Well, can't get more definitive than THAT! Now, what about Sabrina? DVD is full frame - released in October 1954. I've only seen it full frame, but suddenly if one looks at the headroom - well, a bit much, methinks. What thinks you?
The tech folks at Paramount are under the impression that wide-screen at the studio began with VistaVision. In the second Martin and Lewis box set, all the VV titles are 1.85 but LIVING IT UP is 1.37. It should be 1.66.
In fact, there's an interview with director Norman Taurog in Motion Picture Daily discussing the difference in composing a comedy for wide-screen.
SABRINA's aspect ratio is actually 1.75:1. The DVD is a true open matte and using a crop function in a program such as The KMPlayer works quite nicely.
In my review, I quoted one of our resident experts Jack Theakston who told me SABRINA was supposed to be framed at 1.75:1. I checked this before I posted the review because it looked like way too much headroom.
I'm glad to know my eyes aren't deceiving me. I wonder if we could make a list of all the transfers from 1954 releases that are incorrectly transfered? I think it would be interesting.
This I know. The already mentioned The Night Of The Hunter, The Bad Seed, the region one of Dial 'M' For Murder - I'm going to go through my DVDs and see what else I can find.
Them! Bride of the Monster (Wade Williams) Creature With The Atom Brain Moby Dick* Deadly Mantis (not even true open matte, heavily zoomed in) She Demons Monster From Green Hell Invisible Invaders Plan 9 From Outer Space (Wade Williams) Reptilicus* Blood Feast*
Too tight on a 16:9 zoom, copes ok on a 14:9 zoom
Were Disney's first two 1.66:1 animated features, 101 Dalmations and Sword in the Stone, filmed open matte? The DVDs of them are 4:3, probably because everyone whined when Jungle Book and Robin Hood were released widescreen
This should really be done in a new thread, but here goes:
Ma and Pa Kettle at Home Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki The Kettles in the Ozarks The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm Creature from the Black Lagoon Revenge of the Creature The Creature Walks Among Us Baby Doll Kiss Me Kate The Long, Long Trailer Cowboy The Moon-Spinners In Search of The Castaways Blackbeard's Ghost
The new films actually composed for wide-screen began hitting theaters around July/August of 1953. Prior to that, the films shown theatrically in wide-screen would have been filmed prior to the transitional period of April/May. I would start a list based on releases post 7/1/53.
I made a mistake in assuming SABRINA was 1:66. (Making assumptions is a dangerous thing!) Paramount did convert to a house ratio of 1:66 in late March of 1953, and that remained their preferred ratio until the introduction of VistaVision in October, 1954.
However, SABRINA was a rare exception and should be 1:75.
By the way, I found this some time ago but forgot to post it.
Thanks, Robert! This thread is a wonderful idea, and hopefully will do some good in correcting a lot of misinformation out there - at least, for those with open minds who believe proof when it's offered.
Just to have it in this thread - Columbia's Anatomy Of A Murder DVD is incorrectly transfered open matte - the UK DVD is anamorphic and correctly transfered. (Unless Columbia has done a new transfer that I somehow missed).