THE DVD HALL OF SHAME
Why studios persist in intermittently releasing widescreen titles in full-frame only is beyond us, and we point out the offenders here in this section. At best, we can hope for redos on some of these; others, unfortunately, we're probably stuck with in their present form.
It's too damn easy to release both versions on flip sides, as two of our biggest listmakers have proven in the past. MGM, an occasional offender, still takes the lazy way out now and then, like their fullframe only releases of Gator and White Lightning, even with great widescreen transfers from their laserdisc days sitting in the vault. Columbia, too, is a major offender from time to time, dropping the ball on some great old titles.
Several here on the list are early fullframe efforts from studios who've largely changed their ways. Universal and Warners, for example, get high marks for having gotten with the widescreen program far better than a few of their contemporaries.
E-mail us your inclusions for this section of fullframe only blunders we may be missing here. They must have been released to theatres and originally shown in a format wider than the 1.37:1 type that is adaptable to TV.
Adios Amigo (Trinity)
Anatomy Of A Murder (Columbia)
Arabian Adventure (Televista)
Bank Shot (MGM)
The Betsy (Warner)
The Big Sleep (78) (Artisan)
Billie (MGM)
Blood of Dracula (Lion's Gate)
Boiling Point (Warner)
Born To Win (several bargain labels)
The Candidate (Warners)
Captain Apache (Geneon)
Castle Keep (Columbia) IMPORTANT NOTE: reportedly due to widespread feedback, they FIXED THIS ONE by reissuing a wide version!! There's hope yet, so never think that contacting is always fruitless.
Charley Varrick (Universal)
China 9, Liberty 37 (Trinity)
Colossus: The Forbin Project (Universal)
Cops And Robbers (MGM)
Cross Of Iron (a much loathed pan and scan from Hen's Tooth was reissued wide by the same company)
Darby O'Gill And The Little People (Disney)
Death Becomes Her (Universal)
Death Race 2000 (New Horizons) Rectified in late '05 with LBX reissue
Death Wish II (MGM)
Death Wish 3 (MGM)
Death Wish 4 (MGM)
Deathsport (New Horizons)
Divorce American Style (Columbia)
The Domino Principle (Artisan)
Don't Answer The Phone (reportedly edited Rhino fullframe)
Esther And The King (Diamond)
Farewell, My Lovely (Pioneer; out of print and begging for proper reissue)
The First Deadly Sin (Warners)
Follow Me Boys (Disney)
The Front Page (74) (GoodTimes; Universal made it right with a reissue)
Gator (MGM)
The Gidget Collection (Columbia)
The Gnome Mobile (Disney)
Go Tell The Spartans (HBO)
The Great Waldo Pepper (GoodTimes; Universal, please reissue!)
Grizzly (Nutech; low budget transfer)
Herbie Goes Bananas (Disney)
Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo (Disney)
Hickey And Boggs
Hooper (Warners)
How To Beat The High Cost Of Living (MGM)
How To Make A Monster (Lion's Gate)
I Mobster (Sony)
Iceman (Universal)
Impulse (74) (Tango)
Impulse (84) (MGM)
The Jerk (Universal) (Fixed with Reissue)
Johnny Handsome (Artisan)
The Killer Inside Me (one of the first bargain bin release fullframe titles)
Lady Frankenstein (bargain label fullframe)
Light Sleeper (Artisan)
Little Miss Marker (Universal)
Long Day's Journey Into Night (Lion's Gate)
March Or Die (Artisan)
McLintock (GoodTimes) (Fixed by Paramount release)
Men In War (several bargain labels)
The Moonspinners (Disney)
The Mountain Men (Columbia, who should rectify a loathsome fullframe only screwup on this...the scenery is the show!)
My Blue Heaven (Warner)
The Next Man (Trinity)
Night Of Bloody Horror (Cheezy)
Odds Against Tomorrow (MGM)
The One And Only Genuine Original Family Band (Disney)
Physical Evidence (Artisan) (in an amazing development, rectified by Columbia, a chief offender themselves, with a reissue!)
Piranha (Roger Corman's company takes great care to release special editions with supplements, then full-frames them!)
Raise The Titanic (Artisan)
Rent-A-Cop (Vidmark)
Serial Mom (HBO)
The Seven Percent Solution (GoodTimes)
Sharky's Machine (Warners)
Ship Of Fools (Columbia)
The Sicilian (Artisan once again proves anything but with another murky fullframe)
Sorcerer (Universal)
Sounder (UAV)
The Spider (Lion's Gate)
The Sting (why Universal persisted in not one but TWO fullframe releases of this classic is a mystery. Third time was a charm with a wide edition.)
Storyville (Columbia)
Sudden Death (Universal)
That Darn Cat (Disney)
Ulzana's Raid (a regrettable GoodTimes fullframe whose reputation deserves better)
Voyage Of The Damned (Artisan)
White Lightning (One of the occasional but irritating MGM fullframe screwups)