Blu Ray ?
Is there a blu-ray edition on the way? Does anybody know?
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I hope there is one day. There are a lot of fullscreen copies of this film floating around. I recently bought a "unofficial" release of the Anchor Bay version in widescreen, but was disappointed to find it's non-anamorphic. Since the MGM DVD is out of print and expensive now, it will have to do. Terrific movie, which deserves some quality extras.
In memory of Sam Peckinpah
I'm embarrassed to admit it, having worked on features, but how is an anamorphic lens beneficial in a telecine transfer of a film?
shareLetterboxing reduces the height of a widescreen film (or whatever type of program) so that its full width can fit onto a TV. But that letterboxed image leaves a significant degree of blank space above and below the picture information on your screen, right? (Especially when it's viewed on an older 4:3 TV/monitor.)
Well, if a program receives an anamorphic transfer (whether full-width Panavision/CinemaScope or a less-wide non-anamorphic aspect ratio like 1.85:1), then the resulting image will be appear "squeezed" and taller on the disc itself -- while the disc player (if set up properly) will convert that squeezed image back to normal-looking proportions.
The advantage to this is higher resolution (sharper image quality) because more of the TV frame's height carries picture information -- meaning that more of the video format's horizontal "scan lines" are used for image, rather than for wasted "black bars" on top and bottom.
I can run on, so I hope that wasn't TOO technical.
Brilliant answer! Helps me understand it even more. All I know is that a 4:3 transfer of a 1.85 or 2.35:1 film means that it doesn't display "fully" and you have to select a zoom option which doesn't give you good quality. Digital TV/ flatscreen ratio is 1.85:1, so a film in that ratio should fill the screen. If it doesn't, then it's a 4:3 transfer. 2.35:1 should appear letterboxed with black at the top and bottom. If there's black on the sides too, then it's 4:3 again.
In memory of Sam Peckinpah
The MGM DVD is still available at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001GF2GA/ref=cm_cr_dpvoterdr?ie=UTF 8&redirect=true&thanksvoting=cr-vote-RR1CE9K7LC2T1#RR1CE9K7LC2 T1.2115.Helpful.Reviews)
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