I made the mistake of buying the CheezyFlicks DVD of Convoy. This movie was shot in Panavision which is an anamorphic process whereby the camera lens "squeezes" the image horizontally to fit in a normal 35mm frame. The picture is then "unsqueezed" to an aspect ratio of 2.4:1 by the projection lens. The "widescreen" CheezyFlicks DVD has an aspect ratio of about 1.85:1 and the image remains "squeezed" so that everything -- people, trucks, scenery -- is shown at about half its proper width. The distortion... more info
CONVOY:
WHEN I ORDERED THIS MOVIE, IT WAS BECAUSE I HAD JUST WATCHED IT ON TELEVISION AFTER NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND IT IN STORES FOR YEARS. BUT I WAS DISSAPOINTED BY THE QUALITY, THE WORDS CAME BEFORE THE MOUITHS MOVED THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE MOVIE. THE SOUND QUALITY ITSELF WAS HORRIBLE, I HAD TO ALMOST TURN MY VOLUME UP ALL THE WAY JUST TO HEAR WHAT PEOPLE WERE SAYING, AND HAD TO TURN IT WAY DOWN WHEN THE SEMI ENGINES WERE REVED. I LOVE THIS MOVIE SO I WILL BE KEEPING IT, BUT I AM DISSAPOINTED IN THE QUALITY.
Peckinpah muscles in on Burt Reynolds' turf:
Somewhat surprisingly, the watchable but completely forgettable Convoy was the biggest hit of Sam Peckinpah's career, though by all accounts Peckinpah was so stoned on drugs and booze throughout the shoot that he directed little of it, with assistants and James Coburn filling in on the many occasions he couldn't get up the enthusiasm to leave his trailer. It's the kind of film that makes Smokey and the Bandit 3 look substantial and is pretty much a shoo-in as Peckinpah's worst film. There is one good almost... more info
Christmas gift:
My husband loves this movie. Fast service, got here in time for the holiday.
