In a message dated 6/8/00 11:19:10 AM, [log in to unmask] writes: <<I was wondering if anyone else has noticed that some films which claim to "preserve the original aspect ratio" intended by the director in some cases actually achieve their ratios by cropping the video image at the top and bottom. This is particularly annoying for those of us who are interested in seeing the film as it was shown in theatres. Two example that come to mind immediately are SCHINDLER'S LIST, where a comparison of both "letterbox" and full-screen versions clearly reveals that portions of the frame at top and bottom have been cropped in order to achieve the "letterbox" effect, and TAXI DRIVER [!!], where a similar comparison shows similar matting has taken place! I know that there are better battles to fight than this one, so I haven't done anything about it, but it has made me wary of buying "letterboxed" movies on VHS.>> I don't know about Taxi Driver since it was shot many years ago, but I do know that nowadays many directors are framing their films with the prior knowledge of both theatrical release and full-screen television. So the letterboxed version is what showed in original theatrical release and the full-screen version may not be the director's first preference but an acceptable one. I do know that Scorsese and Spielberg consider this. I have to say, that matting has been going on since the first days of wide screen film and almost all 1:1.66 and 1:1.85 films are matted and meant to be so. If not, you'd see a lot of mikes hanging down. These days, however, directors are preferring to create a version that would be acceptable in all ratios. If you ask most directors, they prefer the wide-screen, letterboxed version. "More" information on the screen, isn't always best. Dennis Doros Milestone Film & Video PO Box 128 Harrington Park, NJ 07640-0128 Phone: (201) 767-3117 or (800) 603-1104 Fax: (201) 767-3035 Email: [log in to unmask] Website: http://www.milestonefilms.com ---- Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite http://www.tcf.ua.edu/ScreenSite