Rating: 
Summary: Mixed Feelings....
Review: "The Sting" is set in Chicago during the 1930's. Johnny Hooker(Robert Redford)and Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman)are a couple of con artists, that team up to gain revenge on mob boss Daniel Lonogan ( Robert Shaw), when a mutual friend of theirs is killed. "The Sting" is perhaps the best con artist film ever made. Robert Redford and Paul Newman team up again, and in my opinion have better chemistry in this film, then they did in "Butch Casidy and The Sundance Kid". Both of them are outstanding in their roles. Robert Shaw is perfect as Doyle Lonnegan. Gives the perfect portrayal of a ruthless mob boss. Watching Redford and Newman con him is extremely satisfying. The supporting cast was great as well, and included performances from Dana Elcar, Eileen Brennan, Ray Walston, Charles Durning, and Harold Gould. The musical score, is perhaps one of the best musical scores ever created. Played solely on the piano, it manages to go along perfectly with every scene. Also the set and costume designs are beautifully done. They are extremely authentic to the 1930's version of Chicago! But the best thing about the film, is the actual "Sting". It is one of the greatest double crosses in movie history! The film is shot brilliantly, because you see the events unfold one by one. In a film where there is a lot of twists and turns, you don't want to be confused, or be left asking "Why?". The reason "The Sting" succeeds, is because everything is laid out extremely well, and there are no loose ends. "The Sting" was the winner of 7 Academy Awards in 1973 including Best Picture, Best Director - George Roy Hill, and Best Original Screenplay - David S. Ward. If I was giving a review for just the film, it would be 5 stars hands down. However, I have to give a 3 star rating because of how bad the DVD is itself. I can't understand the horrible DVD treatment from Universal. There are no extras whatsoever, and it only comes in full screen format. Overall, this is a must own just for the film itself. But, you should probably go with the VHS version in this case.
Rating: 
Summary: LOTS OF "FUNNY MONEY"
Review: What a great movie. The action in this movie seems real even though the money eluding the Chicago mobster Lonegan is fake. And there's a lot of action in this movie, so much so, that I was glad my mother was around to translate these 1930's grifters'/con artists' street talk. (My parents saw this movie in the theatre when it first came out in 1973). I don't remember much or any cursing. As another reviewer noted, what little adult material there is in this movie is mild by today's standards; the story line would keep your attention regardless. Times were tough in those depression years, my mom commenting that there was a lot of crime going on then. But Lonegan (Robert Shaw) is a straight-laced mobster, doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't chase women. His only weakness is gambling, especially betting on horses. Doesn't sound so bad, yet he hates to lose, and when he loses big money, he kills. His chief sins are unseen, except by those grifters, like Redford and Newman, who dare to interrupt his extortion racket. This movie won a lot of oscars in 1973, and is ranked by AFI as one of the top 400 films. Redford and Newman are so much fun to watch acting together. The last scene fooled me. Although no actors won any oscars for this film, the movie won Best Picture, Best Director among other awards. I can't really comment on the film quality of the dvd, since I saw it on a cable station. I defer to those reviewers who argue that the director wanted to film the movie the old fashioned way which accounts for the transfer problems/complaints. I just love a good story, this one's a keeper.
Rating: 
Summary: GREAT MOVIE, BUT ONLY COMES IN FULL SCREEN
Review: Where is the Letterboxed Edition of this classic film?
Rating:
Summary: Good Movie, But DVD Issue
Review: It has been correctly pointed out in previous reviews of this DVD that this DVD is not a "Pan&Scan" DVD. To understand why, see those reviews. However, as to what the explanation means, it means this - when watching this movie on DVD, you may be seeing the movie in a theatrical aspect ratio very close to the ratio intended by the director (1.37:1 was probably intended), or in the aspect ratio intended for television viewing by the filmmakers/film-producers/DVD producers, but you are not seeing the movie in its theatrical aspect ratio (1.85:1). If you're okay with that, enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Stop whining about "full screen"!
Review: Please stop whining about this DVD's aspect ratio. It's not "full-screen." It's widescreen with the original top and bottom sections restored. According to film historian David P. Hayes, THE STING was filmed in 4:3 (equivalent to "full-screen") ratio because director George Roy Hill wanted it to look like an old movie. The studio (and/or the exhibitors) apparently had second thoughts about it, though, so theatrically-released prints had the top and bottom sections blocked ("matted") to fit the widescreen format. What you see on this DVD is not "pan and scan" (with missing left and right content), but the original format with the top and bottom restored. (...)
Rating:
Summary: WHY NOT GET THE FACTS BEFORE COMPLAINING???
Review: I just bought this DVD for my father because this movie IS a classic, no matter what anyone says. But, when it came in the mail, I was surprised to see "Full Screen" on the front of the box. So I did what many of you did NOT do (with the exception of reviewer cammonro dated Sept 2, 2003), I went to the Universal web site and emailed their Home Entertainment division.
From Universal Studios Home Entertainment:
'The Sting' is only available on DVD in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio, which in this case displays the same picture information side-to-side as was seen theatrically. Also, more information is shown top-to-bottom than in the theatrical version because of the way the film was originally shot.
One process used in creating movies for theatrical exhibition is to place 'mattes' over the top and bottom of the 35 mm film frame to alter the aspect ratio to 1.85:1 'Widescreen.' To avoid black letterboxing bars on the top and bottom of the picture when it is displayed on standard television, the original mattes are removed in a process known as 'Open Matte.' (This is not to be confused with 'Pan & Scan,' a completely different process of transferring film to Video and DVD.) 'Open Matte' was used with in the production of 'The Sting.'
SO THERE YOU HAVE IT. For all of you complaining about how this DVD is PAN-AND-SCAN, you are WRONG. And for all of you still waiting for WIDESCREEN, you ALREADY HAVE IT with this DVD if you understand what Universal is saying above; you are actually seeing MORE than what you'd see in the theater version because of the "Open Matte" process Universal used, NOT pan-and-scan.
If anyone begs to differ with these facts, argue with the source, Universal.
Rating:
Summary: Region 1 Widescreen DVD Available!!!
Review: I rated this DVD with only 3 stars because it's fullscreen. However, I JUST found a Region 1 Widescreen version of the DVD available at Amazon's Canadian website. As I just ordered it I can't rate the quality of the film or anything but I did want to let "everyone" know that it's out there. The website is: www.amazon.ca
Here are the specs on the DVD:
Edition Details:
* Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
* Language: English
* Theatrical Release Date: December 25, 1973
* Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
* Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen
* Subtitles in Danish / French / Swedish / German / Norwegian / Dutch / Czech / Finnish / Polish / Portuguese / English
* Snap Case
* Import
* Catalog Number: UDR90052
* ASIN: B00004SC8N
Rating:
Summary: Widescreen DVD available, but there's a catch.
Review: For all of you you are looking for a widescreen edition of this movie on DVD, check amazon.co.uk. Universal has put out a widescreen version. The only problem with it is that it is not formatted for Region 1 DVD players, so you will need a code-free player or one formatted for Region 2 or 4 to watch it.
The film itself is excellent, and it is worth watching over and over. Read other reviews for a thorough synopsis of the film itself.
Rating:
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS DVD - review of aspect ratio
Review: other reviewers here such as "cammonro" and Michael P. Foley are spreading false and contradictory information.
according to the Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070735/technical
'The Sting' was shot in 35mm Technicolor at 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
I heard a report on NPR in 1999 discussing the just-then-beginning-to-boom business of re-releasing restored studio catalog classic films on DVD. this radio program specifically mentioned that THE ORIGINAL WIDESCREEN PRINTS AND NEGATIVES OF 'THE STING' HAD BEEN DESTROYED IN A STUDIO FIRE (during 1980s?) and that director George Roy Hill was severely disappointed that his film had been so neglected.
until a negative or clean 1.85:1 print of 'The Sting' surfaces from some private collection or deep storage archive, the widescreen transfer done for the decades-old VHS version (see review by "jettexas") is the only way to view the film in its original aspect ratio.
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