Forbidden Planet Aspect

[Robert Earl Day]

Gentlebeings;

Forbidden Planet was actually filmed in CinemaScope 55 with an aspect ratio of 2.55:1 and magnetic 4-track stereo sound. However only a few theaters could show it that way, so M-G-M made most prints as cropped to 2.35:1 and with Perspecta™ stereo sound — a totally discarded process that FAKES stereo.

When a DVD — ANY DVD — says that it enhanced for 16x9 TVs it is in the 2.35:1 ratio no matter what else is claimed on the box even if it says "original aspect ratio".

If your player is one the the zoom functions are capable of reduction then use it; you might be surprised at how much more you can see! (It varies from movie to movie.)

For a near complete course on movie aspect ratios color processes (FP would have looked marvelous in Techniclolor™!) go to this excellent site:

http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/

Sincerely,

Robert Earl (Butch) Day
PhD, DSc, DLitt, LLD (Hon)