Wanted: Wide Screen DVD and a Remake

I'm glad IMDB still lists "Laserdisc details" even though they are anachronistic. The fact that a 2.35-1 version of the film was used on the LD indicates that somewhere there is an already telecine'd copy of the film in the proper aspect ratio. No doubt a modern transfer would be far better, but since that's not likely to happen until the remake comes out, this would be a cheap way to get a better-than-VHS quality copy of the film into the marketplace.
As for the trilogy, they likely will remake the proven property and procure the rights to the other two in case the first is a hit. No doubt it will be an action-fest. Modern movie audiences need more stimulation than they did in the 70s.

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Just about the time DVDs were the new best thing, I bought a sealed laserdisc copy of a double feature of SILENT RUNNING and COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT, both in widescreen format. I debated for a long time about whether to open it and watch COLOSSUS, or sell the sealed copy on eBay... I did sell it still sealed, (many years ago), and got enough from it to buy about a dozen and a half other laserdisc movies.

I have tried to figure out if it would be reasonable to make a laserdisc to DVD transfer (somehow), and decided there are more than a few 'challenges' involved. For instance in NTSC format, VHS tapes have 320(?) lines of horizontal scans, laserdiscs have 425 lines and DVDs (nominally) have 500 lines, (BluRay has 1080 lines in I or P format). You can see the advantage of the better laserdisc resolution as the largest part of the improvement to DVD capability.
However, laserdisc is recorded with (digitized) analog information, and from having used the pause/frame advance features, it seems that the laseridsc uses the picture interlacing to create more color shades than would be possible if each frame contained a "steady" color like DVDs appear to use. For example, one interlace might have a purple pixel, and the other interlace may have a grey pixel. The cathode ray TV picture tube, and the viewer's eyes will 'average' the two pixels into a viewed color shade that might not be possible any other way. This technique would give the viewed movie a much smoother appearance than what the early DVDs did. Since then, a lot of digital manipulation is done on the raw DVD digital data to even simulate motion blurring that was a naturally occurring feature of the analog TV and film cameras. I believe there is also the difference in resolution of the colors with laserdisc having 8-bits, and DVDs having 10-bits, (depends on the players used though).

And then you get into the legal/copyright issues. Is the copyright current, and then who owns it? What about the soundtrack music copyrights? What countries are the contracts for the copyrights valid in? The DVD of VALLEY GIRL was held up for years trying to sort out the music rights...

And speaking of soundtracks, laserdiscs have at least six different formats.
Besides the obvious mono (one track only), and stereo, there are the different formats of stereo - L/R, CX, Surround, Dolby, AC-3, DTS, and then there are variations of those where there are also isolated music/comentary tracks that the players can select as well. YIKES!

How have the DVDs been created? Many, if not most, of the DVDs of older movies have been created from film copies used as originals and digitized. It is much simpler to go this way.
The whole problem with this approach is whether there is a film copy available, and if it is a 'decent quality' copy or even an original 'master copy'. It is easy to tell which ones were done this way (cheaply) because you can see film artifacts (color shifts/variations, dust, spots, or fiber strands) in the picture, or the occasional yellow circles in the upper right of the picture (these were a cue to the film projectionist to prepare for, and do a reel change).

I hate to say that there are VHS to DVD transfers "out there". Unless you are desperate to view a particular movie, you probably will not be happy with those. (No, I will not name any of the ones I know about.)

Bottom line is that even though there are laserdisc widescreen versions of COLOSSUS in the world, it would be expensive to create a DVD format version. The commercial prospects of recovering the investment from a limited (read that as 'small') audience seem unlikely, nevermind earning a profit for your trouble.

But, I sure would like to see a widescreen version of COLLOSUS...

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I have to make a comment about the comment "Pan/scan leaves out so much!"

As the 1.33:1 movies are put on DVD, you cannot create parts of the pictures to the left and right to make it widescreen, so the DVD creators cut off some from both the top and bottom of the 1.33:1 to make 1.85:1 or even worse 2.35:1 which loses even more of the original film.

I have never seen a film shot and released in 1.37:1 modified by DVD creators to make widescreen versions such as you describe.

Only if the original movie was in a widescreen format does the pan/scan format lose original material. I happen to know there was a homeviewing widescreen version of COLOSSUS on laserdisc, but I don't know if it originally was widescreen, or "chopped" like I described above. (I am old enough that I did see the theater version in widescreen... But see my other comment on this thread regarding availablility of film copies.)

I personally have handled a "scope" 35mm print of this film, and have a 16mm version that is about 2.0:1. What is implicit in the posts already made is that this film was in fact released in Panavision (2.35:1). The laserdisc was copied from a scope 35mm print that ws 2.35:1.

Oh Lord, you gave them eyes but they cannot see...

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geode:

Don't you think that creativity should be called instead the common and much easier "resource" of remaking this movie?
I think that there are many themes that can inspire a new techno-thriller based on a "rebel" computer (itself an echo of HAL-9000).
NO REMAKES, PLEASE. Ronnie, stay away from it!
It´s a classic, why remake?

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I see and have seen plenty. The "Cold War" is indeed over. But I don't think for a moment that it cannot return. Look at what is happening today (2014) with Russia and Ukraine. The possibility exists for a return of a Cold War. Russia may not stop at Ukraine and just keep moving Westward toward Europe. The Super Powers could again go at it with threats of annihilation of one another. Iranian nuclear power and North Korea nukes are another area of deep concern.

So, why have just a Cold War basis for the creation of a super computer that takes over the entire globe with its' concept of humanity? I would rather see the colossus machine as an attempt to reign in the global community with a shield of security overseen by military and political leaders.

I've seen that the concept for a remake is alive and Ron Howard may have Will Smith on the cast in a leading role. Great!!

Ron, now would be a great time to work on a Colossus project with today's military wanting to create drone's and other autonomous vehicles that linger over suspected terrorist or enemy territories to decapitate their leadership unseen, undetected and unheard. So, what if the great machine were to be deemed worthy to oversee all those autonomous projects plus more and, given it's impending self-awareness, initiate ideas of its' own? Build that machine in the mountains of Nevada near the Area 51 site and expand from there.

Come on Ron Howard. I think this would be a great movie and has great potential and you're a great movie maker!

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