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Info: 007 - Open Matte Bond Movies...

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Some time ago, some of us were talking about the open matte scenes in TMWTGG[1] and that got me thinking about the rest of the movies. I have read on other forums[2] that the Daniel Craig movies are sometimes shown on TV open matte so I’m curious if we could make a list of Bond films that are open matte either on film prints or TV broadcasts? I don’t have any of the open matte TV broadcasts but I would love to see Casino Royale and especially Skyfall since I missed out on the chance to see it in IMAX. Some of these could be on a particularly inappropriate organ but I couldn’t say for sure.

Quantum of Solace (HDTV Broadcast vs Blu-ray)
https://s1.postimg.cc/4woifhyja7/Quantum_of_Solace4.png

https://s1.postimg.cc/8ndo0qm473/Quantum_of_Solace3.png

Open Matte list (so far):
The Man With The Golden Gun (35mm print has variable aspect ratio)
Casino Royale (HDTV is sometimes open matte)
Quantum of Solace (HDTV is sometimes open matte)
Skyfall (HDTV is sometimes open matte. Full open matte is IMAX, unavailable anywhere)


Some unconfirmed rumors that I have heard:

The Casino Royle PSP disc is open matte
The Casino Royale Fullscreen DVD release is open matte

[1] https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/1267120/action/topic#1267120
[2] https://forum.fanres.com/thread-1612-page-2.html

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Pretty cool to see the open matte Quantum shots though!

I have also heard the same thing about the Casino Royale PSP disc… But I have not seen one myself.

I also was fortunate enough to see Skyfall in IMAX… This might sound dramatic, but it is one of my all time favorite movie-going experiences. Truly immersive (even if they JUST opened up the framing from the 35mm ratio). It’s how I first experienced this and I think it’s a damn shame it hasn’t seen a home video release.

Not gonna lie… I did feel a bit of a let down that Spectre was not an open matte IMAX release. Skyfall really raised the bar for me.

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The rumor is that the Bond movies will be released in 4K prior to Bond 25’s release next year. Two things I am hoping for these purported releases: An uncut release of Casino Royale in the US and the IMAX version of Skyfall.

Earlier today I bought the Fullscreen DVD of Casino Royale to see if it truly is Open Matte, I will post the results here.

EDIT: Skyfall is one of faves also, saw it twice in the theater but never in IMAX. The nearest IMAX theater was 45 minutes away and I couldn’t spare the time and gas as I was in college/working full-time at the time. 😦

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Casino Royale is indeed 16:9 open matte on PSP. Someone at FE has ripped the disc before and synced it to the Blu-Ray soundtrack. Sony UMD discs use a proprietary sound codec that won’t work outside of a PSP, but all the movies are merely stereo anyway.

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I’ve never watched a PSP movie before what is the quality like?

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Equal to DVD quality. (720X480) Sony apparently was planning on a UMD disc player that could hook up to an external tv at one point. I believe there were A/V cables so you could use a PSP with your tv.

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AFAIK the open matte 007 movies are:

Golden Eye on 1.33:1 DVD
Casino Royale on 1.33:1 DVD
Skyfall on 1.78:1 HDTV
and of course as you stated in the first post,
Quantum of Solace on 1.78:1 HDTV
and as SilverWook said,
Casino Royale on 1.78:1 PSP

(curious to see the latter!)

not aware of other titles, but as some of them were released in 1.66:1 and 1.78:1, it is quite possible they were released in open matte - Skyfall and Quantum of Solace are 2.39:1 yet available in open matte, so… 😉

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In addition to Casino Royale, it looks like the initial DVD releases were released in fullscreen, most probably pan and scan. Of course without having the actual DVD one can’t be certain but the first Bond movies were hard matted 1.66 so they are definitely pan and scan. TMWTGG FS DVD surely has open matte shots mixed with pan and scan shots.

I suspect that some other Moore titles might have varying AR also. If anyone has any of these early FS DVDs your input would be appreciated.

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spoRv said:

AFAIK the open matte 007 movies are:

Golden Eye on 1.33:1 DVD
Casino Royale on 1.33:1 DVD
Skyfall on 1.78:1 HDTV
and of course as you stated in the first post,
Quantum of Solace on 1.78:1 HDTV
and as SilverWook said,
Casino Royale on 1.78:1 PSP

(curious to see the latter!)

not aware of other titles, but as some of them were released in 1.66:1 and 1.78:1, it is quite possible they were released in open matte - Skyfall and Quantum of Solace are 2.39:1 yet available in open matte, so… 😉

Goldeneye was shot in anamorphic wide screen, the 1.33:1 dvd is definitely Pan and Scanned. The 4x3 Casino Royale DVD is open matte though. A lot of the older 007 movies have open matte versions on old releases though. The first 3 movies’ THX dvd releases from 1997 have 1.33:1 open matte versions I think. The 1.66:1 Blu Rays of those first 3 movies show more on the top and sides than most older wide screen releases. The Full Screen laserdisc and VHS releases of Live And Let Die and Golden Gun are open matte if I remember correctly (since they were 1.85:1 as opposed to 2.35:1). I have the laserdisc of Golden Gun, but its sped way up to fit on one disc. I don’t have a spleen account but if you PM me I can share a rip of my laserdisc of Man With the Golden Gun if anyone wants it

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The Casino Royale PSP disc based on a clip of the credits I’ve seen on Youtube looks cropped to 16:9 rather than Open Matte:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8KGlX1sITKY

Also, I was initially mistaken regarding the cap I made from ITV in regards to it been Open Matte, it is again, cropped to 16:9 like the PSP disc. I’m not sure if this is the case re other foreign broadcasts that were supposed OM, if so, it looks like only the Full Screen Dvd maybe Open Matte (I haven’t seen that myself to confirm).

Quantum of Solace on the other hand, again from ITV, is definitely Open Matte, although the latest showings of both this and CR have been theatrical 2.35:1.

Skyfall, both the initial Sky (which I capped) and ITV showings were definitely Open Matte as well but ITV again has lately updated to show only the theatrical 2.35:1 (since around the time of the Spectre ITV premiere)

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Yeah I recorded Casino Royale off of BBC America last week but it was 16:9 cropped too. Needless to say I promptly deleted it.

The Casino Royale Fullscreen DVD I ordered shipped out this morning. I will post the results here once I receive it.

I would love to see Skyfall in open matte, I still wish I had seen it in IMAX when I had the chance. 😦

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Saw some screenshots of the Casino Royale full screen dvd on another forum and again it looks cropped but as I don’t have the matching shots to the widescreen to hand at the minute can’t be 100% sure, I’ll check later.

The member who posted over at FE re PSP CR been open matte I think like me (re ITV) is mistaken as the other member who was doing the actual project also didn’t realise my ITV one was actually cropped even though he had PSP cap in hand to compare.

Further, just managed to check a couple of screen compares with the widescreen and the fullscreen is not OM, unfortunately, it is 4:3 cropped (obviously even more than the 16:9 broadcast).

Also seen screenshots from a 16:9 Czech tv broadcast and that is also cropped so take this to mean there is no open matte available.

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I have the early THX Connery Bond DVD’s. They indeed have open matte versions. Dual layer discs instead of being flippers. One has suffered rot and only one version will play now though. Other early Bond titles are similarly cursed. The first TMWTGG disc also went bad and freezes on the layer change. I’ve never been able find a non-rotted copy of the first Moonraker DVD. Three copies I’ve gone through over the years, and completely impossible to even get the disc to play. Even a badly rotted Laserdisc can do that.

I think LALD and TMWTGG are a combination of open and hard matted shots. There was a 35mm TMWTGG print on Ebay last year.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/35mm-Feature-The-Man-with-the-Golden-Gun-Complete-James-Bond-Roger-Moore-1974-/254028497820

I know when I would see LALD on tv, there was a bit of pan and scan on the opening titles so the text wouldn’t be chopped off.

On a related note, at least one of the full screen Brosnan DVD’s, (Die Another Day) has a recomposed for 1:33 title sequence. Mostly shifting the text around. Not sure if any of Maurice Binder’s HBO version title sequences ever made it to home video. (The later Moores and presumably Dalton.) The ancient Laserdisc I had of View To A Kill merely letterboxed the titles.

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I’ll have to keep an eye out on eBay for prints of LALD and TMWTGG. Maybe we can get them scanned this time around, provided there is enough interest?

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There is currently no available version of Spectre in Open Matte, all 16:9 ratio broadcasts I know of have benn cropped including Canal+ in Europe of which my initial excitement turned to disappointment. In the UK it has only been shown in the theatrical ratio on both Sky and ITV, streaming versions have been either theatrical or cropped. This could mean it was initially filmed in this ratio or most likely the director only wishes for this version to be released.

dbmaster514 said:

Does anyone happen to know if the streaming version of Spectre is open matte?

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Dr. No was released Open Matte on Laserdisc in 1982 by 20th Century Fox Video.

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I have that laserdisc I can confirm that it is pan and scan.

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As can I, only I don’t have the laserdisc, but a rental-only tape from the same company that uses the same print.

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Just got the Casino Royale Fullscreen DVD in the mail today. Unfortunately I can confirm that it is cropped.

Left: DVD
Right: Blu-ray

https://images2.imgbox.com/1e/f8/mZvL7w4X_o.png

https://images2.imgbox.com/f2/fa/NJWZvqsZ_o.png

Same thing for the Goldfinger THX DVD

Left: Fullscreen (Cropped)
Right: Widescreen

https://images2.imgbox.com/f6/df/WZcs8Ogm_o.png

https://images2.imgbox.com/c5/26/0nCAbZmV_o.png

At least I found a DVD version of the Goldfinger VHS, the first VHS tape I ever owned!

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dbmaster514 said:

Just got the Casino Royale Fullscreen DVD in the mail today. Unfortunately I can confirm that it is cropped.

Weird, at least one shot I remember was opened up in Casino Royale FS from watching it years ago, in the opening when Bond and the guy are talking in the office and they would be on the very right and left of the screen.
Hopefully am getting the laserdisc of LALD soon so I can rip and see if any of it’s open matte or pan and scan, the Blu Ray is at least 1.78:1 I think. I have a JP Full Screen LD of Russia with love so I can check it as well. I have the 1982 Dr No LD, but I guess it’s already been stated that it’s pan and scan. I’ll check my VHSs of 007 as well

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It’s weird there’s a bit more top and bottom on Goldfinger in some of those fullscreen shots, but a lot choppped off on the left. This sort of thing will drive you crazy.

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kchrules said:

Weird, at least one shot I remember was opened up in Casino Royale FS from watching it years ago, in the opening when Bond and the guy are talking in the office and they would be on the very right and left of the screen.

Looks like that scene (~7 seconds long) is kind of open matte it has some picture cut on the sides but for sure is open on the top and bottom

https://images2.imgbox.com/94/01/wZQw5kwp_o.png

Then it goes to this

https://images2.imgbox.com/e8/eb/RNBBfHJb_o.png

Like SilverWook said, its enough to drive you crazy!

EDIT
Still I’m curious to see how the UMD version compares to this.