Non-Anamorphic/Pan-and-Scan/Open Matte R1 DVD List

[reeltime]

OK, since I got a 16x9 TV I've become obsessed with knowing which DVDs I've purchased over the years were non-anamorphic. I also wanted to be sure that I didn't unknowingly buy another non-anamorphic DVD. I did some digging and couldn't find any comprehensive resource. So I spent some time cataloging and checking and collating and double-checking and re-collating... and now I can introduce a resource for others with a similar interest:

Squished video good, zoomed video bad - a DVD reference for widescreen TVs

This is really just an intro page to something I'm calling: The Non-Anamorphic/Pan-and-Scan R1 DVD List. At this writing, I have nearly 400 titles on the list: 318 non-anamorphic discs, 58 pan-and-scan and 21 open matte.

I've included pan-and-scan and open matte because I was also interested in tracking these. Unfortunately, there's no good resource for telling pan-and-scan from open matte so a lot of these are best guess or based on consensus. If you have good information on any of the listed titles or additional ones, I'm all ears. I hope this list becomes very complete and accurate over the next few months.

FYI- Out of my 742 DVD movies, about 76 - or 10.2% - proved to be non-anamorphic. This includes the 2003 reissue of Cabaret which is MISLABELED. If anyone knows of other mislabeled discs besides this one and The Abyss, please let me know. I'm VERY interested in this topic since these are titles everyone gets burned by. I've heard reports that there were a number of these in the early days of anamorphic, but I have yet to find any mentioned by name.

I know the folks who read these threads will keep me in line if there's anything wrong. So take a look and let me know what you think. Future plans for the list include:

• Fill in UPC codes wherever possible
• Add notes to indicate out of print DVDs (still available secondhand though)
• Additions and corrections as needed

I hope this list is helpful.

[SharpShooter5]

The link won't work for me, all i get is a "page cannot be displayed"

[MurDiddlyUrdler]

Your list is nice, but it's not always a terrible thing if a movie is not anamorphically encoded on DVD. An example of this is with the movie Charade. The Criterion Collection release of this fine film is non-anamorphic, but it's got a far superior picture in comparison to the anamorphically encoded version that was released by Universal as a supplement to The Truth About Charlie.

[Paul.n3w]

This is quite the undertaking.... You are going to have a looong list. I love the 'Reissue Verified' column. That will definitely be helpful for people checking if their non-anamorphic DVD is the only version available.

Keep up the good work

edited:
Here are some additions from my collection:
Game, The (Non-Anamorphic)
Hercules (Non-Anamorphic)
Psycho (Non-Anamorphic)
What About Bob? (Non-Anamorphic)

[SharpShooter5]

ok, the link works now

very cool list, i plan on buying a 16:9 TV sometime later this year so, the list will proove usefull in the future

[reeltime]

Originally Posted by MurDiddlyUrdler

Your list is nice, but it's not always a terrible thing if a movie is not anamorphically encoded on DVD. An example of this is with the movie Charade. The Criterion Collection release of this fine film is non-anamorphic, but it's got a far superior picture in comparison to the anamorphically encoded version that was released by Universal as a supplement to The Truth About Charlie.

True, but as I say in the intro, I'm not going to track qualitative differences. Criterion's Armageddon is another that looks fantastic zoomed, and I noted that in the article, while many anamorphic transfers suck. Which is why I send people here for advice. :-)

But tracking subjective differences in PQ isn't something I'm willing to take on. It's hard enough figuring out which 4x3 releases are open matte and which are pan-and-scan.

[reeltime]

Originally Posted by Paul.n3w

This is quite the undertaking.... You are going to have a looong list. I love the 'Reissue Verified' column. That will definitely be helpful for people checking if their non-anamorphic DVD is the only version available.

Keep up the good work

edited:
Here are some additions from my collection:
Game, The (Non-Anamorphic)
Hercules (Non-Anamorphic)
Psycho (Non-Anamorphic)
What About Bob? (Non-Anamorphic)

Thanks for the tips. If you can send me an e-mail or private message with the UPC codes, publisher and other specific info (e.g., release years for Psycho and Hercules since there's more than one), it would help me lock in the data and I'll add it to the list ASAP.

In general, it may take a day or so for me to post updates.

Thanks again!

[moviezzz]

Nice list.

Although I would argue some you list under Pan and Scan as really being open matte. Especially the VACATION films. A thread was created at DVD Talk about it when the widescreen was release that Beverly D'Angelo's shower scene was quite different in the widescreen version, proving that the original release was open matte.

Also there was a lot of debate at HTF over SUMMER LOVERS, whether it was open matte or not. The credits are letterboxed, but the rest of the film is composed with the action in the center of the screen and so much room at the top and bottom of the frame that it was debated if it was an open matte transfer. No panning and scanning in the transfer either. Everthing looked fine otherwise.

And to add one, over the weekend I got the DVD of TO GILLIAN ON HER 37th BIRTHDAY. I was kind of surprised when I got it only to realize it was full frame (a Columbia release). I have it on laserdisc (which has rotted) and it was a widescreen only release. I did a comparison and the DVD is definitely open matte. A lot more space at the top and bottom of the frame.

[reeltime]

Originally Posted by moviezzz

Nice list.

Although I would argue some you list under Pan and Scan as really being open matte. Especially the VACATION films. A thread was created at DVD Talk about it when the widescreen was release that Beverly D'Angelo's shower scene was quite different in the widescreen version, proving that the original release was open matte.

Thanks! I saw that thread and meant to move the Vacation films, but then I got distracted fixing other problems with the list and finalizing the FAQ and fixing the HTML code and polishing up the intro article. So many things to tweak, so little time (and I've been working on this list for weeks!). Finally I felt had to put the list into the wild and I figured if I'd missed anything obvious someone like you would set me straight - and I appreciate it!

I've also moved Summer Lovers (with a mention of the credits) to the Open Matte section and added Gillian. Thanks to folks like you, the list keeps getting better and better!

FYI- I plan to post an update tonight (Pacific time).

[reeltime]

OK, so I've done some digging and found a list of highly suspicious titles. What I mean is that I've found reasons to believe they're non-anamorphic but would like to have some confirmation before adding them to the list - and I don't have any of them and I'm not going to buy or rent them to check:

About Last Night
Adventures In Babysitting
Air America
Baby Boom
Back to School
Beautiful Girls
Better Than Chocolate
Black Stallion, The (1997)
Blazing Saddles
Blown Away (1994) - the one with Jeff Bridges
Convoy
Crying Game, The
End, The
Event Horizon
Get Shorty
Godzilla (1998)
Good Morning Vietnam
Great Escape, The
Hang 'Em High
Hard Times
Horse Whisperer, The
Johnny Mnemonic
Kingpin (1996)
Overboard
Phantasm: Special Edition
Phantom, The (1996)
Pushing Tin
Red Dawn
Return To Oz
Ronin
Stir Crazy
Three Musketeers, The (1993)
Who's Harry Crumb?

Here's how to check:

1) If you have a 16x9 TV, simply pop in the movie and view it in Normal mode (unstretched and unzoomed). If it has black bars on all four sides, it's non-anamorphic.

2) If you have a 4x3 TV, change your DVD player to 16x9 mode. If the video looks squished horizontally (people and things are comically tall and thin) with either no black bars or very thin black bars on top and bottom, it's anamorphic. If it looks pretty much normal (untested; can someone confirm?), it's non-anamorphic.

Thanks!

[Fred]

Here's what I can confirm from my own collection:

Air America - non-anamorphic
Baby Boom - non-anamorphic
Red Dawn - non-anamorphic

Keep up the good work

[jtorrance]

Phantasm SE is non-anamorphic....

[Mister Zob]

VIDEODROME non-anamorphic
(Universal, UPC: 0-25192-03872-3)

[Bossplaya]

Bump

This thread is pretty important

[tomdkat]

Originally Posted by MurDiddlyUrdler

The Criterion Collection release of this fine film is non-anamorphic, but it's got a far superior picture in comparison to the anamorphically encoded version that was released by Universal as a supplement to The Truth About Charlie.

Maybe the video encoder Universal used for their version was worse than the video encoder used for the Criterion release?

Peace...

[Sid]

its a good thing I'm an anal retentive bastard. Since I owned my first DVD player (back in Oct. 98) anamorphic enhancement has always been a deciding factor for me.I'm a cheap-ass and I will not be suckered by companies putting out non enhanced discs out, unless its a must have. It also maked LD collecting more fun (if the DVD aint anamorphic, get the LD to hold you over) Like Bride of Re-Animator, which the rerelease isn't even anamorphic, and The Abyss, cause they just aint gonna release it anamorphic because their spiteful

[Zebulahn]

Show Me Love is non-anamorphic and not on the list.

[Mikado]

Originally Posted by MurDiddlyUrdler

Your list is nice, but it's not always a terrible thing if a movie is not anamorphically encoded on DVD. An example of this is with the movie Charade. The Criterion Collection release of this fine film is non-anamorphic, but it's got a far superior picture in comparison to the anamorphically encoded version that was released by Universal as a supplement to The Truth About Charlie.

Wow, I was about to make a thread about Charade and the non-anomorphic vs. the universal release. I just rented Truth about Charlie to see Charade. What am i missing on the Criterion disc. I loved the movie and I am thinking about buying it. But I don't know if it's worth it because it's non-anamorphic. I know it's oop.

[reeltime]

Thanks for all of the new additions. I'll post them all tonight.

For some reason, I'm not getting my notifications when there are new posts to this thread and no one is sending their submissions via e-mail. If you don't hear from me right away, please do e-mail me or send me a private message (I do get notified about those!).

Thanks again!!

[reeltime]

Originally Posted by Mister Zob

VIDEODROME non-anamorphic
(Universal, UPC: 0-25192-03872-3)

Thanks for including the studio and UPC info. That's a real time saver!

[reeltime]

Originally Posted by Mikado

Wow, I was about to make a thread about Charade and the non-anomorphic vs. the universal release. I just rented Truth about Charlie to see Charade. What am i missing on the Criterion disc. I loved the movie and I am thinking about buying it. But I don't know if it's worth it because it's non-anamorphic. I know it's oop.

In general, Criterion discs have high-quality transfers and are generally worth collecting if you like the movie. (I recently saw a thread here from a guy who had collected EVERY SINGLE CRITERION DVD RELEASE but he was thinking about unloading some of those he didn't care for...)

All non-anamorphic means is that if you buy it and have (or eventually get) a widescreen TV, you'll need to zoom it to fill the screen. This is generally inferior to an anamorphic transfer, which doesn't need to be zoomed and will therefore have more pixels devoted to actual picture.

But if the anamorphic transfer stinks, you're better off zooming!

As I said in my original diatribe, I'm not tracking subjective qualitative differences in anamorphic and non-anamorphic discs - the list is tough enough to maintain without this.

I'd suggest that if you really love Charade, you could try to find an OOP copy of the Criterion release or wait and see if it gets re-released yet again with a better anamorphic transfer.

[reeltime]

Originally Posted by reeltime

I'd suggest that if you really love Charade, you could try to find an OOP copy of the Criterion release or wait and see if it gets re-released yet again with a better anamorphic transfer.

Wow, interesting timing. I post this yesterday, and today I see this on davisdvd.com:

Out-of-print for well over a year, The Criterion Collection will re-release their terrific version of director Stanley Donen's Charade (spine #57) in April. The film, starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, has been available in countless cheapo disc releases and even as a double feature to Universal remake The Truth About Charlie, but Criterion's edition is the one to get. The disc features a new 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer (Criterion's original release was letterboxed), a Dolby Digital mono soundtrack, an audio commentary with Stanley Donen and screenwriter Peter Stone and "The Films of Stanley Donen" filmography, with an introduction by Donen biographer Stephen M. Silverman. Retail is $39.95.

Ta da. I also predicted at 11 p.m. last night that Halo 2 would come out in the fall, and Bungie announced today that... well you can probably guess.