How would a non-widescreen presentation such as Eyes Wide Shut or any older Academy ratio presentation appear when up-converted to HD (such as for HBO)?

Hopefully the intended ratio of the director would be respected and you would see the Academy Standard, if that is the format in which the film was originally photographed.

Somebody please educate or remind me...

What is Academy ratio? specifically the value.

As I recall Kubrick shot all his movies in 1.33. If I am mistaken there I do know that Eye's Wide Shut was definitely 1.33.

Richard F. Fisher
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Academy Ratio: 1.37:1

T

Thanks ToddK. 1.33 is close enough.

I recall reading that Kubrick believed in the power of television and that is why he used that format.

The Internet Movie Database shows Eyes Wide Shut at:

Aspect ratio
1.37 : 1 (negative ratio)
1.85 : 1 (intended ratio)

Richard, what do they mean by 'negative ratio' and 'intended ratio'? Does this have to do with matting?

>> How would a non-widescreen presentation ... appear when up-converted to HD...

On a widescreen TV you'll get black bars on the side as with any other approximately 4:3 image. You may lose some ability to distort the image by stretching it, since the upconversion may add the bars -- no great loss. Quality, as always, will depend on the transfer/upconversion process -- variable.

a

>>Richard, what do they mean by 'negative ratio' and 'intended ratio'? Does this have to do with matting?


Greg Hoey, where are you?

Once more into the breech . . . . . .

First; RE: "Bill T's" question re "negative ratio" and "intended ratio"

YES, it DOES involve cropping. ABSOLUTELY. MOST cameras put an image of 1.33 on the film negative, hence the term "negative ratio." MOST feature films are DESIGNED and COMPOSED to 1:85 -- hence the term "INTENDED ratio" with the top and bottom of the 1:33 film framed equally CROPPED or MATTED to 1:85

There are other topics, i.e. CinemaScope, Panavision, Super 35, Technoscope et. al
but first let's deal with Stanley.

Check the thread DVD, Film and your Theater - Aspect Ratios
http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/thread?forumid=213962&messageid=1063672687&lp=1063672687


RE; EYES WIDE SHUT and Kubrick in general.

The most definitive source for info on Kubrick and aspect ratios is an interview with Kubrick's personal assistant, Leon Vitalli, which can be found at Peter M. Brackes's fine DVDFILE.com

http://dvdfile.com/news/special_report/inside_the_disc/kubrick/remasteringkubrick.html

To wit; there is a TON of bad information out there about Kubrick and aspect ratios -- this article CORRECTS that once and for all.

Long story short
-- he pretty much shot everything in 1.66
-- he did NOT like 1.85 -- he liked height in the frame.

He did NOT, however, intend for ANY of his films to be SHOWN so-called full-frame ie 1.33 -- with the exception of his early works. He SHOT them 1.33 with the intention of MATTING / CROPPING them to 1.66 for projection. SOMETIMES he would SHOOT the film with a 1:66 HARD MATTE ie cropping in the camera but not always. ERGO, the proper DVD aspect ratio RE Kubrick's SPECIFIED aspect ratio for all films -- save DR STRANGELOVE, 2001 and SPARTACUS [ and earlier films ] -- would be as follows; NON-ANAMORPHIC -- WINDOW BOXED to 1:66 ie a 1:66 image centered HORIZONTALLY within a 1:33 frame filling the 1:33 frame VERTICALLY.

PERIOD - END OF REPORT . . as per Kubrick

Greg Hoey