"On The Waterfront" : Correct Aspect Ratio? (1 Viewer)

[Sean A]

I was switching the channels the othet night, and came across a Letterboxed version of "On the Waterfront" on TCM. Since this is one of my all-time faves, I have purchased it in every home-video format (VHS, LD, and now DVD), yet it was always FullScreen 1.33 . The film was released in July 1954, and my question is : what aspect ratio would this have been seen in at the time ? Would it have been shown at 1.85 like on TCM ? Or has TCM just decided it needed letterboxing ? Given the film's low-budget and the time it was made, would Elia Kazan have framed it for 1.33 or expected it to be shown at 1.85 ?

(I know, that's a lot of questions !)

 

[Mike.B]

I don't know why TCM would have done that. It should most definitely have a 4:3 aspect ratio (1.37:1).

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

I've been looking EVERYWHERE for a review of the R2 Superbit.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Sean,
This film was originally offered to Fox by Kazan, but was turned down by Zanuck because the film was being shot in black & white and in the academy ratio of 1.37:1 The film might have been shown in some theaters at 1.85:1, but it was definitely filmed in the standard format.