Question Carry On The Ultimate Collection - 4:3 versions?

Indiana Jones

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I fancied re-watching the Carry On films recently so bought the 18 disc Carry On The Ultimate Collection which has two films per discs so obviously the quality isn't up to much but as I have been making my way through them I have discovered that several of the films are 4:3 versions but all the info I can find online has the films listed as either non-anamorphic widescreen or anamorphic widescreen so a bit puzzled for the reason behind these transfers being included.

Does anyone on here own any of the earlier DVD releases (individual Special Editions or the 30 disc Ultimate Collection) as I would be interested to learn if they were the same and the info I can find online is just wrong or if when they authored these new discs they screwed something up, the films are...

Carry On Dick
Carry On England
Carry on Follow that Camel
Carry On Henry
Carry On Up the Jungle
 
I have the original 30 disc Ultimate Collection. I watched the set in Jan 2008, after which I completed my database entries for the discs. The aspect ratios I recorded are:

Carry On Dick 1.68:1 (non-anamorphic, i.e. letterboxed in 4:3 frame; DVD-5)
Carry On England 1.78:1 (anamorphic; DVD-9)
Carry on Follow that Camel 1.75:1 (non-anamorphic, i.e. letterboxed in 4:3 frame; DVD-5)
Carry On Henry 1.74:1 (non-anamorphic, i.e. letterboxed in 4:3 frame; DVD-5)
Carry On Up the Jungle 1.74:1 (non-anamorphic, i.e. letterboxed in 4:3 frame; DVD-5)

Although each film had its own disc, most of them were DVD-5 discs (single sided, single layer), so 2 films on one DVD-9 disc (single sided, double layer) might not result in loss of quality.
 
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Thanks for the confirmation that tallies with what I have read elsewhere and as you say the original set were DVD-5s so I just assumed this new set put the same files on a single DVD9 but for the films I mentioned they are definitely not widescreen however Carry On Dick does start with black bars top and bottom but after the opening credits they disappear and the rest of the film is full frame 4:3

I guess its possible in the intervening years they made newer transfers for these films and decided to include them with the new set but not sure why they would favour 4:3 or widescreen unless they are open matte versions but with nothing to compare against I can't tell.
 
I guess its possible in the intervening years they made newer transfers for these films and decided to include them with the new set but not sure why they would favour 4:3 or widescreen unless they are open matte versions but with nothing to compare against I can't tell.
Could try comparing with clips on YouTube?
At a quick glance someone seems to have posted a widescreen version of the whole of Carry on Dick, & there’s quite a lot of clips of the other films in widescreen & 4:3, so u could do a comparison of those scenes.
 
Could try comparing with clips on YouTube?
At a quick glance someone seems to have posted a widescreen version of the whole of Carry on Dick, & there’s quite a lot of clips of the other films in widescreen & 4:3, so u could do a comparison of those scenes.

I found several of the films on Daily Motion and compared Carry On Henry and its an odd one as the 4:3 DVD has more image at the top and bottom but has lost some footage on the sides so it’s not open matte and neither is it just the non-anamorphic widescreen transfer cropped.
 
Just finished my Ultimate Collection, but found that Carry On Columbus is not on it!! What's Ultimate about that? Trade descriptions?
And yet, they have put on "an alternative director's cut of Carry on England (no, thank you)
I'm not missing much I know, but it's the principal of the matter, and to rub salt into the wound, the film is featured in the anniversary documentary "What's a Carry On"
What's a rip off, more like!
Anyone know why it is not on this ULTIMATE collection?
 
Just finished my Ultimate Collection, but found that Carry On Columbus is not on it!! What's Ultimate about that? Trade descriptions?
And yet, they have put on "an alternative director's cut of Carry on England (no, thank you)
I'm not missing much I know, but it's the principal of the matter, and to rub salt into the wound, the film is featured in the anniversary documentary "What's a Carry On"
What's a rip off, more like!
Anyone know why it is not on this ULTIMATE collection?
Ulitimate does not always mean Complete as you often find with CD compellations the miss some stuff out.
I caught a bit of Carry on Columbus the other week and from the first 5 minutes as I allowed some over run on a recording and was mighty glad I not recorded more as I though it was extremely poor the comedy seemed a bastard child of the old Carry On films and The Young Ones and mid ground does not work.
 
Different owner/distributor for Carry on Columbus I assume.

I have that massive set seen it for £5 or something daft in a charity shop never went near it but I know it's there collecting dust for when I want to watch it.

These all need Blu-ray love as most of them a damn fine British comedies.

Made some money:

The film was panned by critics. Michael Dwyer in The Irish Times described Carry on Columbus as a "flaccid, feeble comeback effort" and a "wretched and pathetic attempt which is singularly unfunny".[1] However, Carry On Columbus took more money at the UK box office than the two other Columbus films released in 1992, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery and 1492: Conquest of Paradise, although all three films flopped. Carry On Columbus was also shot on a much lower budget than the other two films, a budget of £2.5 million compared to the other two budgets of $45 million and $47 million respectively.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carry_On_Columbus
 
Just finished my Ultimate Collection, but found that Carry On Columbus is not on it!! What's Ultimate about that? Trade descriptions?
And yet, they have put on "an alternative director's cut of Carry on England (no, thank you)
I'm not missing much I know, but it's the principal of the matter, and to rub salt into the wound, the film is featured in the anniversary documentary "What's a Carry On"
What's a rip off, more like!
Anyone know why it is not on this ULTIMATE collection?
Same reason it was never included in the DVD magazine collection, different rights holder.
 
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Thank you everyone for your info., not that it makes me any happier about the DVD. 😁
 
If you're looking for Carry On Columbus on disc, please beware they're mostly (or possibly all) fakes.
 
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Oh yes, I realise that, but it's unlikely I'd want to see it again, but thank you nonetheless
 

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