Just Tivo'd 'Man With The Golden Arm' from TCM this past week and was surprised to see that TCM ran a letterbox print ratio of 1:85 .of this great B/W classic.
All the DVD versions on the market up to the 50th Anniversary Edition was always full screen., but last years May 2008 release was letterboxed,, and that was the version TCM broadcast.
Wonder if the film elements after the 2005 special edition release were found and properly mastered?
Amazon says the 5/13/08 version is 1.77:1; imdb says 1.85:1...whatever it is it looks very good to me. All earlier versions were not widescreen..?
shareAccording to Chris Fujiwara's biography, Otto Preminger shot the film in 1.85:1
It was in his contract that he had to shoot it in either 2.35 or 1.85 and he chose the latter
Remember that his two previous films (Carmen Jones and River of No Return) were shot in glorious CinemaScope - widescreen was hot at the time
The Man with the Golden Arm has been in the public domain for a long time, thus the series of crappy quality releases
I just posted this: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048347/board/nest/260202744. You might want to review it. I'm posting it here so you will be more likely to see it. Please forgive the cross-post.
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I don't have a dog. And furthermore, my dog doesn't bite. And furthermore, you provoked him.