Subject: The Laserdisc FAQ - part 3/4
Date: 5 Mar 1996 16:20:53 GMT
NNTP-Posting-User: leopold


                            LD THE LASERDISC FAQ LD
                                       
                                 III) SOFTWARE
                                       
   This page is "http://www.cs.tut.fi/~leopold/Ld/FAQ/Software.html".
   
   This page is maintained by Henrik 'Leopold' Herranen
   
   The whole FAQ file is available at
   "http://www.cs.tut.fi/~leopold/Ld/FAQ/index.html".
   
   <-- Hardware Resources -->
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   
   
13. Buying laserdiscs

   
   
  13.1 WHAT IS THE CRITERION COLLECTION?
  
   From Timm Doolen
   
   The Criterion Collection is a line of laserdiscs from the Voyager
   company that insist on the highest quality for source material,
   transfers and supplementary material. Criterion has set the standard
   as to how great a laserdisc presentation of a movie can be. Only in
   the last year or two have other laserdisc labels started to bring out
   collector's editions that are as good as, or better, than the
   standards Criterion has set.
   
   For more information, refer to Bob Niland's (rjn@csn.org) article
   LD#06 Introduction to the Criterion Collection. (((Also see Phil Kim's
   listing of collector's editions, posted regularly to
   alt.video.laserdisc and also available through world-wide web at
   http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mleone/web/laserdiscs.html
   . Criterion also has a WWW-page at
   http://www.voyagerco.com/CC/gh/p.crit.html.
   
   A very short list of popular titles Criterion has given the deluxe
   treatment to:
     * Bram Stoker's Dracula
     * Boyz N the Hood
     * Casablanca
     * Citizen Kane
     * Close Encounters of the Third Kind
     * The Fisher King
     * The Graduate
     * Halloween
     * Jason and the Argonauts
     * King Kong
     * The Last Picture Show
     * Lawrence of Arabia
     * Lord of the Flies (1963)
     * Monty Python and the Holy Grail
     * The Player
     * Raging Bull
     * The Seventh Seal
     * Silence of the Lambs
     * Singin' In the Rain
     * Some Like it Hot
     * Spartacus
     * Taxi Driver
     * This is Spinal Tap
       
   
   
  13.2 WHAT ARE CUTOUTS AND ARE THEY OK TO BUY?
  
   From Timm Doolen
   
   Cutouts are laserdisc titles that have been reduced for sale, and have
   been physically defaced to separate them from the full-priced
   versions. The defacement usually takes the form of a small hole cut
   through the laserdisc jacket in one corner. Occasionally I have seen a
   cutout take the form of a shaved-off diagonal section of the lower
   right-hand side of the jacket, about 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch. In either
   case, no damage is done to the discs themselves, and the
   packaging/contents are usually different.
   
   It is definitely OK to buy cutouts, and stories abound about what
   great deals people have gotten by buying cutouts. With that said, some
   caution should be taken when digging through the cutout bin.
   
   First, one of the reasons that laserdiscs are discounted, is that a
   new (and usually improved) version of the movie is about to be
   released. If a letterboxed, or digital-sound version of a movie is
   eminent, the distributor might want to quickly get rid of the
   pan-and-scan or analog sound-only versions of the movie. Or there may
   be a collector's edition eminent, etc. If you don't care about such
   things, then it's easy to find a lot of good buys in the cutout
   section.
   
   Second, some stores may have policies of no returns on cutout
   specials. Keep in mind that discs that make there way into bargain
   bins can be many years old, maybe from before the time when the bugs
   were worked out of the pressing process. Just be aware of what the
   store's policy is before deciding whether to buy a cutout. You may not
   want to get stuck with a lemon, or maybe for $10, you'll take a
   chance.
   
   Personally, the majority of my laserdisc collection is composed of
   cutout discs. I have found several great buys in the bargain bin
   sections, including several Criterion releases that retail normally
   for $90-$100 for under $20. 
   
  13.3 I'VE BOUGHT USED VHS TAPES THAT ARE UNWATCHABLE. ARE USED LASERDISCS
  WORTH THE MONEY?
  
   Excerpted from Bob Niland's (rjn@csn.org) LD#01: ..but it can't even
   record?
   
   Used video tapes have an aura similar to that of used cars. In the
   worst-case scenario, a flaky tape can wreck the heads in your VCR.
   More typically, the retailer may sell it because it is damaged or worn
   out.
   
   Used LDs, on the other hand, are like used CDs. Laser rot aside, if
   they physically look OK, they probably will play like new. The random
   access capability of LD makes it easy to skip through and QA a used
   disc in the store (which I routinely do).
   
   If you seek used or "cutout" merchandise, make sure you and the dealer
   understand each other on the matter of defects, which are more likely
   on older pressings. Most dealers will accept the return of any disc
   they sell, regardless of what bin it came from. But in the case of
   older titles, the dealer may not be able to replace it with the same
   title. Find out what recourse is available to you in that case. 
   
  13.4 I'M IN CANADA. ARE THERE ANY PROBLEMS IN USING UPS?
  
   From: anonymous
   
   If a shipment is sent to Canada via UPS ground, the unsuspecting
   shipper pays a fairly low and innocuous rate. Unknown to the shipper,
   however, the recipient can be zapped with as much as a 54% surcharge!
   
   They have three surcharges: entry prep fee, disbursement fee, and
   surcharge.

Entry Prep Fee:     Value of Shipment in CDN dollars
$ 5.25                  0.01-$ 40.00
$14.20               $ 40.01-$100.00
$16.80               $100.01-$200.00

Disbursement Fee  Surcharge  Value of Shipment in CDN dollars
$ 3.14               $3.00    0.01-$ 50.00
$ 4.15               $3.00  $50.00-$100.00
$ 8.15               $3.00 $100.00-$200.00

   Now the Entry Prep Fee and Disbursement Fee are also subject to our
   GST (8%).
   
   Thus, assume that you order a $40.01 laserdisc ($28.00 US, roughly).
   (Very few laserdiscs cost less than $28US.)
   
   You pay $14.20 + $3.14 + $3.00 +$14.20*0.08 +$3.14*0.08 = $21.73
   
   Since $21.73/$40.00 = 0.54, this is a 54% surcharge!
   
   Admittedly, this is the worst case. But it's pretty bad. Note that you
   will also pay GST on the $40.01, but this is charged by Canada Post
   (on behalf of the govt) in any case. As mentioned in an earlier, post
   their handling fee is only $5.00.
   
   In my case, I paid $21.77 UPS "brokerage" on a $48.39 CND shipment,
   only a 45% "surcharge". (Wow.)
   
   If you had chosen UPS air, the brokerage fee is included in the cost,
   and let's assume that is the same as Federal Express. But the key here
   is that no shipper will send air freight unless you specify so and
   incur the fee (at least from US to Canada: I have seen US firms that
   ship via Fedex "free").
   
   Again, this 54% surcharge occurs only when the shipper chooses UPS
   ground over US post, because it is apparently about the same cost to
   him and he probably thinks that because it is faster, he is doing you
   a favor.
   
   
   
  13.5 WHAT IS THE 1-800 NUMBER FOR THE COLUMBIA HOUSE CLUB?
  
   Customer service: 1-800-457-0866
   Orders: 1-800-262-2001
   Laserdiscs: 1-800-538-2233
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   
   
14. Aspect ratios and letterboxing

   
   
  14.1 CAN YOU GO OVER WIDESCREEN, LETTERBOX, ETC. ONE MORE TIME?
  
   One place to look for graphical information on letterboxing is
   http://www.cs.tut.fi/~leopold/Ld/FilmToVideo/index.html.
   
   From Bob Niland's (rjn@csn.org) LD#01: ..but it can't even record?
   
   The television screen's width-to-height (aspect) ratio is 1.33 to 1
   (or 4:3). This is very close to "Academy Ratio" (1.37:1), which is how
   films were composed and photographed until the 1950s, when TV closely
   copied that ratio, became widespread, and became a threat to motion
   picture theaters, or so Hollywood thought.

    +---------------+         .=========.
    | Projected     |         :   TV    :
    | Widescreen    |         :  Frame  :
    | Movie Image   |         :         :
    +---------------+         `========='
    1.50:1 to 2.8:1            1.33:1

   Largely to compete with TV, Hollywood made films in "widescreen"
   processes like Cinemascope, Techniscope, Vista-Vision, Todd-AO,
   Technirama, Cinerama, Panavision, etc. They are all slightly
   different, but share one attribute: They are "hard" widescreen formats
   and their projected-image aspect ratios exceed 1.33:1. Some are as
   wide as 2.8:1.
   
   Many directors, particularly during the '50s and '60s, filled the
   entire wide frame with important action or other visual material; some
   still do. When transferring "hard" widescreen movies to 1.33:1, there
   are two choices:

    1.                                2.  .===============================.
                                          :           Black               :
    +--.==================.-------+       +-------------------------------+
    |  :                  :       |       |                               |
    |  :   Panned         :       |       |                               |
    |L :   and            :       |       |                               |
    |O :   Scanned        :  LOST |       |     Letterboxed TV Image      |
    |S :   (Cropped)      :       |       |                               |
    |T :   TV Image       :       |       |                               |
    |  :                  :       |       |                               |
    +--`=================='-------+       +-------------------------------+
                                          :           Black               :
                      `==============================='

     * 1. Crop-off or anamorphically "squeeze" some of the original
       frame.
       
       Cropping, often called "panning and scanning", and preserves
       detail at the expense of information. It is often done very
       sloppily. In early widescreen movies, two-character dialog ends up
       as "talking noses" at the edges of the TV screen. The scanning may
       lurch back and forth across the image, trying to stay with the
       "important" visual content (or simply with the currently more
       famous actor).
       
       Where the image cannot be cropped, it is anamorphically processed,
       which squashes the image left-to-right, but leaves the height
       unchanged.
       
     * 2. Put more of the original wide image on the TV screen, leaving
       blank/grey/black space at the top and/or bottom of the screen.
       
       This is called "letterboxing" (or "videoscoping" by Criterion),
       and preserves *information* at the expense of detail. Compared to
       standard VHS, LDs have detail to spare.
       
   The most frequently encountered presentation on broadcast TV and VCR
   is cropped. The use of letterboxing on LD releases is growing rapidly.
   Often you have a choice of aspect ratios.
   
   If you have not had a chance to compare a widescreen and a cropped
   version of the same film, you may literally not know what you are
   missing, except for a vague feeling of claustrophobia as you watch a
   "chopped and squashed" films. On the other hand, a letterboxed
   presentation like "BladeRunner" at 2.2:1 really requires at least a
   25-inch TV with at least 350 lines of horizontal resolution.
   
   However, not all theatrical widescreen formats are "hard" formats
   (where the letterboxed image borders are blank because there is
   nothing there on the print or negative). Some formats are "soft"
   widescreen:

    .===============================.
    :    "protect for TV area"      :

    Don't automatically assume that the film you saw theatrically at 1.85:1
    six months ago has been cropped for home video.  Video is now a bigger
    market than theatres for some material.



    Many films are being shot "spherical soft matte" at 1:33:1 and are being
    *masked* (cropped) for theatrical presentation!  When transferred to
    video, such works may be 1.33:1 full-frame, 1.33:1 zoomed-in, panned and
    scanned from the 1.7/1.85/2.4:1 compositions, or matted (leaving
    letterbox-like bands).



    During principal photography, the masked-out areas are usually
    "protected" in that they are kept clear of microphones, cables, etc.,
    but they contain nothing crucial to the composition.  However, special
    effects for the film may only have been made to cover a 1.5:1, 1.66:1,
    1.75:1, 1.85:1, 2.0:1 or 2.35:1 area.



    Even when free of errors, inclusion of the image in the protection bands
    may diminish the impact of the composition, which is why some directors
    and LD producers mask it off (example:  Criterion Collection "The
    Princess Bride").  Some VistaVision films were also photographed in
    soft-matte widescreen (although not in consideration of eventual TV
    use).




  14.2 WHAT ARE SOME OF THE TERMS I NEED TO KNOW WHEN STUDYING ASPECT RATIOS?
  
  EXCERPTED FROM WIDE SCREEN FILM PROCESSES,
  COMPILED BY DAVID UY
  



Glossary of Standard Terms used in this section:
     * Academy Aperture - The standard ratio of 1.33:1 which represents
       the image area of a normally photographed image on a 35mm print
       using spherical lenses.
     * Anamorphic - As used in this document, the anamorphic process is a
       distortion free compression process which squeezes the horizontal
       image information by some specified factor while leaving the
       vertical image information alone. A special set of lenses must be
       used to reverse the process.
     * Aspect Ratio - The normalized ratio of physical image width to
       physical image height after decompression (if required).
     * Cropping - Selective deleting of part of the image on the edges.
     * Hard Matte - The image is filmed with the aspect ratio mask used
       in the camera itself. There is no safe area in this process.
     * Matting - As used in this document, this is the process designed
       by filmmakers to simulate the anamorphic process by taking a
       spherically filmed image and cropping the top and bottom, usually
       in equal amounts, to obtain a desired aspect ratio.
     * MagOptical soundtrack - A compromise soundtrack incorporating both
       magnetic stripes and the standard optical track both of which
       intrude into the image area. This allowed the prints to be played
       using monophonic equipment (optically based) and stereophonic
       equipment (magnetic/optical). The adoption of this soundtrack
       system fixed the CinemaScope ratio at 2.35:1. Because the magnetic
       striping was prone to damage, this system was eventually replaced
       by stereo variable area soundtracks. 70mm formats still use
       magnetic striping on film.
     * Print - Used to describe the collection of film footage which
       makes up a complete film.
     * Safe Area - The area on a spherically filmed image which is
       intended to be cropped in a matting process. This area is not
       intended to be seen by the audience and may contain shots of
       micro- phones and other equipment. A scene which includes the safe
       area may not appear as the close-up shot the director intended to
       show.
     * Soft Matte - A print which is created by matting an image filmed
       in a larger image size is soft matted. The safe area is available
       for use in this process.
     * Spherical - Spherically processed films are those made with lenses
       which do not compress the image. This does not mean that the
       lenses do not cause distortion.
     * Three-Panel - A filming method using three synchronized cameras
       and projectors to create one very large image.
   
   
   


  14.3 WHAT ARE SOME OF THE POPULAR WIDESCREEN FILM FORMATS?
  
  EXCERPTED FROM WIDE SCREEN FILM PROCESSES,
  COMPILED BY DAVID UY
  



     This section contains technical information on many of the common
     photographic processes used to make wide-screen, wide-frame and wide-
     gauge films.



     The material in this sectopn does not mention the laserdisc medium
     directly.  This is because the definition of aspect ratio, with respect
     to this section, is in terms of the original source material; in
     this case photographic film.  Understand that the original aspect ratio
     cannot be determined accurately either from a video source or from a
     theatrical projection because either can be improperly cropped.

A) 35mm format spherical aspect ratios
B) 35mm/55mm anamorphic formats
C) 70mm Formats
D) Bibliography


=========================================================================
A) 35mm format spherical aspect ratios
========================================================================
         Standard aspect ratio: 1.33:1 (Academy Aperture)
         Eastern Block, Middle East, Far East standard: 1.37:1
         Matted format ratios: 1.66:1
                               1.75:1

                               1.85:1
                               2.00:1
         Industry adopted aspect ratio: 1.85:1
         Disney's adopted aspect ratio: 1.75:1


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Spherical Panavision

          Matted footage shot with Panavision cameras and/or Panavision
          spherical lenses.  Credits occasionally claim "Filmed in
          Panavision" or just "Panavision," but more often claim "Panaflex
          Cameras and Lenses by Panavision" or "Filmed with Panavision
          cameras and lenses."


=========================================================================
B)  35mm/55mm anamorphic formats
=========================================================================

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Panavision, CinemaScope, Delrama, Vistarama, Technovision, Todd-AO 35,
     AgaScope (Sweeden), Astravision, Cinepanoramic (France), Cinescope
     (Italy), Daieiscope (Japan), Dyaliscope (Europe), GrandScope (Japan),
     Hi-Fi Scope, J-D-C Scope (Joe Dunton Cameras, Ltd.), MegaScope (Britain),
     Nikkatsuscope (Japan), Regalscope (USA), Toeiscope (Japan), Tohoscope
     (Japan), Totalscope (Italy).

         2x1 Anamorphic compression ratio.

         35mm Anamorphic aspect ratios
         Initial aspect ratio: 2.66:1
         Aspect Ratio with the addition of MagOptical tracks: 2.55:1
         Final design aspect ratio: 2.35:1

         Aperture Aspect Ratio:                  1.175:1
         Release Print Aspect Ratio:             2.35:1

         16mm Anamorphic aspect ratio: 2.74:1
         8mm Anamorphic aspect ratio: 2.66:1


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     CinemaScope 4x35 (CinemaScope 55)
         Negative size: 55mm
         Identical anamorphic 2x1 compression on larger film stock.
         Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     SuperScope
         Shot at 1.33:1 then masked equally on the top and bottom and
         anamorphically printed using a 2x1 compression.  The release
         print has an aspect ratio of 2:1.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Techniscope
         The film stock is exposed to the 2.35:1 aperture using spherical
         lenses (Hard Matte) which halves the amount of film used in the
         camera.  The final version is anamorphically printed.

         Aspect Ratio:                           2.35:1
         Release Print Aspect Ratio:             2.35:1


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Vista Vision

         The film in the camera passes horizontally to allow a wider frame.
         Frame size (without soundtrack stripe) is identical to the
         standard 35mm still camera people use to take pictures with.

         Frame ratio:                            1.50:1
         Release prints  Aspect Ratio (cropped): 1.66:1, 1.85:1
                                                    and 2x1
         Aspect Ratio (uncropped):               1.50:1 with squared
                                                    corners

      Standard reduction format
         Aspect Ratio (cropped):                 1.66:1,1.85:1,
                                                   and 2:1
         Aspect Ratio (uncropped):               1.50:1 with rounded
                                                    corners
      Anamorphic reduction format
         Aspect ratio:                           2:1 with squared
                                                    corners
         Compression:                            1.5x1



-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Technirama

         The film in the camera also passes horizontally for this process.
         The frame size is identical to a standard 35mm still camera people
         use to take pictures.  No soundtrack stripes were placed on the
         Technirama film area.  The difference between Technirama and
         VistaVision is the former uses an anamorphic compression during
         filming where the latter uses spherical lenses.

         Anamorphic Compression (horizontal):    1.5x1

         Release print aspect Ratio:             2.34:1



-------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Super Technirama 70

         The camera and negative process is identical to regular Technorama.
         The final release prints, however, are issued on 70mm stock.
         Because the negative is on 35mm stock and uses anamorphic
         compression, it is classified under the 35mm formats.

         Compression (horizontal):               1.5x1

         Release print Aspect ratio:               2.21:1 without
                                                   soundtrack
         Projected aspect ratio:                 2.05:1


=========================================================================
C) 70mm Formats
=========================================================================
     ------------------------------------------------------------------------
     MGM Camera 65 and Ultra Panavision 70

         MGM Camera 65 used variable compression from 1.25x1 to 1.33x1.
         Ultra Panavision 70 used a fixed compression of 1.25x1.

     Specifications

         Compression:                            Variable from
                                                 1.25x1 to
                                                 1.33x1 (see above)
         Release Print Aspect Ratio:             2.94:1 without

                                                 soundtrack
         Projected Aspect Ratio:                 2.76:1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Panavision 70

         Original anamorphic 35mm negatives are printed to 70mm film.  The
         process is called a 70mm Blowup.  Use of the Panavision 70 name was
         discontinued in the middle 1970's and advertised as 70mm films.
         Some films were incorrectly advertised as Super Panavision 70
         (Most notably Close Encounters of the Third Kind).  Spherical
         format films were often blown up to ratios of 1.66:1, 1.75:1 or
         1.85:1.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Todd-AO, Super Panavision 70, Superpanorama 70, Sovscope 70,
     Hi Fi Stereo 70mm

       Release Print Aspect Ratio:              2.21:1 without soundtrack
         Projected aspect ratio:                 2.05:1

         Note for Super Panavision 70
         Aspect Ratios: 2.35:1 for 4 channel sound 35mm prints
                        2.05:1 for 6 channel sound 70mm prints


     ------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Cinestage
         Official 35mm reduction of Todd-AO format:
         65mm original running at 30 fps with an aspect ratio of 1.5:1

     Note Todd-AO prints were filmed using spherical optics.  The reduction
     to 35mm format was made using a 1.5x1 anamorphic compression to maintain
     the 2.05x1 aspect ratio of the original 70mm print.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
     IMAX/OMNIMAX

         Aspect Ratio:                           1.338x1

       Release Print Aspect Ratio:               1.432:1


=========================================================================
D) Bibliography
=========================================================================

     Bordwell, David, Janet Staiger and Kirstin Thompson.  "The Classical
        Hollywood Cinema: Film Style and Mode of Production to 1960."  New
        York: Columbia University Press: 1985.  506p.  PN1993.5.U6B655 1985
        ISBN: 0-231-06054-8.
        Of interest in this book is a non-technical history of the processes
        which can be found in Chapter 29.

     Carr, Robert, E. and R.M. Hayes.  "Wide Screen Movies: a History and
        Filmography of Wide Gauge Filmmaking."  Jefferson, NC: McFarland
        & Company, 1988.  502p.  TR855.C37 1988  ISBN: 0-89950-242-3.
        One of the more thorough books written on the subject.  This book
        includes lists of many of the relavent widescreen processes, and a
        listing of films and their associated processes.

     Wheeler, Leslie J..  "Principles of Cinematography: A Handbook of Motion
        Picture Technology."  London: Fountain Press Limited, 1969.  440p.
        TR850.W49 1969  ISBN: 0 852 42080 3.
        This covers, briefly, the widescreen processes.






  14.4) I HEARD THAT IF A FILM IS SHOT "FLAT" THEN YOU ACTUALLY LOSE SCREEN
  INFORMATION WHEN IT IS LETTERBOXED. IS THIS TRUE?
  
  FROM TIMM DOOLEN
  



This is actually a trickier question than it would appear. Many modern movies
are shot on 35mm film (usually Super-35), which has an aspect ratio of roughly
1.33:1 and are "matted" to appear 1.85:1 in the theater. This is also referred
to as shooting the film "flat". Usually the matte is a soft matte, which means
the print is 1.33:1 but an aperture plate is used in the theater to mask off
the top and bottom portions of the picture.



The filmmaker often shoots the movie as if the extra top and bottom of the
frame is not there, even though it will end up on the raw film (and often the
prints of the film too.) Because of this, occasionally boom mikes or other
cinema equipment will creep into these shots. Pee Wee's Big Adventure
is a notorious example of this.



In any given shot, the extra information at the top and bottom of the frame
can be:
     * interesting (it allows you to see more than you could in the
       theater, without being distracting)
     * extraneous (e.g. more sky above and sea below, but nothing much
       changes)
     * distracting (the composition is thrown off)
     * not-intended-for-viewing (boom-mikes, etc.)
   At best, the unmasked portion of the screen that you get to see is not
   important to the composition of the shot. At worst, you can see
       microphones
   and other movie-making magic, or the composition of the shot is thrown
       off.
   



On top of that is another problem. Often special effects scenes are often
composed in the aspect ratio that the final movie will be in. When these
portions of the movie are transferred to a P&S, they are zoomed in and
cropped. So even if you get all the side information (and extra top and
bottom information) in an unmasked transfer, if there are a lot of special
effects in the movie, you will not get to see all of the image in those
scenes. One example of this is the full-frame version of "Who Framed Roger
Rabbit." Without special effects, safe areas are included. When cartoons are
in the frame, it's panned and scanned.



Of course since the '60s filmmakers have realized that their films might end
up on television someday. With the advent of the home rental market in
the '80s this became an even more important concern. So now many
filmmakers have started shooting their films knowing that the top and
bottom of the portions of the frame will eventually be visible.



James Cameron (director of Aliens, Terminator 2 and The Abyss), has
even publicly stated that he prefers the full-frame versions of his movies
on television, and shoots the movies with the eventual move to
television in mind.



Many other people prefer the full-frame, or unmatted, versions of movies
because they get more frame information. Some people really don't like
the black bands at the top and bottom of the screen, and an unmatted
film is definitely better than a cropped film, in most people's opinions.



What is the answer to the question? Well, it is true that you lose
information if a "flat" film is matted. However, this can throw of the
frame composition, or even expose things not meant to be seen.



So like most things in life, it's one of those things you'll have to decide
for yourself. Some people prefer the full-frame, others prefer to see the
movie as it was intended to be seen in theaters.




  __________________________________________________________________________




15. Lists



  15.1 POPULAR TITLES NEVER RELEASED ON LD IN USA
  
  PLEASE HELP ME BUILD THIS LIST!!
  

Aguirre, the Wrath of God       (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Art of Noise:Visible Silence    (Bobby Tribble - btribble@ocf.berkeley.edu)
Bad Timing/A Sensual Obsessions (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Bagdad Cafe                     (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
Becky Sharp (restored version)  (timestaff3@aol.com)
The Bedsitting Room             (David Johansson - davidj@seanet.com)
The Black Cauldron
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo G. (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Brothers Karamosov              (Stephanie Schiff-sjs@hollywood.cinenet.net)
Cannery Row                     (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Captain from Castille           (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
Charade                         (Mark Hurt - markhurt@aol.com)
Colossus: The Forbin Project    (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Danger: Diabolik                (Lon Huber - buzz@crl.com)
Day For Night                   (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Desperate Living                (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
The Devils (Ken Russel)         (David Johansson - davidj@seanet.com)
Eureka                          (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Fantastic Planet                (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
The Final Cut (Pink Floyd)      (Torc - torc@netcom.com)
Fitzcarraldo                    (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
The Fox and the Hound           (Stephanie Schiff-sjs@hollywood.cinenet.net)
Foxes (Jodie Foster)
Fritz the Cat                   (Torc - torc@netcom.com)
The Girl Can't Help It          (Michael Gebert - MGMax1919@aol.com)
The Green Room                  (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
The Long Good Friday            (Norbert White - NHW3W@aol.com)
Heavy Metal                     (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
The Hill                        (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Hiroshima, Mon Amour            (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
I Am Cuba                       (Zachary Ralston-ralston@phoenix.cs.uga.edu)
The Illustrated Man             (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Invitation au Voyage            (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Joshua Then and Now             (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Kill, Baby, Kill                (Lon Huber - buzz@crl.com)
La Strada                       (timestaff3@aol.com)
The Leopard (Visconti)          (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Little Murders                  (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
The Long Good Friday            (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Lucas                           (Stephanie Schiff-sjs@hollywood.cinenet.net)
Mamma Roma                      (Zachary Ralston-ralston@phoenix.cs.uga.edu)
The Man in the Glass Booth      (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
The Man with One Red Shoe       (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
Modern Girls                    (Stephanie Schiff-sjs@hollywood.cinenet.net)
The Navigator                   (Toonces T. Cat - toonces@toonces.vt.com)
Nosferatu the Vampyre           (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
O Lucky Man!                    (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
The Offence                     (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
101 Dalmatians
One on One                      (Stephanie Schiff-sjs@hollywood.cinenet.net)
Orb's Adventures Beyond Ultraw. (Bobby Tribble - btribble@ocf.berkeley.edu)
Our Man In Havanna              (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
Patterns                        (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Pink Flamingos                  (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
Portrait of Jennie              (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
Powaqqatsi                      (Torc - torc@netcom.com)
The Rains Came                  (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
Red Sorghum
Rosalie Goes Shopping           (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
The Shadow Box                  (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Snow White and the Three Stoog. (Stephanie Schiff)
Soldier of Orange               (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Song of the South
Success (Jeff Bridges)          (Stephanie Schiff-sjs@hollywood.cinenet.net)
Sunrise                         (Michael Gebert - MGMax1919@aol.com)
Tales from the Gimli Hospital   (Bill Chase - CPL_DIAL28@front1.cpl.org)
The Tenant                      (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
A Thousand Clowns               (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Three Musketeers (1974)         (Stephanie Schiff-sjs@hollywood.cinenet.net)
Trouble In Paradise             (Michael Gebert - MGMax1919@aol.com)
Weekend                         (Zachary Ralston-ralston@phoenix.cs.uga.edu)
Who'll Stop the Rain            (Carl Shapiro - carl@lvsun.com)
Who's Life is it Anyway         (Stephanie Schiff-sjs@hollywood.cinenet.net)
The Wild Seed                   (Mark Hurt - markhurt@aol.com)
Woman in the Dunes              (Tom Winstead - RONINTOM@aol.com)
Written on the Wind             (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)

The February 1995 issue of Laser Disc Newsletter contains the results of their
annual Laserdisc Consumer Poll. Among the lists generated from consumers
is a list of the most wanted movies on laserdisc.  What makes this list
valuable is Douglas Pratt makes inquiries to the various LD manufacturers as
to the chances of the most requested films ever making it to LD. Jeff Meyer
(bookrats@halcyon.com) has summarized the responses LDN reported below. This
list also includes movies released but not in letterbox format, and movies
that have gone out of print, which are listed under separate questions in
the FAQ, but combined in this list in the interest of saving space.
For full details, pick up the February 1995 issue of the Laser Disc News-
letter ($35 a year subscription, PO Box 420, East Rockaway, NY 11518-4020):

        FILM                    STATUS
===========================     ======================================
101 Dalmatians, Lady and        Since FANTASIA and SNOW WHITE made it to
the Tramp (lbx), Sleeping       LD, there seems to be no barrier to
Beauty (lbx),                   Disney releasing these; however, no
The Fox and the Hound,          stated plans for any particular film
The Black Cauldron              being released on LD, though LDN says
                                there's a good chance of two or three of
                                these making it in 1995, after saturation
                                of the market with the tape versions.

Song of the South               No intent to print given, but Disney
                                spokesperson says Disney has no qualms
                                rereleasing this when it's turn on the
                                great Disney release wheel comes up.

A Star Is Born (lbx)            Warner has this; film requires extensive
                                restoration, not presently scheduled

Annie Get Your Gun              Legal problems with the rights; MGM/UA would
                                probably get it if it can be gotten. Owners
                                have said they would like to see a release.

The Three Musketeers/           Rights holdup, but available in Japan on
The Four Musketeers             a double bill

Heavy Metal                     Those damn music rights!  (No light at
                                the end of the tunnel, apparently).

The High And The Mighty         John Wayne's estate putting together deal to
                                put out a collector's edition (not with MPI)

Grease (lbx)                    Release is highly unlikely for some time
                                due to "unsecured videogram rights"

Nashville (lbx)                 "Write David Wallace, Pioneer LDCA, Box
                                22782, Long Beach CA 90801" if you want this

Mister Roberts                  Warner;, requires extensive restoration

1941 (lbx)                      MCA *swears* it'll be this year

American Graffiti (lbx)         MCA; no plans to release

Let It Be                       Rights are being argued

Sunrise (silent)                Fox, under consideration

The Leopard                     Fox, under consideration

Eraserhead                      Rights in transition

Charade                         Under litigation, but available in Japan

Stairway to Heaven, aka         Not scheduled, but Voyager is the probable
A Matter of Life and Death      group to do it.

The Last Wave                   LDN couldn't find who has the rights;
                                available on import

Evil Dead                       LDN couldn't find who has the rights;
                                available on import

Cross of Iron                   Image has rights, and shows some interest
                                in getting it out

Legend (restored director's cut) MCA interested, but nothing scheduled

Streets of Fire (lbx)           MCA considering

Airport (lbx)                   Coming later this year

The Getaway                     Warner; will probably release at the
                                same time as THE WILD BUNCH

Superman 2 (lbx)                Planning but not scheduled yet

Days of Heaven (lbx)            Later this year by Paramount

Shane                           Paramount plans "something special"

1900                            Paramount; no plans

The Charge of the Light         MGM/UA has the rights, and is looking
Brigade                         into this; they're pretty responsive to
                                input from collectors.





  15.2 POPULAR TITLES NOW OUT OF PRINT ON LD IN USA
  
  PLEASE HELP ME BUILD THIS LIST!!
  

Alien SE                        (Ron Pritchett - pritchet@paradise.net)
Aliens SE                       (Leopold - leopold@cs.tut.fi)
The Black Hole
Eating Raoul                    (Stephanie Schiff-sjs@hollywood.cinenet.net)
Gorky Park                      (Hoon Shin - hshin1@umbc2.umbc.edu)
It's a Gift                     (Michael Gebert - MGMax1919@aol.com)
Koyaanisqatsi
La Dolce Vita                   (timestaff3@aol.com)
Love At Large                   (Hoon Shin - hshin1@umbc2.umbc.edu)
Meatballs                       (Crandall Chow-cchow@gunfight.austin.ibm.com)
Planet of the Apes + sequels    (Keith Thatcher - keitht@tanisys.com)
Ran [lbx] (Kurosawa)            (Tom Winstead - RONINTOM@aol.com)
To Live and Die in L.A.
Yellow Submarine






  15.3 POPULAR TITLES NOT RELEASED IN LETTERBOX FORMAT YET IN USA
  
  PLEASE HELP ME BUILD THIS LIST!!
  

Adventures in Babysitting       (Hoon Shin - hshin1@umbc2.umbc.edu)
Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai   (Lee Geller - deckard@primenet.com)
Altered States                  (Michael Gebert - MGMax1919@aol.com)
American Graffiti               (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
Animal House                    (Torc - torc@netcom.com)
Around the World in 80 Days     (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Atlantic City                   (Michael Gebert - MGMax1919@aol.com)
Barton Fink                     (Bill Chase - CPL_DIAL28@front1.cpl.org)
Beetlejuice                     (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
Better Off Dead                 (Elbert Dah-Shiun Yen eyen@uclink.berkeley.edu)
The Birds
Blazing Saddles                 (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
The Blues Brothers              (Torc - torc@netcom.com)
Body Heat                       (Terry Morgan - terrymorgn@aol.com)
Brazil                          (Neil Dorsett - UNADORSETT@msuvx2.memphis.edu)
The Breakfast Club              (Elbert Dah-Shiun Yen eyen@uclink.berkeley.edu)
Caddyshack                      (Torc - torc@netcom.com)
Capricorn One                   (RESRVORDOG - resrvordog@aol.com)
Catch-22                        (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Chariots of Fire                (Hal McMillan - hal@atl.hp.com)
China Gate                      (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Class                           (Elbert Dah-Shiun Yen eyen@uclink.berkeley.edu)
The Company of Wolves           (Tom Winstead - RONINTOM@aol.com)
The Conformist                  (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Contempt                        (Zachary Ralston-ralston@phoenix.cs.uga.edu)
The Conversation                (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
The Crazies                     (Neil Dorsett - UNADORSETT@msuvx2.memphis.edu)
Crimewave                       (Neil Dorsett - UNADORSETT@msuvx2.memphis.edu)
Dawn of the Dead                (Neil Dorsett - UNADORSETT@msuvx2.memphis.edu)
Day of the Dead                 (Neil Dorsett - UNADORSETT@msuvx2.memphis.edu)
Days of Heaven                  (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Don't Look Now                  (Tom Winstead - RONINTOM@aol.com)
Drowning by the Numbers         (Bill Chase - CPL_DIAL28@front1.cpl.org)
Duck You Sucker! (Leone)        (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Dune                            (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
Edward Scissorhands             (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
El Cid (restored)               (Kevin Foss - io20816@maine.maine.edu)
Elephant Man                    (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn      (Neil Dorsett - UNADORSETT@msuvx2.memphis.edu)
Equinox                         (Hoon Shin - hshin1@umbc2.umbc.edu)
The Exorcist                    (Keith Thatcher - keitht@tanisys.com)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High    (Elbert Dah-Shiun Yen eyen@uclink.berkeley.edu)
Frantic                         (Hoon Shin - hshin1@umbc2.umbc.edu)
Full Metal Jacket               (Zachary Ralston-ralston@phoenix.cs.uga.edu)
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken       (RESRVORDOG - resrvordog@aol.com)
The Godfather                   (Michael Gebert - MGMax1919@aol.com)
The Godfather Part II           (Michael Gebert - MGMax1919@aol.com)
The Godfather Part III          (Gregory Steven Vaughn - gvaughn@ucla.edu)
Grease                          (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
The Grifters                    (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
Hell on High Water              (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
The High and the Mighty (1954)  (Brent W. Moll - ol6@ornl.gov)
Highlander                      (Gary Silvers - Dinthron@mcs.com)
House of Bamboo                 (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
In Cold Blood                   (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Jacob's Ladder                  (Lee Geller - deckard@primenet.com)
Jeremiah Johnson                (Billmyers1@aol.com)
Juliet of the Spirits           (timestaff3@aol.com)
The Key                         (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
Knightriders                    (Neil Dorsett - UNADORSETT@msuvx2.memphis.edu)
Lady and the Tramp
The Last Man on Earth           (RESRVORDOG - resrvordog@aol.com)
The Magic Christian             (Torc - torc@netcom.com)
The Man Who Knew Too Much ('56) (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Martin                          (Neil Dorsett - UNADORSETT@msuvx2.memphis.edu)
Miller's Crossing               (Bill Chase - CPL_DIAL28@front1.cpl.org)
Mister Roberts                  (Moe Hardy - justsaymoe@aol.com)
Monty Python's Meaning of Life  (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
My Girl                         (Gregory Steven Vaughn - gvaughn@ucla.edu)
My Name is Nobody               (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Nashville                       (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
1941                            (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
No Way Out                      (Terry Morgan - terrymorgn@aol.com)
Parallax View                   (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
A Passage to India              (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
Out of Africa                   (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org) + (fynulee@aol.com)
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure         (Chuck Kahn - odin@io.org)
Popeye                          (David Johansson - davidj@seanet.com)
Prince of Darkness              (RESRVORDOG - resrvordog@aol.com)
Prospero's Books                (Bill Chase - CPL_DIAL28@front1.cpl.org)
Real Genius                     (Gary Silvers - Dinthron@mcs.com)
Repo Man                        (Ken Wald - kwald@beckman.uiuc.edu)
Rosemary's Baby                 (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Season of the Witch             (Neil Dorsett - UNADORSETT@msuvx2.memphis.edu)
The Shining                     (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
Sleeping Beauty
Somewhere in Time               (Richard Ruffner - richardr@meadata.com)
Spider Baby                     (RESRVORDOG - resrvordog@aol.com)
Some Kind of Wonderful          (Elbert Dah-Shiun Yen eyen@uclink.berkeley.edu)
Splash                          (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
St. Elmo's Fire                 (Elbert Dah-Shiun Yen eyen@uclink.berkeley.edu)
A Star Is Born (1954)           (jbond@netcom.com)
Star Trek:The Motion Picture-SE (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
Superman 2                      (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
10                              (SerendRec serendrec@aol.com)
That's Life!                    (SerendRec serendrec@aol.com)
They Live                       (RESRVORDOG - resrvordog@aol.com)
To Catch a Thief                (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
To Kill a Mockingbird           (Mark Hurt - markhurt@aol.com)
To Live and Die in LA           (Wolfgang Demmel - demmel@coteam7.cup.hp.com)
The Trouble with Harry          (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Twins                           (Terry Morgan - terrymorgn@aol.com)
Urban Cowboy                    (fynulee@aol.com)
Used Cars                       (Torc - torc@netcom.com)
Vengeance Is Mine               (Zachary Ralston-ralston@phoenix.cs.uga.edu)
Vertigo                         (John R. Holmes - john.holmes@yale.edu)
Wings of Desire                 (Paul Siu - upsiu@mcs.drexel.edu)
Witches of Eastwick             (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)
Yellow Submarine                (Torc - torc@netcom.com)
Young Frankenstein              (Christopher Elam - HALQ16A@prodigy.com)






  15.4 WHAT ANIMATED DISNEY MOVIES ARE AVAILABLE?
  
  THIS IS A HARD ONE. FOR A COMPREHENSIVE LISTING HAVE A LOOK AT DAVID YU'S
  WWW-HOMEPAGE
http://www.ee.umr.edu/~daviduy/ldsup00.html.
Here is a short list of Disney animated films available at this moment:
     * Cinderella
     * The Lion King
     * Dumbo
     * The Sword in the Stone
     * Aladdin
     * Snow White
     * Fantasia (out of print, but easily available)
   
   
   

  __________________________________________________________________________




16. Specific titles



  16.1 EXPLANATIONS OF DIFFERENT VERSIONS
  


    16.1.1 Blade Runner
    From Jeremy Bond Shepherd (jbond@netcom.com)



There have been SIX distinct cuts of Blade Runner exhibited theatrically.
THREE of these cuts have been released on laserdisc in the US. Following
are descriptions of the four laserdisc editions of those three cuts:
     * Nelson #13806 - Analog Stereo Surround, no CX, CLV, 114 minutes,
       Pan-and-Scan, $34.98
       This is the same as the US domestic theatrical release (the
       version exhibited in movie theatres in the US in 1982.) The jacket
       art claims that this is the unrated international cut, but this
       was a misprint. A remastered issue with CX noise reduction was
       released in 1987. Both Nelson versions may be out of print.
       
     * Voyager #CC1169L - Digital Stereo Surround, CX, CLV, 116 minutes
       59 seconds, Widescreen, $49.95
       This is the unrated international cut, containing extra scenes of
       violence which were present in the European and Japanese
       theatrical presentations.
       
     * Voyager #CC1120L - Digital Stereo Surround, CX, CAV, 116 minutes
       59 seconds, Widescreen, $89.95
       This is the same transfer of the international cut as #CC1169L,
       but presented in the CAV format, and with supplemental materials,
       including:
          + "The Syd Mead Gallery", artwork by Syd Mead, the film's
            "Visual Futurist".
          + "A Fan's Notes", containing detailed scene-by-scene analysis.
          + "The Blade Runner Trivia Test" (answers at the end of the
            disc)
          + Blade Runner bibliography.
   
       
       Some LV enthusiasts have commented that the quality and scope of
       the supplemental materials are not up to present (1995) standards
       for a movie with this interest and complexity.
       
     * Warner #12682 - Digital Stereo Surround, CX, CAV, 115 minutes 33
       seconds, Widescreen, $49.95
       This is the 1992 "Director's Cut", prepared by Warner Brothers in
       co-operation with director Ridley Scott. This version is very
       similar to the domestic theatrical (1982) release, with the
       following modifications:
          + Deckard's voice-over narration is omitted
          + The "upbeat" ending of the previous versions is omitted. This
            version ends with Deckard and Rachel entering the elevator
            outside Deckard's apartment.
          + A very brief shot is added of Deckard imagining a Unicorn
            galloping through a misty forest.
          + The soundtrack was digitally remastered for this version.
   
       
       This is the only laserdisc issue which DOES NOT contain the
       narration and upbeat ending, and which DOES include the Unicorn
       dream. The extra violence seen in the international cut is NOT
       present in this edition. It is believed that Scott wanted these
       scenes to be included in the Director's Cut, but suitable elements
       could not be located in time for its September 1992 release. There
       are some known soundtrack flaws present in all releases of Blade
       Runner which have NOT been corrected in this Director's Cut. Many
       enthusiasts feel that the side breaks on this edition were chosen
       particularly poorly, especially when compared to those on
       Voyager's CAV edition. There are NO supplementary materials on
       this issue.



There are three version of Blade Runner which have been exhibited
theatrically but have never been available on laserdisc:
     * The San Diego Preview Cut (115 minutes)
       Shown to a sneak-preview audience in San Diego, California. Same
       as the domestic theatrical release with additions: a sequence in
       which Batty places a "VidPhon" call to Chew, and a shot of Deckard
       reloading his gun during the climactic battle sequence.
     * The Workprint Cut (112 minutes)
       An uncompleted cut exhibited in 1991 in Santa Barbara and San
       Francisco. Its success inspired Warners to contract with Scott to
       assemble the official Director's Cut. An artifact of the film's
       genesis, this cut is substantially different from any other
       release.
     * The Fairfax Cut (115 minutes [?])
       Originally exhibited as one of Blade Runner's sneak-previews, this
       cut was also exhibited in 1990 and 1991 in Los Angeles. It was the
       same as the Director's Cut, but minus the unicorn shot and a few
       other brief shots.
   
   
   
   
   


    16.1.2 Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
    
    From Andrew Hall (ahall@ichips.intel.com)
    
     * RCA/Columbia: (probably $25 US, out of print?) Non-letterboxed
       (slightly cropped), Analog sound (and terrible sound).
     * Criterion/Voyager: $99 US; CAV; digital sound, excellent
       film-to-video transfer, "multiple-aspect ratio" transfer (actually
       just a complete open matte transfer), some average supplements.
     * Columbia/Tri-star: (about $35 US) The most recent release; CLV;
       Apparently the same film and sound transfer as the Voyager version
       
   
   


    16.1.3 Lawrence of Arabia
    
    From Bob Morris (morris@sce.carleton.ca)
     * 1983 RCA Columbia Lawrence of Arabia CLV cream colored cover pan &
       scan, reversed reel, much missing material (about 187 min) out of
       print
     * 1989 RCA Columbia Lawrence of Arabia, letterbox, Director's Cut
       218 min CLV, CC ($49.95?) blue cover
     * 1989 Criterion Lawrence of Arabia, letterbox, Director's Cut CLV
       218 min featurette Wind Sand and Star, 1962 New York premiere B&W
       footage, 1989 New York premiere color footage, silent B&W footage
       of making of film. ($59.95?) Restoration notes (blue duofold
       cover) no closed captions
     * 1989 Criterion Lawrence of Arabia, letterbox, Director's Cut CAV
       218 min misc still suppl material ($125??) Restoration notes (gold
       cover boxed set) no closed captions
     * 1994 Columbia Tristar Lawrence of Arabia, letterbox, Director's
       Cut CLV, 218 min CC $49.95 featurette Wind Sand and Star,"phony"
       1963 trailer reconstruction, assorted stills shown while overture
       is played. Cover designs matches that of famous book on making of
       film :-)
   
   


    16.1.4 Terminator 2: Judgment Day
    There are at least 6 versions of this movie out:
     * Original, non-director's cut letterbox ($40)
     * Original, non-director's cut pan-and-scan ($40)
     * Original CAV boxed set ($100)
          + includes a short making-of feature
          + this is the only release of the film in an entirely CAV
            format
     * Special Edition (director's cut), pan-and-scan ($50)
          + approximately 16 minutes of footage re-edited into the film
          + no other supplementals besides the additional footage
     * Special Edition (director's cut), letterbox ($50)
          + just like the previous one, but letterboxed
     * THX CLV/CAV Boxed Set, Special Edition, letterbox ($100)
          + the THX boxed set has the re-edited director's cut of the
            film
          + contains the following supplementals
               o audio commentary by director James Cameron and 25
                 cast/crew members
               o production clips, stills
               o interviews with filmmaker and actors
               o trailers (teaser, original, other)
               o alternate ending, deleted scene (these two scenes are
                 not re-edited into the movie, but are presented
                 spearately in the suppl. section)
               o Guns 'n' Roses music video
        
        


    16.1.5 Bram Stoker's Dracula
     * $40 Columbia release with no extras, Side 3 is CAV.
       
     * $50 Columbia release with side 3 CLV, but includes the teaser
       trailer, the theatrical trailer, and the full 30-minute HBO
       behind-the-scenes look at the movie.
       
     * $125 Criterion release with all 6 sides CAV. It includes the
       teaser trailer, but not the theatrical trailer, and a nine-minute
       edit of the HBO behind-the-scenes look at the movie. It also
       includes storyboards, a look at the costumes, an "editing
       workshop" in which raw footage can be programmed or edited
       together by you, a visual demonstration of how Coppola used modern
       video technology to make rough cuts of his movie during the
       filming of his movie, an isolated music and effects track, the
       story of Dracula in history and on film, clips from movies that
       visually inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula, and audio commentary by
       director Francis Ford Coppola, visual effects editor/second unit
       director Roman Coppola (Francis' son) and the Oscar-winning makeup
       artist.
       
       
   
   All three versions are matted to 1.85:1 and are superb in both sight
   and sound, though the Columbia and Criterion versions differ slightly.
   (Leopold's comment: I've seen the Columbia CLV version, and it had
   excessive amounts of chroma noise and crosstalk between chrominance
   and luminance. Didn't like it).



The transfer for both Columbia versions is from the orignal interpositive
and was supervised by cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. The Criterion
version was transferred digitally from a low contrast interpositive, was
supervised by visual effects editor/second unit director Roman Coppola,
and given final director's approval from Francis Ford Coppola.



The audio for the Columbia version comes from a Dolby Surround Spectral
Recording (SR), whereas the Criterion audio was taken from the Dolby Stereo
Digital (DSD) master. For the most part they are the same soundtrack,
though the surround sound on the Criterion/DSD version is more distinct.



    16.1.6 2001 - A Space Odyssey
    There are six versions of this film (in chronological order of release):
     * MGM/UA analog pan and scan version. $29.95 (no supplements)
     * MGM/UA analog with CX pan and scan version. $29.95 (no
       supplements)
     * Criterion Collection CAV $124.95 (2.16:1; 6 sides CAV)
          + Interview with Arthur Clarke
          + Production notes, stills
          + Excerpts from making of documentary
          + NASA computer-animated films
          + History on making of the film
          + Comparison between the film and
          + Pre-production notes, stills
          + NASA footage
     * Criterion Collection CLV $59.95
     * MGM/UA letterbox edition (from 70MM) was $29.95/$39.95 (CLV, incl.
       trailer)
     * 25th Anniversary MGM/UA CAV (from 70MM) $59.95 (2.20:1; 5 CAV/1
       CLV)
          + Production stills
          + Seminar with Arthur Clarke
          + Trailer



The first two pan-and-scan versions are not worth bothering with,
  as 2001 was shot in SuperPanavision 70, which should have an aspect ratio
  of about 2.20:1.



The two Criterions are apparently the same transfer, and both are
   approved by director Stanley Kubrick.



The two MGM letterboxes are both taken from 70mm sources, but they are
   different transfers. From everything I've read, the 25th Anniversary
   box is a much better video transfer than the MGM CLV version, and even
   slightly better than the Criterion transfer.



The aspect ratio on the MGM CAV version is apparently more accurate than
   the Criterion transfer.



    16.1.7 Star Trek movies
    Star Trek 1-7 have been released in both pan-and-scan and letterbox for
      each. Star Trek:TMP has the additional 12 minutes in the pan-and-scan
      version only. I believe none of the laserdisc releases of any of the
      movies have chapter stops, which is a major complaint about the laserdisc
      series. None of them include trailers or any other supplemental
    materials,
      except a version of Star Trek IV mentioned below.



There is a "director's series" version of Star Trek IV which includes
  15 minutes with Leonard Nimoy discussing the movie. The cut of the film
  is the same as the non-"director's series" version. The main complaint
  about this special version is that the 15 minutes are BEFORE the movie
  starts, and there are no chapter stops, which means you must scan
  forward or program in the time to skip it. It also forces a second and
  unnecessary side break in the movie.



There was a box set of the first 5 movies in widescreen that was released,
  but is now out of print. There is a recent box of all 7 movies.



    16.1.8 Babylon 5
    Babylon 5 is shot in a 16:9 aspect ratio, with the exception of the pilot
    episode, which was shot in 4:3. The existing three seasons of the show has
    been shown panned-and-scanned to the 4:3 aspect ratio.
    



No episodes are available on laserdisc in the USA - at least yet. The pilot
episode and the double episode "A Voice in the Wilderness" have been
printed in Japan with Japanese subtitles. Both are the normal 4:3 versions.



The first season of B5 is being published on PAL videotapes in Europe,
they also being in 4:3.



The producer of the show Joe Straczynski (JMS) has stated that he wishes
the show sometime to be published on LD as a letterbox edition. However,
as all the computer graphics would have to be rerendered or cropped for
a WS edition, it seems uncertain whther it will ever happen. If you want
to make a statement asking B5 to be published on NTSC laserdiscs in the
original letterboxed aspect ratio, feel free to write a polite letter to:
     * Mr. James Cardwell
       Executive Vice-President/General Manager
       Warner Bros. Home Video, North American Division
       3903 W. Olive, Building 154, 3rd Floor
       Burbank, CA 91522
   

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