Italian For Beginners NOT 16x9 (1 Viewer)

[JohnS]

First they did it to Monsoon Wedding, now with Italian for Beginners.

Sad really. It's a lovely little film.

 

[Dominik Droscher]

Well Link Removed states that the OAR is 1.37:1 so you are watching OAR, what do you want more . Does Dogma 95 say anything about the OAR the movie has to be in to be certified?

 

[Jean-Michel]

According to the Dogma rules it should be 4:3. So if Miramax follows that the DVD should be nonanamorphic.

Now if it's nonanamorphic widescreen then we've got two problems, since it shouldn't be widescreen to begin with and if they're going to crop it to a widescreen AR they should at least make it anamorphic.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Also, aren't those different "theys"? Universal is "they" for Monsoon Wedding, with Miramax "they" for Italian For Beginners.

And, hey, IIRC, Miramax cut it for US release anyway.

 

[Gabe Oppenheim]

Does Dogma 95 say anything about the OAR the movie has to be in to be certified?

Yes, one of the Dogme 95 stipulations is that the movie must be in Academy ratio (1.37:1), though, for obvious reasons, the films are not usually projected in this ratio.

It's also not clear that the film must be in this ratio in order to be certified, just as films need not follow all of the other rules in order to be certified. For example, Julien Donkey-Boy is a certified Dogme feature, but it has an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and, as I recall, breaks a number of the other rules.

Part of the Dogme process involves "confessing" your sins (rules that you broke), which seems to fit pretty well with the whole pranky nature (which is not to imply that the movies aren't serious or good) of the movement.

At any rate, 1.37:1 for Italian for Beginners sounds like it is correct.

 

[Jean-Michel]

For example, Julien Donkey-Boy is a certified Dogme feature, but it has an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and, as I recall, breaks a number of the other rules.

Actually the DP for julien donkey-boy says it was composed for 1.37:1 but they ended up cropping it because the Venice Film Festival organizers wanted a widescreen print.

 

[JohnS]

Well, IMDB may say it's 1.37:1
but the dvd is 1.55:1

 

[Ted Todorov]

You know every year there is a dispute of the ARs of films I saw at the NYFF the year before. I think I'll have to go back and add the ARs of the stuff I saw this year, so when someone starts claiming a year from now that something was in Academy, I'll know better.
Everything I saw this year was 1.66:1 or wider. My memory of Italian For Beginners isn't strong enough to swear about, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Academy. And yes at the NYFF Academy films are projected correctly, as many shorts are 1.37:1, not to mention last year we had the gorgeously restored Night of the Hunter in 1.37:1.
So far as Dogme '95 rules, they are made to be broken -- if it is one of their friends, it'll get certified.

but the dvd is 1.55:1

That is a MARed DVD for sure -- no movie theater in the universe will show that AR. Besides, IIRC, Italian was shot on video, which pretty much means it was either 1.78:1 or 1.33:1, take your pick...
Ted

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Well, IMDB may say it's 1.37:1
but the dvd is 1.55:1

In which case, the difference is resolution would be neligible and the point is moot anyway.

 

[Jean-Michel]

So far as Dogme '95 rules, they are made to be broken -- if it is one of their friends, it'll get certified.

More like "if they put up the money, it'll get certified." I read an interview with one of the four original founders where they openly admitted that they don't even screen the submitted films anymore -- if they pay for the certificate they'll get it. They justified it with some spiel about "handing control back to the filmmakers" or something like that.

 

[Thomas Agermose]

The OAR of this movie is Standard Academy (Dogma rule).
This is how it was shown in Denmark. I can't say how it was shown in the US, but anything other than SA is a mistake,
since that would involve cropping the picture.
The current danish DVD is also SA btw.

Regarding the runtime. The danish DVD runs 108 minutes. Add 4% for the theatrical and US runtime and you get the 112 mins that imdb has. The 118 minute version must have been a different cut (there are some deleted scenes on the danish DVD). Several sites in Germany (and other countries) list the runtime as 118 mins.

 

[Michael Reuben]

I can't say how it was shown in the US, but anything other than SA is a mistake

When I saw it at a commercial arthouse venue, it was projected at 1.85:1.

M.

 

[Jean-Michel]

When I saw it at a commercial arthouse venue, it was projected at 1.85:1.

I'm no expert, but my understanding is that few theaters in the U.S. can handle 1.37:1 and most can only do 2.40:1 (or 2.35:1, I'm not certain which) or 1.85:1. Even if the theater in question could handle 1.37:1 Miramax probably instructed projectionists to matte it down to 1.85:1 just to simplify things.