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Posted by One-Shot Scot on 11/23/05 15:12
"Walter Traprock" <wetraprock@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:wetraprock-5652BE.00213622112005@comcast.dca.giganews.com...
<<Well, maybe it isn't, maybe it is. What is undeniable is that the DVD for
Yellow Submarine is much better than the DVDs/VHS for Hard Days Night in
that it provides the valuable MONO soundtrack to enjoy rather than the Hard
days night video which ONLY includes either album stereo substitutions for
the MPI DVD/VHS, or rechannelled to multi-channel like the only current
version.>>
<<Compare the MONO Only A Northern Song on the Yellow Subamrine track with
the godawful rechanneled version that the "standard" version plays.>>
<<MONO because it sounds better, stereo is a form of distortion.>>
I personally feel that the _Yellow Submarine_ DVD is a disgrace. The _Yellow
Submarine_ DVD may have a great soundtrack, but the video is another story.
I have a feeling from watching the DVD that they took the full screen
version of the movie, and just matted the picture with a 1.66:1 ratio right
over the full screen version. I get that feeling because often people's feet
get cut off, as do the tops of some people's heads. And I would think the
bottom of the picture would be the "ground" for where people's feet would
go, and to have them get cut off at their ankles or a little higher seems
strange.
The artwork was drawn in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio and presented as such on
LaserDisc. Apparently, _Yellow Submarine_ was originally matted for
theatrical exhibition and this cropped theatrical version became the
"definitive" and "authentic" version. There are many on this newsgroup who
will argue that since the original theatrical presentation chopped off heads
and feet, the DVD should do the same. I strongly disagree.
The introductory Pepperland sequences show characters with the tops of their
hats and heads cut off (when compared with the LaserDisc) and this
culminates with the top of a tower cut off at 10min. 50sec. into the disk.
During the Eleanor Rigby sequence at 11min. 34sec., there is a tombstone
which says, "Here Lie Buried." The LaserDisc also says "Here Lie Buried",
but under that it adds "William McMillen", which is totally matted out at
the bottom of the DVD.
It is understandable that you would want to see what is hidden under the top
and bottom mattes. Did the original artists go to all of the trouble of
drawing these parts of the picture only to have them matted out? I can't
imagine that this was the original plan. Since this is a cartoon, it is
obvious that someone later decided to mask off parts of the original
animation cells. A true restoration would present the entire animation
cell - - top, bottom and sides. Disney didn't make a widescreen DVD version
of the 1940 version of _Fantasia_. Apparently the key difference is that
_Fantasia_ was not originally presented as a widescreen theatrical release.
This top and bottom matting of _Yellow Submarine_ continues to obscure
heads, hats, ceilings, feet, dorsal fins on fish, the tops and bottoms of
doors and so on. Chop, chop, chop! I realize the DVD box says that this
widescreen version is done in the original theatrical release format. But,
so what? This is a home video edition. The artists who created _Yellow
Submarine_ painstakingly drew this animated masterpiece and now some of
their highly-detailed work is blotted out.
It may well be that _Yellow Submarine_ was originally intended to be shown
only on TV. This could explain why it has a 1.37:1 negative. The
"Collectible Booklet" from the DVD says: "The film and its creation were,
indeed, miraculous. Directed by George Dunning, and written by Lee Minof, Al
Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn and Erich Segal, Yellow Submarine began its voyage
to the screen when Brodax, who had previously produced nearly 40 episodes of
ABC's animated Beatles TV series, approached Beatles' manager Brian Epstein,
with a unique vision for a full-length animated feature."
This might explain how _Yellow Submarine_ came to be made in a 1.37:1 aspect
ratio. I think that this animated wonder should always retain its original
aspect ratio. MGM/Warner should never have masked off 20% of this marvelous
film so that it would have a widescreen look on DVD. This artificial
widescreen appearance was achieved at the expense of having the top and
bottom of each frame cut off. The _Yellow Submarine_ DVD is an insult to
those who love the movie.
The DVD gives, but it also takes away: I miss Paul shouting "Beatles to
battle" and seeing the Blue Meanies weapons spouting flowers as bizarre,
jazzy music blares on the soundtrack as the Meanies retreat. This entire
sequence is on the LaserDisc version. There is the jazzy background music
playing as the Blue Meanies fire bouquets of flowers from their cannons and
handguns. Then the Beatles dance across the hillside as pop-up signs saying
"YES" and "OK" spring from the ground. It is at this point that the DVD
inserts the Hey Bulldog sequence (which the LaserDisc omits) and after this
the LaserDisc and DVD come back together again at the point where Ringo
says, "Jeremy, can it be you?"
The bottom line is that if you have _Yellow Submarine_ on DVD, you are stuck
with a matted, semi-edited version. It's a real shame. The audio may be
good, but the video is a travesty.
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