Search - Route 66: Season 1, Vol. 2 on DVD

Look What They've Done To My Show, Ma

Robert Huggins | Suburban Philadelphia, PA United States | 02/06/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Hands down, "Route 66" was one of the greatest dramas produced in television's golden age. The acting, writing, and production values for this "show-on-the-go" were trend setting for its time and still resonate strongly with this viewer . . . . . surely a five star series if ever there was one. And that's why it pains me to give this second release from Roxbury Entertainment and the Infinity Entertainment Group only three stars.

The good news is that the visual quality for the episodes contained in this second volume represents an improvement over those in volume 1, at least based upon my viewing of the first two episodes (a good two-parter titled "Fly Away Home" with the great Michael Rennie) and spot checking other episodes. The visuals aren't in the same eye-popping category as some other shows from the era that have been released on DVD like the "The Untouchables" or "The Fugitive," but they still look pretty good to my eyes and represent an improvement over the vast majority of the episodes contained in volume 1. The extra features contained in volume 2 follow the same format as the first volume, cast credits and episode clips (to help you identify the actors) and early 1960s era commercials on disc 4.

Now for the bad news, Roxbury and/or Infinity have matted the top and bottom of the episodes to give it a FAKE WIDESCREEN look. So in certain scenes, the tops of the actors' heads are missing. This might not be so readily apparent to viewers who have never seen the show, but after releasing the first 15 episodes in volume 1 in the correct, full-screen aspect ratio, it becomes glaringly apparent. Even the bonus commercials on disc 4 are matted! I don't have the slightest idea as to why Roxbury/Infinity decided to go with this format, but if anyone from either of these companies happen to read these reviews, please do not matte any further volumes . . . . . serious viewers of "Route 66" want to be able to watch this series in its original, full-screen aspect ratio as originally broadcast. Had this second volume been released in its correct aspect ratio, without the matted effect, I would most certainly have given this release a full five stars.
"

Infinity -- You lost a guaranteed sale with the cropping

DesiluTrek | Sterling, Va. USA | 02/19/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"To Infinity Entertainment Group:
What were you thinking? I bought volume 1 and lived with the subpar prints, now this 16x9 crap -- I mean crop? How does cropping to 16x9 help try to draw a bigger audience beyond the die-hards when the series is black and white to begin with? I was a guaranteed sale of this and future volumes, but you lost me with this bizarre move.

Leave it to viewers whether they want to watch the show in a 16x9 picture.
All decent HD sets have a zoom function to fill the screen for 4x3 pictures (avoiding stretch-fill), plus a way to adjust up and down to find the visual center (above true center.) Sometimes I watch classic TV like Star Trek this way and it's fun. But that's my choice. I do not want that imposed on me, as Infinity, you are doing."

Be warned: Picture has been cropped!

D. Holt | USA | 02/13/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Route 66, like all TV shows of its era, was filmed in a squarish 1.33:1 aspect ratio. But for this "Volume 2" DVD set, the manufacturer has shamefully CROPPED the top and bottom of the image to about a 1.77:1 frame. Essentially, you are missing part of the picture and it ruins the original photography.

Sure, it fills a "widescreen" TV, but at what expense? Tops of heads are frequently "cut off", and the cropping further deletes some of that wonderful Americana from 1960 that provided the mesmerizing backdrop of this classic series. The packaging does not warn you of this image tampering, so buyer beware! Maybe one day we'll see a re-release of the FULL image that was filmed and shown back in the '60s."

Sad treatment of a classic

Bollocks | 02/09/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I would gladly give an intelligently produced release of Route 66 five stars. It ranks with the best American TV has to offer. Unfortunately, Kirk Hallam/Roxbury have chosen to disappoint AGAIN. The first 66 set featured mostly poor quality prints, as well as an edited episode. Mr. Hallam has subsequently explained that this was due to pre-Christmas release deadlines. OK, I'll buy that tale, but artificially altering the aspect ratio? Why??? How could a person who is involved in the creative process (Hallam is a film producer) approve such a bastardization of other people's artistic efforts? How would Hallam feel about someone doing that to one of HIS projects? Disgusting. Perhaps the next half- season can be colorized. Obviously Hallam has little/no appreciation for this series or it's historical context (witness the amateurish "Drive-In Theater" menu screens). I just wish Image had produced these sets. Buyer beware."