Princess Bride DVD in mono??! What is MGM/UA thinking?!

I've just been reviewing the up-coming pre-releases over at Amazon, and they're listing Princess Bride as having the following specs:

Aspect Ratio(s):
Widescreen Anamorphic - 1.85:1
Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1

Discographic Information:
DVD Encoding: Region 1
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Available subtitles: Spanish, French

This stupifies me. MGM/UA releases the film in widescreen anamorphic, but doesn't even consider stereo let alone Dolby 5.1?! Cripes, even Warner Bros. with Ladyhawke did a pretty nifty Dolby 5.1 soundtrack with (plain) widescreen, and that movie was released 2 years prior to Princess Bride!

What is the problem here? These studios have a chance to do films up right--especially films that are watched repeatedly due to their high entertainment factor--and they absolutely blow it.

As far as I'm concerned, George Lucas' reluctance to release the Star Wars films in DVD is nothing compared to this problem. And I think the worst part of this is that the studios still expect us to buy this crap with a smile.

I, for one, am not amused. Show me the nearest MGM/UA executive's shoe so I can deposit a hairball upon its shiny surface.


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D. K. "Cat" Kraft
cat@eskimo.com

[clortho]

Actually, according to their press release the film will not be anamorphic.

They do not care about Princess Bride. What's the use of buying your catalog titles back when you shit on them?

Clortho

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I am the Keymaster
clortho@hotmail.com

[Dave Bean]

Aw Fudge !!! With my luck the anamorphic 5.1 version will be announced as soon as I buy my copy. Damn !!!!

Dave Bean

[RoboDad]

The official line is still that it won't be anamorphic, but Bill Hunt heard from an "inside source" that it will be after all. Check out the rumor mill for 5/16.

Sure, I realize it's just a rumor, but hope does spring eternal, you know?

RoboDad

--

Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.

[clortho]

Yes, it springs, but only after so many MGM hit and misses does one learn to expect the worst from them so as to not be disappointed. I'll be waiting until the last possible moment to decide if I want this one.

Clortho
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I am the Keymaster
clortho@hotmail.com

[This message has been edited by clortho (edited 05-25-2000).]

[P7A77]

It seems that the topic of remixing older soundtracks to take advantage of current technology is controversial at best. Wasn't there a whole discussion on this just last week? Seems to me that Princess Bride purists would want the original soundtrack. Granted, it's too bad there won't be a new /alternate/ soundtrack, but don't criticize a studio for preserving the original.

It doesnt matter whether or not the disc is anamorphic, if the transfer is shit - look no further than MGM's Blue Velvet travesty. GRRR.

[Blade]

Well, it matters a little. Otherwise it will look even worse when you get an HDTV set. You'll either have to blow it up or have gray bars on all four sides.

And I'm probably not the best judge of these things, but I didn't think that Blue Velvet looked that bad, and I was watching it on a nonanamorphic 50" screen.

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Would this movie really benefit that much from a 5.1 soundtrack? I guess in the fire swamps and for some directionals in the forest scenes. But I can live with a cleaned up transfer of the original soundtrack.

But there's no question that MGM is really falling down in the "preserving a film for posterity" department.

The question is did they do any clean up? Probably not if their past history is any indication. At the very least they should be doing anamorphic transfers.

The only positive here is that it is only 11.99 for preorder. They seem to at least acknowledge that they don't seem to be offering that much.

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-David

Originally posted by P7A77:
It seems that the topic of remixing older soundtracks to take advantage of current technology is controversial at best. Wasn't there a whole discussion on this just last week? Seems to me that Princess Bride purists would want the original soundtrack. Granted, it's too bad there won't be a new /alternate/ soundtrack, but don't criticize a studio for preserving the original.

Err--I *don't* think the movie came out in mono, originally; this isn't James Cameron's "Terminator," y'know. And with the VHS previously released in Dolby Surround stereo, mesa thinkin' somebeing not caring a'tall. How rude!


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D. K. "Cat" Kraft
cat@eskimo.com

[P7A77]

Well, if that's the case, then agreed. I also agree that you need to be smacked hard upside the head for succumbing to GL's forcing of a catch phrase upon the world.

[brian]

http://us.imdb.com/Laserdisc?0093779

It turns out his movie has had a poor history with video and sound before. Just read the details on the LD from the link above. It turns out all of the LDs were crappy in both video and sound

[Rejemy]

And with any luck, one of those crappy laserdisc transfers listed at IMDB will be resurfacing on the MGM DVD! :B