Turner Classic Movies (TCM) in HDTV! - Page 14

Did they use the flat widescreen or the smile box presentation? The blu-ray of this film is astounding.

Yeah, was surprised about Strawbery Statement being 4x3 but it didn't seem to have a pan and scan effect nor anything cut off. Heard some profanity so perhaps there was something with the soundtrack - I believe this is the first time the film has been aired on TV in nearly 35 years.

Ken, will check to see if another version had been issued on DVD. The version I have (snap case) was quite disappointing.

I can relate, but I'm a Yankees fan too. I did a few days ago Joe, but no one over there seems to care. Hopefully, there's nothing more to talk about, 31 hours now and all is well.

I complained about The Strawberry Statement on the TCM forums. A TCM programmer replied that it was not the version they had asked for, and that they hoped to get an OAR, uncensored print in the future, and show it.

The Strawberry Statement by all indications was pretty low-budget. It looked open matte to me, which would have certainly been the easiest way to shoot the picture.

OAR still won't make it a good film.

You're right, more discussion in the Yahoo group.

The best print available is astounding. I recently watched it on Blu Ray and (other than a few visible seems or some warping around them from the stitching process), it looks incredible.

Of course, if TCM doesn't have a print from that new master...

It'll still have a good sound track...

Watch your DVR timings - "On The Beach" either began on the dot this morning without the usual lead-ins or those lead-ins started earlier. Hopefully, all I lost was the MGM Lion which was repeated at the end..

On the Beach begins with some standard business in the submarine as a lead-in, with the credits beginning on a view from the conning tower as the sub surfaces. No lion, as it's a UA film.

You're forgetting MGM owns the old U.A. library and so the Lion now preceeds the U.A. logo at the beginning and is repeated again at the end

Usually a film without Robert Osborne's introduction begins a minute after it's starting time with TCM's own film-noir type lead-in followed by the rating info. This time "On The Beach" began immediately (was aware inside the submarine was the first thing one sees when the film begins) hence my warning about over-night movies maybe coming on a minute sooner and the risk of possibly missing a few words of opening dialogue if one plans to record it.

I'm dubbing it onto DVD along with "Seven Days In May" - a great double feature!

One other possibility is the time setting on your DVR. Comcast goes off by a minute or more, several times a year.

I was a bit disappointed with the showing of Fellini's 8 1/2. Criterion has it out on BD, so I was hoping for HD, but it was not. It looked like an older print, a bit fuzzy, with a scratchy soundtrack. But, it was properly upscaled to fill the frame, and 3 minutes longer than TCM said it would be, so it was uncut...

Don't think it has to do with the time being off -- all recent recordings have started correctly. In fact, I purposly set my DVR to record"Seven Days In May" one minute earlier and so I got two minutes of filler before it started.

The poor quality of 8-1/2 might not be the fault of TCM. Sometimes the Criterion collection can be quite disappointing. Although they had beautifully restored classics "La Strada", "The Seventh Veil", etc. on DVD, they've received poor reviews for films like "Charade" among others - including probably one of the all-time greatest classics ever put to film - "The Blob" with Steven McQueen (chuckle).

The black and white picture quality of "On The Beach" and "Seven Days In May" were both very good, however, combined they run four hours and 13 minutes so the picture quality on my DVD was a slight bit softer than usual - but I wanted to get both on the same DVD (black and white recordings are usually close to the source up to four hours).

Tonight's broadcast of "A Thousand Clowns" was 4x3 even though the lead-in credit said letterbox - but at least no windowbox.

BTW - somebody who works with CV of New York passed along the audio problem to the technicians - seems many in the area were complaining on it's Yahoo group.

I'm not sure TCM showed a Criterion restoration of 8 1/2. Usually, it actually says "Criterion," or at least "Janus Films" at the start. This time it didn't. The subtitles were yellow, which was good. I hate not being able to read the subs, even though I can understand a fair amount of Italian.

The Blob is great... "CO2, CO2!"

Maybe they used the Image edition print instead of Criterion's.

And after the CO2? Dave told Washington: "I think you should send us the biggest transport plane you have, and take this thing to the Arctic or somewhere and drop it where it will never thaw." Obviously they didn't know about global warming back in 1958!

Usually a film without Robert Osborne's introduction begins a minute after it's starting time with TCM's own film-noir type lead-in followed by the rating info.

Usually the DVR recording starts at about the identical spot in an ad for the TCM website, then the usual lead-ins. But I have learned to beware Comcast DVR timing for stuff in the dead of night, because as you say things get rather lax. Usually things do start on time, so this is disturbing.

I know I have lost the ending of Ecstasy and The Shout and would have lost the ending of Deep End except that I got it at the beginning of The Shout! Usually a film reference such as Maltin can save your bacon, but their print of Ecstasy was considerably longer than Maltin's running time, which can happen frequently on TCM silent presentations particularly.

A trip to IMDB summed up the ending of The Shout, which I had seen thirty years ago but could not recall. There was a rather spirited discussion of people from all over concerning the TCM showing who had not allowed for an extra five minutes or so on their DVRs. I had, but with Deep End running over as well I simply hadn't allowed for enough overage.

Damn! I forgot about that. We ARE in trouble... On the other hand, if the Blob manages to grow big enough before we find it, it will destroy civilization - the source of the excess CO2 in the atmosphere, restoring the natural balance, and ending global warming! Howz that for a plot for a new sequel, Return of the Blob?

What I would like to see is what happens when all the people who ran out of the movie theater ask for their money back, claiming the Blob got in for nothing.

No need to worry. THE BLOB escaped in the sequel, remember? Just don't remember how they stopped it the second time.

Sequel? If you mean the 1988 remake, I didn't see it. But, I checked the IMDb, and there is a film, The Blob, in development for 2011...

TCM has aired that 1988 version at times and it actually isn't so bad considering it's a remake but of course it's not fresh or nostalgic like the original. Don't expect to see either during it's 31 days of oscar, however.

No, there was a sequel to the original film. It was called BEWARE THE BLOB or SON OF BLOB. Starred Larry Hagman. The 2011 "potential" film is yet another remake.

Interesting, Of Mice and Men (1939) is being aired right now in zoom mode fitting all the real estate from left to right, but clearly the tops and bottoms are cut off. Intentional or error?? Cablevision or TCM?

Larry Hagman was in it? Well, then, whatever happened by the end of it probably won't apply to any new sequel anyway, because it was all likely just a dream.

rotflmao

Definately an error. Seen it in it's proper 4x3 aspect ratio before.

Might be...I think he was also the director!. Came out in the late sixties (I think)