On the Waterfront (1954)

[Akijama]

On the Waterfront Blu-ray

Disc Features

New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
Alternate presentations of the restoration in two additional aspect ratios: 1.85:1 (widescreen) and 1.33:1 (full-screen)
Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition
Commentary featuring authors Richard Schickel and Jeff Young
Conversation between filmmaker Martin Scorsese and critic Kent Jones
Elia Kazan: Outsider (1982), an hour-long documentary
New documentary on the making of the film, featuring interviews with scholar Leo Braudy, critic David Thomson, and others
New interview with actress Eva Marie Saint
Interview with director Elia Kazan from 2001
Contender, a 2001 documentary on the film’s most famous scene
New interview with longshoreman Thomas Hanley, an actor in the film
New interview with author James T. Fisher (On the Irish Waterfront) about the real-life people and places behind the film
Visual essay on Leonard Bernstein’s score
Trailer
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Almereyda and reprints of Kazan’s 1952 ad in the New York Times defending his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, one of the 1948 New York Sun articles by Malcolm Johnson on which the film was based, and a 1953 Commonweal piece by screenwriter Budd Schulberg

On the Waterfront - Trailer [1954] [27th Oscar Best Picture]

"I could have been a contender"

[Scottie]

Great news! Finally we can cross this off the list!

Maybe we'll see an upgrade of "The Fugitive Kind" soon?

[Strevlac]

Wow, could Jeff Wells be any more of a douche?

[Deciazulado]

On The Waterfront was projected in 1.85 by the Library of Congress when I saw it in it's Film Preservation Tour and the movie looked fine. It's a Widescreen movie and the Widescreen aspect ratio is 1.85.
Bob Furmanek is a serious person and he does his research.

(Also, non widescreen Academy is 1.37 not 1.33. 1.33 is the TV ratio and Silent Film ratio)

[Akijama]

Originally Posted by Deciazulado

(Also, non widescreen Academy is 1.37 not 1.33. 1.33 is the TV ratio and Silent Film ratio)

Correct.Fixed

[FilmCafe]

Shame that this release is TBA sometime in 2013 but nonetheless this is wonderful news and I'll be buying this classic day one!

[Sky_Captain85]

No 2.76:1 aspect ratio?

[blu-ray_girl_fan]

Meh. I taped black construction paper on my TV so that all movies appear in 2.39:1 (not 2.35:1 or 2.40:1, but 2.39:1 exactly).

[#Darren]

3 aspect ratios?

I don't know the history of this film, but that seems a bit over the top.

[I KEEL YOU]

Wow, that's quarter of a way to a dozen aspect ratios.

[Dragun]

Originally Posted by #Darren

3 aspect ratios?

I don't know the history of this film, but that seems a bit over the top.

It seems like overkill to me too. I wish they'd just present it in one definitive aspect ratio.

[Petyr_Baelish]

Originally Posted by Dragun

It seems like overkill to me too. I wish they'd just present it in one definitive aspect ratio.

Someone just tell me what one to watch. I hate making my own decisions.

[filmmusic]

Originally Posted by Petyr_Baelish

Someone just tell me what one to watch. I hate making my own decisions.

I always watch a film in the aspect ratio (if there are more than one) which shows the most video information.
So, in this case I think it's the 1.37:1.

from imdb trivia (i don't know if this has been posted before)
The film was shot by Elia Kazan at the aspect ratio of 1.37:1. It was originally offered to 20th Century Fox by Kazan, but was turned down by Darryl F. Zanuck because the film was shot in black & white and in the academy ratio of 1.37. Fox at the time was big into Cinemascope wide screen pictures. The film may have been exhibited in a few theaters at 1.66 or even 1.85, but was shot, and exhibited, in 1954, at 1.37:1

[Al_The_Strange]

Another fine Criterion title I can buy, another DVD I can finally be rid of.

[Yami]

Never quote from Jeffrey Wells again, he's a bit of a joke.

I never realised there was any debate surrounding the aspect ratio of On the Waterfront but choice is always good. Criterion must have taken inspiration from the MoC release of Touch of Evil but there's been a lot more debate about that one over the years than On the Waterfront.

[filmmusic]

are the 1.66:1 and 1.85:1 cropped from the 1.37:1, or do they have more video information on the sides?

[blu-ray_girl_fan]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

are the 1.66:1 and 1.85:1 cropped from the 1.37:1, or do they have more video information on the sides?

The 1.66:1 and 1.85:1 transfers will be cropped from the 1.37:1 transfer. The movie was shot before people started using Super 35 as a way of having aspect ratio choices during post-production.

[Deciazulado]

Originally Posted by filmmusic

are the 1.66:1 and 1.85:1 cropped from the 1.37:1, or do they have more video information on the sides?

Originally Posted by blu-ray_girl_fan

The 1.66:1 and 1.85:1 transfers will be cropped from the 1.37:1 transfer. The movie was shot before people started using Super 35 as a way of having aspect ratio choices during post-production.

That's the way most flat (spheric lens) widescreen movies have been made since the 50's:

The camera gate is still the same , but the viewfinder groundglass has markings for the director and the cameraman to frame and compose the film for widescreen. In the theaters the only area seen is the groundglass 1.85 area.

Widescreen1.85.gif

black: camera gate
red: groundglass marking/projector aperture


This is the way non-anamorphic movies have been done for almost 60 years (2013 would be 60 years since the Widescreen changeover)

[Akijama]

Originally Posted by Yami

Never quote from Jeffrey Wells again, he's a bit of a joke.

Appears so

Just to clear some things up - i quoted his article for the sake of news regarding the OTW BD itself,not because i value dude's writing style,opinions,thoughts,etc... I don't even know who this guy is

[obscurelabel]

Bob Furmanek knows as much about the 1953-and beyond aspect ratio issues as anyone (or more than anyone else) and if he would recommend that OTW be shown only at 1.85:1 I couldn't argue with him, and indeed I think it's the most appropriate AR from what relatively little I know about the era. I do remember reading something about one of the production staff on Kiss Me Kate, from the same year of 1953, that they had to compose KMK for three aspect ratios, 1.37:1, 1.66:1, and 1.85:1, so I presume that there is some similar documentation for OTW. Seems like overkill but I don't see how anyone could complain since all ARs with any relevance at all will be present.

I guess one could carp about the price, since this is almost certain to be a two-disc set to accomodate the three versions of the film. If so I hope it's the 1.85 alone on one disc with the other two ARs sharing the other.