Barfly widescreen (1 Viewer)

mjp

Founding member
I know there are a million Barfly threads, so here's 1,000,001.

We watched Barfly over the weekend to listen to the commentary track by Barbet Schroeder (which is like a documentary about the making of Barfly if you haven't heard it). But this was the first time I'd seen the DVD widescreen, on a widescreen TV.

Holy shit. You can feel the grime when you watch this wide. It's amazing how watching it 2:3 - or whatever the old school square TV ratio is - cuts out so much of the atmosphere.

Schroeder goes on (and on) about the palm trees, and how important it was to be able to see the palm tree outside the windows. Maybe it's because he was talking about them so much, or maybe it was seeing the full picture for the first time, but damn, those palm trees looked good.

I have watched this "widescreen" on a regular TV (with the big black bands above and below), but I feel like I just saw the movie for the first time, and just the way it looks is poetry. The photography is awe-inspiring. It really raises the movie up in my estimation. Whatever that's good for.
 
I gotta watch it on a widescreen TV one day because it sounds like it's a completely different experience. I've only seen it with the black bands above and below on a regular TV, and then in the cinema, of course, when it came out. Now, let me see, who do I know who has a widescreen TV, hmm...
 
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It's the old Warner Brothers release. The only official region 1 release, as far as I know.
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: French (Unknown), English (Unknown)
Subtitles: English, French
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: September 3, 2002
 
ah, i see. i thought maybe you had some newly released version. i used to have a copy from 2002, but it mysteriously disappeared years ago. i'm guessing i loaned it out while drunk...
 
it is better on a widescreen tv.

actually, here's a pic of my personal copy...

barfly drunk.jpg
 
Ha!

I had two copies but I gave one to a homo.

Gah! I mean a hobo. Man, that was almost an embarrassing typo!
 
I have it on VHS, but really want to hear the commentary. I just bought the U.S. Warner Bros release on eBay a day or so ago for $32.00, so now just waiting for it to arrive. But oh my precious VHS copy, that has went with me on all my moves and adventures over the years!

The seller seems to have one dvd of the original release(I think it said 2 available when I purchased) left for $32.00, which is about 10 bucks less than the copies on amazon.

And on lending stuff out while drunk.... I lent an amplified speaker, while drunk, to a friend of mine last Friday, so he could DJ some kids bday party, and well, it's not been returned yet! Hopefully he's not ducking me!
 
Just added this to my to-do list for Saturday. The one near me hasn't closed yet.

Wishin', and hopin', and dreamin'.....
 
Hollywood Video in our town went out of business and I missed their copy of Barfly for 99 cents.
And Gerard, there is the story of my life! Hmmm, there are two Hollywood videos about 15 minutes from me going out of business, maybe I'll do a drive by tomorrow after work.
 
Gerard, do you mean you want the VHS? I can give you mine, but it's been through many many plays. I eventually memorized the entire movie, so that might give you an idea of how much I have watched it.
 
Went to what turned out to be the final Hollywood Video in the Santa Clarita Valley, on Bouquet Canyon Road in what I guess is part of Valencia, even though it seems too far from the hub to be considered part.

Nothing there. Not in used DVDs, not in the DVDs on the shelves that were previously to rent, and now could be bought. I scoured what was left of the store twice.

Then on to Canyon Country later, and that location was closed, with only a few remnants left in the windows, including a huge red sign deeming the location to be permanently closed, and the drop box, which is probably now officially an anachronism.

The Stevenson Ranch location was the only one completely gutted, with "For Lease" signs now posted on each door of that property.

It ended up a disappointing, quixotic quest, yet I didn't feel the deep disappointment I usually do when I can't find a DVD I really want. I keep on hoping that Criterion will announce a forthcoming release soon. And I know that I'll be one of the first pre-orders. No doubt about that.
 
Got my copy a couple of days ago. Very pleased, since I've only seen it on VHS over the years. The warner bro's dvd is quite good! I was going to watch the commentary straight off, but decided to watch the movie again, first. As with Factotum, which I watched for the umpteen time late last year, this seems to have gotten better over the years! I even enjoyed Rourke, because I really didn't the first several times! Now, I can't wait to watch with the commentary!

"Start trotting boy, my friends are thirsty!"

Oh and ROC that's the 33rd movie I've watched this year!
 
Well, after watching it with the commentary, and then the making of it...I'm not sure what else Criterion can add to it? Warner Bro's, or someone just needs to re-release it. The Warner Bro's version is simply astounding. The commentary was a documentary unto itself!
 
33 movies and it's only April. I remember not having kids.

Barfly is bad for my liver.

I've never been able to watch it without drinking.
 
Well, after watching it with the commentary, and then the making of it...I'm not sure what else Criterion can add to it? Warner Bro's, or someone just needs to re-release it. The Warner Bro's version is simply astounding. The commentary was a documentary unto itself!

Criterion does'nt have to add anything to it, just re-release it with the commentary track and the 'Making of...' feature. Or Warner's can do it, as long as somebody does it.
How long is the 'Making Of...' feature?
 
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It's way too short, but entertaining all the same. It's called I Drink, I Gamble and I Write: the making of barfly. 12 minutes long. It also has 4 excerpts from the Bukowski tapes. So as you said, even if Warner would just re-release it, everyone would be happy!
 
12 entertaining minutes is better than nothing, I guess. Now, if only the DVD would be re-released with the feature and the commentary track, but maybe the chances are slim since the movie recently was re-released on DVD without the extra stuff.
 

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