laureatedvd.com

[Steve Teller]

Having read rather a lot about the upcoming MGM DVD of THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN - set for May release - do you have any details of what the extras will be ?

[Steve Teller]

Many thanks, Mark. I'm looking forward to buying this DVD. It certainly is more impressive than the Region 1 issue.

I think the Laureate website is a knockout.

Much obliged
Steve Teller

[kpnuts/uk]

If u go go to dvd times site it gives you the box art and the full extras including the william walton full score in 5.1 dts as an alternative to the original.Oh and i almost forgot if you go to dvd answers site they have some menu shots as well.ITS LOOKING FANTASTIC

[Mark Childers]

On the various opinions expressed on the Laureate website, I decided to buy the new MGM UK DVD of Battle of Britain. Certainly, it has some sensational extras and the inclusion of the William Walton score is a definite plus - along with the various interviews from the production personnel. But I was very disappointed with the so-called moving chapters. They are so badly laid out ( and without chapter names ) that I lost patience with them. Also it's difficult to get back to the Main Menu - as we can with any Laureate presentation. And why on earth didn't the people who produced the DVD go the whole hog and process the film into anamorphic 16.9 ? Considering the number of widescreen TV sets there are in the country, this would have been a simple courtesy to the average buyer.

I suppose these unthinking people have done the same with A Bridge Too Far. What a shame to spend all this time and money on setting up a beautiful DVD presentation and then cock it up with bad chaptering and a lack of concern for the customer's best interests. Talk about spoiling the ship for a ha'peth of tar.

I should add that Warners did the same thing with Harry Potter.

[Barry Campbell]

I agree with Mark Childers that MGM's BATTLE OF BRITAIN would have made more comfortable viewing had it been rendered in 16.9 - but this is so typical of companies who try everything to meet the buyer's needs and then stumble badly at the last hurdle.

Happily, Laureate's productions want for nothing. Let's hope that in future, MGM ( and other companies ) show the good sense to engage Ken Barnes to put these DVD packages together.

[Steve Teller]

I bought this long-awaited DVD as soon as it was released. I must say I was pleased with the high quality mastering and 5.1 sound - and,of course, the tremendous package of extras. And while I'm disappointed that MGM didn't go the whole hog and put it into 16.9, I'm still glad to have it in my collection. I give it 8 out of 10.

Let's hope that MGM will do better next time - and make their future widescreen DVDs a perfect 10.

Stteve Teller

[Ken Barnes]

I found the messages from Mark Childers, Barry Campbell and Steve Teller most interesting. And I while I would have preferred the film to be in 16.9, I still enjoyed the DVD as a whole. What bothers me most about the DVD are the badly organised moving chapters ( 32 of them and without descriptive titles) and the fact that it's difficult to return to the Main Menu. But do I still recommend this release ? Yes, I do because, in all other respects, it's a worthwhile package.

Ken

[Danny]

[Ken Barnes]

My thanks to Danny for pointing out that this DVD is in 16.9. I've been away for the past 10 days and at the time I answered Mark Childers and Barry Campbell, I had not viewed the disc on my own home equipment. I had only sampled it briefly at a friend's house where it certainly did NOT appear to be in 16.9.

However, having now viewed it today on my own set-upI see that is certainly is, in fact, 16.9. I quickly contacted my friend to tell him that his DVD player was obviously set in standard 4.3 mode which throws the picture out at it's original 2.35:1. He had since realised this and corrected it. I wonder if both Barry and Mark had made the same mistake without realising it.

It wasn't until this afternoon that I had the extreme pleasure of sitting back and basking in the splendour of the William Walton score in Dolby Digital 5.1 and the visual delights of its wonderful 16.9 picture.

I think the reason my friend made this mistake was the fact that nowhere on the box does it mention that the film has been processed for 16.9 viewing. The better companies seem to do it these days as a matter of course.

However, I do agree that the moving chapters are a bit fussy and not very informative. But I can live with this. The verdict then ? A first class DVD production. Buy it at once. It's a must.

Ken Barnes

[mgcroadster]

[Ken Barnes]

No, I am not at all confused. The ratio of the film is STILL 2.35:1 ( as it should be ) but it has been enhanced to FIT ( not fill )a 16.9 screen. This,of course, still leaves black bars top and bottom but maximises on the original aspect ratio.

The misunderstanding from Barry Campbell and Mark Childers was that this had not been done. But, in fact, it has.

Ken

[Barry Campbell]

Danny,

I stand corrected. It is just as Ken Barnes pointed out. My DVD player was not set to WIDE. Part of the reason for this was that I recently invested in a new bells-and-whistles Home Cinema with a 40 inch screen and a full surround sound set-up. The first film I tried out on it was "Battle of Britain" and was disappointed to see that when I switched to the FULL position, the image was too "fat" and had not responded the way my old set-up had. I next tried Harry Potterand, finding that to be the same, concluded that both films had been released a-la "Titanic" - which was not in 16.9.

So, apologies to everyone. However, I still maintain that the Scene Selection has been poorly arranged. For one thing, it's not possible to go straight to the Main Title and hear the Walton score as it should be heard
( in 5.1 or DTS ). Nor is it possible to locate the wobnder "Battle in the Air" ( the best part of the whole film both visually and musically ). You can find somewhere in Chapter 29 but you have to scan forward to find it. This is really maddening and looks as though the chapter stops have been inserted willy-nilly.

Also it's impossible to get back to the Main Menu without closing down the disc and re-opening it. If you got Scene Selection, you can only come back to Scene Selection. If you go to Special Features, you ca only come back to Special Features. Whoever authored this DVD had his own agenda which had nothing to do with the buyer's requirements.



Barry Campbell.

[Mark Childers]

Alright, don't say it. I was wrong to criticise BATTLE OF BRITAIN for it's aspect ratio presentation. It seems I did the same thing as Barry Campbell and didn't make the necessary adjustment to my new DVD player. But you know what ? A friend of mine made the same mistake.

So I just wonder how many people around the country have been caught out. I've certainly been into homes where people sit watching TV programmes in the wrong mode and happily sit there not even noticing that the people on screen are much "fatter" than they should be. Even BBC and ITV occasionally make the mistake of transmitting shows in the wrong mode.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN is fine. But I do agree that the Moving Menus - as well designed as they are - are clumsy and badly executed. And there's no getting round that.

[R. Clements]

What an interesting website you have. I came across it after recently buying the Fred and Ginger collection and your wonderful Special Edition of Citizen Kane. I've been intrigued by the various messages re. The Battle of Britain so I went out and bought it.

I think it's one of the best DVDs of its kind ever issued. Picture and audio are first rate, the extras are superb - and the interviews really are informative, especially from Bernard Williams who performed the difficult task of orgainsing the planes and the aerial sequences ( the film's most
impressive feature ).

Yes, the moving menus ( although beautifully designed ) are a bit difficult to cope with. But this is a minor point compared to the overall excellence.

I'm happy to say that I had no such problems with Laureate's Citizen Kane or the Fred and Ginger set. My next purchase will be the Roads collection.

Thanks for all the good work.

[James LM]

I find that I have to adjust both the DVD player and TV picture setting all the time to detect if a film is anamorphic etc, whilst on pause