I've been a fan of widescreen since LaserDiscs. It remains true the director's original vision. People get it backwards quite often thinking that the full screen version is the version with all the information and the widescreen just puts "black bars" at the top and bottom CUTTING OFF information that was in the full screen version. By now in this thread you should get the idea that this is completely backwards. Movies are first released in a movie theater. You don't see those screens in a 4:3 format do you? The change to the 16:9 tvs is brilliant in my mind. Now everything will have continuity from the big screen to the small screen.
I live in a smaller town, and besides getting out of town or ordering over the internet, Wal-Mart is about all the DVD shopping option I have. Their policy is, at least in my area when a movie is first released, to have it available in both formats (full screen and widescreen). After a certain amount they only provide full screen. Almost all their movies are in full screen and it drives me mad!
Here's the thing I tell people now. Sure, your full screen version fills the whole screen of your tv. None of those "nasty annoying black bars" (using their words, certainly not mine). BUT, 5 years from now when all you can buy is a 16:9 ratio tv...all those people who ONLY wanted full screen version will be the ones with the black bars. Only theirs will be on the sides of the screen. FINALLY...JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED!
Maybe then Wal-Mart will phase out the full screens and just leave the widescreens. I will cherish the day.
