MovieChat Forums > Suspect (1987) Discussion > Why did Peter Yates allow the DVD in 'F...

Why did Peter Yates allow the DVD in 'Full' screen, etc.?

posted 15 years ago by Antoine_Bugleboy
6 replies | jump to latest

This is listed as a 1.85 : 1 ratio film. Although I've never seen the theatrical release and have nothing to compare it to, the DVD in in "full screen" format. So does anyone know if 1.33 : 1 is the full use of the negative (like Pee-wee's Big Adventure, et alia) or did Yates foolishly let them release it cropped?
It seems so bizzare to me that he'd do a commentary bemoaning the original negative being printed too bright, and yet he wouldn't try to have them correct that for the DVD release he's so glad about. Would it have cost too much to get the original negative and scan a darker, more natural print of it? At home, some of us can ajust the "Bright" level on our TV's, but I'm disappointed in the DVD.
Still, Yates has every right in the world to be happy at how the film itself turned out, as it's one of his very finest, if not is best ever (I've, to date, not seen Robbery or a good print of The Friends of Eddie Coyle, so can't say for sure now).

Come on, everybody, see Séraphine!

[–] plundstr20 14 years ago

Hmm, It was on TV (in Finland) today and it was broadcast in 16:9 widescreen, 1:85:1. Would be stramge if the dvd is in 4:3.

[–] Antoine_Bugleboy 14 years ago

Well, the only DVD I know the existence of is in 4:3.
I'd like to know if the version you saw was cropped or stretched, but I fear the ship has sailed on that question, unless you recorded it.
Thank you for the information, Finny!

Come on, everybody, see A Serious Man & Bright Star

[–] plundstr20 14 years ago

Hmm, it entirely possible that it was shot open matte and thus cropped to 16:9 for cinema, but then again this still means that the DVD should be widescreen. Nevertheless the version on tv was definately 16:9 and not strecthed to fit.

[–] CinemaIsAlsoMusic 13 years ago

Don't blame Peter Yates (RIP). Blame Sony and their decimation of Columbia TriStar DVDs.

After originally releasing Suspect in 2001 with widescreen on one side of the disc and full screen on the other, Sony made the brilliant decision four years later to remove the widescreen version without changing the UPC barcode, catalog number, or ISBN, causing consumer and retailer confusion and constituting a clear case of consumer fraud. I believe what Sony has done also violates the standard trade conditions of the Uniform Code Council (which issues UPCs/barcodes in order to differentiate, say, a DVD of Suspect with both 16:9 and 4:3 presentations from a DVD with only one) and International ISBN Agency.

There are hundreds of DVDs affected by this boneheaded move (I've no doubt that execs were deliberately dumbing down DVD so as to push the at-the-time in-the-pipeline Blu-ray format). Sony should have issued new barcodes and catalog numbers for the modified versions and taken the old versions out of print if they wanted to modify them so drastically. Frankly, I'm very surprised no one has done a class action suit yet. It's a slam dunk case. More info and a list of the affected titles (there might be more, who knows?), which Sony started illegally modifying in 2004 and 2005:

http://widescreenadvocate.org/news.php?p=55
http://widescreenadvocate.org/news.php?p=101
http://widescreenadvocate.org/news.php?p=102.

[–] Antoine_Bugleboy 13 years ago

Hey, thanks for the information (I had no idea about the original DVD release supposedly being a split disc - side a)widescreen, side b) "Full").

And I'm sad to hear of Yates's death. I've since had the chance to see 'Robbery' and 'The Hot Rock', in addition to the Criterion disc of 'The Friends of Eddie Coyle'.
He'll be most remembered for 'Bullit' of course, and a brilliant movie that is too.
I love his movies, and never "blamed" him for the was 'Suspect' was released. I was just very disappointed and confused listening to the commentary and hearing him so content-sounding. I suppose he was screwed over by Sony as much as the buyer of the DVD was. That's sad, because I still think it's one of his masterpieces.

I don't suppose there's any hope of Anchor Bay or some like-minded company releasing it in the proper ratio... oh well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQP9QjNjeR4

[–] Prismark10 11 years ago

I expects its the DVD distributor who made the decision.

Its that man again!!