So where did the time go?

Pigman II

Do this now. Take any original VHS tape or DVD off your shelf and check the running time listed on the back of the box. Got it? Good! Ok now go to IMDB.com and check the running time listed for the film you just examined.

By my reckoning the IMDB listed running time will be approximately 5 minutes longer than the time listed on the back of your box (sometimes a little less than 5, sometimes a little more but USUALLY exactly 5.)

And it's not just a mistake with IMDB either. If you read movie reviews from American critics they all (or at least any I've read) also list the running times 5mins longer than I reckon they should be.

Now my question is, WHY IS THIS SO? Do the Americans get longer versions of every single movie we Europeans see? Or are they counting the time for trailers before the feature? Or is a US second no longer equal in length to a European second perhaps?

Any info / opinions gratefully recieved. Thanks!

tman

they can't spell analogue or colour, what makes you think they can count?

User45701

I know they get slightly different simpsons epsiodes than we do. cause when they make a episode they think for some reason we might not get some of the jokes or something, i neaver realey checked it out properley.

The extra running time, i have no idia it could possibly be that the listed amercain running time includes deleted scenes

ixoy

Sigh. What happened to people using Google to research?

Here we go folks from IMDB if you'd bothered to look:

The European (PAL/SECAM) tv/video running times may be shorter by about 4% due to the fact that film runs at 24 frames, but European video runs at 25 (North American (NTSC) video actually runs at 30, but the transfer takes the 24/30 difference into account).

It can get more complex than that, particularly with older movies but the rough-and-short of it is that we have a speeded up version of everything. So the American cut of a TV program will have the actors sounding *slightly* deeper. The scenes are not cut. In fact, sometimes we get the longer versions as the main theatrical ones get an R-rated version whereas we can see the unrated/NC-17 cut (examples included: 'Eyes Wide Shut' and 'Monster's Ball').

User45701

odd. But there is no noticble difference in watching the movie, or is there?

Makaveli

As Ixoy says it's all to do with the different frame rates from NTSC and PAL.
On some transfers you can notice differences personally I haven't. PAL can fill more of the screen so sometimes you get wierd borders on the films there can also be speedup problems.

Raz

Originally posted by tman
they can't spell analogue or colour, what makes you think they can count?

Analogue is a noun
Analog is an adjective
Color is an American spelling.
Just felt like pointing that out.

ixoy

Originally posted by Raz
Analogue is a noun
Analog is an adjective
Color is an American spelling.
Just felt like pointing that out.

Someone knows how to spell on boards? Whatever next

lodgepole

It's all down to the frame rate...

And occasionally down to IMDB being just plain incorrect...

sceptre

Originally posted by tman
they can't spell analogue or colour, what makes you think they can count?

Blame Noah Webster.

Many of his, er, improvements made sense. Most of the inane ones never got off the starting block.