johnbook

Is this only available in Fullscreen, or is there a widescreen version available, i'm referring to the brendan fraser movie from the 90's.

Alan Smithee

I have it on laserdisc.

baracine

Oh. My. God.

Memories...

When I ordered the DVD online I was very upset that it came fullscreen even though Amazon.com or .ca (I don't remember) advertised it as widescreen. I sent it back and got my money back.

It turns out that there never was a widescreen DVD. What you see in the fullscreen version is the 4x3 original filming ratio which is cropped when the film is projected in anything from 1.66:1 (Disney's favourite ratio worldwide) to 1.85:1.

To make matters worse, I was lured into buying the "Widescreen" laserdisc version on eBay for a lot of money, which is when I found out that the widescreen version is just the fullscreen version with the top and bottom chopped off.

If it's any consolation, you actually get to see a lot more of Brendan Frasier's anatomy in the fullscreen version...

Drexl

Baracine, isn't that really open matte?

Peep

Dude, Baracine has been here long enough to know what open matte is. "George Of The Jungle" is obviously something else.

baracine

What I mean is this: The film was shot in 4X3 and shown in 1.66 to 1.85:1. The 4x3 version is what you get on DVD. Don't make me look up the word open matte*, but it's probably the right expression for this, as opposed to pan-and-scan, which implies that you are seeing only part of the widescreen image at any one time, whereas in this case you see more than the widescreen presentation at all times.

Disney must have figured the film had such lowbrow appeal no one would miss the anamorphic widescreen presentation. Besides, if it's good enough for Kubrick films, it's good enough for George of the Jungle...

I learned a new word:

Peep

You've been here since '03 and just learned what "open matte" means?

How terrifying.

I guess it put all your bitching about how studios have screwed up their releases in perspective.

baracine

Peep, you should really ease up on the personal attacks. It's not a question of not knowing the concept, just of knowing what it's called in English. OK?

hotsexyboi

I LOVE this movie. I got it when it first came out for Christmas but on VHS of course. I so would LOVE to see a widescreen version come out not a chopped up fullscreen turned into widescreen like on Laser Disc. But I don't think it will ever get a widescreen release being as it's a Walt Disney movie. Disney is so stuck in their whole stupid fullscreen when it comes to movies that they see as for 'kids'.

Peep

Uh, if you say so. It sounded in your previous post like this was a new concept for you (regardless of the terminology). Especially when you went on about being "lured" into buying the widescreen version on laserdisc when, obviously, WS is the OAR.

Peep

Ignore what you heard about the laserdisc being screwed up, apparently it was a language issue. The laserdisc has the correct aspect ratio and shows the film exactly as it was presented theatrically. The DVD has extra picture at the top and bottom that was not meant to be seen.

Or more likely, the director probably filmed it with both aspect ratios in mind, as many of the Disney family films are done. Which means that the DVD is probably cropped a little more tightly on the sides then the laserdisc, and doesn't take up the whole vertical portion of the negative.

Picture something like this, with the outer box being the negative, the "+++" representing the FS and the "===" representing the WS"


|----------------------------------------|
|........................................|
|.....+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++......|
|.....+...........................+......|
|=====+===========================+======|
|.....+...........................+......|
|.....+...........................+......|
|.....+...........................+......|
|.....+...........................+......|
|.....+...........................+......|
|.....+...........................+......|
|=====+===========================+======|
|.....+...........................+......|
|.....+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++......|
|........................................|
|----------------------------------------|


At least that is what Pixar has done for some (and possibly all) of their releases.

Alan Smithee

Most likely some parts of the 'fullscreen' version are zoomed-in to hide microphones and other equipment you aren't supposed to see that invariably show up.

This was actually one of Disney's very first DVD releases, they put out this and "Homeward Bound" (also letterboxed on LD) and I forget what other couple titles, in cases that were slightly different than regular keepcases. I never got to see what they looked like on the inside. For a long time though they refused to do anything in 16x9, widescreen movies were 4x3 letterbox.

baracine

In this case, the fullscreen version is exactly the widescreen version with the top and bottom restituted. It shows as much on the sides as the WS version. And there are no mikes hanging... The film was shot with 1.33:1, 1.66:1 and 1.85:1 in mind, including the special effects and the elaborate matte paintings. Of course both versions are outrageously overscanned on my TV...

I said the film was lowbrow and considered a "children's film" but it doesn't change the fact that it's a charming story done with lots of wit... I mean John Cleese as the gorilla? Priceless!