Strange Cargo and Torch Song in Crawford vol. 2 (1 Viewer)

[Thomas T]

I think it highly unlikely Torch Song was ever shot with widescreen intentions. The Robe, the CinemaScope film that started the wide screen craze opened in September 1953 and Torch Song opened only a month later in October 1953. It was the success of The Robe that started all the studios jumping on the "wide screen" band wagon. Shane, for example, opened the same month as The Robe and was exhibited in fake "wide screen" in some avenues although it was composed for 1.37. I suspect Torch Song suffered a similar fate.

 

[Mark B]

I'm sorry, but look at the placement of the characters within the frame. Compare it to the way Walters shot LILI. I thoroughly believe it was shot for widescreen. I created a 16x9 transfer from my laserdisc and it plays perfectly in that ratio.

 

[Will Krupp]

NO....it was THIS IS CINERAMA and the "filming" of the ROBE that started the widescreen revolution. The industry was abuzz with the prospect of Cinemascope and began composing films for cropped widescreen in early 1953. If IMDB is to be believed, TORCH SONG didn't go into production until June of that year, two months after SHANE's APril premiere in a wider ratio.

It's more likely that TORCH SONG would have been composed for both ratios to suit the widest number of theatres. I think I remember reading that the early MGM releases cropped to an odd ratio like 1.75:1 but I can't remember exactly.

 

[Thomas T]

Well, I don't want to get into a big hoo-ha over this, Mark. But it begs the question, how a movie could be shot for wide screen when wide screen didn't exist at the time of its filming? And no one even knew if it would take off or flop. Even Fox was hedging it bets shooting The Robe and How To Marry A Millionaire in both scope and flat.

 

[Mark B]

I'm not trying to start a big hoo-ha, either. Widescreen didn't happen overnight. I'm sure studios were well ahead of the game.

 

[Thomas T]

I stand corrected on Shane's release date, Will but Shane's initial release was flat, not wide screen. Or are you saying that theatres were equipped for wide screen PRIOR to the release of The Robe? It is my understanding that Shane was cropped to compete with CinemaScope after wide screen became preferable as a marketing tool.

Still, all this is speculation. As the impending release next week of Thunder Bay (1953) with some sides declaring this was shot full screen with the intention of being exhibited wide screen and others declaring it was composed for 1.37 and later decided to crop it for wide screen release.

I think we can all agree that 1953 was a transitional year and which flat films were intended to be cropped and shown wide screen and which films were composed for 1.37 and cropped indiscriminately is all conjecture. It's a safer assumption in 1954 after the success of CinemaScope that almost every film was shot with wide screen in mind.

 

[Mark B]

My personal method for judging these things is watching the top of the frame. Prior to matted widescreen, that area was used a lot, especially in close-ups. If I watch an entire film and the majority of the upper frame is left unused, I assume matting was taken into consideration.

 

[Will Krupp]

Theatres WERE equipped for widescreen prior to the release of THE ROBE. The screens weren't Cinemascope size, but the big metropolitan theaters installed larger screens to take advantage of the "widescreen revolution" that Cinemascope would (hopefully) usher in.

The spate of poorly cropped movies appearing in the spring and summer of 1953 prompted one critic to liken it to a fire sale.

Check out Ron Haver's book about the making of A STAR IS BORN for a really in-depth look at the time period.