Press Release: Millennium Season Two

[Guest OS_]

https://www.foxtvdvd.co.uk/ lists season two as widescreen. That site gets just about every techinical thing wrong though, but I'm hoping this isn't one of them.

[Guest chrisnu]

Now if that is indeed going to be an 18 certificate what/which episode/s could make it that? The only episode I was thinking of was The Mikado but that has been given a 15.

I would say either "Anamnesis" or "A Room With No View" could garner an 18 certificate. "Anamnesis" contains religious elements that might be considered controversial (who knows?), and "A Room With No View" can be quite violent, not to mention my vote for #3 Most Disturbing Scene in the series.

[Guest WaveCrest]

That's an interesting theory Chrisnu. I thought that Anaemesis was a light episode with the story, but on the other hand the film Stigmata which had strong religious imagery in it (that reminded me of The Passion of Christ, although I haven't seen it yet) got an 18.

A Room with a View I would agree with your idea because there was one scene which I always look away from the screen at for a few seconds, when Frank and Peter Watts discover the dead FBI agent in Lucy's den. It's just that one moment which could warrant the 18 certificate as although the episode overall has a grim bleak tone that is typical of MM.

I think of scenes and images as well as content that decides what certificate a film/TV episode will get, not anything that involves controversial elements.

Edited August 13, 2004 by WaveCrest

[Guest Second Coming]

That's an interesting theory Chrisnu. I thought that Anaemesis was a light episode with the story, but on the other hand the film Stigmata which had strong religious imagery in it (that reminded me of The Passion of Christ, although I haven't seen it yet) got an 18.

A Room with a View I would agree with your idea because there was one scene which I always look away from the screen at for a few seconds, when Frank and Peter Watts discover the dead FBI agent in Lucy's den. It's just that one moment which could warrant the 18 certificate as although the episode overall has a grim bleak tone that is typical of MM.

I think of scenes and images as well as content that decides what certificate a film/TV episode will get, not anything that involves controversial elements.

Well when you take into account Ananemisis bascially says that Jesus had sex. It has a huge potential to offend people. I don't know if that would warrant an 18 rating though.

[Guest WaveCrest]

Hope I didn't sound like I had ignored anything that was said in Anaemesis whilst watching it. Seen it in full once and watched some of it a few more times, you don't always take in everything said or seen in an episode on the first viewing so I may have missed some plot quotes.

It's been one of my favourite MM episodes, partly because it didn't feature Frank in it and it had Catherine and Lara Means doing the investigating (not that I don't like Frank but it was an interesting episode because of that).

Edited August 14, 2004 by WaveCrest

[Guest OS_]

https://www.foxtvdvd.co.uk/ lists season two as widescreen. That site gets just about every techinical thing wrong though, but I'm hoping this isn't one of them.

Now they changed it to 4:3...

[The Old Man]

Yes it true. Fox UK's website at https://www.foxtvdvd.co.uk/ initially stated:

Season One: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Standard 4x3 TV

Season Two: Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Standard 16x9

Season Two has been changed to read "Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Standard 4x3 TV" the same as Season One. The official press release for Season Two from Fox UK states, "Original Aspect Ratio: 1.33 (4x3FF)".

I have e-mailed Fox UK to ask why this has been changed and to clarify once and for all which aspect ratio each season was filmed in and has S2 been altered for the DVD release? Hopefully we'll find out.

Incidently, the BBFC stated it had certified two episodes (The Mikado and The Hand Of St Sebastian - the two which contain the audio commentaries) as Widescreen and have now done the same for Season Three's episodes which feature audio commentaries for The Innocents and Collateral Damage.

[Guest WaveCrest]

The Old Man - I was just going to post about that regarding The Innocents and Collateral Damage. New listings today for those two episodes. The former has got a 12 and the latter a 15. Still no sign yet of the rest of Season 2 on the BBFC site in the Recent Decisions section for video/DVD before the DVD release next month. I'm sure they haven't been rated before, and usually they would have been put up on the site if they hadn't been rated before.

Edited August 20, 2004 by WaveCrest

[The Old Man]

Regarding the issue of Widescreen or not Widescreen - I contacted Fox and have had a very quick response from Fox's Millennium Product Manager:

Millennium Season One was released is 4x3 but the extra's contained widescreen clips of the Season One including the title sequence in the Extra Features.

Various pre-order websites initally stated that Season Two would be in 16x9 Widescreen which excited Millennium fans both here and internationally. This also substantiated what fans thought for years - that Season's Two and Three of Millennium was filmed in widescreen starting the same year as The X-Files switched to widescreen. The BBFC website stated it had certified two episodes (The Mikado and The Hand Of St Sebastian - the two which contain the audio commentaries) as Widescreen and https://www.foxtvdvd.co.uk also stated the product was 1.85:1 (Standard 16x9) which was great news and final confirmation but it has now been changed to 1.33:1 (Standard 4x3 TV). The recent Season Two Press Pack release also states "Original Aspect Ratio: 1.33 (4x3FF)".

The news that Season Two will now seemingly be released in 4:3 as opposed to 16:9 is such a shame.

I wondered if you could clarify which aspect ratio each season of Millennium was originally filmed in and secondly, if Season Two was filmed in 16x9 but it has been changed to 1:33x1 (4x3) for the DVD release, why the decision to alter the aspect ratio was made?

Fox replied:

Hi Graham

Both Season 2 and Season 3 are definitely going to be released in 16x9 Widescreen

I have no idea why the information that is online and on the press release has been changed to 4x3 but I can confirm that this is definitely not the case - my only thought is that someone has spotted the difference from Season One, assumed that they have spotted a mistake and changed the info without doublechecking with us.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I'll get this rectified now

All the best

I for one feel back on track with this.

Graham.

[Libby]

Well done, Graham. Although it doesn't make too much difference to me what ratio is used, I would nevertheless prefer to watch it in the aspect ratio it was originally filmed in.

Just as an aside: Do you write to Fox as an individual or as owner of TIWWA? I only ask because I'm wondering if the Fox bod in this case knows that whatever he says will immediately get relayed to the largest single collection of MM fans, so he'd better get it right!