DVD's in Letterbox is a form of censorship?

[maveric]

ONG! Where these people coming from?
http://dev.null.org/psychoceramics/archives/1997.02/msg00017.html

snip

"the process of censoring movies on broadcast
and cable tv and on videotape and laserdisk by blocking the
top and bottom of the tv screen with black bars that block portions of the
screen and prevent the movie viewer from being able to watch and enjoy the movie."

snip

" Who is against "letterboxing"?
Practically everybody, except a tiny handful of people--which
unfortunately includes some film makers, film critics, and their
followers. The public hates it, and won't watch it, buy it, rent it, etc.
People who accidentally get "letterboxed"

Pretty sad!

[xmas74]

1. I must be one of the followers.

I prefer letterbox on dvd, especially on older movies.

[arwalden]

2. Letterboxed Wilth ORIGINAL THEATRICAL Proportions...

... are infinitely better than cropped or pan-n-scan versions.

I happily group the "anti-letterbox" folks in the same category as the "chemtrail" kooks and the "nuclear detonation tsunami" wackos. :silly: :crazy:

MGM got into trouble awhile back by doing "fake" letterboxing on some of their movies. Rather than transferring the actual widescreen film to DVD, they simply added black bars at the bottom and top of their original VHS pan-n-scan versions.

They got caught!

[DS1]

3. Not letterboxed, betterboxed

full frame is for Brady-Bunch watching chumps

[Robb]

4. (sputter)

[DS1]

5. (hack)

[maveric]

6. Letterbox = The way the filmaker intended the film to be viewed!

They actually think that Letterbox hides certain things?
Fullscreen takes away the integrety of the film, IMHO!

[Redneck Socialist]

7. Whaaa?

Do these people know nothing?

:mad:

Wait, never mind. I know the answer to that one.

[GOPisEvil]

8. Are these people idiots? They're kidding me right?

:banghead:

[djeseru]

9. I abhor pan & scan.

What's with these people? :shrug:

[GOPisEvil]

10. Some people must like not getting the whole film as the director intended.

Yeah, give my 75% of the picture - that's enough for me. Morans!

[maveric]

12. A fundie co-worker stated that Letterbox shows subliminal satanic messages

My Letterbox version of "Big Fish" sold me on Satan! :sarcasm:

Americans are really getting STUPID!

[GOPisEvil]

14. Just intellectually lazy. They let other people think for them.

They get taken by shysters and religious con men.

[djeseru]

13. Some older films surprise me.

When I catch them in letterbox for the first time - wow! Look what I've been missing! :D

[Agony]

11. Heck thats what is going on?

Except I am having the "Pillar Boxing" type of censorship. Where everything on the Right and the Left is blacked out! Damn centrists taking over the country! Thanks be to God I read about this stuff on DU otherwise i'd be an ignoranus.

[leeroysphitz]

15. Strange. I insist on Letterbox when possible.

I'd MUCH rather see the entire film not just the center 3rd or so...

[TallahasseeGrannie]

16. I never even notice anymore

[NJmaverick]

17. The letter box or wide screen version of movies

Let you see the movie as the director intended. Depending on the method of used to make it full screen you could be losing 40% of the movie.

[maveric]

18. These idiots think that they are being robbed of something.

[Initech]

19. Apparently, these guys know nothing about cinema.

It's the same reason why we're getting flooded with so many bad remakes and sequels lately.

[EstimatedProphet]

20. When freepers watch movies...

These people are not aware that they are missing part of the movie without letterboxing, so they claim letterboxing censors a movie.

Attention: it's time for your 8:00 stupid.

[blondeatlast]

21. POSTING DATE: Wed, 19 Feb 97 23:26:38 -0800 '

The posters comments was ridiculous then, of course, but that "tiny handful of people" have certainly spoken their minds with their pocketbooks, and widescreen is the norm now.

[Redstone]

22. There are some people out there who REALLY need a hobby to

replace their obsession.

Redstone

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

23. My mom is one of those people.

She just will not believe me that that they're not chopping the top & bottom off. You have the black bars there so you get the whole picture and not the sides chopped off.

[hyphenate]

24. Actually, if anything, letterboxing

is the exact opposite of censorship!

Full screen DVDs actually are the ones that are edited to fit on a standard television set. Letterbox films retain their full movie screen appearance. It's not really called "letterbox" anymore, it's now "widescreen."

Some TV shows now shot in widescreen show more detail, are filmed like films and not TV shows, and are able to fit more into the frame. When converted to standard TV format, they are edited to include pan and scan and are otherwise edited out on both sides of the screen in order to fit it on. If you've ever seen credits run with very thin, tall characters, that's because they were created for the movie screen, and needed to be shoved together to show the credits on TV.

[frankenforpres]

25. this should replace the SAT

if you dont prefer letterboxing, you cant go to college, otherwise you're in.

[Presidentcokedupfratboy]

26. I always like letterboxing....

It gives you the whole shot instead of the partial view you get with "Pan and Scan."

Watch "Mr. Roberts" with Henry Fonda and Jack Lemmon in an unletterboxed version and you'll see why letterboxing is better.

[frankenforpres]

27. see, you are obviously

college material.


the searchers (john wayne) is pretty great with the wide screen too

[Presidentcokedupfratboy]

28. There is one scene in "Mr. Roberts"

Where Fonda and Lemmon are talking to each other on deck and all you see in the full screnn edition is the tips of their noses and a lot of ocean.

I don't remember too many other extreme distortions of a movie via fullscreen compared to letterbox, but letterbox is just better.

[Broken_Hero]

29. damn, and i love widescreen...

its how the director wants you to see the action, and how its suppose to be...and frankly, another thing i like...I watch tv late at night, and sometimes the sound wakes up my wife, and with subtitles, usually on widescreen, the subtitiles take up the black spaces, and don't blur onto the action....:)