Wiley
13-November-2001, 03:38 PM
If you have read the thread "BA in 2001", you may recall that I've recently purchased a DVD player. Last weekend I rented the Contact DVD and was extremely glad I did. The DVD is much better than the video release.
First, you get widescreen version of the film, not the pan-and-scan version. With the pan-and-scan version you are literally missing half the frame and the visual impact of the film is significantly reduced. For a film like Contact, you lose a lot. I remember seeing this movie in the theatre, and in the scene where Ellie (Jodie Foster) looks over the railing of the machine down to the ocean below, I got the same queesiness in my stomach I get when I look down from real heights. When seeing this movie in the pan-and-scan version on video, this scene did nothing for me, but now on DVD, it retains much of its former impact. The opening sequence, the scenic shots of the VLA, and others regain what was lost going to video format.
The opening sequence is one of the best openings of any movie ever. One of the goodies on the DVD is behind the scenes making of this sequence. You get to see the failed attempts at creating Jupiter's red spot, the close up of Mars where you can actually see the face, and all layering effects required for the Eagle nebula. And you also hear the designers discussing how the balanced scientific accuracy with what looked cool. If you liked this opening as much as I did, you'll find this very interesting.
There are many other goodies on the DVD like audio commentaries by Jodie Foster and Robert Zemeckis (director) and more "making of (insert cool scene here)" shorts.
In short, I recommend you get the DVD and reexperience this great movie.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Wiley on 2001-11-13 11:41 ]</font>
First, you get widescreen version of the film, not the pan-and-scan version. With the pan-and-scan version you are literally missing half the frame and the visual impact of the film is significantly reduced. For a film like Contact, you lose a lot. I remember seeing this movie in the theatre, and in the scene where Ellie (Jodie Foster) looks over the railing of the machine down to the ocean below, I got the same queesiness in my stomach I get when I look down from real heights. When seeing this movie in the pan-and-scan version on video, this scene did nothing for me, but now on DVD, it retains much of its former impact. The opening sequence, the scenic shots of the VLA, and others regain what was lost going to video format.
The opening sequence is one of the best openings of any movie ever. One of the goodies on the DVD is behind the scenes making of this sequence. You get to see the failed attempts at creating Jupiter's red spot, the close up of Mars where you can actually see the face, and all layering effects required for the Eagle nebula. And you also hear the designers discussing how the balanced scientific accuracy with what looked cool. If you liked this opening as much as I did, you'll find this very interesting.
There are many other goodies on the DVD like audio commentaries by Jodie Foster and Robert Zemeckis (director) and more "making of (insert cool scene here)" shorts.
In short, I recommend you get the DVD and reexperience this great movie.
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Wiley on 2001-11-13 11:41 ]</font>