...when the term blockbuster too often suggests digital special effects or a place to rent movies, The Great Escape serves to remind us of the true meaning of the word.
Video:
In terms of the video, let me first say a word about MGM's earlier DVD transfer of "The Great Escape." It was presented in an ultrawide scope that closely matched its Panavision theatrical-release dimensions, an honest 2.35:1 ratio. Because it was non-anamorphic, however, not enhanced for widescreen televisions, there were a number of wavy, jittery lines that flawed the picture; but the screen was certainly wide, the widest, in fact, that I had ever measured. Now, enter MGM's new, remastered, special-edition, anamorphic widescreen version of the film. It measures around 2.13:1 across my TV. That's almost 10% less wide, which on my 36" set comes out to a loss of several inches of information to the sides of the screen. In comparing the new size to the old size at specific points in the movie, a viewer can easily see what material is missing from the newer rendering, things like portions of buildings or hoods of automobiles. And these size discrepancies are comparative, using the same playback equipment, so the loss at the sides of the new edition would not be not related to the television's slight overscan, which would affect both transfers in exactly the same way.
So, why did the studio engineers do this? Why did they shave off the sides of the screen when they said they were presenting it in its original widescreen theatrical dimensions? In small part, I suspect it's due to the aforementioned overscan, a condition common to most older sets, especially. But I also suspect it's because too wide an image on too small a screen is difficult to see, people complain, and studios are, after all, in the business of making money. Maybe fudging on the size is a compromise. It's also possible that reducing the width slightly makes the movie fit better on a widescreen TV with its 16x9 (1.77:1) dimensions, or that enhancing a film anamorphically for its DVD release requires using more of the black space for added information. I'm not sure, but virtually every 2.35:1 ratio theatrical release I've measured ends up on DVD (on any of the three new TVs I own at home or at school) at a ratio around 2.12-2.20:1. Take a ruler, do the math, and see for yourself. Perhaps a few of our more technology proficient readers could write in and shed some light on the subject.
Anyway, the video quality of this new transfer is excellent, regardless of how much or how little is missing from the extreme left and right sides, and, frankly, 2.13:1 is still plenty wide enough. The color remains as natural as it was in the first DVD, but this time it is not so faded, except in a brief Fourth of July sequence toward the middle of the film. Otherwise, hues come off with a splendid depth, richness, and vitality. Jittery lines are now pretty much absent; there is little or no grain to speak of, except during the opening credits; definition is good; but faces are sometimes a tad glassy. All told, the image quality is among the best I've seen for a movie of this vintage and should disappoint no one. Let me put it another way: If I loved this movie, which I do, and if I owned the older DVD of it, which I do, and if I were shown this new Special Edition, I'd fork over the money immediately for the improved video alone.
Audio:
The soundtrack of the older DVD was labeled Dolby Digital and, in fact, there were two signals sent to the main front speakers; whether these were true stereo signals or not was unclear, but for all intents and purposes, the sound was 2.0 monaural, with a hint of background noise to suggest its 1963 origins. This time out, the MGM engineers have provided the film with a more aggressive DD 5.1 soundtrack, a true stereo sound emerging more clearly from all five speakers. The front-channel spread is wider, the balance is more neutral and less bright, there is less noise, and occasionally one can even detect some information in the rear channels.
Extras:
In addition to the movie's improved picture and sound, the new special-edition has a lorry load of new extras. Disc one contains the feature film; the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack; thirty-two scene selections; and English, French, and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles. In addition, the first disc contains an audio commentary with actors living and dead: James Garner, Jud Taylor, David McCallum, James Coburn, and Donald Pleasence, plus others of the filmmaking crew. It was presumably put together from various previous recordings, with further notes by the late John Sturges taken from a 1974 interview. The commentary is hosted by combat film historian and writer Steven Rubin. Together with an optional text trivia track and the several documentaries on disc two, the sheer bulk of information provided about the movie is quite exhaustive.
Disc two contains mostly documentaries and featurettes. The first documentary is called "The Great Escape: The Untold Story." It is fifty minutes long and was made in 2001, followed up by "The Untold Story: Additional Interviews," nine minutes long. A second documentary is titled "The Real Virgil Hilts: A Man Called Jones," twenty-five minutes, narrated by James Coburn. And the third major documentary is a reprise from the first DVD, Steven Rubin's "Return to The Great Escape," twenty-four minutes, made in 1993, and narrated by Miguel Ferrer. Then, there are four, shorter featurettes: "Bringing Fact to Fiction," twelve minutes; "Preparations for Freedom," nineteen minutes; "The Flight to Freedom," nine minutes; and "A Standing Ovation," six minutes, the latter items narrated by Burt Reynolds. Some of this material becomes repetitious, but it's all fascinating and enlightening. The package concludes with a photo gallery, an original widescreen theatrical trailer, and an eight-page informational booklet insert.
Parting Thoughts:
In our own day and age when the term "blockbuster" too often suggests digital special effects or a place to rent movies, "The Great Escape" serves to remind us of the true meaning of the word. It is a blockbuster from beginning to end.
In terms of the video, let me first say a word about MGM's earlier DVD transfer of "The Great Escape." It was presented in an ultrawide scope that closely matched its Panavision theatrical-release dimensions, an honest 2.35:1 ratio. Because it was non-anamorphic, however, not enhanced for widescreen televisions, there were a number of wavy, jittery lines that flawed the picture; but the screen was certainly wide, the widest, in fact, that I had ever measured. Now, enter MGM's new, remastered, special-edition, anamorphic widescreen version of the film. It measures around 2.13:1 across my TV. That's almost 10% less wide, which on my 36" set comes out to a loss of several inches of information to the sides of the screen. In comparing the new size to the old size at specific points in the movie, a viewer can easily see what material is missing from the newer rendering, things like portions of buildings or hoods of automobiles. And these size discrepancies are comparative, using the same playback equipment, so the loss at the sides of the new edition would not be not related to the television's slight overscan, which would affect both transfers in exactly the same way.
So, why did the studio engineers do this? Why did they shave off the sides of the screen when they said they were presenting it in its original widescreen theatrical dimensions? In small part, I suspect it's due to the aforementioned overscan, a condition common to most older sets, especially. But I also suspect it's because too wide an image on too small a screen is difficult to see, people complain, and studios are, after all, in the business of making money. Maybe fudging on the size is a compromise. It's also possible that reducing the width slightly makes the movie fit better on a widescreen TV with its 16x9 (1.77:1) dimensions, or that enhancing a film anamorphically for its DVD release requires using more of the black space for added information. I'm not sure, but virtually every 2.35:1 ratio theatrical release I've measured ends up on DVD (on any of the three new TVs I own at home or at school) at a ratio around 2.12-2.20:1. Take a ruler, do the math, and see for yourself. Perhaps a few of our more technology proficient readers could write in and shed some light on the subject.
Anyway, the video quality of this new transfer is excellent, regardless of how much or how little is missing from the extreme left and right sides, and, frankly, 2.13:1 is still plenty wide enough. The color remains as natural as it was in the first DVD, but this time it is not so faded, except in a brief Fourth of July sequence toward the middle of the film. Otherwise, hues come off with a splendid depth, richness, and vitality. Jittery lines are now pretty much absent; there is little or no grain to speak of, except during the opening credits; definition is good; but faces are sometimes a tad glassy. All told, the image quality is among the best I've seen for a movie of this vintage and should disappoint no one. Let me put it another way: If I loved this movie, which I do, and if I owned the older DVD of it, which I do, and if I were shown this new Special Edition, I'd fork over the money immediately for the improved video alone.
Audio:
The soundtrack of the older DVD was labeled Dolby Digital and, in fact, there were two signals sent to the main front speakers; whether these were true stereo signals or not was unclear, but for all intents and purposes, the sound was 2.0 monaural, with a hint of background noise to suggest its 1963 origins. This time out, the MGM engineers have provided the film with a more aggressive DD 5.1 soundtrack, a true stereo sound emerging more clearly from all five speakers. The front-channel spread is wider, the balance is more neutral and less bright, there is less noise, and occasionally one can even detect some information in the rear channels.
Extras:
In addition to the movie's improved picture and sound, the new special-edition has a lorry load of new extras. Disc one contains the feature film; the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack; thirty-two scene selections; and English, French, and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles. In addition, the first disc contains an audio commentary with actors living and dead: James Garner, Jud Taylor, David McCallum, James Coburn, and Donald Pleasence, plus others of the filmmaking crew. It was presumably put together from various previous recordings, with further notes by the late John Sturges taken from a 1974 interview. The commentary is hosted by combat film historian and writer Steven Rubin. Together with an optional text trivia track and the several documentaries on disc two, the sheer bulk of information provided about the movie is quite exhaustive.
Disc two contains mostly documentaries and featurettes. The first documentary is called "The Great Escape: The Untold Story." It is fifty minutes long and was made in 2001, followed up by "The Untold Story: Additional Interviews," nine minutes long. A second documentary is titled "The Real Virgil Hilts: A Man Called Jones," twenty-five minutes, narrated by James Coburn. And the third major documentary is a reprise from the first DVD, Steven Rubin's "Return to The Great Escape," twenty-four minutes, made in 1993, and narrated by Miguel Ferrer. Then, there are four, shorter featurettes: "Bringing Fact to Fiction," twelve minutes; "Preparations for Freedom," nineteen minutes; "The Flight to Freedom," nine minutes; and "A Standing Ovation," six minutes, the latter items narrated by Burt Reynolds. Some of this material becomes repetitious, but it's all fascinating and enlightening. The package concludes with a photo gallery, an original widescreen theatrical trailer, and an eight-page informational booklet insert.
Parting Thoughts:
In our own day and age when the term "blockbuster" too often suggests digital special effects or a place to rent movies, "The Great Escape" serves to remind us of the true meaning of the word. It is a blockbuster from beginning to end.
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[release]11736[/release]