Standard To Widescreen Conversions
Dear Gary: I just began to thumb through Issue 71, April 2003. Taking a break from the fret over HD-DVD and digital interfaces I began to read the letters. I felt a pang of pain and my heart sank as I read the letter from a Mr. Orczyk of Massachusetts. The letter was in regards to the nightmare scenario of which we have feared since before the common battle cry was “Why another format (besides LD) before hi-def.” I am speaking of what will happen to the years of fantastic filmmaking that was shot in 1.33:1 when all people (finally!!!!) own widescreen televisions. After literally years of fighting (still going) for films to be presented in their original aspect ratio, meaning letterboxing on a 4:3 (1.33:1) set, must we begin the battle anew in order to achieve letterboxing on the sides of a 1.78:1 (16:9) set? Isn’t the whole point about film preservation not the size or shape of the display device? I beg for sanity. The prospect of viewing Citizen Kane or Gone With The Wind morphed or cropped in any way turns my stomach. Is this in the future for all 4:3 material? If so, count me out. The immediate example that springs to mind is the latest edition of The Evil Dead. The only thing to which I can equate this tragedy is viewing the original version with my widescreen set in a zoom mode. I feel this issue needs to be addressed before it gets a chance to become an issue. Your magazine seems to be the best starting point based on its long running history of integrity of aspect ratio.
Brian Long, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Editor-In-Chief Gary Reber Comments:
Research Editor and Staff Writer Michael Coate provided an excellent reply to Mr. Orczyk’s letter in Issue 71, April 2003. I don’t know if we will be able to convince owners of the copyright on films originally composed for a 1.33:1 aspect ratio presentation from “tilting-and-scanning” to reframe narrow aspect ratio-format material to a “wider” ratio. I do think in such instances that the producers of the DVD should provide the original narrower aspect ratio version on the same disc. This will preserve the original picture composition for serious enthusiasts and future film appreciation generations.
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