement website doesn't say.

― DougD, Friday, 28 January 2005 15:50 (twenty-one years ago)

This'll be US only, right?

I'm guessing this too. I mean, surely I'd have noticed if my copy of koyaanisqatsi was a cropped pan and scan, wouldn't I? And I only rewatched 24HrPP the other day, that looked fine. Hmm.

― JimD (JimD), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

My 24hr is the double disc one. Don't think it's p&s, but I can't remember...

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 28 January 2005 15:59 (twenty-one years ago)

It shouldn't be, because that wasn't released by MGM.

I am slightly suspicious about this in that the James Bond discs are very clearly *NOT* pan and scan, having been familiar with those versions from TV screenings. In fact if I remember right they were actually directly transferred from the series of laserdisc editions.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 January 2005 16:08 (twenty-one years ago)

we need a clear defn of 'widescreen'. was gos bond in 'scope or what?

― Miles Finch, Friday, 28 January 2005 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Night of The Hunter is on that list, and I know that was never released in a widescreen DVD version. Hmm...

― marmot wolof (marmotwolof), Friday, 28 January 2005 16:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I called the 800 number, but got no more specific infomation, since it's all an automated system.

― Pears can just fuck right off. (kenan), Friday, 28 January 2005 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

jesus fucking christ!!! what an outrage!!!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 28 January 2005 16:40 (twenty-one years ago)

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!

― adam.r.l. (nordicskilla), Friday, 28 January 2005 16:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I think I would have noticed this. The date range would include a wide range of pressings. At any rate I've either been successfully duped into contentment or got versions that weren't included in this horrible scam, so I'll keep my movies and they can keep their $7.

― TOMBOT, Friday, 28 January 2005 17:07 (twenty-one years ago)

$7 is bunk anyway

― Reviewer: Sir Potomus (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (ex machina), Friday, 28 January 2005 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

are they really positive all these films are? I mean, surely some of them are probably matted and the P&S versions were full frame (which were meant to be matted). I just can't believe this.

My 24HPP is the UK version. It looks okay.

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 28 January 2005 17:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess I'd be more worried if I was a Woody Allen fan, looking at that list.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 January 2005 17:14 (twenty-one years ago)

My 'Equus' doesn't work properly, but that's another matter. I tried to get them to change it, but they didn't answer. So up yours, MGM, and your arsehole lion!

I have just looked at the back of 24HPP to see if it is, as it is in my memory, telly-shaped (it isn't) and was momentairly thrilled, then disappointed, because there are Edddie and...who? from Wonderland - Nadia? Molly? I can't remember. Anyway, I wish I had Wonderland on DVD instead. He even looks as if he's thinking about jacking his job in. Shaun Ryder looks like a Harry Enfield creation.

― Peter Stringbender (PJ Miller), Friday, 28 January 2005 17:16 (twenty-one years ago)

PS: Manhattan is definitely not pan and scan because you can hardly see a bloody thing on our little telly.

― Peter Stringbender (PJ Miller), Friday, 28 January 2005 17:17 (twenty-one years ago)

xpost -- and coincidental, at that

I guess I'd be more worried if I was a Woody Allen fan, looking at that list.

My version of Manhattan is just fine. I definitely wouldn't have missed a pan-and-scan version. It even has custom matting, kind of a medium grey instead of black.

― Pears can just fuck right off. (kenan), Friday, 28 January 2005 17:20 (twenty-one years ago)

BOUTIQUE MATTING

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 28 January 2005 17:49 (twenty-one years ago)

yes, and it's appreciated. With the contrast-y black and white film, black wouldn't have worked as matting. Any shot with black at the top of bottom wouldn't have the proper frame.

― Pears can just fuck right off. (kenan), Friday, 28 January 2005 17:55 (twenty-one years ago)

true. no matting is going to be true black of course. but that's good.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 28 January 2005 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

the lawsuit is not over incorrectly formatted dvds. It is over MGM's packaging and advertising claim that widescreen format lets you see more of the picture than full frame versions, when in fact most fullframe versions are open matte.

― a banana (alanbanana), Friday, 28 January 2005 20:16 (twenty-one years ago)

no shit, why is the headline of this story completely misleading? Read the wording of the case, he's right. JON U CANT READ?

― TOMBOT, Friday, 28 January 2005 20:26 (twenty-one years ago)

look i'm just reposting shit

I AM NOT A DVD COLLECTOR

― Reviewer: Sir Potomus (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (ex machina), Friday, 28 January 2005 20:44 (twenty-one years ago)

http://img148.exs.cx/img148/8205/owned33xu.gif

― bprofane (AaronHz), Friday, 28 January 2005 20:50 (twenty-one years ago)

i was right!

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 28 January 2005 20:50 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, LOTS of people would have noticed this a long time ago. there are lots of very eagle-eyed cinephiles out there with web sites and such.

i actually feel sort of bad for MGM; their line about "seeing more of the picture," while technically untrue in some cases, surely is in the right spirit!

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Friday, 28 January 2005 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

So... I suppose that this applied to the line of widescreen VHS tapes' abortive run just before DVD took over the market? I compared my Carrie DVD to the widescreen VHS and they look more or less the same.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Saturday, 29 January 2005 00:43 (twenty-one years ago)

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