# Which movies should NEVER be shown in pan and scan? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 16, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626 "2003-08-16T18:58:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626/41 "2011-02-26T22:46:16Z")
_The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly_ was mentioned upthread (many moons ago)-well AMC showed it last week in HD, and, while it had a typical HD ratio (my TV has 720p), that still wasn’t quite sufficient to show all 3 gunfighters in the final showdown in the cemetery. I mean what’s the point of only going halfway on that? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626/42 "2011-02-26T22:52:41Z")
Wow, that was weird reading this thread and finding my post from 7 1/2 years ago. Good news: I agree with myself. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626/43 "2011-02-26T22:53:15Z")
> [@](#): > > But the shorter answer is two words: Ben Hur, specifically the chariot race. In its original aspect ratio, it’s magnificent; in pan-and-scan, it’s totally incomprehensible. I once saw _Ben Hur_ on TV, and before the movie itself started, the host came on and did a brief blurb about how it was originally shot in widescreen, but that wouldn’t fit on a TV, but it’d be almost sacrilegious to do that to the chariot scene, so they’d be letterboxing for that part to fit everything on. Then, three hours later when they’re actually showing the chariot scene, _it’s still pan-and-scan_. Huh? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626/44 "2011-02-27T00:09:03Z")
No movie should ever be shown in pan and scan, ever. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626/45 "2011-02-27T00:40:44Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > No movie should ever be shown in pan and scan, ever. Just 8 years after someone else said it! Good timing! ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626/46 "2011-02-27T01:24:49Z")
> [@Short\_Guy](#): > > Absolutely. Who would watch Ran in Pan and Scan? Dr. Seuss? I think I can; I think I can Watch ‘Ran’ In Pan and Scan, My man. Would you ban Pan and Scan after watching ‘Ran’, Dan? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626/47 "2011-02-27T03:35:15Z")
Okay, zombie, but how can only one person have answered _Lawrence of Arabia?_ ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626/48 "2011-02-27T03:44:32Z")
I came in here to mention Wes Anderson movies, but I was beat by seven years. So I’ll just mention The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626/49 "2011-02-27T03:49:45Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > _The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly_ was mentioned upthread (many moons ago)-well AMC showed it last week in HD, and, while it had a typical HD ratio (my TV has 720p), that still wasn’t quite sufficient to show all 3 gunfighters in the final showdown in the cemetery. I mean what’s the point of only going halfway on that? 😕 I once saw a cropped version of TGTB&TU that claimed to star a little-known actor named lint Eastwo. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626/50 "2011-03-01T00:36:09Z")
> [@Little\_Bird](#): > > Ghostbusters. Even when I was a wee child and didn’t know what widescreen/pan and scan were, I could tell there were things wrong with that movie. Like when they are in the hotel elevator turning on their packs? Anyone? Bueller? That’s the one I came into the thread to post. Fortunately, when I see it on TV these days, it’s usually letterboxed. Still has some crappy edits/alternate takes (this man is a rodent?) but at least it looks right now. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626/51 "2011-03-01T00:44:35Z")
What about for showing on 16 x 9 TV though? I’d rather see cropped than letterboxed for that. Do they ever offer that as an option? The one time I was looking at a 2.35:1 movie, there was letterboxed and 1.33:1 versions, but no 1.78:1 version. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626/52 "2011-03-01T02:39:27Z")
**Yojimbo** – the Kurosawa original for **Fistful of Dollars**. One scene in particular, towards the end, the two factions in town are facing each other, trying to work up the courage to attack. The two groups are far apart, and someone will feint a step or two brandishing his spear, then jump back. Then someone on the other side will so the same. All you see in full frame is an empty street with an occasional glimpse of a quivering speartip on one side or the other. It looks totally dumb. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626/53 "2011-03-01T06:28:09Z")
All films should be shown in their original intended format and none in pan and scan. With no exceptions. This isn’t the news, this is art. And art conducting and composed for a frame. Do you show the Mona Lisa in pan and scan? Night Watch? Guernica? Winston Churchill’s third rate painting’s. Okay, we can burn Hitler’s paintings. But composition is essential to film. How it relates to the the size and shape of other things on the screen is how the artist thought about presenting it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-movies-should-never-be-shown-in-pan-and-scan/195626.md?page=2)