As expected, the BBC 4 version of THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE was cropped to something around 2.00:1, as per Arrow's recent DVD and Blu-ray edition. This was at the behest of the film's idiot DP, Vittorio Storaro, who favours this ratio and has applied it retrospectively on virtually all his films for home video, regardless of whether they were framed that way at the time (which TBWTCP certainly wasn't).

Anyway, onto this week's BR releases:

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


Scope and 3-D films released on UK Blu-ray (12 - 18 November):

• 10,000 BC (2008)
• 300 (2007)
• Blade Runner (1982) [Panavision]
• Clash of the Titans (2010) [Panavision and 3-D]
• Excision (2012)
• Ferrari Ki Sawaari [फेरारी की सवारी] (2012)
• Heat (1995) [Panavision]
• I Am Legend (2007) [Panavision / Super 35]
• Inception (2010) [Panavision / Super Panavision 70]
• The Last Samurai (2003) [Panavision]
• Lawrence of Arabia (1962) [Super Panavision 70] [2.21:1]
• The Man Who Never Was (1955) [CinemaScope] [2.55:1]
• The Matrix (1999)
• Mission Impossible (1996) [Panavision]
• Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) [Panavision / IMAX] [2.39:1 - 1.44:1]
• Mission: Impossible III (2006) [Panavision]
• Mission: Impossible II (2000) [Panavision]
• Se7en (1995)
• Troy (2004)


Scope and 3-D films released on US Blu-ray (13 - 19 November):

• 16 Blocks (2006)
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) [Super Panavision 70] [2.21:1]
• Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
• Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
• The Barbarian and the Geisha (1958) [CinemaScope]
• The Big Trail (1930) [Grandeur] [2.13:1]
• Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) [Panavision]
• Brave (2012) [CGI and 3-D]
• Going the Distance (2010)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I (2010)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II (2011) [3-D]
• Hostel (2005)
• Hostel Part II (2006)
• Hurry Sundown (1966) [Panavision]
• The Last Boy Scout (1991) [Panavision]
• Last Man Standing (1996)
• Lawrence of Arabia (1962) [Super Panavision 70] [2.21:1]
• The Lost Boys (1987) [Panavision]
• Lost Boys: The Thirst (2010)
• Lost Boys: The Tribe (2008)
• Natural Selection (2011)
• Ocean's Eleven (2001)
• Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
• Ocean's Twelve (2004)
• Painted Skin: The Resurrection [畫皮II] (2012) [3-D]
• Return to House on Haunted Hill (2007)
• Savages (2012) [Panavision]
• Skidoo (1968) [Panavision]
• Superman (1978) [Panavision]
• Superman Returns (2006) [IMAX DMR 3-D (partly)]
• Superman II (1980) [Panavision]
• True Romance (1993) [Panavision]
• A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011) [3-D]
• The Watch (2012)
• Watchmen (2009)

it would not surprise me if directors are told to make their films compliant for 16:9 broadcasts when they receive equity from broadcasters (ie BBC Films), anything shown in scope is just dead space at the edges. the director has the option to make his film work or destroy it in all formats.

no matter how wide televisions get, television will be broadcast in 16:9 for the forseeable future. could have something to do all that funding the EEC/EU threw at broadcasters to help stimulate television sales for the likes of Phillips and Grundig at the tail end of the 1980s and early 1990s.

He left THE CONFORMIST alone - but not even Storaro would crop a 1.66:1 film to 2:1. Considering how influential that film has been on a generation of DPs and directors, there would have been a major uproar if he had.


I think that's very feasible, though doesn't explain the recent mini-trend of shooting TV material in wider ratios - anything up to 2.35:1. Admittedly some of these (e.g. episodes 2 and 3 of RED RIDING) were available for cinema release overseas, but some (like the 50-minute-long WHISTLE AND I'LL COME TO YOU or the 10-part miniseries BORGEN) very likely weren't.

Re Bird with Crystal Plumage when the Horror Channel screened it I'm sure it was 2:35:1, it was also the dubbed version which to me made more sense as both the leads spoke English.

Didn't catch Valkyrie last night but what ratio was it and what is meant to be? I assume it isn't 2.35.1 or it would have been listed,

That one's 1.85:1. I saw it at the flicks at the time of its original release and am surprised it took this long to make its terrestrial bow. Well, it's not THAT long, to be honest, but I wouldn't want to wait that long for a bus...

That guy really is as clueless as the day is long


And The Song of Lunch, and Secret State. Loved TSOL, but I felt SS really suffered from '10 mins of drama, ad break, and repeat'


I really enjoyed that when I first saw it. Total nonsense, of course.

SALVAGE premiered on BBC 1 at the 2.39:1 ratio last night, which came as something of a surprise to me. I'd seen it on DVD, a few months back, cropped/reframed to 1.78:1. But because I didn't know it was supposed to be scope, and because the compositions were so 'loose' and ungainly, it made no difference to the overall dynamic. That's true of so many 'scope' films these days - you could screen 'em at ANY ratio, and they'd come out looking no different, regardless of how you saw it.

Anyways, all that aside, the film was clearly intended to be seen at 2.39:1, even if it makes very little difference to the visual aesthetic.

D'oh, missed this. Have set a reminder so I see it next time. Neve McIntosh....

I've found a few torrents of it, but they quote a 16:9 ratio

(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 (17 - 23 November):


Saturday (17 November)

• Awake (5*)
• Brannigan (C5) [Panavision]
• Cradle 2 the Grave (5 USA)
• The Crazies (C4)
• The Day After Tomorrow (Film 4)
• DragonHeart (ITV 2) [Panavision]
• Fast & Furious (ITV 1)
• Firefox (ITV 4) [Panavision]
• Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan - Lord of the Apes (C5)
• Hush (Film 4)
• Into the Blue (5*)
• Lonely Are the Brave (ITV 4) [Panavision]
• Midway (ITV 4) [Panavision]
• Miracle (BBC 2)
• The Portrait of a Lady (ITV 3)
• Shooter (E4) [Panavision]
• The Train Robbers (C5) [Panavision]
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (C4) [Panavision / IMAX] [2.39:1 - 1.44:1]


Sunday (18 November)

• After the Sunset (Film 4)
• Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (C5)
• "Crocodile" Dundee [Crocodile Dundee] (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Krull (5*) [Panavision]
• Midway (ITV 4) [Panavision]
• Patriot Games (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Sands of the Kalahari (5 USA) [Panavision]
• Star Trek: First Contact (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Stealth (C5) [Panavision]
• Unforgiven (C5) [Panavision]
• Watchmen (C4)


Monday (19 November)

• The Contract (C5)
• A Few Good Men (C5) [Panavision]
• The Fifth Element [Le Cinquième Élément] (5*)
• Moonfleet (C4) [CinemaScope] [2.55:1]
• Runaway Bride (Film 4)
• Seraphim Falls (BBC 1) [Panavision]


Tuesday (20 November)

• The Badlanders (Film 4) [CinemaScope]
• Dear John (Film 4)
• Firefox (ITV 4) [Panavision]
• Judge Dredd (5 USA) [Panavision]
• Max Payne (Film 4)
• The Outrage (Film 4) [Panavision]


Wednesday (21 November)

• Battle Cry (Film 4) [CinemaScope] [2.55:1]
• Chinatown (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Hostel Part II (5*)
• Love Me or Leave Me (Film 4) [CinemaScope] [2.55:1]
• Shank (BBC 1) [HD]
• Sleuth (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Street Kings (Film 4)
• The Transporter [Le Transporteur] (C5)


Thursday (22 November)

• The Departed (Film 4)
• The Devil's Advocate (ITV 2) [Panavision]


Friday (23 November)

• Accepted (ITV 1)*
• The Day After Tomorrow (Film 4)
• Jar City [Mýrin] (BBC 2)
• Patriot Games (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Shooter (E4) [Panavision]
• The Skeleton Key (ITV 1) [Panavision]*
• Spider-Man 2 (5*)
• Star Trek: First Contact (Film 4) [Panavision]

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


Scope and 3-D films released on UK Blu-ray (19 - 25 November):

• Arthur Christmas (2011) [3-D] [1.85:1]
• Blade Runner (1982) [Panavision]
• Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
• Gladiator (2000)
• Jaws (1975) [Panavision]
• King Kong (2005)
• The Lorax (2012) [3-D] [1.85:1]
• Mamma Mia! (2008) [Panavision]
• The Penguin King [The Bachelor King] (2011) [3-D] [1.85:1]
• Short Circuit (1986) [Panavision]
• Spartacus (1960) [Super Technirama 70] [2.21:1]
• Tangled (2010) [3-D] [1.85:1]
• Tron: Legacy (2010) [Fusion 3-D partly]


Scope and 3-D films released on US Blu-ray (20 - 26 November):

• Death Proof (2007)
• The Expendables 2 (2012)
• Heaven's Gate (1980) [Panavision]
• Inglourious Basterds (2009) [Panavision]
• Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
• Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
• Pulp Fiction (1994) [Panavision]
• Reservoir Dogs (1991)
• True Romance (1993) [Panavision]

Sept 3rd, surely?

If I remember correctly, Amazon lists this as a special edition ('digibook' or something, whatever that means!). It's just another way of repackaging the material and shifting a few extra copies. Not that such a high profile title actually NEEDS help, since the initial BR release has probably done just fine. There are a number of other films at Amazon which have been repackaged in the same way this week, most of them 1.85:1 or some other 'narrow' ratio.

Ta. Just found it. The 100th Anniversary thing.

Shank looks badly cropped to 16:9.

Horrendously cropped. I'm told the film was shot with HD cameras equipped to 'squeeze' a 2.37:1 image into the 1.78:1 frame, to be 'unsqueezed' in post and transferred to digital and 35mm for 2.39:1 projection, but the anamorphic artifacts in the image were so extreme (deliberately so, I think) that the film may have been shot with 'regular' HD cameras equipped with anamorphic lenses.

Either way, what the BBC transmitted was a travesty.

(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 (24 - 30 November):


Saturday (24 November)

• Anzio (5 USA) [Panavision]
• "Crocodile" Dundee [Crocodile Dundee] (Film 4) [Panavision]
• The Hole (Film 4)
• Judge Dredd (5 USA) [Panavision]
• Micmacs [Micmacs à Tire-Larigot] (C4)
• The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (ITV 1)
• A Perfect Getaway (5*)
• The Professionals (More 4) [Panavision]
• Runaway Bride (Film 4)
• Sorority Row (E4)
• Spider-Man 2 (5*)
• Vanity Fair (ITV 3)


Sunday (25 November)

• Chief Crazy Horse (5 USA) [CinemaScope] [2.55:1]
• "Crocodile" Dundee II (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Dear John (Film 4)
• Dirty Harry (C5) [Panavision]
• Don't Say a Word (Film 4)
• Down With Love (C4) [Panavision]
• Even the Rain [También la Lluvia] (BBC 4)
• Fred Claus (C4)
• Jaws (ITV 4) [Panavision]
• The Outrage (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Superman (C5) [Panavision]
• The Way We Were (BBC 2) [Panavision]
• X-Men: The Last Stand (E4)


Monday (26 November)

• Brick Lane (Film 4)
• The Bone Collector (5*)
• Broken Lance (C4) [CinemaScope] [2.55:1]
• Max Payne (Film 4)
• Ocean's Thirteen (ITV 2)
• The Patriot (C5)
• The Phantom of the Opera (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Rooster Cogburn (Film 4) [Panavision]


Tuesday (27 November)

• Bad Day at Black Rock (More 4) [CinemaScope] [2.55:1]
• The Barbarian and the Geisha (Film 4) [CinemaScope]
• Battle Cry (Film 4) [CinemaScope] [2.55:1]
• Dark Blue (5 USA)
• Days of Thunder (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Mad Money (Film 4)
• The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (Film 4)
• Tora! Tora! Tora! (Film 4) [Panavision]


Wednesday (28 November)

• The Departed (Film 4)
• The Devil's Advocate (ITV 2) [Panavision]
• Eraser (C5) [Panavision]
• The Ghost and the Darkness (BBC 1) [Panavision]
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (ITV 1)*
• Punch-Drunk Love (Film 4) [Panavision]


Thursday (29 November)

• Cellular (E4)
• Hitman (Film 4)
• Jaws (ITV 4) [Panavision]
• Kill List (Film 4)
• Pineapple Express (C5)
• Star Trek: Insurrection (Film 4) [Panavision]


Friday (30 November)

• Creep (Film 4)
• "Crocodile" Dundee II (Film 4) [Panavision]
• Deep Blue Sea (ITV 1)*
• Ghost Busters (5*) [Panavision]
• Heat (Film 4) [Panavision]
• The Italian Job (More 4) [Panavision]
• The Keep (Film 4) [J-D-C Scope]
• Mad Max 2 (ITV 1) [Panavision]*
• Never So Few (Film 4) [Panavision]
• The Professionals (More 4) [Panavision]
• Sorority Row (E4)
• Tora! Tora! Tora! (Film 4) [Panavision]
• X-Men: The Last Stand (E4)

• Anzio (5 USA) [Panavision] - shown 16:9, just amazed it wasn't 4:3!

And MICMACS shoved to the top of the screen in a manner I find HUGELY distracting and unnecessary (those who've followed my ravings over the years will be familiar with my objections!), with a different font than usual for the subtitles. This leads me to suspect than some company not associated with C4 prepared the version they broadcast, which I stopped watching as soon as I realised where they'd placed the frame.

Ugh, I hate it when they do that too. It just looks really odd

Why was BBC showing a terrible 4:3 print of Dawn of the Dead last night?

And it looked pretty grotty, too! I know it's a low budget film, but still...

I didn't watch all of it, but did my ears deceive me? Were they showing the European cut prepared by Dario Argento, with music by Goblin (famous for SUSPIRIA, etc.)? It's ages since I've seen the film, so I couldn't be sure.

If I remember correctly the Argento print of Dawn does not contain the zombie walking into the helicopter blade resulting in a head slicing

Last nights DotD was the 137 minute edit which is the one they've had for years now, the Argento "continental" edit is about 120 mins.

I didn't really watch enough to work out which version it was, it does look as if a decent widescreen print hasn't been around for too long though, I could have sworn I have seen a widescreen version on TV though?