Best print?
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novastar_6 — 17 years ago(November 28, 2008 10:39 PM)
That's hard to say, they all strike me as being the same. But I really haven't seen too many different DVDs of it, but I think the one that has Vincent and Agnes side by side on the cover is about as good as any of the rest.
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Professional_Tourist — 17 years ago(December 31, 2008 08:29 AM)
I've ordered three DVDs and found they all had issues, such as the image cut off on one side or the image squashed vertically to make it "wide screen," for example. Since this movie is in the public domain, the companies that release it on DVD don't seem to observe much quality control. I've found the best thing to do is to download the MPEG2 video file (2GB file, broadband required) from the Internet Archive site, and play that file on my computer:
http://www.archive.org/details/The_Bat.mpeg
One could probably master one's own DVD using that file, too. -
verbusen — 16 years ago(April 05, 2009 07:46 AM)
Surprisingly the print I just watched on a 50 Movie Pack Horror Classics was very clean. I recommend it plus you get 49 other pretty good horror flicks like The House On Haunted Hill and The Last Man On Earth both Vincent Price cult films. All for less than 20 dollars on amazon.
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moviemisstress — 16 years ago(June 21, 2009 09:52 PM)
I had the vhs tape that I transferred to dvd and the picture is just lovely, clear, sharp, great sound..just watched it tonight.
The picture on the fron t of vhs box was a rosey colour and had Vincent price and a bat over his head and the caption read "when it flies, someone dies."
There is a dvd out with the same picture but I don't know if it is the same picture quality as my vhs tapevhs tape is not wide screen and I think the dvd is. Both are on Amazon. -
elsa4077 — 16 years ago(August 08, 2009 03:52 PM)
The best print I found was the Anchor Bay release - nice and sharp although some of the credits go off the side of the screen. Not sure if the actual image is cropped though. Looks good.
I'm hungry - you buy lunch! -
Professional_Tourist — 16 years ago(August 08, 2009 04:47 PM)
The best print I found was the Anchor Bay release - nice and sharp although some of the credits go off the side of the screen. Not sure if the actual image is cropped though.
That's one of the DVDs I have. The image is definitely cut off on one side.
The free download from the Internet Archive that I linked above is the best quality picture I've found. It can either be watched on the computer, or can be burned to DVD so it could then be watched on a television. -
Professional_Tourist — 16 years ago(September 04, 2009 10:13 PM)
The Bat
has just been uploaded to YouTube, in nine parts. The image quality is pretty good. Here is a playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C5814788AB2822CA -
bj_arni — 13 years ago(April 01, 2013 09:10 AM)
The best DVD print that I know of comes from the Roan Group Collection. They released the film alongside House on the Haunted Hill (that also looks fantastic).
"Don't look down on yourself, just because other people do."
youtube.com/morbidchid -
Professional_Tourist — 12 years ago(November 15, 2013 11:25 AM)
I'm watching my TCM-HD recording of The Bat right now, though it's not true HD it looks quite good. Not squashed or cropped AFAICT.
This new version, restored by Film Chest, has just been released on DVD:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FMVV416
I'm planning to order a copy once Amazon has it in stock. -
Professional_Tourist — 12 years ago(December 02, 2013 10:21 PM)
The new Film Chest restoration is very good, the best I've seen on DVD or download. A sharp image, widescreen without distortion or excessive cropping, and good sound. The image is so clear, in the close-ups you can see the freckles on Agnes' face. And there are a few additional lines of dialog between Warner and Cornelia during the tea service toward the beginning, when they are discussing the plumbing problem. These lines have been cut in every other copy I've seen, not sure why. So besides the best quality print, it's also the most complete. Definitely recommended.