Early Widescreen Feature Films (1929-30)
by whittleboy615 | created - 26 Jan 2022 | updated - 11 months ago | PublicAll were filmed twice: Once in widescreen and once in standard ratio.
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1. The Big Trail (1930)
Passed | 125 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
Breck Coleman leads hundreds of settlers in covered wagons from the Mississippi River to their destiny out West.
Directors: Raoul Walsh, Louis R. Loeffler | Stars: John Wayne, Marguerite Churchill, El Brendel, Tully Marshall
Votes: 4,381
70mm, 4-perf (Grandeur), B&W, 2.00:1, Mono
Blu-ray (2.10:1 and 1.20:1 versions, 1.0 DTS-HD MA, Audio commentary: Richard Schickel)
20th Century Fox, Fox Film Corporation
2. The Bat Whispers (1930)
Passed | 83 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A master criminal terrorizes the occupants of an isolated country mansion.
Director: Roland West | Stars: Chester Morris, Una Merkel, William Bakewell, Grayce Hampton
Votes: 1,146
65mm, 4-perf (Magnifilm), B&W, 2.00:1, Mono
Widescreen version released on 35mm reduction prints
DVD (2.00:1 and 1.20:1 versions, Mono 2.0 Dolby Digital)
Image Entertainment (Restoration: UCLA Film and Television Archive), United Artists, Feature Productions
3. Danger Lights (1930)
Passed | 74 min | Adventure, Drama
The tough boss of a railroad yard befriends a young hobo, and unwittingly places in jeopardy his relationship with the woman he loves.
Director: George B. Seitz | Stars: Louis Wolheim, Jean Arthur, Robert Armstrong, Hugh Herbert
Votes: 638
63.5mm, 6-perf (Natural Vision: Spoor-Berggren), 20fps, B&W, 1.85:1, Mono
(sound on separate 35mm film at 24fps)
Widescreen version lost
DVD (Standard version only)
Alpha Video, Public Domain, RKO Radio Pictures
4. Billy the Kid (1930)
Passed | 98 min | Drama, Western
In this version of the Billy the Kid legend, Billy, after shooting down land baron William Donovan's henchmen for killing Billy's boss, is hunted down and captured by his friend, Sheriff ... See full summary »
Director: King Vidor | Stars: Johnny Mack Brown, Wallace Beery, Kay Johnson, Karl Dane
Votes: 462
70mm, 4-perf (Realife), B&W, 1.75:1, Mono
Widescreen version released on 35mm reduction prints but is now lost
DVD (Standard version only)
Warner Bros. (Warner Archive), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
5. The Great Meadow (1931)
75 min | Drama, Romance, Western
Berk leaves Diony and their baby to hunt down his mother's murderer and is believed to be dead. Evan provides for them & marries Diony. Berk returns and challenges Evan to a fight but Diony will not be fought over "as if I'm not human".
Director: Charles Brabin | Stars: Johnny Mack Brown, Eleanor Boardman, Lucille La Verne, Anita Louise
Votes: 153
70mm, 4-perf (Realife), B&W, 1.75:1, Mono
Widescreen version lost and never released
DVD (Standard version only, Mono Dolby Digital)
Warner Bros. (Warner Archive), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
6. Song o' My Heart (1930)
Passed | 85 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Broken hearts in Ireland. Sean is a great tenor, in semi-retirement, living in a village close to Mary, the woman he's always loved. Mary's aunt convinced her to marry a man for his money; ... See full summary »
Director: Frank Borzage | Stars: John McCormack, Alice Joyce, Maureen O'Sullivan, Tommy Clifford
Votes: 206
70mm, 4-perf (Grandeur), B&W, 2.00:1, Mono
Widescreen version lost and never released
DVD (Murnau, Borzage & Fox: 1.20:1 version only, Mono Dolby Digital)
20th Century Fox, Fox Film Corporation
7. A Soldier's Plaything (1930)
Passed | 56 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Georgie thinks he has killed Hank. He flees with his pal Tim and ships off to the war in Europe, eventually serving in Germany after armistice. There Georgie falls for Gretchen and promises to marry only if he can right his past mistake.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Ben Lyon, Harry Langdon, Lotti Loder, Noah Beery
Votes: 186
65mm, 5-perf (Vitascope), B&W, 2.00:1, Mono
Widescreen version lost and never released
Standard ratio version, USA cut survives with no musical numbers
DVD (1.37:1 version only, Mono Dolby Digital)
Warner Bros. (Warner Archive)
8. Happy Days (1929)
Passed | 80 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Margie, a singer on a showboat, decides to try her luck in New York although she's in love with the owner's grandson. She is successful, but suddenly she hears that the showboat is in deep ... See full summary »
Director: Benjamin Stoloff | Stars: Charles E. Evans, Marjorie White, Richard Keene, Stuart Erwin
Votes: 179
70mm, 4-perf (Grandeur), B&W, 2.00:1, Mono
Widescreen version lost
Fox Film Corporation
9. The Lash (1930)
Passed | 77 min | Drama, Romance, Western
Don Francisco Delfina, a nobleman of Southern California in 1848, disguises himself as El Puma and leads a revolt against the tyrannical land agent and politician Peter Harkness.
Director: Frank Lloyd | Stars: Richard Barthelmess, Mary Astor, Fred Kohler, Marian Nixon
Votes: 173
65mm, 5-perf (Vitascope), B&W, 2.00:1, Mono
Widescreen version lost
Warner Bros., First National Pictures
10. Kismet (1930)
Passed | 90 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Musical
Hajj, a rascally beggar on the periphery of the court of Baghdad, schemes to marry his daughter to royalty and to win the heart of the queen of the castle himself.
Director: John Francis Dillon | Stars: Otis Skinner, Loretta Young, David Manners, Sidney Blackmer
Votes: 84
65mm, 5-perf (Vitascope), B&W, 2.00:1, Mono
Both widescreen and standard versions are lost
Warner Bros., First National Pictures
11. Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (1929)
Passed | 80 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Lila Beaumont is an understudy in a Broadway musical. Her boyfriend, George Shelby, arrives in New York hoping to take Lila back home with him to marry. George buys a majority interest in ... See full summary »
Director: David Butler | Stars: John Breeden, Lola Lane, DeWitt Jennings, Sharon Lynn
Votes: 28
70mm, 4-perf (Grandeur), B&W, 2.00:1, Mono
Both widescreen and standard versions are lost
Fox Film Corporation
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