True, and sad.

Still, the list is there to warn folks up-front how a film SHOULD look on TV. And if it doesn't look that way, they can make an informed choice whether they want to watch it in the compromised fashion provided by broadcasters.

Happy Feet and Warrior were both OAR, interesting that the WB films on Channel 5 so far have been OAR. Wonder if Polar Express will be OAR?

If rights to THE POLAR EXPRESS have switched to C5, then it might conceivably be screened OAR. But if upcoming screenings are on the ITV platform, forget it. Better still, rent the 3-D Blu-ray.

BATTLE CRY cropped to buggery on BBC 2 over the weekend - the film has been shown OAR on the C4 platform several times. Meanwhile, THE BURNING HILLS was OAR on 5 USA - can't recall if it's been shown that way before.

On my monitor this page has now become pan and scan with a long blue masked stripe down the right hand side.

Yep, not a fan. Gawd just like the AVforums rebrand, totally pointless, and whats with the over whitespaced top banner! Don't know why we bother with widescreen monitors when with the format you seem to be reading it in 4:3

<On my monitor this page has now become pan and scan with a long blue masked stripe down the right hand side.>

Just teething problems. This will go away within a couple of days. I hope.

One I missed in the relevant Friday listing: THE STAR CHAMBER, which played twice on True Entertainment yesterday (Monday). Rated 15 by the BBFC, mainly for strong language, the afternoon version on TE was rated PG and contained some VERY up-front PG-level swear words ("Shee-yitt!" being the most common). Dunno if the 9pm screening was 15 and uncut, though. Both versions cropped to 16:9, letterboxed within a 4:3 frame (TE broadcasts in 4:3 only).

STILL with the black bar down the side, obscuring everything in its path?!!

Sort it out, DS...

Despite ongoing problems with the site, I hope everyone can still see the following list in a way that makes it useful. Let me know otherwise!

(Unless otherwise indicated, all films in the following list were projected at 2.35:1 prior to 1971, and at 2.39:1 thereafter)

* = May not be screened in all areas (check your local listings).

Scope movies across the Freeview platform for the coming week (7 - 13 December):


Saturday (7 December)

• Anna and the King (Film 4)
• Bride & Prejudice (Film 4)
• Catwoman (5*)
• The Devil's Brigade (5 USA)
• The Fast and the Furious (Dave)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (ITV 1)
• The Last Mimzy (Film 4)
• Monsters (Film 4)
• Neds (C4)
• Scarface (ITV 4)
• Small Soldiers (ITV 2)
• Unknown (C4)
• Vantage Point (5*)
• Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Film 4)


Sunday (8 December)

• 1941 (Movie Mix)
• The Boat That Rocked (ITV 4)
• Catwoman (5*)
• City of Ember (C4)
• The Good Shepherd (BBC 1)
• The Goonies (C5)
• Hanna (C4)
• Kiss the Girls (Film 4)
• A Knight's Tale (E4)
• Mission Impossible (Film 4)
• Pearl Harbor (C5)
• The Perfect Storm (ITV 2)
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Film 4)
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Film 4)


Monday (9 December)

• Battle Los Angeles (Film 4)
• Entrapment (5*)
• Hoffa (Movie Mix)
• Letters to Juliet (Film 4)
• Men of Honor (Movie Mix)
• Monsieur Lazhar (C4)
• Public Enemies (ITV 1)*
• Taken (More 4)
• Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew From London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (Film 4) [Todd-AO] [2.21:1]


Tuesday (10 December)

• Damn the Defiant! [HMS Defiant] (More 4)
• The Electric Horseman (Film 4)
• The Exorcism of Emily Rose (5*)
• Judge Dredd (5 USA)
• The Painted Veil (BBC 1)
• The Tall Stranger (Film 4)
• A Town Called Panic [Panique au Village] (Film 4)
• Transporter 3 [Le Transporteur 3] (Film 4)
• Tyrannosaur (C4)
• X-Men: The Last Stand (Film 4)


Wednesday (11 December)

• 16 Blocks (C5)
• Christmas in the Clouds (Movie Mix)
• Dear John (E4)
• Great Expectations (Movie Mix)
• Incendiary (C4)
• Insidious (Film 4)
• The Kingdom (ITV 1)*
• Oranges and Sunshine (BBC 1)
• The Riddle of the Sands (Film 4)
• The Rock (5*)
• Romancing the Stone (Film 4)
• Rooster Cogburn (Film 4)


Thursday (12 December)

• American Pie: The Wedding [American Wedding] (ITV 2)
• The Boat That Rocked (ITV 4)
• The Dilemma (Film 4)
• Kung Fu Panda (BBC 3)
• Lethal Weapon 4 (5*)
• Mission Impossible (Film 4)
• Noel (5*)
• Oldboy [올드보이] (Film 4)
• The Sons of Katie Elder (Film 4)


Friday (13 December)

• Christmas in the Clouds (Movie Mix)
• The Cowboys (More 4)
• Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame [狄仁傑之通天帝國] (Film 4)
• The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (ITV 1)*
• The Game (ITV 4)
• Hostage (Film 4)
• The Hunt for Red October (Film 4)
• Inglourious Basterds (Film 4)
• The Last Castle (BBC 1)
• Max Payne (E4)
• Men of Honor (Movie Mix)
• The Pledge (ITV 1)*
• Rush Hour 2 (5*)
• Scarface (ITV 4)
• Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew From London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (Film 4) [Todd-AO] [2.21:1]

Interesting to see THE JONESES cropped/reframed to 16:9 on Channel 4 last night. Very unusual for this particular platform.

I take it other people on these forums are complaining about the black bar down the side and are demanding an explanation and/or resolution? This really should have been sorted out by now.

Back on topic: Screened last night - but not billed in the Radio Times - was British SF thriller SHANK, cropped to buggery from the original anamorphic frame. If I recall correctly, the DVD is exactly the same.

PE was 16:9 on ITV, while HF was OAR. On that showing, I'd say PE will be 16:9. Then again, while Lord of War was open-matte to 16:9 on BBC1, it was OAR on its first C5 screening a few months back.


I hate that banner at the top. Depending on where I am, I sometimes have to read the site in a smallish window for a browser, so half the screen is taken up by the banner and as I move the mouse around, it ends up catching it and filling the screen with crap I don't need. I have to move away somehow to get rid of the bloody thing. Has anyone started a thread about this on here?

I missed ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS from last Friday's listings - it played OAR on BBC 4 last night.

I no longer maintain a dedicated, updated scope listing but am currently working on a much bigger listing (not scope-fixated) which should prevent such omissions in the future. Until then, I'll always post updates for whatever mistakes/omissions creep into the listings.

Mind you, I'm beginning to wonder if that sodding black bar is now a permanent feature (it disappears when I shrink the page - BUT I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO!!), in which case I may stop posting here altogether. Has ANYBODY got any news on this? Are they complaining elsewhere on the forum?

It would appear the black bar has gone. Is this the same for everyone else? I was about to announce that I would suspend posting altogether until it was resolved, but here we are...

No black bar here, just blank space to either side.

THE PAINTED VEIL was, on the evidence of Iplayer, in 16:9 on BBC1 last night. As the film (which I haven't seen) was I believe shot anamorphically that means it was cropped.

I half thought of watching it, but I'll just rent the DVD instead. I presume that's OAR?

Apparently not. I tracked down a review of the UK DVD at myreviewer.com (via DVD-Basen) and that says it's 1.78:1. This was corroborated by a posting on the forums over at Amazon UK, so it seems you're out of luck. US DVD versions are OAR.

(Unless otherwise indicated, all films in the following list were projected at 2.35:1 prior to 1971, and at 2.39:1 thereafter)

* = May not be screened in all areas (check your local listings).

Scope and 3-D movies across the Freeview platform for the coming week (14 - 20 December):


Saturday (14 December)

• Age of Heroes (ITV 4)
• The Appaloosa (ITV 4)
• Charlie's Angels (5*)
• Clear and Present Danger (C4)
• Cleopatra (Film 4) [Todd-AO] [2.21:1]
• Die Hard (E4)
• Fracture (Film 4)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (ITV 1)
• Never Been Kissed (E4)
• Operation Crossbow (5 USA)
• The Perfect Storm (ITV 2)
• Shout at the Devil (BBC 2)
• Tron (BBC 2) [Super Panavision 70] [2.21:1]
• Tron: Legacy (BBC 2) [partial 3-D]
• Where Eagles Dare (ITV 4)


Sunday (15 December)

• 2 Fast 2 Furious (ITV 2)
• Around the World in 80 Days (BBC 2) [Todd-AO] [2.21:1]
• Battle Los Angeles (Film 4)
• Dear John (E4)
• The Duchess (BBC 2)
• Fred Claus (C4)
• The Game (ITV 4)
• Ghost Rider (C5)
• Gunfight at Comanche Creek (5 USA)
• Made of Honor (5*)
• Men of Honor (Movie Mix)
• The Polar Express (C5) [IMAX DMR 3-D]
• Romancing the Stone (Film 4)
• Step Up 3 [Step Up 3D] (Film 4) [3-D] [1.85:1]
• Your Highness (C4)


Monday (16 December)

• Cliffhanger (ITV 1)*
• The Cowboys (More 4)
• The Electric Horseman (Film 4)
• Great Expectations (Movie Mix)
• Journey to the Center of the Earth (Film 4)
• Lethal Weapon 4 (5*)
• Rat Race (Film 4)
• Tora! Tora! Tora! (Film 4)
• Wedding Crashers (Film 4)


Tuesday (17 December)

• Age of Heroes (ITV 4)
• American Pie: The Wedding [American Wedding] (ITV 2)
• The Banger Sisters (Movie Mix)
• Bulletproof (5*)
• Earthquake (Film 4)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (ITV 1)
• Hitch (5*)
• On Deadly Ground (5 USA)
• The Ordeal [Calvaire] (Film 4)
• Rooster Cogburn (Film 4)
• The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (Film 4)
• Zoolander (Film 4)


Wednesday (18 December)

• The Banger Sisters (Movie Mix)
• Black Death (BBC 1)
• A Field in England (C4)
• The Goonies (5*)
• The Hunt for Red October (Film 4)
• Inglourious Basterds (More 4)
• Journey to the Center of the Earth (Film 4)
• Kung Fu Panda (BBC 3)
• Pillow Talk (More 4)
• Smokin' Aces (ITV 1)*
• The Sons of Katie Elder (Film 4)
• Spartacus (ITV 1) [Super Technirama 70] [2.21:1]*
• Star Trek (Film 4)
• Step Brothers (5*)
• St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold (E4)
• Training Day (ITV 4)


Thursday (19 December)

• Christmas in the Clouds (Movie Mix)
• I Know What You Did Last Summer (Movie Mix)
• Max Payne (E4)
• The Robe (More 4) [2.55:1]
• The Social Network (Film 4)
• Step Up 3 [Step Up 3D] (Film 4) [3-D] [1.85:1]
• Where Eagles Dare (ITV 4)
• Whiteout (Film 4)


Friday (20 December)

• 2 Fast 2 Furious (ITV 2)
• Barney's Version (C4)
• Christmas in the Clouds (Movie Mix)
• Cleopatra (Film 4) [Todd-AO] [2.21:1]
• Die Hard (E4)
• Eraser (C5)
• The Fighter (Film 4)
• The Importance of Being Earnest (BBC 2)
• The Iron Giant (ITV 2)
• Law Abiding Citizen (More 4)
• Paul (Film 4)
• Swordfish (5*)
• Tamara Drewe (BBC 2)
• Tora! Tora! Tora! (Film 4)
• Virus (BBC 1)

A tale of two halves on BBC 2 last night: TRON screened at a fair approximation of the original Super Panavision 70 dimensions (not a substitute for seeing it on the big screen in 70mm, but still...), while TRON: LEGACY went out cropped/reframed to 16:9, compounding the lack of 3-D.

Meanwhile, AGE OF HEROES premiered OAR on ITV 4.

Oh, and before I forget: Here's one I missed from Friday's list: METRO, buried away on BBC 3 late Sunday night (actually, Monday morning). Probably cropped, but we live in hope...

Tron: Legacy was "vertically enhanced" for IMAX, so 40 minutes of it was correct and the rest was reformatted/cropped.

that's what i was thinking too, still looks beautiful, and if you get the chance to view it through the VLC media player and crop it to 2.39x1 ..... the IMAX stuff still looks great

pity about the crappy end titles edit and shortened, least the music was synched!

I have it on double play DVD and Blu-ray, in correct switching aspect ratio and 7.1 audio...

I do believe that was the first terrestrial outing for an OAR version of AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS* yesterday, framed at around 2.21:1, as per the original. There was a real sense of the filmmakers exploring the full use of the 70mm frame, and taking advantage of the curved screen to make some E-X-T-R-E-M-E-L-Y W-I-I-I-D-E compositions. I especially liked the transition from tiny 35mm Academy ratio at the beginning (we get what looks like the full version of a Melies short) to the huge screen. Even on TV, you could see how it would have caused a sensation in 1956.

*Not Around the World in 80 Days, as it appears in my listing. That's how the 2004 remake is rendered on-screen, not the original film.

Can I ask if that's the 3-D version?

I was wondering what was happening with Tron: Legacy. I've only seen it in 'regular' 3D before that, and I saw the first 45 mins and realised some of it was opened up. Since the Disney logo was 16:9 and the opening titles were 2.35:1, I wondered if it would switch throughout.

I only have the standard 2D version. Both the included DVD and BD switch aspect ratios.

An odd thing I noticed about the film: The on-screen title at the beginning is TRON, while TRON: LEGACY doesn't appear until the end. Makes it extra-difficult for the obsessives amongst us (er, that'll be me, then!!) to determine what the title actually IS. It's easy to say T:L appears on-screen and is supported by all the advertising for the film, but why on earth call it TRON right at the beginning?

By contrast, it's much easier for something like JASON LIVES: FRIDAY THE 13th PART VI, because that's the title as it appears at the beginning, whereas the end titles call it Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Apart from the switcharound, both titles are essentially the same, and it's the one in the opening titles which takes precedence. The issue with T:L is much less certain.

Discuss.