Customer Reviews

The Great Waldo Pepper

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At long last, we have The Great Waldo Pepper in widescreen format as it was meant to be seen. Having suffered my full-screen version for way too many years, I was thoroughly thrilled to receive my widescreen version today, and I could not make it back from my mailbox (six miles away) fast enough. The transfer is immaculate and there is no film grain visible as there is in the full-screen format. Plus, all the two-shots are complete, so you can actually see all the people involved in the conversation. Needless to say, the aerial shots are stupendous, and you feel as if you're right up there with them with the ground spinning lazily below. I cannot vouch for the sound quality (mono), as my home theater unit is in storage in another state, but as far as I can tell, it's every bit as good as the Good Times version I've watched for years. There are a few negatives to the DVD, which caused me to subtract a star:

1. No special features. Even the lowly Good Times full-screen version at least gave you production notes to peruse, as well as scene selection and set-up options. I realize it may be way too late to do any "Making Of" videos, but something to give us insight into this miracle of filmmaking would be nice. As it is, this DVD goes straight into the opening titles.

2. They changed the intro and closing music. Gone is the melancholy piano waltz during the scrapbook viewing both at the beginning and at the end. I love that tune, and it's one of the things that set the tone for the movie. The music that replaced it is in keeping with the times -- and if I'd never seen the movie before, I probably would think it was a stroke of genius -- but I do so love the old tune.

Those detractors aside, I feel this DVD has brought The Great Waldo Pepper back to us in true theatrical fashion, and I can't say more about the look and feel of the transfer. I only hope Universal Studios comes out with a full-feature version of this DVD someday, but I'm not crying too loudly at this point. From a visual standpoint, this is a dream come true. Thank you, Universal!

This is about the 2010 release on DVD. I am glad to see this movie on DVD but I am sure disappointed in the way they packaged it. It is just the movie. Period. There is NO menu which means there is NO scene selection, NO language selection and NO close caption. Options that I assumed were standard on all legitimate DVDs are NOT on this one. You just put in the disc and the movie starts. You can advance through the chapters of the movie using the skip button on your remote but you can't pick the chapter you want from a menu. You have to let the movie start and then skip through chapters one-at-a-time till you get to the one you want.

Since this movie is from 1975 I understand why the sound is just digital stereo but I really miss the close captioning. At least with VHS tapes I could turn on close caption on my TV and get the subtitles. With this I get nothing. Nothing for the hearing impaired.

I really like the movie and the video quality is very good. I am just disappointed at what I got for $11.99 for a movie that was made 35 years ago. I think $4.99 would have been a fairer price.

This is the story of a post WWI fighter pilot turned "Barnstormer" in order to make a living by doing what he does best - fly. His competition used to be the "Enemy" but now it's other barnstormers, debt, and the newly formed CAA [now the Federal Aviation Association]. Times are quickly changing for these free lance pilots, real work is hard to find, and only the lucky few are given the chance to go to Hollywood as "stunt pilots". But Waldo has one particular need in order to feel complete, that is to beat a particular German ace that he clashed with during the war, a fight that some other pilots say he never had. There are some really funny moments as he and other pilots scramble for wide eyed hay-seeders money around farms and rural villages, and some really great vintage aircraft aerobatics, but the real treat of this movie is when Waldo meets his rival in Hollywood and they turn a simple flying scene into... something else?

Saw this as a kid some Umpty9 years ago, [when airplanes were powered with rubberbands], and it's still a really enjoyable movie now. Invite the family! The Great Waldo Pepper

Where are the extras for this movie? A previous reviewer said it may be too late for a "Making Of" featurette. No, it's not. As long as Susan Sarandon, Robert Redford, Geoffrey Lewis and others who were in the film are alive, it is not too late for them to tell us their memories of making the film. It is just up to Universal to part with some of their money and pay these actors their personal appearance fee to do either a commentary for the film or appear in a "Making Of" featurette. There are also several film and aviation historians who might be persuaded to talk about the film.

This movie has been out of print for many years and only available before in full screen. This movie was directed by George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid). Since I started collecting Blu-Ray movies, this will be my first standard DVD purchase and for a very good reason. The ending in this movie is priceless. Glad to see such a balanced film back in print again.

Finally, Universal is going to release this masterpiece on DVD in August 2010!! This will be great news for the many folks who've been waiting for years (see reviews) One of the greatest flying movies ever made.

I am delighted that "The Great Waldo Pepper" is finally available in widescreen. It looks a lot sharper than the full-screen Good Time DVD release from several years ago. However, why doesn't the Universal release have a main menu or chapter selection option? Even at the end of the film, the disc returns to the beginning and starts playing again.

I shouldn't complain, because this film looks stunning on my widescreen TV.

Can't Believe it's been 35 yrs since I saw this in the theatre.

Sat in the last 8 rows so we could smoke. Stayed for 2 shows and then saw it again at the Drive-In

This is some of Redfords finest and yet so obscure, Watch for so many other stars that you now recognize. Great family entertainment!

Well worth any price,No matter what generation is going to see it now.

They just don't make movies like this anymore.

Bravo!!!!

Steve Orbst

Released in 1975, George Roy Hill's aviation adventure struck an enduring chord with part of its audience. Robert Redford is perfectly cast as a charismatic barnstormer who still yearns to have flown against legendary German ace Ernst Kessler in the 'Great War'. Instead, he barely makes ends meet as an itinerant pilot with a gaudy yellow J-1 Standard biplane. After being grounded for his involvement in two fatal accidents, Waldo illegally takes a stunt-flying job on a movie (under an assumed name)---and walks right into his longed-for encounter with Kessler. The film is full of flying sequences with actors genuinely airborne in vintage aircraft. It would probably be impossible to get such a film insured today, and the entire cast deserves credit for bravery as much as for talent. The darker realities of flying in that era make THE GREAT WALDO PEPPER a difficult film in places; the story may be too honest for some, frankly acknowledging some barnstorming pilots' recklessness and disregard for safety. (In fact, several airshow pilots whom I knew flew for this film---and died in subsequent aviation accidents.) Seeing WALDO PEPPER finally released in widescreen is a visual treat, and a tribute both to the people who made the film and the pioneering pilots who inspired it.

My kids wanted a movie about airplanes and I'd remembered watching this one when I was a kid and thinking there was lots of cool airplane stuff in it.

There is.

But be aware that there are a couple of crash scenes that maybe you might not want your kids to see. No reason not to buy the movie, but be aware.

Other reviews here summarize the movie quite nicely, so I won't waste your time. Bottom line, I enjoyed it.