Bagheera

Also I have heard people refer to this verision as being cropped? what do they mean by that?

Groucho

The OAR is 1.37:1. No anamorphic transfer is necessary.

Bagheera

DOH!!!!

I will have to watch it again I thought it was W/S. HAH

I thought it was wierd cuz Turner Classic usually shows everything in letterboxed. that explains it.

So what do people mean when they say cropped.

Groucho

The 4:3 ratio is actually 1.33:1, so you lose a little picture on the sides. This is true of most Academy Ratio films. The same thing happens on 1:85:1 releases, which are almost always cropped to 1.77:1.

Bagheera

Ok but why is Yojimbo not Anamorphic?

Groucho

Most early Criterion releases aren't. For whatever reason. I guess they thought the whole widescreen thing would catch on.

Jay G.

The earlier Criterion's aren't anamorphic because they thought they could get away with using their old LD masters for the films. In this way, Criterion was able to release quite a good amount of films right out the gate, including several titles they would soon lose the rights to.

However, Criterion soon learned that many cinephile consumers demanded anamorphic transfers.

Bagheera

oK I just found this on the Criterion Website FAQ:

Why aren't certain early Criterion DVDs anamorphically enhanced?

Criterion began releasing 16x9 enhanced DVDs with Insomnia (spine #47). Ever since, we have released anamorphic DVDs whenever possible. A large percentage of Criterion DVD releases are indeed enhanced for 16x9 televisions.

Criterion is considering the possibility of re-releasing some of our early DVDs in 16x9 enhanced editions. Please keep an eye on our website for any future news and updates regarding this project.

Bagheera

"The 4:3 ratio is actually 1.33:1, so you lose a little picture on the sides. This is true of most Academy Ratio films. The same thing happens on 1:85:1 releases, which are almost always cropped to 1.77:1."

Would there be any possible way to not crop the picture and have it show on a tv? Or would it only be able to work on WS tv's.

Groucho

Yes, but the gain would be negligable, and probably lost again due to the overscan anyway.

Bagheera

Thnk you sir.

*salutes*

Dan Average

Yojimbo (and Sanjuro, which is also non-anamorphic widescreen) weren't early Criterion releases. By the time they were released on DVD Criterion had released several anamorphic discs. The official explanation was that Toho didn't provide the necessary elements to do anamorphic transfers.

Shroud

Why isn't Criterion Armegeddon Anamorphic? This was a newer movie.

djtoell

You'd have to ask Disney about that one, since they supplied the transfer.

DJ

Rammsteinfan

Yeah, I hate that Armageddon isnt Anamorphic... it looks terrible on the big screen.

PatrickMcCart

Well, they're simply matted less.

This is preferable since a lot of 1.85:1 films really shouldn't be matted exactly to specifications.

jough

FWIW, Criterion has stated that they should be re-releasing Seven Samurai with a new transfer, improved subtitles, and as a 2-disc SE with a documentary, possibly commentaries, etc.

The Third Jake

What a great non-answer. Kudos to you, Criterion.

Maybe I'm missing it (or Bagheera cut it), but I certainly can't find a single word in there that even attempts to pretend to address the question: Why aren't their early releases anamorphic?

yojimbo1

most early dvd's weren't anamorphic especially companies like criterion

DealMan

When Criterion first started pressing DVDs the format was in it's infancy and no one really knew how quickly it would catch on or how common 16:9 TV sets would become.

It's not just Criterion, many early DVDs (97-98) are not enhanced.

jough

Someone above answered the question: it's because Criterion wasn't sure DVD would take off (like most companies other than Warner Bros., btw) and got their feet wet in the format by re-releasing the old LD transfers on DVD that they already had the rights to.

Once DVD became not only a *viable* revenue stream, but greater than LD had ever been, they started to re-think their strategy and focus on serving the new consumer base.

It's all about the bling bling, people. And it doesn't hurt that in this case, the change meant an *increase*, not a decrease in quality.

lesterlong

I'd re-buy Seven Samurai. As long as they keep the same cover art.

djtoell

Because the money has already been spent. Many of Kurosawa's films, including Seven Samurai, had restored 35mm prints with new subtitle translations make the theatrical rounds last year. These new prints were done by Janus, the parent company of Criterion. To re-release the DVD with the older transfer would be completely idiotic and a waste of money already spent.

If you believe that Criterion's current transfer is impeccable, you may want to see a comparison of it to Toho's R2 Japan DVD. The Criterion disc is quite lacking in detail.

DJ

Pants

The new 35mm print I saw last December was an improvement over the DVD which is a dup of an old laserdisc. The new 35's aren't flawless but they are an improvement.

Johnny Zhivago

Uhm... Yeah. Dude... What djtoell said... It's already been done and made the rounds last year... That is a fact. A new DVD from Criterion is the logical next step.