MovieChat Forums > Executive Suite (1954) Discussion > Warner Archives DVD re-release (5/28/13)...

Warner Archives DVD re-release (5/28/13): widescreen?!

posted 12 years ago by hobnob53
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The great Executive Suite, out of print for a couple of years now, has just been reissued as an MOD from the excellent Warner Archives Collection. SRP is $18.95. WA has been issuing OOP films on its label for a while, and ES seemed a likely and overdue candidate for such treatment.

Although this release lacks the extras on the standard DVD, WA lists it as being in "16x9 widescreen". Really? The film wasn't shot in any widescreen process I'm aware of, and neither the DVD not any broadcast on TCM has it in any widescreen aspect ratio.

On the other hand, some supposedly "full screen" films such as The Caine Mutiny, On the Waterfront, Anatomy of a Murder, along with a number of other such films from the mid-fifties, have also been issued in modest w/s releases, so who knows?

[–] hamlet-16 11 years ago

The film was made in the 1:1.66 format according to this site... this means it is close to the full 35mm shape of modern films ..not the older 1:1.37 square format. It would make sense to release it as "widescreen".

[–] whiskeyTango-06 10 years ago

a lot of films were shot in the academy ratio that was basically 4:3, but projected in theaters in widescreen by cropping or "masking" them to the "intended ratio" (what the director and DP wanted) of, say, 1.85:1. during filming, the top and bottom of the screen were "protected" (no visible equipment, crew, etc.) so that they would look fine once sold to television.

TCM shows many films from the '50's and '60's in 4:3 that were intended for widescreen in theaters. i watch them properly by using my 16:9 monitor's "zoom wide" function. this film works perfectly (and is composed more-accurately) in widescreen.

later on, when shooting in actual widescreen formats, the sides of screen were often merely protected so the middle of the image could be projected on TV... especially in the days before "panned and scanned" (where the image was actively reframed) prints were specially prepared for television.

we see this practice again today, by watching many sports in 16:9, but the important stats & graphics are closer to the center (not always placed in the corners) so when the sides are cut off on an older 4:3 set, nothing important is lost.

also -- you can usually tell the intended ratio by the opening title/credits as printed by the studio. this film has widescreen credits (fully readable with the top and bottom of the image cropped).