Rare Film Presentations: Black & White Widescreen

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HerrSchreck
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 11:46 am

#26 Post by HerrSchreck » Tue Oct 09, 2007 1:50 pm

This (hopefully not forgotten... at least among noir enthusiasts its very well known for its images) film may have gone thru mutation via modern exhibition, but THE BIG COMBO was almost certainly released originally in the academy ratio. One look at the composition of the shots (pure Alton at his classic 1.33 noir finest) shows that this film came out fullscreen.

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From the NY Times dvd review:
This Image Entertainment DVD release of The Big Combo shows that this definitive 1950s film noir still packs a wallop. The clean source print used has been released in its original full-screen aspect ratio and shows off John Alton's groundbreaking black-and-white cinematography to excellent advantage. Alton's work here is so powerful that it has tended to overshadow Joseph H. Lewis' expert direction. While Lewis only made a handful of really good movies, The Big Combo ranks up there with Gun Crazy and My Name Is Julia Ross as the best in the noir cannon. The list price on this DVD is high considering there aren't any extras to speak of.
I don't doubt that some projectionist went ahead and slapped a 1.85 projection lens on this for revival, but I have it on dvd, have a tv broadcast tape, and have seen it in the cinema and in each instance this film, projected 1.33, exhibits some of the most perfect 1.33 images in the whole history of the cinema. Alton was truly the master of fullscreen. The style is identical to that employed in his work with Mann (RAW DEAL, TMEN, THE BLACK BOOK, as well as HE WALKED BY NIGHT), as well as lesser known gems with other directors i e THE AMAZING MR X.

There's a chance I could be wrong of course but I... doubt it.

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GringoTex
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 5:57 am

#27 Post by GringoTex » Tue Oct 09, 2007 2:17 pm

HerrSchreck wrote:I don't doubt that some projectionist went ahead and slapped a 1.85 projection lens on this for revival
This is how I saw it. I hope I wasn't tricked on Halliday and Terror, too.

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Person
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 3:00 pm

#28 Post by Person » Wed Oct 10, 2007 7:16 pm

I put together a list of BW-scope films earlier this year using IMDb's "My Movies" feature.

Some of my favourite BW-scope films:

The Apartment (1960)
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Sons and Lovers (1960)

L'Année dernière à Marienbad (1961)

The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961)
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The Hustler (1961)
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The Innocents (1961)

Yojimbo (1961)

Billy Liar (1963)
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Hud (1963)
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The Saragossa Manuscript (1965)
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Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965)
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Mademoiselle (1966)

Marketa Lazarová (1967)
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In Cold Blood (1967)
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Andrey Rublyov (1969)
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The Elephant Man (1980)
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Notable matted B&W films (including 2:00:1 SuperScope):
Last edited by Person on Wed Oct 10, 2007 8:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Michael Kerpan
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#29 Post by Michael Kerpan » Wed Oct 10, 2007 7:37 pm

I never could figure out how to get IMDB to tell me what films were BOTH B&W AND 'scope format.

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Person
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 3:00 pm

#30 Post by Person » Wed Oct 10, 2007 8:16 pm

Michael Kerpan wrote:I never could figure out how to get IMDB to tell me what films were BOTH b&W AND 'scope format.
Yes, it is quite tricky. On the Power Search page, they offer Color: Color; Black and white; Any. The way to do it, would be to create a My Movies list (call it "Color and BW films", for example) of a selection of BW films and then search within that list (selecting "color" and, using part 3 of the Power Search, include the "Color and BW films" list) and then the results will filter out the films that are both color and BW, ie.

A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
Bonjour Tristesse (1958)
The Days of Eclipse (1988)
Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)
La Guerre est finie (1966)
Rumble Fish (1983)
Kafka (1991)

There are keyword searches called, black-and-white-segues-into-color and black-and-white-to-color, which you could add films too. Each film has a keyword page that you can add keywords to (remember to use hypens for multiple words).
Last edited by Person on Wed Oct 10, 2007 8:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Michael Kerpan
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#31 Post by Michael Kerpan » Wed Oct 10, 2007 8:26 pm

Thanks for the explanation -- but way too much for me to go through myself.

Thanks for generating the list already. ;~}

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domino harvey
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Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm

#32 Post by domino harvey » Wed Oct 10, 2007 10:37 pm

I don't remember color either.

Great call on Bunny Lake, that one really takes advantage of the 2.35

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exte
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 4:27 pm
Location: NJ

#33 Post by exte » Wed Oct 10, 2007 10:42 pm

Person wrote:I put together a list of BW-scope films earlier this year using IMDb's "My Movies" feature.
You're the foot-fucking-master, my friend!! Thank you!

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Person
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 3:00 pm

#34 Post by Person » Sun Oct 21, 2007 10:21 am

davidhare wrote:Gordon I can't recall any color shots from La Guerre est finie. Maybe I should dig it out and have another look??
Isn't it 1.66:1 black and white? I have it on my Matted BW list, though I have not seen it though I really ought to, as I have came to admire Resnais very much over the past year.

Thanks for the uh... compliment, exte! :D

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Kinsayder
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: UK

#35 Post by Kinsayder » Sat Nov 03, 2007 12:42 am

Pushover (1954), a 1.85 noir, makes good use of the format.

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OliverB
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 8:16 am

#36 Post by OliverB » Sat Nov 03, 2007 6:17 am


inri222
Joined: Fri Nov 26, 2004 4:38 pm

#37 Post by inri222 » Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:04 am

Imamura's Kuroi Ame - 1.85:1

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che-etienne
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 1:18 pm

#38 Post by che-etienne » Thu Nov 15, 2007 1:04 pm

I saw "Bunny Lake Is Missing" in a beautiful print last night. One of the best uses of BW scope I've yet seen.

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Dylan
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:28 pm

#39 Post by Dylan » Thu Nov 15, 2007 11:04 pm

La Dolce Vita

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8 1/2

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Last Picture Show

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Stardust Memories

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Last Year at Marienbad

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Dylan
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:28 pm

#40 Post by Dylan » Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:07 pm

Bonjour Tristesse

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Celebrity

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NABOB OF NOWHERE
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:30 pm
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#41 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:59 am

davidhare wrote:Big Combo can be NOTHING but Academy!

Take a look at the Mingo and Fante scenes during the x-ex and the death scene.
Too right! Academy it is. I used to be in a band in the early 80's called the Big Combo and we used to project it behind us.

Cut three tracks and got played on John Peel twice!!!
Even used the 'wheelbarrow 'shot as our picture sleeve with minimal cropping.

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Steven H
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#42 Post by Steven H » Tue Mar 25, 2008 5:31 pm


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Person
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 3:00 pm

#43 Post by Person » Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:28 pm

I receive a "this video can't be shown in your country" which is the UK. Which film is it?

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Steven H
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:30 pm
Location: NC

#44 Post by Steven H » Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:24 pm

Person wrote:
I receive a "this video can't be shown in your country" which is the UK. Which film is it?
That would be the esteemed E-40 and the short film entitled "Tell Me When To Go." Its a couple years old. I can't imagine why this would be blocked in the UK, it's only offensive in that it propagates the myth that Hennesy is actually good.

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tojoed
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 11:47 am
Location: Cambridge, England

#45 Post by tojoed » Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:41 am

Kon Ichikawa's "Fires on the Plain" may be the greatest of them all.

hot_locket
Joined: Mon Jul 30, 2007 7:39 am

#46 Post by hot_locket » Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:25 am

I was just thinking about this last night while watching Stranger than Paradise.

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