DVDizzy Forum

Alright, all this came about from Spaceballs being aired on WGN.

Rumor has it that Spaceballs was filmed in Academy, and matted to widescreen for its theatrical showing. I once rented the original disc, a flipper, that had both a widescreen and fullscreen aspect ratio.

However, looking around at reviews, it's reported that the fullscreen side is a true pan-and-scan, not open matte. However, it's also reported that Spaceballs was of those DVDs affected by MGM's improper cropping the top and bottom off the pan-and-scan version.

So my question is this: Just exactly what ratios exist?

I own the 2-disc collector's edition, and it only comes in widescreen. Is that the TRUE theatrical widescreen (as in, still cropped from the open matte, but not double-cropped)? Is the flipper disc really a pan-and-scan and noobishly cropped from there?
Does the open matte even exist anywhere? Which version is WGN showing? It does seem to show more than I recall the widescreen flipper disc showing... but if that truly is improperly cropped it might explain that. I was going to record it off WGN and dewatermark it so I could get a source higher quality than the old flipper... but is it not worth it?

Argh, if only they'd just be honest about the ratios so I don't have to be confused about it all!

Most television stations will not show a 1.85:1 film in its correct size. But "Spaceballs" was filmed in the 1.85:1 ratio, and that is how it was shown in the theaters. When it is shown on television they have it in a 1.33:1 because they feel that the majority of the video audience doesn't know the difference.

Actually, according to IMDb, Spaceballs was filmed in Academy (4:3).

Like lots of older movies, it was just cropped for theatrical viewing - and not actually shot in widescreen.

I'm more confused about the DVD releases though... are any of them the correct ratio? Because if what I read is right, the old flipper disc has a 4:3 transfer that's pan-and-scanned from the widescreen, and then the widescreen is vertically cropped from that... as in double cropped!

Is the new 2-disc DVD correct? I didn't check it against the old one.

And I just have a feeling that WGN was airing the open matte (as in the way is was originally filmed), not a pan-and-scan.

drf wrote:However, it's also reported that Spaceballs was of those DVDs affected by MGM's improper cropping the top and bottom off the pan-and-scan version.

There was nothing improper about it, the dumbasses who filed the lawsuit against MGM totally skewed and misunderstood the whole concept of matted films.

Must I again trot out TheDigitalBits article that explains it all?

drf wrote:So my question is this: Just exactly what ratios exist?

Plenty. 1.20:1, 1.33:1, 1.37:1, 1.66:1, 1.75:1, 1.77:1, 1.78:1, 1.85:1, 2.0:1, 2.20:1, 2.35:1, 2.39:1, 2.40:1, 2.55:1, 2.75:1, 2.89:1, 3.0:1, 4.0:1...

Albert

So the old non-anamorphic widescreen DVD is the same as the new restored DVD?

And both of those are the way it was shown in theaters?

But the 4:3 transfer is still a pan-and-scan?

I guess I was just trying to find out if the open matte was ever released and found a bunch of conflicting stories about them.