Wide Screen TV/Movies - whats the point?
By coffeebreak
@coffeebreak (17797)
United States
September 7, 2008 2:28pm CST
DVD's are all coming out in wide screen, and I have seen TV movies with wide screen and just don't get the purpose. I know they make the actual tv screens now short and wide to accomodate the wide screen shooting of the movie, but now it is so often, it is really annoying to me.
Right now, I am watching my favorite Elvis movie - Viva Las Vegas and it is in wide screen view on my regular tv. So first I have this large black area at the top and bottom of my screen - not much left for the movie to be viewed in. I see the actors from the knee up and bit of their head/hair is cut off but boy the periphial view is abundant.
What I am saying is that they have scrunched the screen to narrow and wide - you see left and right just fine, but that is all background stuff. If you want to see the actors/characters - you get partial views - knee to head only. HEre is this guy sitting in the audience of the show and all you see is his hands and head -- hands, not elbows, just hands clapping in front of his face with partial bodies to the side.
HEre is Elvis singing and dancing and they show waist to head and hair is just ever so slightly below the screen cut off - if he moves right, his hair is even cut off. Haven't seen his foot work at all. it is literally just waist and up...would have been great on the Ed SUllivan show when everyone complained about his girations below the waist, but now - - it looks stupid to just see waist to head!
I'd almost rather not watch it since all I see are heads. There's alot more to a movie than just the heads and left/right scenery!
Wide Screen!?? WHY?????????
1 person likes this
3 responses
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
8 Sep 08
Yeah, that and high def, too, where you can see every wart! Maybe we don't need to see every scar line from the actor's cosmetic surgery. Maybe what we need is content. As for the wide screen, well then you need a wide living room to accommodate it. I don't want to have to buy a TV so big there is no room left for the people.
Nopers, you can't watch a wide screen DVD in comfort unless you have a widescreen TV. They call it progress. We might have another name for it, eh?
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
8 Sep 08
You bet I have another name for it! Just cause it is new and inventive, doesn't mean it is progress!!! And yeah, I have no intention of taking up the entire wall in my living room with a tv screen mounted on it and then just be 6 feet from the screen - talk about in your face!!
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
7 Sep 08
But you miss so much of what it going on! I mean, when it is focused on just the middle section - what about the top and bottom!!!! IF all you see is the face, looking at just a head shot - just isn't much to notice...I'd rather just turn it off.
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
9 Sep 08
Wow that's odd. When I see a wide screen movie , I get to see everything and all of the characters.I like wide screen because you get to see everything the director intended, all of the main characters and the all of the background.There is a scene in Carman Jones where you can only hear three of the 5 characters if you see it on a regular screen. but in wide screen, you get to see all 5 characters and the background.Another scene that needs a wide screen is the airplane ride in Out Of Africa.It is such a vast, beautiful scene it needs a wide screen
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
9 Sep 08
When I saw a wide screen film, I got see all of the character's features.
@coffeebreak (17797)
• United States
9 Sep 08
YOu see the characters but only half their body unless they are off in the distance. LIke this Elvis movie the other day... never saw his feet in a dance scene - saw nothing below the waist. But a distant scene of Ann Margaret showed her entirely, but it was at a distance. Elvis was closer - I'd rather see the whole body close up than the whole body at a distance or partial body close up. Yes you see more scenery with wide screen and that is nice, but it is really annoying to have to see partial bodies, even with their heads/hair cut off sometimes!
1 person likes this
