I have noticed a trend lately where quite often TCM shows pan and scan prints instead of widescreen or letterboxed ones --
Last week it was SEX KITTENS GO TO COLLEGE in P&S while a perfectly fine widescreen print is available -- I have it on the Warner Archive release..
The first time I noticed this was on THE HANGING TREE shown in P&S last year while the Warner Archive print is widescreen.
Another was CLAUDELLE INGLISH which after watching in a cropped print on TCM, I decided to buy the WA release.
It seems as if this is being done to boost sales of the Warner Archive releases. In the early days of TCM , didn't it promote its channel as always showing films in their proper aspect ratio? Sadly, that is no longer the case.
ON the other hand, I have just noticed some previously non letterboxed films popping up in widescreen format - such as SHANE which previously had only been shown in the !.33:1 aspect ratio is now WS . There was another one too but I cant recall it just now.
Well, I'm actually going to defend TCM. I get them in HD and over the last two years they've aquired quite a number of HD transfers of movies not yet available in HD on Blu-ray. I enjoyed seeing WAIT UNTIL DARK in HD several months ago. And THEM! was shown in HD and in its proper theatrical aspect ratio months before it was finally released on Blu-ray. Right now as I type this I'm looking at COUNTDOWN (1968) fully letterboxed and in HD. THE BIG CLOCK (1948) will be shown in HD tomorrow morning. I've noticed many old MGM films from the '30s are turning up on TCM in HD transfers. I watched an excellent print of TREASURE ISLAND a few weeks ago.
It is true that sometimes transfers are shown that are subpar, but I believe the channel does the best it can with what it can get. I really don't see the need to complain. I'm thankful, very thankful, for what there is. In fact, if we lost TCM it would be a tragedy.
TCM also stopped showing roadshow versions of both HAWAII and RAINTREE COUNTY.
That probably only means they paid for just a certain number of showings and then they'd have to pay more, and instead chose to spend their money on something else. You shouldn't be complaining about TCM, but about what the licensees charge -- and just what's available.
Right now I'm looking at something I DVR'd from TCM this morning, 1950's BLUES BUSTERS, a Bowery Boys movie. A great print and in HD -- for a Bowery Boys movie!
I don't think their print of POLTERGEIST is even HD; regardless, it is a low quality print. I was shocked how shabby it looked.
Slightly OT- but as much as I'm willing to concede that movies from the early 80s now qualify as classic (I just don't want to be reminded of how old I am), movies from the 90s or 2000s are simply not old enough to be classic. What's their deal with showing movies less than 20 yrs old?
But generally, no complaints. TCM is a goto channel of mine- they are bound to show something interesting several times a month, even if I don't have time to watch it all.
I think that legitimate complaints are perfectly acceptable, which mine & others are. No one wants TCM gone - I just want its high standards maintained.
Yeah, no complaints about TCM (UK). I'd stopped looking at it years ago, a lot of terrible old pan & scan transfers. But I've started looking at it again (I get it in HD now), & a lot of it looks great, I've seen Ryan's Daughter, Barry Lyndon & Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid in HD (plus lots more). They do still show a lot of old 4x3 transfers, you never really know, if there's a film I'm interested in I set it to record, & if it's a duffer I wipe it.
The first time I noticed this was on THE HANGING TREE shown in P&S last year while the Warner Archive print is widescreen.
THE HANGING TREE is not an anamorphic film. It was shot full frame and released in masked 1:85. The TCM screening may not have been cropped, but it was not "pan and scan". Believe me, if you were of an older generation and remember seeing those Fox scope films on television, you'd KNOW how painful "pan and scan" could be!
As for HANGING TREE, I'm sure the master they were provided by Warners was the same one that had aired on Cinemax and was made before the film's DVD release.
As for other titles, TCM will occasionally show public domain titles and it is hit or miss whether their licensor will provide a 35mm transfer or even a 16mm ORIGINAL transfer. They recently showed three hours of Edgar Kennedy RKO shorts and they were all 16mm dupes. What a waste.
The first time I noticed this was on THE HANGING TREE shown in P&S last year while the Warner Archive print is widescreen.
THE HANGING TREE is not an anamorphic film. It was shot full frame and released in masked 1:85. The TCM screening may not have been cropped, but it was not "pan and scan". Believe me, if you were of an older generation and remember seeing those Fox scope films on television, you'd KNOW how painful "pan and scan" could be!
As for HANGING TREE, I'm sure the master they were provided by Warners was the same one that had aired on Cinemax and was made before the film's DVD release.
As for other titles, TCM will occasionally show public domain titles and it is hit or miss whether their licensor will provide a 35mm transfer or even a 16mm ORIGINAL transfer. They recently showed three hours of Edgar Kennedy RKO shorts and they were all 16mm dupes. What a waste.
Sorry, Ray -- I should have said that THE HANGING TREE was shown full frame or cropped. The WA print looks quite good .
I saw those Edgar Kennedy shorts and was shocked by the dupey quality.
