Most movie theaters use a fixed height screen with a variable width. So they don't display black bars. If a movie is shot in 1.85, it will be wider then a 2.35 movie shown in the same theater. Both will be the same height.

If you have a regular 4:3 Squarish TV set and not one of those expensive High Definition Wide Screen TVs then set your DVD Player to 4:3 Letterbox (not 4:3 Pan and Scan).

Even with the WEGAs don't even both with the fake 16:9 mode.

If you don't like the "black bars" buy/rent the FULL SCREEN or PAN AND SCAN Version. Or buy a widescreen TV (I wish), or just buy a really really big 100" TV and invite me over.

Some movies like Lord of the Rings, Terminator 2 (or all James Cameron Films!), and Harry Potter are composed so that the FULL SCREEN version actually shows more picture on the top and bottom and less on the sides.

True Pan and Scan crap just cuts off the sides and zooms in.