The Incredible Shrinking Man & This Island Earth DVDS/OAR? (1 Viewer)

[DaViD Boulet]

If I got a 1.33:1 version of a 1950's film in my hand that was clearly not P/S (like an open-matte copy) I might just assume that it was OAR. Heck...I assumed that This Island Earth was 1.33:1 until reading this thread. I doubt that the technicians at TMC have the time to do careful research on the OAR history of each movie that they show...especially if they happen to be given the best-quality digital master currently available and it happens to be open-matte bcs no WS version is available.

Besides, many of these early 1.85:1 movies were shot to be viewed both ways to accomodate theaters that weren't WS-saavy. This Island Earth looks GREAT in 1.33:1...I'd venture to say it looks BETTER that way than matted to 1.85 (especially the shots of the triangular-shaped interocitor screen).

If it really matters to you, just zoom on your 16x9 display and do your own cropping. If 4x3 masters are all that exist at least we're not losing additional resolution we could have had, and 4x3 viewers can happily enjoy their 1.33:1 versions as did probably many 1950's audiences.

 

[Patrick McCart]

I exaggerated, but there's a lot of instances where there's fear that TCM is turning into another AMC just because of one odd airing. They aired the P&S Jerimiah Johnson by mistake once, had Paramount's censored Reds (edited for foul language), and even reverted to the P&S Around the World in 80 Days until they were able to air the DVD version. These are exceptions to the rule, though. Technically, TCM can't become AMC as long as WB owns the station.

I don't know if it would be a good idea to add a matte for Shrinking Man, though. For some reason, Columbia provided them with a matted On the Waterfront and it's obviously cramped.

 

[Vincent-P]

Is their print of On The Waterfront simply matted from the full frame version? I have never seen it, but I had heard that it actually had more picture on the sides than the DVD. I can't remember where I read that, but I was curious about the differences.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

According to such respected industry trade magazines as Boxoffice, Motion Picture Herald, Exhibitor and Showman's Trade Review; most theaters in the U.S. were running films widescreen by the summer of 1954. In fact, the Superscope projection system (developed by Tushinsky) was specifically marketed for theaters that lacked a wide proscenium (mostly neighborhood theaters without stages) in order to enable them to show films with the widest possible image.

Any theater not running widescreen by the end of 1954 was really out of the loop. Don't forget: widescreen movies (CinemaScope, Cinerama, VistaVision, etc.) were introduced to lure audiences away from their small television screens and back to the movies.

David, I respectfully disagree about THIS ISLAND EARTH. Having screened an original 35mm print in both 1.37 and 1.85, I can state that it looks infinitely better in the widescreen version. The compositions are more comfortable, and it is clearly what the director and cinematographer intended.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Maybe it's because I've seen it (only) so many times in 1.33:1 that now to crop it to 1.85 would remove picture information that I've come to know and appreciate. I've been forever tainted!

dave

 

[Bob Furmanek]

That's most likely the case. Somebody made the same point when I recently stated that ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET THE KEYSTONE KOPS and MEET THE MUMMY were 1.85 films. Unless you saw them theatrically, you've only seen them open matte on 16mm, TV and video.

When I was researching my Abbott and Costello book at Universal in 1990, I had access to a master list of features with intended aspect ratios. (The book was compiled in the 1950's for their theatrical division.) Trust me, every film produced at the studio from mid-1953 forward was intended for widescreen presentation, either 1.85, 2.1 or 2.35.

 

[dana martin]

Ok Universal, 6 Feb R2 gets incredible shrinking man, with tarantula to follow, ever think that maybe the people in the states might want to see these as well, probably not; in the three or so years i have been checking this site, i haven't seen a chat with Universal, do they care that little?

 

[Danilo S.]

Here in Europe we have, finally, a DVD of This Island Earth presented in 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen! The only problem is that you have to buy all the Classic Sci-Fi Boxset (7 DVDs) to have it

This DVD is out today from Universal Pictures UK.

For more informations you can go to dvd.reviewer.co.uk/reviews/review.asp?Index=5989&User=627

Danilo
Italy

 

[Danilo S.]

Today arrived in my mailbox the single DVD of This Island Earth, released in UK feb. 4 (see Amazon.co.uk: This Island Earth [1955]: DVD: Jeff Morrow,Faith Domergue,Joseph Newman )
It is an Area 2 PAL 16:9 anamorphic version of this movie. The telecine scan the central part of the 35mm open matte film to archieve this result.

The video is good but the grain is big (due the scan but this is normal). It seems to me they used for the telecine the same film copy of the area 1 NTSC full sreen (full 35mm open matte) version. The colors look not so well but are the same of the NTSC version.

Anyway there is a little problem with this first widescreen version.
Probably for a little (but strange) error in the scan the telecine was not in the perfect vertical center of the frame but a little more up. This means a little to much air over the heads and not a perfect composition in some shot. I'm talking about a very little error but is a pity beccause this is the first and only 16:9 anamorphic version of this great classic sf movie.

 

[Lord Dalek]

As far as I was aware Criterion DID use a real Perspecta decoder on their Kurosawa dvds so I'm not sure what your getting at here.

 

[Jack Theakston]

Based on what? I don't think so-- they're lacking the gain control that the system had and that the various decoders made over the years since lack (which is half the system).

FWIW on this topic that I forgot to mention-- THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN is hard matted for most of the film.