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May 2000, Week 2

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Subject:
From:
Darryl Wiggers <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 11 May 2000 09:56:08 -0500
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>In the midst of this excellent discussion (many thanks for the fina
>examples), I've got a question: Does anyone know the actual origin of the
>term 'letterboxing"? How long has it been in use?

My recollection is that it first appeared around 1981-2 on the VHS version
of Woody Allen's Manhattan (released by UA), one of the first video
releases in this format. But the format didn't catch on ,and neither did
the term. Over the next 10 years the term, and format, was mostly limited
to laser disc releases. MGM/UA (merged after the Heaven's Gate disaster)
often used the phrase "Deluxe Letterbox" (even when releasing titles like
"Runaway Train," shot 1.33:1). 20th Century Fox prefered saying
"Widescreen." Warner Bros. used neither, usually printing a small print
explanation on the back of the packaging that the film was "matted" (sp).
Eventually the term "letterbox" began to gain favor in the mid-90s, when
more VHS titles were released in this format, but it still varied between
"Widesreen" and "Letterbox" depending on the distributor. I haven't
carefully studied the packaging of DVD releases but I still notice the term
"Widescreen" kicking around. I guess my question is, do certain companies
hold patents on these words, much like their "VistaVision" and
"Cinemascope"?

dw

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