Just received Force 10 From Navarone and while I have only jumped around to different scenes and the transfer did not look to good to me, (Widescreen). The Standard, looked kind of blurry to me, just not very sharp but I dont look at Standard versions very often. I usually dont comment on transfers unless they are really bad. I guess its just your usual MGM transfer and someone might like to know before buying. The Widescreen version does run longer than the Standard version for some reason, 8 minutes longer.

I think the Standard version might have had the B. Bach bath scene taken out, not sure.

The scene is the same in both. However, from what I remember (it's been quite awhile since I've seen this movie) I think it was cut from the original version I saw on VHS. I watched the WS but not the P&S all the way through so I'm not 100% sure what the differences are

WRT the transfer I'd have to say I agree. Both of them look kind of fuzzy and gritty

the WS version is the oversea version release by Columbia pictures, while the standrard version is the US print, released by American international. on the credits, the standard version gave Samuel Arkoff a producer credit, while the WS version doesnt for it is the origianl version, released overseas by columbia. Arkoff cut 8 minutes for the us release.

OK, I promised someone on this forum, about a week ago, that I'll post the difference between the widescreen and letterboxed version of "Force 10". Lazy me, I finally gotten around to it!

I've seen the movie when it came out in theaters, then I got a VHS tape (horrible Goodtimes EP transfer, eckkkk!), now I finally got the DVD.

There are pretty obvious differences between the two versions. The 8 extra minutes are NOT an extra scene. They consist of snippets added here and there in the film, which make it much more coherent, in my opinion, than on the P&S version.

Examples: The prologue of the film tells the story of the "Guns of Navarone", and how they were blown up. In the P&S version, the prologue is a little longer, and the scenes are (alas) a bit corny (people cheering on the Allied vessels - which did not appear in the original -, the mountain cave with the guns burning - and obviously a reduced-scale model! - and someone saying something like "Mallory, Miller! I thought we lost you chaps on Navarone" while giving Edward Fox and Robert Shaw a cup of tea.) Now, it was clear that the "chaps" line was added later, because you see that the guy giving them tea does not talk. This was added in order to make viewers understand that the two actors have taken over the roles from Gregory Peck and David Niven.

The widescreen version cuts off these parts of the prologue.

During the rest of the film, three of the most significant differences that spring to mind are the part in which Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford meet the partisans, Sequences in jail and the preparation for the English air supply raid. These are much better elaborated in the widescreen version.

Overall, the film is very enjoyable, and teams up well with "Guns from Navarone", if you can get over the fact that the actors were changed. The transfer is not very good, but I looked at the end credits and it seems that they used a type of film that loses quality fast over time. Just like it happened to the "original" Star Wars (or "A New Hope", whatever...)

I'm not sure about you, but I believe that this "blurry/fuzzy" ascpect of the image actually adds charm and a flavor of authenticity to this kind of films. After all, it's the Second World War, not the Gulf war, to have everything on digital!

Hope this helps.

Cheers!