Dvdlovr24

Has anybody got an early copy of this yet?

dolphinboy

BB mentions the new remastered 5.1 track, but doesn't mention whether it's anamorphic.

Please, if anyone see this in store or buys a copy, post whether it's actually 16 x 9 enhanced.

Thanks.

tofferman

Well, I tried Best Buy, Walmart and Target, but couldn't find it. Best Buy had the older version (as did Walmart) and the BB website said it was not available at any of their stores. Was it even released today?

Skoobooz

I also tried Best Buy, Tower, Target and Circuit City, to no avail. Finally, I just ended up ordering it off Amazon.

Drexl

It sounds like this was one of those "quiet" re-releases, like MGM's Throw Momma from the Train or Back to School with new transfers, or the titles that just get new covers. Yes, it did come out, but it wasn't promoted or anything. I would bet that many stores would put the new copies where the old ones are. Some places may not even get any copies until their old ones sell out or they get a general replenishment shipment of miscellaneous titles.

CertifiedTHX

Arrived from Amazon yesterday--complete with Mother's Day card and gift wrap, as advertised--but the DVD was the same old copy sold in the snapper case. I've not opened it, and will be returning it. What's up with that?

--THX

OldBoy

i went to Amazon and there wasn't even a mention of a new release. the listings were all for the previous, even that Mother's Day one. even DVDPriceSearch doesn't have the listing. who said this was coming out anyway?

dolphinboy

How do you know it's the same dvd if you don't open it? Amazon will still take it back if you show the is was supposed to be 16 x 9 (with remastered audio) and was just the same letterboxed edition sold before.

I've run around town and couldn't find a copy, so I'm eager to know if it's anamorphic or not before ordering it.

Most websites say it does have a remastered 5.1, so they could have used all the same packaging for the new disc. Bad idea, but fine with me if it's enhanced.

dolphinboy

Amazon had the mother's day one with a release date of 4.18.06, that's today so it's new. Whether it actually has a remastered audio or new transfer has still yet to be answered.

My local BB, CC and WM didn't have the new or old versions.

Filmmaker

Because Warners hasn't used snapper cases in 2 years...just that alone proves its the old version.

OldBoy

what websites? none of the popular including Best Buy has a listing...

Skoobooz

You can find this at Warner Bros' actual website for order. If Amazon fails me (I'll know in two days), I'll order it from there.

OldBoy

that's clearly the old one packaged with this MD special thingy...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...v=glance&n=130

dolphinboy

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....oduct&id=49057

It says remastered audio, so they are certainly implying the disc is not the same. Maybe the used the same packaging.

dolphinboy

Of course, BB's old listing for this movie, released in 1999, states it's remastered too AND is 16 x 9 enhanced, so I don't know what to make of this right now.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....oduct&id=49057

dolphinboy

This is what the WB site says about the "new" release with the card.

Screen Aspect:
Standard [4:3 Transfer]
Widescreen [16:9 Transfer]
Sound Quality:
English: Dolby Surround 5.1 -
English: Stereo 2S -
Subtitles: English, Francais
Media Quantity: 1
Packaging Type: Amaray Case

American President, The (DVD) (w/Mother's Day Greeting Card)

http://whv.warnerbros.com/WHVPORTAL/....jsp?OID=13419

CertifiedTHX

Exactly. The new release was supposed to come in a keep case, so I knew something was wrong as soon as I spotted it inside the Amazon box. Not sure where to go now.

--THX

bunkaroo

D'oh. I have the Mother's Day one en route to me from Amazon. Guess it'll be going back assuming I get the old one too.

Mr.Briggs

I wish I had saved my cancelled order form. Before they added the Mothers Day crap the listing for the April 18th release said The American President (Keep Case). I had to cancel that order & reorder with some other things & it had changed to w/Mothers Day Shit but even while I had the Keep Case order when you clicked on the order it went to the Mothers Day Shit after they'd changed it.

dolphinboy

The Warners Bros. CEO's assistant in Burbank is going to be getting back to me about this issue. I've already spoken with her and given all the details including the fact their own website lists the new specs.

Mr.Briggs

I called Amazon & talked to a nice csr named Liberty who assured me I was scheduled to receive the new release in a keep case. I'm hoping they've cleared out the old stock with the preorders & that mine will be keep case & anamorphic. If not, it goes back.

dolphinboy

Spoke with the lady at WB and she is looking into whether there is or isn't an actual new release, with anamorphic and amaray, or not. She promised an answer by late tomorrow or Thursday.

She was very nice, but I see now why people regularly complain about the studios. The system they have seems insane. She didn't know much for someone in such a high position and even spoke for a while about why certain titles aren't being re-released in anamorphic and she told me that without permission from the director and others many times they can't get a movie re-released. Of course, I asked her if she could give an example of anyone or any title where a director would say, "No, don't release this again, keep it letterboxed, I prefer it that way" she told me, "I can't imagine that happening."

She had no idea who comes up with the titles that they plan to re-release, who checks the details of any new features, who makes sure those specs check out when the disc is pressed and ready to go...nothing.

But she, at least, knew what anamorphic meant, which was better than the 3 people it took me to get to her.

tofferman

This sounds a lot like the "old" Young Frankenstein release in the new Mel Brooks boxset. I hope this is simply a mistake versus some deliberate marketing scheme.

dvd_luver

I was in Miejer and saw The American President in a snap case on a rack, it looked new, sealed in plastic but it had a gift thing with it, and so did other ones like The Bodyguard etc. I looked at the back and it looks like the old release, but it matched the description here with a gift. Not sure if there is anything really new about it, maybe it does have an anamorphic transfer. But it looked and matched the descriptions here.

Damn people are gonna be pissed at Warner.

dolphinboy

News:

I spoke with someone high up at WB (I promised to not post names, titles, or contact info) who says that it has been reported to her by the people in charge of this release that there IS a new anamorphic release in an amaray case.

This person actually has to have a copy sent to her as the lot in Burbank doesn't just keep copies and she couldn't tell me where this release would be coming from.

There are two possibilites: Some screw up where the old release has been packaged with the card instead of the new release or that, as mentioned earlier, possibly the old ones are being packaged as the new one until they run out and then get to the new one OR the person who was in charge of the release and told this person it was anamorphic and in new packaging is wrong in which case she told me she'd be "eating crow" and would likely make sure a PR was sent out apologizing to fans for the mix up.

Of course, she believes that the former problem is most likely and that the new version does exist. If true, at least at some point this problem will be resolved and fans of the movie will have the 16 x 9 enhanced version they've been waiting for.

I will post again when I hear back, but that won't be until next week. Maybe by then someone will actually have received a copy of the NEW release anyway and report it here.