any word on Colossus: The Forbin Project?
 

I thought I read somehwere that this great sci fi suspenser was coming to DVD....now it's off the map again....wha happened?

I was just thinking about this movie and wish it was released. Infact, this movie should probably be remade with the state of modern technology and all.

Amen! What's taking so long to get this one onto a disc?

it's on my "37 most wanted on dvd list". :thumbsup:

Awesome movie of the "cerebral sci-fi" variety. Wish more of these type got made nowadays... the trend is not encouraging.

Release it as a double-feature with DEMON SEED! How cool would that be?

C'mon let's get this classic out on DVD already!!

*holding onto my laserdisc copy tightly*

For those who DON'T know about this movie, it was based on a novel of the same name which was the first part of a trilogy of books (which I read as a kid).

More details about the movie can be found here:

http://members.fortunecity.com/roogu...f/colossus.htm

One of my favorites.

This would make a very good candidate for a remake but alas the studios are to wrapped up in putting out classic remakes like "bring it on again" -ohbfrank- to think about stuff like "Colossus: The Forbin Project"!

Why remake it? The original was great! I would rather a studio spent their resources making a new "cerebral sci-fi" movie than remake an old one.

Add me to the list of people who'd snag a copy.

I finally broke down last month and picked up the widescreen laserdisc (double feature with Silent Running). I just couldn't wait any longer. One of my favorite all-time movies. The books are a lot of fun, though like the movie, long out of print.

I have all three books. The last one gets kinda corny, but all are still a good read. Look for them at used book stores; they should be cheap enough.

One word: Universal.

I second the nix on a remake. The original was good enough. Lathe of Heaven has proved that, at least to me.

The third book was a bit over the top, no? The second, on the other hand, would make a seriously good sequel.

Can you buy it on VCD anywhere?

I love the new 'Lathe of Heaven'. I'm always interested in remakes just to see what the studio will do.

Yeah, "over the top" is a good way to put it! ;)

Still a better read than most, though. I just think he was looking for a way out, but at the same time something that was "a bigger story that topped the previous ones", and couldn't think of where else to go. At the time, that sort of direction was popular enough in sci-fi circles. Heck, at the time it perhaps wasn't over-the-top at all. Perhaps it was "great science fiction"! :eek:

Just saw this on tv a few months ago. Enjoyed it, but the film has one of the most blatant "Austin Powers naughty bits" scenes I've ever seen. A guy stands up and the sugar bowl is place just so, and then he hands her a wine glass which is perfectly placed...

It turned a serious moment into rolling on the floor comedy for me.

I believe that this is where Austin Powers stole it from. I don't recall any earlier efforts that did that sort of cover-up.

And, at the time, there was nothing funny in it. It was just a gesture at indicating nudity without jinxing the rating of the film.

This same link was posted for the Cloak & Dagger release, but I thought I would give this thread a bump for the Forbin Project news:

http://www.dvdanswers.com/index.php?...4810&n=1&burl=

As if I need any more titles from my wish list in November ....... -wink-

Here's a link for a trailer from the movie:

http://videodetective.com/home.asp?PublishedID=3587

Universal sucks balls. F'ing 4:3 release.

Click here to remind them that we don't want to buy 66% of a movie.

Link

Colossus: The Forbin Project
Release Date: 11/23/2004
Packaging: Snap Case
Disc 1
Run Time: 1 Hour 41 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Technical Information
Audio
English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Picture: Full Frame (1.33:1)
Color

I'll believe it (1.33) when I see it, and won't buy it if it's true.

The full frame information is probably an error in the press release. Davis DVD notes:

http://www.davisdvd.com/news/daily_news.html

However, I do not have a definitive answer. We will have to wait and see.

Too much good stuff is coming out in November and I am going to be forced to pass some wanted titles up. The aspect ratio on this one will be the ultimate deciding factor if I pass this one up or not.

I gotta think that's a typo. Universal has done a lot of stupid things with their DVD releases, but that would be too much.

(And, before anyone asks, this is a Panavision 2.35:1 film.)

I can only hope 'appropriate' means OAR and not something else. Thanks for the OAR info...keeping fingers crossed here...

Yup, IMDB says the The Forbin Project was shot in anamorphic panavision 35mm.

That means that there's no open matt option. The only way to derive a full screen 1.33 AR would be to do the old pan and scan treatment.

"Private School?"

I've been waiting ages for this one.

Six words: Betsy Russell riding a horse topless.

I emailed Universal about this P&S vs. OAR...this was the reply...

Frigging idiots. :(

They released the LaserDisc in widescreen 10 years ago. But the DVD gets the P&S treatment?!?

Universal is practically dead to me. I've never seen a company with such a valuable product mishandle it so badly (Not just talking about Forbin here... but their DVD policies in general since the start of the format.)

Any word on a non-R1 release for this that'll actually have 100% of the picture?

Know anybody that's got it? I'll be happy to, uh, address this issue.

I still would wait before deciding that they have screwed up. They may just be referring back to the press release that may have an error about this. Wasn't the Ella Enchanted uproar about a non-widescreen release the result of a bad press release, and the widescreen was planned all along?

I am still going to wait for a definitive answer. They have screwed up either way ... either the press release is wrong or the DVD's AR is. I hope it's the press release :(

Sigh. This doesn't give me much hope for Charley Varrick, high high up on my want list, which is listed on their site for release in December. It also is listed as foolscreen.

I don't see how they've screwed up, they've consistently said Fullscreen, on their webpage, in their email, and almost assuredly in the original press release. It's others who appear to have assumed OAR.

What I don't understand is why they would do this. This is a catalogue title, and obviously, you don't want to spend much time on it. So why do P&S? Isn't that much more time consuming, having to carefully watch how each scene is mastered? With OAR, you just dump it on the disk, no intervention needed.

There is at least one item from DavisDVD.com that says:

All these Universal titles come with new anamorphic or appropriate fullscreen transfers and retail $9.99 apiece.

So I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. I could be wrong.


If there is an existing P&S transfer for TV, VHS, laserdisc, etc., it would be cheaper in the short run to re-use it for the DVD. If they were doing a new transfer it would make sense to do a proper OAR anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer as you say, since (on the surface) it would appear that a P&S transfer would take more effort.

Of course, I would expect some sort of outrcy about this a la Castle Keep, perhaps more, since I would guess that the cult following for C:tFP is bigger than for that film. And look at the bad publicity that that release garnered for Columbia, though they did come out and schedule a proper 'scope anamorphic release of the movie. That's why I said in the short run, since I wouldn't be surprised if a P&S release of C:tFP inspired the same type of outcry, necessitating public relations effort and a 16x9 widescreen release to quiet the complaints.

$.02

That's what I mean. Davis says anamorphic, I think they just misread, or assumed it applied to all.

Bboisvert said the laserdisk was widescreen, so it still appears the easiest, fastest, cheapest route, not to mention most satisfying to the fans, would have been to simply re-use it.

Note the reply from Universal that Private joker got, quoted just a couple of posts above.

I also wrote to them about this and got the exact same reply, word for word. Could be as simple as a CSR being lazy or it could be that this is a form letter type reply that they have prepared. Either way, it looks to me like a pretty good bet that it's going to be full frame. Damn fools.

***k Universal. :mad:

They are the worst studio in releasing DVD. They still haven't release Harry and the Hendersons out yet. I give up on them. :(

As I mentioned near the top of the thread, I have the widescreen laserdisc and am now damn thankful for coughing up the bucks for it. I'd really like to get this on DVD, but there is no way in hell I'll watch the full frame version (and it will be P&S, as the VHS was).