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.

Cheers,

Marty Fairbairn
Guelph, Ontario
CANADA

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