Unfrozen

George Stevens shot "Shane" in standard academy ratio in the summer of 1951 and spent more than a year editing the film. But the time it was ready for release in 1953, the first widescreen processes were reaching the public. Paramount equipped theaters with new aperture plates and zoom lens to create a widescreen effect, sacrificing the top and bottom of the frame. I was 10 when I saw the film in first release in Washington DC and remember the "strange" way it looked, though I doubt it was as severe as 16:9. Since a lot of the photography was panoramic outdoor shots, Paramount didn't think the public would notice the cropping. Paramount has not, I believe, remastered the film since it's first release on DVD some 15 years ago. I am sure print in good shape still exist, possibly in Stevens' archives. Some 20 years ago, I interviewed George Stevens Jr. and he mentioned that he had recently had a look at a pristine IB Technicolor print of the film. Hope it's still around.