I know
this is the official LOTR:ROTK discussion thread, but that thing is waaaaay too long to jump into with a specific question, let alone to try following the replies.
I saw Return of the King on x-mas at the Tigard, Oregon (Portland, basically) cinema, and I've got a question for anyone else who saw it there. I know there are a number of Portland residents on the board...
We saw it on the "big screen" -- no idea how much bigger it is than the other screens there, but I saw Fellowship of the Ring there and it seemed like a pretty normal size. Anyway, I was surprised when the movie started that it filled the entire screen, which I had just been commenting to my dad during the previews that it looked to be regular 16x9 and would certainly be masked top and bottom for the movie (can't remember what brought up that topic).
But no, the movie was played with no masking. It definitely extended to the very bottom of the screen, and it didn't look like it could have extended any further up.
Which brings me to my question ... did they screw up the projection somehow and show it in 1.85:1 (I assume the correct ratio is 2.35:1), or is it possible that isn't a typical 16x9 screen? It certainly didn't look like a 2.35:1 setup (never even heard of one of those), but I suppose it's possible my eyes were playing tricks on me on such a large scale.
It was a concave screen, if that makes any difference.
If it was a 2.35:1 screen, that could explain the side curtains being extremely close to the distracting exit signs, so maybe 1.85:1 showings mask off the sides to get the "taller" ratio?
Dan
