Woodstock: 3 Days Of Peace And Music (40th Anniversary Limited Edition Revisited) (Blu-ray) ?

Woodstock: 3 Days Of Peace And Music (40th Anniversary Limited Edition Revisited) (Blu-ray)?
Why is the movie windowboxed? (Black Bars on all four sides)...

 

Is this a new issue? My directors cut 3 disc BR set is wide screen with bars top and bottom.

 

released in 2014...
from Blu-ray.com review...
I can't imagine the film looking much better than it does here. (Although adding an option to view the film with a shifting, dynamic aspect ratio presentation would have been more ideal, since a good portion of the documentary appears window-boxed when viewed in its native aspect ratio on a 1.78:1 display.)


full review:
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Blu-ray

screenshot:

 

Hmmmm. My set is also 2014.

 

I have this release set as well, and couldn't be more pleased with it overall. I haven't watched it in over a year though, so also don't recall the window-boxing...it wasn't a problem though, or it would have made a negative impression on me.

Your answer why it is, is right there in the bolded text above. The aspect ratio of the film is much wider than a 1.78:1 display. Parts of the film only show one picture, as you have shown above in your post. But other parts of the film switch to a dual picture at the same time--filling up the whole width--and still other parts of the film switch to three pictures at the same time filling up the width:




Rather than have the aspect ratio of the blu-ray constantly switching around to accommodate the full width of these other film views, they kept the aspect ratio constant throughout the full blu-ray mastering, thus making the window-box sections appear that way. It's really no big deal, and keeps the viewing experience accurate to the way the film was originally intended to be seen at the theater.

Truly, this is a great version of the film, the best quality and sound I'd ever heard it. The bonus features included are more than generous, and very entertaining I thought.

 

Constant width, to approximate the original theatrical experience.

The remastered DVD and BluRay of "Brainstorm" does this as well.

 

Yeah, I, too was initially surprised by the windowboxing but then realized it was done to maintain the "expanding screen" look when they switch to all those split-screen images. Love this set. Terrific picture quality, very good sound and tons of bonus material. Just make sure you get the "40th Anniversary Revisted" set (pictured in the initial post) and not the original "40th Anniversary" set or you won't get all the bonus performances.

 

Right you are about the updated set being the one to get. When I bought mine, it was one of those $7.96 blu-ray deals at Walmart in the big dump-bins. Such a fantastic deal on it that is now long gone... but even at the current higher price it is still well worth it.

 

Is there not a 4K version ?

 

Can't you adjust the

picture size on your TV screen?

 

Although the replies correctly explain the occasional window boxing, it's not the way it was originally intended to be seen at the theatre. The theatrical version is 184 minutes. They bloated the movie with 40 extra minutes for the 25th anniversary in 1994. My desire is for a release of the theatrical version. Maybe they'll do that in 2019.

 

This movie probably holds the record for most aspect ratios used in a single film, it's several can't remember the exact number though.
The strange is having images sometimes only is on the left or the right side of the screen and some middle ones not properly centered.
A shame that the Blu-ray 40th anniversary edition didn't include the Woodstock Diaries, but in couple of years we will have a 50th anniversary...
Not bad for $5 from Walmart, that was for the deluxe boxed set with the patches and stuff!

 

They replaced the musical acts that were cut for time before release. Exactly what do you consider "bloat" in that 40 minutes? I was pleased to dump my theatrical version for more great music and ambience from the concert. Its not like they were cutting a script, they were editing a three day festival.

 

Probably never happen.

 

It's not that I don't like those songs. In fact I really like the Canned Heat song in particular. I just think the movie works better as a three-hour experience than a four-hour one. The extra songs would be better as bonus tracks along with the CCR, Dead, Band, etc. I'm all for more and more bonus material.

They left Janis out of the original movie because it's so dark. Also, the performance is weak by her standards. There's an edit during the Jefferson Airplane part that's so bad that it is just really out of place in such an otherwise perfect movie. And the offstage footage they added is kind of boring, when all the offstage footage in the original version is engaging. (In my opinion)

I don't want the "director's cut" to disappear. I just want to be able to get my beloved version.

 

and all the bonus performances are now in HD...they were not in the 40th BR Edition.

 

IMO, the more the better...

 

I'm still trying to figure out why Walmart did the $5.00 pricing? as of now it's $18.11?

 

1.78

 

I know how it happened. The employees who priced it at the warehouse messed it up with the original 2 sided DVD.

 

I'm waiting for the 48 Hour + Immersion edition with commemorative patchouli scented sleeping bag and vial of undisclosed brown liquid.

 

But thanks to this forum, I became aware of, and did pick up the $5 version from Walmart.

 

72+ hours.

 

Yes, but for the full effect, that sleeping bag needs to be filled with mud!

 

I'm not sure I'd have made it through 72 hours to have breakfast with Jimi.