No, Chico didn't make a mess...Sony did with this fullframe transfer.

Sony and Columbia Pictures have re-released The Lords of Flatbush, the '50s coming of age dramedy from 1974 starring Sylvester Stallone, Perry King, Henry Winker, Paul Mace, and Susan Blakely. For some unknown reason, Sony has reissued this title in a full-frame transfer despite the back of the DVD box claiming a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen image (the opening credit sequence is presented in a flat letterboxed widescreen, before the movie proper shifts to fullscreen). If there is indeed a "40th Anniversary Edition" out there...it's not this. As well, the disc itself appears to be one of Sony's Choice Collection MODs, but nowhere on the keep case artwork is that designation made. I own the previous 2000 release from Columbia, which is correctly ratioed, so collectors, hang on to that one because this new one is a mistake. In these dying days of DVD, it's simply unacceptable to see a widescreen title released in a cropped fullscreen transfer. Below are comparison between the 2000 edition (first on the left), and the new 2014 issue (on the right):

No review necessary here (as much as I'd love to for one of my childhood favorites): an automatic "Skip" for this re-release of The Lords of Flatbush.