Letterboxing is over-rated
 

So I had a friend of mine go off just the other day. It seems that my selection of Godzilla movies offended his sensibility. "Dude, they're not letterboxed!" he proclaimed! "How can you stand it?"

Yeah it would be nice but if it comes down to having the movie full framed or not having it at all, as in the case of Godzilla (or my Mexican wrestling movies or my old school kung fu movies), then give me the full framed. I've got tones of flicks that will never see the light of day in a letterboxed aspect ratio, so I refuse to get excited about it.

Anyway, that's part of the charm with kung fu movies, too. Along with the dubbing.

*Feh* This kind of snobbery really bugged me. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to watch, now does he?

If that's the only way the movie comes and ever will come, then I see your point. If there's a choice and you're picking P&S, then I'd agree with your friend.

widescreen nazis are everyone, esp. on this board.

Of course given a choice, I'd opt with the whole movie. I'd love to see all of Godzilla! Of course with Toho's long standing reluctance to release over here, I'll take what I can get.

I think you mean educated movie watchers, right?

I'll watch a Godzilla movie anyway I can get it. Now that I have a widescreen TV, I would love to watch G on DVD. I wish Toho would release the new movie on region 1.

It's not just letterboxing anymore.. people 'round here want 4:3 movies and tv shows modified to widescreen.. see the sig. Widescreen is so trendy!!

KILL THE NON-BELIEVER!

But seriously, a lot of shows/movies are actually being filmed in widescreen, only to be presented in full screen. If something is filmed in full frame, then sure, I can understand that putting out a full frame release is the only way to do it (director's intension). But if something is filmed in widescreen, and is only released in full frame, then how is that right? The director's intension was for the film to be viewed in widescreen, not full frame. I have held off on buying some movies because of lack of a widescreen option (I had to give in with some of the Muppet movies... its the Muppets!).

So I guess it comes down to this: which is more important, the wishes of the director to show the movie the way he wanted or my viewing of a movie that would otherwise not be screened? If you can't have the one, than certainly the other is more desirable than nothing at all.

I'd rather not see a movie than compromise the OAR. Purchasing p&s dvds only helps to ensure more of them.

OAR only. OAR always. Even if it's 4:3 :rolleyes:

Not if it's about Buffy and OAR.. ;)


In anycase, Letterbox is not always the intended visual to watch.. thats why I go with OAR as my choice. I want to see it as it is intended to be seen.. if it's 4:3, 16:9 or whatever else. as long as it's the way it was suppose to be seen in.

Ditto

The only 4:3 DVD in my collection is Stephen King's The Stand, because it was filmed in 4:3 as an ABC mini-series. And I will only own other 4:3 DVDs if they were originally filmed in 4:3 and there isn't a quality matted widescreen version available.

There, I've said m'piece :)

Conversely, is not purchasing Pan and Scan discs dissuading the studios from making them? Judging by the continued stream of P&S, clearly it's not. I mean it's good to have conviction and principals, but if it's not having an effect then why cut off your enjoyment?

And what if it's not the studio's fault? In some instances, the widescreen masters no longer exist (such as the Mexican wrestling or old kung fu movies) or that it's at the request of the licensee (such as Toho and the Godzilla films). If it comes down to never EVER having these movies, why shut yourself out?

In the original 1954-75 Godzilla series; the first and second entries were academy ratio, while everything from KING KONG vs GODZILLA was 2:35 to 1 widescreen. Now that widescreen versions are available for most of them, I wouldn't want to go back to the cropped versions.

it's like this, if you don't mind non-oar then stick with VHS, the main reason I got into DVD was for OAR

But I wouldn't be able to enjoy them if they weren't in oar. I don't think my not buying them will dissuade the studios from putting out p&s discs. However, I think if we ALL didn't buy them, that would dissuade them.

I guess you dont own many old movies on dvd.

I think the whole Willy Wonka fiasco speaks for itself. Studios providing only one aspect ration because of "marketing trends". Kids movies tend to get released P&S and WW being a completely kids movie in the eyes of the studio makes me sick. The public spoke out and they did something about it. I agree with whomever said above, the best way to show the studios our disinterest is by not purchasing the P&S movies when available in Widescreen also.

It's about OAR, not the jump on everything Widescreen. I admit I enjoy seeing the bars on my movie as I'm watching on my 4:3 TV, because I know I'm watching it the way it was meant to be. But what really drives me nuts is something like the Vacation movies, A Christmas Story, and so on that are released not as they were in the theatre.

Ever notice how you are dying for movies like this in Widescreen, but aren't as strongly opposed as other movies because you've been watching them in P&S for the last 20 years on Cable? One of my friends was watching Back to School Widescreen. He said it felt funny.. didn't seem as humorous and turned the disc over and watched it in Full Frame. Guess it gave him that nostalgia Sat Afternoon on TNT feel. :)

I'm a casual Godzilla fan myself, but not so casual that I will accept modified aspect ratio releases. I made sure to get the Simitar widescreen discs awhile back, and I have not purchased any other Godzilla DVD that is not in widescreen.

Toho and Columbia Tristar are losing a lot of money on these, if you go to a Godzilla newsgroup or forum, there is constant discussion of multiregion DVDs or outright bootlegs to get the original uncut versions.

I see a purchase of a Pan and Scan DVD as a vote for more of the same.

So I can't buy even movies that I like in cropped P&S versions. If I'm patient, they'll get the hint and release it again in Widescreen.

In the meantime, there are a lot of other great films being released in OAR, 16:9 anamorphic, etc. I'll just watch those while I wait for studios like MGM to get their act together.

-- Jough

no, I meant what I said. This board is great. I'm 100% for OAR as well, but some ppl take it to extremes, esp. on this site. I call them Nazis cuz they wannaget rid of everything in 4:3 (some ppl are so pigheaded about "widescreen" that they complain about something not being in widescreen even if that's its OAR). Maybe Nazis is a bad term to use in this instance, but I hope you get my point.

It's good to educate about OAR, but to impose your beliefs on ppl and to call ppl stupid cuz they don't feel the same way as you is plain ignorance. People need to get off of their highhorse and stop thinking that they're better than others just cuz they know the difference between widescreen and full screen.

Ppl on this board always call ppl that buy full screen Joe 6 Pack and call him/her stupid. But fact is, 90+% of ppl on this board would never say that to someone's face cuz they have comfort in acting all big cuz they can attack ppl behind a computer and not have to face the consequences of gettin' the crap beat out of them, by "J6P" himself.

Of course I prefer OAR, but if full screen is the only version that one of my favorite movies is released on DVD, then I have no problem owning it and upgrading when and if a widescreen version gets released. I mean almost all movies on TV are in full screen and I have absolutely no problem watching those movies.

Exactly. I confess I have a couple of grainy WS VHS fansubs and I enjoy them a lot. I'd love to have proper versions of the G-films, something along the lines of ADV's current Gamera releases. Can't understand why Toho has to be so stubborn.


As for the whole WS debate, what the hell if some folks prefer P&S? I figure it's their loss if they prefer that version. I think a lot of the non-WS snobs are just worried that if P&S does well the studios will wimp out and start trying to release all their films in that format only. Mind you, I'd be worried too if there were any sign of it actually happening (except for rare cases like Willy Wonka).

Now that i've gotten used to WS, all I care about is that I can see the film or tv show the way it was shown onscreen originally. That means no P&S, and definally none of this 'cropping the top and bottom to make it LOOK WS' crap either.

And see, that's the kind of snobbery I mean. "Play our way or get the hell out of the pool". Little tolerance for someone who's willing to take whatever they can get instead of holding out for a pipe dream of a disc that may never come.

Of course the flip side of that is that I figure it's their loss if they choose "no movie at all" over "at least some movie". It all depends on your point of view.

Now, don't get me wrong - I think that choice is a good thing. Offering up both keeps everyone happy. And given a chance, 90 percent of the time I'll go wide (the other 10 percent is like watching subtitled foreign films over dubbed. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood for reading - and sometimes I'm not in the mood for bars).

I'd like to own Godzilla, but there are more than 200 movies on my want-list. I can wait for a version that gives me the whole movie.