Glossary

• 1070 = 10-perf 70mm film.

• 1570 = 15-perf 70mm film.

• 3-channel = 3-channel stereo sound.

• 3-D = Three-dimensional (stereoscopic) film.

• 3D Sound [see: Immersive Sound]

• 4-channel = 4-channel stereo sound.

• 6-channel = 6-channel stereo sound.

• 7-channel - 7-channel stereo sound.

• 70mm Dolby = 4.2-channel stereo sound on 70mm release prints.

• 70mm Dolby 5.1 = 5.1-channel Dolby Stereo on 70mm release prints.

• 70mm Dolby SR = 4.2-channel Dolby Stereo Spectral Recording on 70mm release prints.

• 70mm Dolby SR 5.1 = 5.1-channel Dolby Stereo Spectral Recording on 70mm release prints.

• 70mm Eagle Stereo = 4.2-channel stereo sound. This is simply Ultra-Stereo (qv) with two extra channels of deep bass encoding, used on 70mm prints of Cobra (1986).

• 8-channel = 8-channel stereo sound.

• 870 = 8-perf 70mm film.

• 9-channel = 9-channel stereo sound.

• Arri 765 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1.

• Auro 11.1 = Immersive sound format which augments an 11.1 sound mix by employing 'layers' of sound (surround, height and ceiling) to create an illusion of three-dimensional sonic realism. Such films will play back in standard 5.1 or 7.1 in cinemas not equipped for Auro rendering.

• AuroMax = Object-based sound format which augments a 22.1 or 26.1 sound mix by employing 'layers' of sound (surround, height and ceiling) to create an illusion of three-dimensional sonic realism. Such films will play back in standard 5.1 or 7.1 in cinemas not equipped for AuroMax rendering.

• Barco Escape = Digital projection format which utilises three scope (2.39:1) screens curved around the front and sides of the cinema auditorium to create an immersive image with a 7.17:1 aspect ratio.

• [BBFC] = British Board of Film Classification. Where this acronym appears in brackets at the end of an entry, it means the film wasn't trade-registered or reviewed in KW, MFB or S&S, and the release date is unknown. In those cases, we've listed the item in the month when it was first classified by the BBFC.

• bw = Black and white.

• CGS 11.1 = 11.1-channel digital sound used on some early films presented in China Giant Screen.

• CinemaScope 55 = 8-perf 55mm anamorphic film. 6-perf release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.55:1.

• Cinemiracle = Three 6-perf 35mm (spherical) frames projected side by side to create a single seamless image. Aspect ratio: 2.51:1.

• Cinerama = Three 6-perf 35mm (spherical) frames projected side by side on a deeply curved screen to create a single seamless image. Aspect ratio: 2.59:1.

• Cinity = Large Format process which uses 4K laser projection to exhibit films on giant screens at 120 frames per second.

• Cyclophonic = 3-channel stereo sound.

• col = Colour.

• Datasat = (Datasat Digital Sound) 5.1 digital sound. Originally known as DTS (qv).

• Datasat 70mm = 5.1 digital sound for 70mm prints. Originally known as DTS-70 (qv).

• DCP = Digital Cinema Package. Digital version of a film projected in cinemas.

• DEFA 70 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1.

• Dimension 150 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1.

• Dolby = (Dolby Stereo) 2-track/4-channel stereo sound.

• Dolby 3.0 = 3.0 digital sound.

• Dolby 3.1 = 3.1 digital sound.

• Dolby 7.1 = (Dolby Surround 7.1) 7.1 digital sound.

• Dolby Atmos = Object-based audio enhancement which employs multiple speakers around and above the audience in suitably-equipped cinemas. This augments a 7.1 or 5.1 soundtrack by allowing each specific audio element to exist within - or travel across - a wider range of additional speakers, thereby creating an illusion of three-dimensional sonic realism. Such films will play back in standard 7.1 or 5.1 in cinemas not equipped for Atmos rendering.

• Dolby Digital = 5.1 digital sound.

• Dolby EX = (Dolby Digital Surround EX) 6.1 digital sound.

• Dolby SR = (Dolby Stereo Spectral Recording) 4-channel stereo sound, with Spectral Recording enhanced dynamic range.

• DTS = (Digital Theater Systems) 5.1 digital sound. Later renamed Datasat Digital Sound (qv).

• DTS-8 = 7.1 digital sound.

• DTS-70 = 5.1 digital sound for 70mm prints. Subsequently renamed Datasat 70mm (qv).

• DTS-ES = 6.1 digital sound.

• DTS Stereo = 2-track/4-channel stereo sound.

• DTS:X = Object-based audio enhancement which employs multiple speakers around and above the audience in suitably-equipped cinemas. This allows each specific audio element to exist within - or travel across - a wider range of speakers, thereby creating an illusion of three-dimensional sonic realism. Such films will play back in standard 7.1 or 5.1 in cinemas not equipped for DTS:X rendering.

• Duo-Vision = 4-perf 35mm anamorphic film. Two 1.37:1-shaped images (showing different angles of the same scene) configured side by side on the wide 2.35:1 frame (2.39:1 projection).

• eps = episodes.

• Fantasound = 3-channel stereo sound. The entire soundtrack could also be re-routed to rear channels at strategic points, creating the illusion of surround sound.

• fps = Frames-per-second.

• Grandeur = 4-perf 70mm spherical film. Aspect ratio: 2.13:1.

• Hi-Fi Stereo 70 = 3-D format in which the separate left-right images are placed adjacent to one another in the space normally occupied by a single 5-perf 65mm frame and subjected to an anamorphic squeeze, yielding a 2.20:1 aspect ratio. Release prints configured in 5-perf 70mm. Also known as Stereovision 70, Triarama and Super Cinema 3-D.

• HoloSound = Object-based audio technology, similar to Dolby Atmos (qv) and DTS:X (qv), which supports up to 256 speakers, located above, around and below the audience.

• Hypergonar = Widescreen format. 4-perf 35mm anamorphic. Aspect ratio: 2.66:1.

• Illusion-O = Involves the use of glasses with coloured filters, through which patrons of the 1960 film13 Ghosts could choose whether or not to view ghostly on-screen figures. Sometimes erroneously credited as a 3-D process.

• IMAX = 15-perf 65mm spherical film. 15-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 1.44:1 (though it can accommodate a variety of ratios within its massive frame).

• IMAX 6-track = 6-channel audio, plus sub-bass, used in IMAX and IMAX Digital presentations.

• IMAX 12-track = 12-channel audio, plus sub-bass, with 2 additional side channels and 4 more in the ceiling. Used in IMAX Laser presentations.

• Immersive Sound = Object-based audio format, similar to Dolby Atmos (qv), with multiple speakers above and around the audience for an immersive experience. Also known as 3D Sound.

• Infrasound = 4-channel stereo sound.

• Kinopanorama = Three 6-perf 35mm (spherical) frames projected side by side to create a single seamless image. Aspect ratio: 2.59:1.

• Kinopanorama 70 = 5-perf 70mm spherical film. Aspect ratio: 2.55:1.

• Klangfilm-Stereocord = 4-channel stereo sound.

• [KW] = Film reviewed in Kine Weekly between Jan 1928 and Sep 1971, rather than listed in the mandatory trade register operational during this period.

• Large Format = Films projected onto giant screens  with laser or digital technologies, such as IMAX Digital, IMAX With Laser and China Giant Screen. These processes are very different from genuine Large Format productions shot on 70mm film, despite insistence to the contrary from their respective developers, and result in a much less immersive theatrical presentation.

• (LF) = Large Format. Where this icon appears just before a film's country of origin, it signifies an item shot with either 1570 film or similarly-sized ultra-HD digital cameras, optimised during production for exhibition in IMAX and other Giant Screen venues.

• Magnascope = Process used on some films during the 1920's and early 1930's, in which the Academy-ratio screen was 'opened up' via magnification to around four times the size of 'regular' screens. The effect could be used on any film, but was reserved for visually spectacular sequences in high profile releases. No feature film appears to have utilised the process thoughout its entire running time.

• Magnifilm = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. Aspect ratio: 2.05:1.

• MegaSound = Deep bass audio enhancement.

• [MFB] = Film reviewed in Monthly Film Bulletin between Sep 1971 and May 1985, rather than listed in the mandatory trade register operational during this period.

• MGM Camera 65 = 5-perf 65mm anamorphic film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.76:1. Few - if any - films shot in this format were ever screened at the full 2.76:1 ratio for practical reasons, and studio MGM (which had developed the process) declared the optimal aspect ratio to be 2.55:1. However, most films shot in this format are now reproduced on home video at the full 2.76:1 ratio, so both screen shapes are technically 'correct'. Subsequently renamed Ultra Panavision 70 (qv).

• (music score) = Silent film with synchronised music score.

• (music / sound fx) = Silent film with synchronised music and sound effects.

• [NL] = No listing. Refers to films which are known to have been released in the UK, but which aren't listed in any of the primary sources employed by this Index.

• Panascope = Widescreen photographic format. 4-perf 35mm anamorphic. Aspect ratio: 2.00:1.

• Panavision Super 70 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1. Also known as Panavision System 70.

• Panoramico Alberini = 5-perf 70mm spherical. Aspect ratio: 2.52:1. Some sources list the format as simply 'Panoramico', but the exact name has yet to be confirmed.

• (part talkie) = Silent film with dialogue, narration and/or songs in some scenes. Also includes music and/or sound effects.

• Perspecta Sound = 3-channel directional sound format which employed sub-audible tones on otherwise mono soundtracks. This had the effect of 'directing' the entire mono track into the left, centre and/or right speaker - or any combination of all three! - depending on the on-screen action. Though not a 'true' stereophonic format, it still provided a very effective alternative.

• Polyvision = Three 4-perf 35mm spherical images projected side by side to create a single seamless image. Aspect ratio: 4.00:1.

• Q Sound = Audio enhancement which pans various effects across the soundstage, creating the illusion of three-dimensional sound.

• Quadraphonic Sound = 4-channel stereo sound.

• Quintaphonic Sound = 5-channel stereo sound.

• scope = Film with a projected aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (prior to 1971) or 2.39:1 (1971 onwards). A small number of scope movies were shot and projected at 2.55:1 and this is noted in parentheses - ie. '(scope [2.55:1])' - where relevant.

• ScreenX = Immersive format in which three screens traverse the entire length of the front and sides of the cinema auditorium, creating a single 270-degree image.

• SDDS = (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound) 5.1 digital sound.

• SDDS-8 = 7.1 digital sound.

• Sensurround = Extreme low-frequency sound effect.

• seq = sequence(s).

• silent = Silent film.

• Sound 360 = 4-channel stereo sound format employed on the film Damnation Alley (1977), which basically relocated the front-left and -right speakers to the sides of the auditorium and cranked up the volume, making for an aggressive surround experience.

• Sovscope 70 = 5-perf 70mm spherical film. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1.

• StereoSonic = 4-channel stereo sound.

• Stereovision 70 = 3-D format in which the separate left-right images are placed adjacent to one another in the space normally occupied by a single 5-perf 65mm frame and subjected to an anamorphic squeeze, yielding a 2.20:1 aspect ratio. Release prints configured in 5-perf 70mm. Also known as Hi-Fi Stereo 70, Triarama and Super Cinema 3-D. Not to be confused with the later StereoVision 70 format, which yielded a 1.37:1 projectable image.

• Super Panavision 70 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1. Some of the earliest films shot in this format are credited on-screen as 'Panavision 70'.

• Superpanorama 70 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1. Sometimes listed as MCS Superpanorama 70 or MCS-70.

• Superscope = Widescreen photographic format. 2.00:1 image optically extracted from full aperture / Academy frame (1.37:1), printed 4-perf 35mm anamorphic.

• Super Technirama 70 = Not a 65mm origination format, despite appearances to the contrary! Such films were shot in 'standard' Technirama (8-perf 35mm anamorphic), rendering a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. A 2.20:1 portion of the image was subsequently extracted and 'unsqueezed' before being printed in 5-perf 70mm spherical. The results were billed as 'Super Technirama 70', though some early titles credit nothing more than 'Technirama 70' on-screen.

• Technirama = 8-perf 35mm anamorphic film. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1.

• Todd-AO = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1. The first two films to use the format - Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) and Oklahoma! (1956) - were filmed at 30 frames per second, but for technical resons, all subsequent Todd-AO films were shot at 24fps.

• Todd-70 = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.20:1.

• [trade] = This indicates a trade show UK premiere, not any other primary source listed in How to Use This Index.

• Triarama = 3-D format in which the separate left-right images are placed adjacent to one another in the space normally occupied by a single 5-perf 65mm frame and subjected to an anamorphic squeeze, yielding a 2.20:1 aspect ratio. Release prints configured in 5-perf 70mm. Also known as Hi-Fi Stereo 70, Stereovision 70 and Super Cinema 3-D.

• (TVM) = TV movie.

• Ultra Panavision 70 = 5-perf 65mm anamorphic film. 5-perf 70mm release prints. Aspect ratio: 2.76:1. Few - if any - films shot in this format were ever screened at the full 2.76:1 ratio for practical reasons, and studio MGM (which had developed the process) declared the optimal aspect ratio to be 2.55:1. However, most films shot in this format are now reproduced on home video at the full 2.76:1 ratio, so both screen shapes are technically 'correct'. Originally known as MGM Camera 65 (qv).

• Ultra-Stereo = 2-track/4-channel stereo sound.

• Vistasonic = 4-channel stereo sound.

• VistaVision = 8-perf 35mm spherical film. The primary aspect ratio was 1.85:1, though films shot in VistaVision could be projected in any ratio between 1.66:1 and 2.00:1.

• Vitascope = 5-perf 65mm spherical film. Aspect ratio: 2.05:1.

• Vitasound = Short-lived experimental sound system in which a mono soundtrack was spread across three speakers (left-centre-right), traversing the entire width of the screen area. Allied to greater dynamic range, this offered a wider soundstage for music and effects than 'regular' mono tracks.

• WANOS = Object-based audio format, similar to Dolby Atmos (qv).

• WarnerPhonic Sound = 4-channel stereo sound.

• (X) = Softcore sex film with extensive nudity and/or simulated sexual activity. This also includes 'nudist' films, the vast majority of which were exploitation masquerading as 'factual' items.

• (XX) = Films outside the 'sex' category which include a small amount - relative to their running time - of unsimulated sexual activity as backdrop to a wider dramatic narrative.

• (XXX) = Hardcore sex film with extensive nudity and unsimulated sexual activity. Be aware that prior to the year 2000, such material was illegal in this country, and these films would have been extensively cut prior to release in the UK.

Updated 28 May 2023.