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2 articles from 2009

13 November 2009 8:45 AM, PST | The Auteurs | See recent The Auteurs news »

On The Evolution Of CinemaScope: Or, of you're going to be a stickler about names of formats and such, "The 2.35:1 Or So Aspect Ratio."

Above: The Robe (Henry Koster, 1953).

Above: Bonjour Tristesse (Otto Preminger, 1958).

Above: Le Mepris (Contempt) (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963).

When CinemaScope was introduced in 1953, the first film in the widescreen format was in the then au-courant sand-and-sandals quasi-Biblical-epic genre. The Robe still plays, in its silly way, as a study in gargantuan production value. And the gargantuan dimensions of the CinemaScope screen were seen as something of a novelty, a piece of showmanship rather than cinema per se, Zanuck's would-be blowback at television in an attempt to shore up the notion that movies were still going to be your best entertainment value.

What, though, had 'Scope to do with the art of cinema? And/or what director was going to be able to use 'Scope artistically? The answer came reasonably quickly, »

28 September 2009 5:03 AM, PDT | TotalFilm | See recent TotalFilm news »

  Cast your mind back to some of the great movie posters of all time; the one-sheet teaser for Tim Burton's Batman, Otto Preminger's Anatomy Of A Murder... Unsurprisingly perhaps, the first banner for Simon West's The Mechanic won't be joining them. Designed by someone who probably hates movies, the poster has all the finesse and allure of a crowbar to the face, decidng to show us only a glimpse of Jason 'Hardest Working Action Hero' Statham. Then the poster assaults our ocular region with a brash, bold and frankly arrogant...

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- Dan Goodswen

2 articles from 2009