Horror of lengthwise image

For me, a movie was the thing which was shown on TV. The fact that there was no movie theater in my town keeps me away from movie theater. Even now, I still follow the habit. I usually see a movie on DVD.

I remember that in good old days, the movie on TV was shown with compressed image in width. The wide screen image, which was called "Cinema Scope size" was compressed for adjusting 4:3 TV monitor format. Inevitably, the width was compressed to almost half beside kept original size in length. Therefore it became relatively lengthwise image. Actors faces, back grounds, all the things was stretched in vertical direction.

When I hear the name "Hong Kong", I always remember Bruce Lee movies in this lengthwise image. The lengthwise image effected to amplify hard boiled and strained taste. You think about it. If the image was stretched in horizontal direction, it could be a comedy movie in which fat guys fight each other. Add to that, old Hong Kong movies became more horrible with lengthwise Chinese character.

Bruce Lee was so popular in those days. Japanese TV series also try to take after the popularity. Japanese popular TV series, "G men '75" must be one of them. It often took Hong Kong location. To tell the truth, I didn't know what kind of G men ("FBI detectives" in original meaning) they were. Any way it's detective action series. In its special edition, the members of G men flew to Hong Kong pursued the Hong Kong connection. And Yasuaki Kurata (Japanese action star) took place kung fu fight with super macho evil. You might be noticed that there were no need for Japanese G men going to Hong Kong and fighting with kung fu. However, it's a right attitude of audience to ignore such a trivial query.

After all, Hong Kong in my stereotyped imagination was extremely strange world. "It's a dangerous and lengthwise city. And I could be attacked by the super macho evil if I lose my care" However, Hong Kong in real was more sophisticated than I had imaged. And no action scene between police and gang was took place in front of me.
But "lengthwise city" was true. Scenery of Hong Kong was lengthwise enough without the image conversion. The city was laid vertically through and through.

By the way, do you know bamboo scaffoldings are set up for constructing modern skyscrapers? When I walk down the street, I saw the bamboo castle towered in twilight. I remembered the scene of old Hong Kong movie. I felt the horror of lengthwise image in it.