Is there any reason to keep these VHS movies?

I was doing some spring cleaning today...well, actually I was trying to make room for more CDs...

Is there any reason, that I may not be aware of, to hold on to these VHS movies? (I have them all on DVD.) Anything specific about content or video quality? I just want to make sure before I get rid of them.

Thanks!
Dexter

Here's the list:

Blazing Saddles
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (Special Edition)
E.T.
Field Of Dreams
Good Morning Vietnam
Home Alone
My Fair Lady
Oklahoma
Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade
Singin' In The Rain
Star Wars Trilogy (Special Edition-silver box)
Star Wars - The Phantom Menace
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Young Frankenstein
The Wizard Of Oz

A Charlie Brown Christmas
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Miracle On 34th Street

Fun With The Fab Four

 

IIRC, they are all bested on DVD.

 

The Raiders VHS might have the snake's reflection in the glass when he falls into the pit that I believe was removed in the digital versions.

 

How are you going to get rid of them? Many hospitals still only have VCRs and might appreciate a donation.

 

maybe keep ET since it doesn't have the Speilberg replacement of guns w/walkie talkies?????

 

(Trying to remember that scene) the pit where the Ark was?

Great idea!

The DVD I have has the "new" version & the original version on a second disc. Was that one altered too?

Dexter

 

Yes--it's when Harrison Ford falls on the floor and a cobra rears its ugly head.

The DVD has both the original version and new versions. If I recall correctly, it does have the scenes with the guns.

 

It's been so long since I've seen it--I think the floor caves in and he plummets and comes face to face with a cobra? But, I clearly remember the snake's reflection being visible on the glass that was obviously between them in the theatre.

 

Give them to forum member bencasey.
Seriously.

 

I have my original VHS widescreen edition of the unmolested Starwars. Thats about the only one I've kept just so I can show future generations what it really looked like.

Plus the packaging is far cooler then the tacky THX versions.

 

I still have those! I especially like the one with a "buffed-up" Luke holding the lightsaber aloft! Although I don't think mine are widescreen - they just say "VHS Stereo".

The set in the "to-go" pile is in a silver & black box. They are definitely the "special editions" with the extra scenes, Greedo shoots first, etc.


I might look at the original Raiders, just to see the snake scene again...although I doubt that alone would make me want to keep it!

Dexter

 

Those unaltered Star Wars are also on DVD, albiet non-anamorphic and transferred from the laserdisc master. To me they look far superior to the old VHS I had.

 

Yes I know but its the whole memory of a bygone age of analogue tape that makes me keep it.

"This is how it used to look to us, kids!"

That and the fact Lucas wont make me dip into my pocket again.

 

I totally dig where you're coming from, but you could buy 'em used. No money to Lucas that way.

 

Which version of "Oz" do you have on VHS & DVD? There are a few differences between the different versions where you may wish to keep the VHS. For example, I have the 50th anniversary edition, which is the only one made from a real Technicolor print. None of the other editions look like that.

Derek

 

The beatles VHS may be worth $5-10 to a collector.

 

But even that's been released on DVD. I've got one.

 

Some of the titles you listed are actually on Blu-Ray now as well so you can get rid of the DVD as well.

 

Beatle freaks get everything no matter how obscure and dead the format. Sorta like 8-track.

It's not for watching, but for the display room/shrine.

Compleat Beatles, Ready Steady Go and Alone & Together are still MIA on DVD but may have had laserdiscs. Same with Lennon NYC.

 

Nah …

 

Actually, I was going to ask this in a separate thread...but since you brought it up......

Could someone please explain anamorphic & non-anamorphic to me in nice, easy-to-understand words? (I tried reading the Wiki article & got lost!)

I assume that the "special edition" (read: "frakked with") versions are anamorphic? How would a particular scene differ between the anamorphic version & the non-anamorphic version?

Thanks!
Dexter

 

Me too. The VHS is still sealed!

 

As I recall, originally, in theatres, an anamorphic film was stetched top to bottom on the film print and required a special lens to correct for that distortion. Anamorphic widescreen is similar in that when the information is decoded to fit on a 4:3 TV screen the black bars on the top and bottom are inserted digitally--what this allows is for more encoded information to go into the actual movie image because it is not used up encoding the black bars within the movie.

 

If you have a 4:3 (square) TV there is not really an advantage of anamorphic over non-anamorphic, as either will be "letterboxed" on your TV.

If you have a 16x9 TV (Rectangle) an anamorphic DVD will give you better resolution and fill your screen if the film is 16x9 (1:78 ?screen format).

Star Wars was filmed in a widescreen ratio of 2:35 which means that on a 16x9 TV there will still be a little bit of black bars top and bottom, but with better picture resolution.

Star Wars (non-anamorphic original version) will have black around the entire image, top, bottom, right and left on a 16x9 TV, with a softer picture.

I hope that helps, others here may explain this better than I have.

 

I don't have a widescreen TV at this time. Still enjoying my 36" CRT Toshiba. One of these days, I suppose....

So, is it worth it to get the original versions on DVD while I can...or is Lucas planning something else?

Dexter