Turner Classic Movies: Letterbox
Credibility score: 80/100 — Highly Credible. This video is highly credible with well-supported claims.
Claims analyzed
Most films past 50 years made in widescreen formats like 70mm, CinemaScope, Panavision — Verified (95/100)
Spot on — widescreen has dominated since the '50s to battle TV. Web context confirms 70mm, 'Scope, Panavision all real deals. ✅
Sources: Widescreen - Wikipedia, Aspect Ratio in Film From Past to Present | Film Editing Pro
Pan and scan crops sides of widescreen films to fit TV square format — Verified (100/100)
Nailed the definition — crops widescreen to 4:3 TV, losing sides. Classic relic of VHS era. Dead accurate. 📺✂️
Sources: Pan and Scan | Cinecyclopedia - WFCN, What is Pan and Scan? Full Frame vs. Widescreen Explained - StudioBinder
Ben-Hur chariot scene loses horses and stunt impact when panned and scanned — Solid (85/100)
Ben-Hur's Ultra Panavision 2.76:1 gets wrecked by pan/scan — only 2 horses visible? Brutal but true loss. 😬
Sources: The Ultra Panavision Wing 4 - American WideScreen Museum, Ben-Hur - Lost in the Movies
Pan and scan violates director's artistic composition like repainting a canvas — Opinion (50/100)
Painter analogy slaps — pan/scan is artistic vandalism. Passionate take, not wrong for cinephiles. 🎨🚫
Pan and scan Lawrence of Arabia loses the desert; David Lean spent two years making it — Verified (95/100)
Spot on — Lawrence's Super Panavision 70 deserts are gutted by pan-and-scan. Lean did take ~2 years. Nailed it.
Sources: Why Lawrence of Arabia Still Looks Like a Billion Bucks - Wolfcrow, Lawrence of Arabia | Plot, Cast, Awards, & Facts | Britannica
Seven Brides choreography composed for widescreen to develop character/story — Verified (92/100)
Dead right — CinemaScope dances lose punch when cropped. Choreo built for that wide frame.
Sources: The Barn-Raising Dance in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers: Barnraising Dance - The Craft & Art of Physical Comedy
Pan and scan crops like seeing only six disciples at Last Supper — Opinion (75/100)
Sharp analogy — captures how pan-scan axes half the frame's context/reactions. Preaches to the choir.
Sources: Pan and scan - Wikipedia, Frame By Frame: Pan and Scan - YouTube
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