I rented it way back but I don’t remember if there was anything wrong with the video. I do remember I was disappointed with it, despite that awesome ending.
The Anchor Bay SE easily bests the cropped and non-anamorphic Criterion (see also: The Long Good Friday). However, I’d hang on to it for the exclusive commentary. A great listen.
I own the Criterion Time Bandits – it is 1.85:1 (the packaging is correct). However, it’s just not anamorphic – i.e. enhanced for widescreen tv’s. Many of the older Criterion DVD’s are similar – 4:3 letterboxed versions – non-anamorphic.
Others are:
Silence Of The Lambs
Robocop
Tokyo Drifter
Branded To Kill
Long Good Friday
Time Bandits
Armageddon
Sid & Nancy
This Is Spinal Tap
original release of Charade / they re-released it in anamorphic
I’m sure there’s others that I’m overlooking.
I’ll probably pick up the Anchor Bay SE of Time Bandits, but I always keep the Criterion as a collection. As for others like, Silence Of The Lambs & Robocop, I purchased the SE’s that are now enhanced for widescreen tv’s. It’s always the hope that Criterion will do a re-release 16×9 version.
I just noticed on Criterion’s website that Time Bandits and The Long Good Friday are both listed as Out of Print. However, Withnail & I and Mona Lisa (the other two Handmade Films in the Criterion Collection) are still offered for sale on the site. I thought this is worth mentioning in case collectors still need to obtain any of these discs at the going rate (rather than the artificially enhanced OOP rate) from the usual secondary market outlets.
Vishal
I recently purchased the Criterion DVD of Time Bandits and was disappointed.
The cover mentioned 1.85:1 but it was not so.
Has any one else experienced the same?