MovieChat Forums > No Down Payment (1957) Discussion > DVD from Fox Cinema Archives...but is it...

DVD from Fox Cinema Archives...but is it widescreen?


No Down Payment is being released on DVD via FCA, the studio's new line of MOD DVD-Rs. Release date varies slightly from site to site, from late November through mid-December 2012. No extras. Retail price is generally listed as $19.95 (sometimes higher), but most vendors carry it for less.

UPDATE 3/3/13: Fox withdrew the film from its release schedule before it was due to come out. No word about why, or when or whether it will be rescheduled. (Or whether it'll be letterboxed.) End update.

The big question is whether it's being released in its full 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio. FCA has been a huge disappointment in this regard, as most of its CinemaScope films have been released in lousy pan & scan prints, which is nothing short of a travesty.

Preliminary information indicates that NDP will be one of only a couple of FCA 'Scope films actually released in widescreen. HOWEVER -- it's unclear whether the DVD will be at the correct aspect ratio. One site claims the film will be letterboxed at 1.85:1, which would of course be a severely truncated picture. Since this information has often been contradictory or unclear in previous w/s FCA releases, we may have to wait until someone gets the disc and checks it out to be certain.

If no one else posts the information here, I will once I watch the DVD.

reply

I just looked for it on Amazon and it's currently unavailable. Did Fox stop making the MOD DVD-Rs? Maybe there wasn't enough demand for it?

reply

No, and in fact Fox just announced a huge batch of titles in the FCA series, coming out this Tuesday, March 5 (including films such as Mister 880, Wilson, Apartment for Peggy and many others).

But I've also noticed that NDP is no longer listed on any site. Obviously Fox pulled it for some reason a few weeks ago, and they may have done the same with other titles that were announced at the same time in November.

Their releases had taken a hiatus for a while and I was hoping they'd come back and announce they would start releasing widescreen films in w/s on the FCA line, but that hasn't happened. Meanwhile, we can only hope they'll reschedule No Down Payment for a later date...and do it in its proper 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

Thanks for replying -- it reminded me to amend my OP to note the withdrawal of the film's release.

reply