Chariots of Fire

Rating:
Summary: Great Film -- Horrible DVD
Review: A film that is this visually stunning deserves to be put on a Widescreen format so that you can see the directors vision. A lot of the beauty is lost in the "Pan and scan" format. Low Production. And No Special features. If you have a small television and you don't mind "pan and scan then I guess it is 2.5 stars. In a Movie Theatre I would give it 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: 'Indiana Jones' should have won the Oscar for 'Best Picture!
Review: It could have been one of the best english movies, if it only not did slow down so many times, but there are some memorable and good scenes, like in start scene, where the joggers jog along the beach, the 'Englishman' song, and the end song 'Jerusalem'.
Only the art direction, the costumes, and Vangelis' score saves the movie, and the olympic games scenes should have been longer and more exciting.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie
Review: Highly recommended as long as you can live without any special DVD extras. Many people complain because the DVD isn't widescreen. It's in Pan & Scan because a widescreen version does not exist. According to the "official" Internet DVD FAQ (relating to this dvd, among others):
"Some titles are available only in pan & scan because there was no letterbox or anamorphic transfer made from film. Since transfers cost $50,000 to $100,000, studios may not think a new transfer is justified. In some cases the original film or rights to it are no longer available for a new transfer. In the case of old movies, they were shot full frame in the 1.37 "academy" aspect ratio so there can be no widescreen version."

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: I have seen this film several times and each time I found it an inspiration. The character development, the story, the music all come together in an unforgettable composition. However if you want sound bytes and have a short attention span don't bother. This film is for people who enjoy thinking.

Rating:
Summary: a bore
Review: what movie could be interesting if its about running horrible decisions for the 4 academy awards this should have gotten none at all i hated this film

Rating:
Summary: Widescreen and 5.1 Please
Review: The fantastic score deserves better--as does the cinematography. Movie: 5 Stars; DVD: 0 Stars.

Rating:
Summary: Why pan-and-scan?
Review: One of the most important things about DVD for film enthusiasts is that movies can be seen in their original aspect ratios instead of the cropped "pan-and-scan" versions seen on tv and video tape. What idiot at Warner Brothers decided that this DVD should be released only in a "full-screen" cropped edition? I'm really glad I rented it instead of buying it. Not only was a third of the cinematography chopped away, but the picture quality was mediocre, the sound was low-fi, and there were no real bonus materials (sorry, a trailer doesn't count). This was an Academy Award winner for Best Picture! The studio that owns it obviously couldn't care less. When WB brings out a quality DVD of Chariots of Fire, with the movie in its proper 1.85:1 ratio, they'll get my money the day it hits the shelves. Otherwise, I'll just wait for TCM to show it letterboxed and tape it for free.

Rating:
Summary: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Review: When I saw this in the theater, not willingly mind you, I fell asleep for a good amount of the movie. This is the most boring movie in the history of film!!! I just don't understand what makes this film oscar worthy! Look at some of the other movies that have won -- they weren't boring! but for one year I guess the academy decided to give the award to the most boring movie of the year if not of the century.
I tried to watch this again when I was much older, being 13 years old the first time, I didn't take it too seriously. I just used it as a sleeping aid. I still thought it was dreadfully boring even 20 someodd years later. It's a movie about nothing but some english chaps running, and running and running...
run away from this one. Don't let the Oscar nod sway you, it was a bad year for Oscar that year.

Rating:
Summary: Good movie, bad DVD transfer.
Review: Surely an Oscar-winning film deserves true remastering and digital transfer to DVD. This isn't even letterboxed -- just the old VHS pan and scan master.
The film itself is great -- certainly one of Britain's best. Maybe someday we'll get a better DVD version. For now, don't bother with it.

Rating:
Summary: Best Movie, Worst DVD Ever
Review: Ditto Marty Stanton's review: The greatest movie of all time is betrayed by the worst DVD product of all time. This beautiful film is obscured by both the miserably grainy picture and the sorry full-screen format. You can't even read the end titles. Vangelis's awesome score is muted by a constant hiss. Warner Home Video should be ashamed. This film, and film lovers, deserve much better.