widescreen?
Is there any widescreen DVD-release of this film out there ANYWHERE in any country?
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The film was intended to be projected at a 1.85:1 ratio in cinemas so wasn't shot anamorphic. That means that the film was probably shot full frame with the intention that it would be cropped in cinemas but shown full frame on the 4:3 TVs of the time.
Judging by the slightly loose framing of a recent screening on TCM in the UK they were showing the full frame version - DVDs and TV stations elsewhere might be doing the same. If so, you are seeing more than you would have done in the cinema. Alternatively, most widescreen TVs have a 16:9 zoom feature. Use that and you are seeing more or less the cinema framing.
Naturally, I'm interested in seeing what the film maker wanted me to see, no less, no more. Since the film's ratio is given as 1.85 : 1, I suppose that's the intention. But, you may be right, I know of other films showing more in 'full frame' than when shown in theaters. One example: Charley Varrick, 1973: an early 'full frame' DVD release shows more in height than the subsequent and supposedly better 'widescreen' one (both show exactly the same in width). Trouble is, one has seldom the possibility to compare different DVD-releases. Web sites such as dvdbeaver.com do a good work in this field but can't of course cover everything out there.
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If you have a 16x9 TV, watch the DVD in zoom mode. You will notice that none of the credits or important picture info are cropped, because it was shot with the intention of being cropped during projection.
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