MovieChat Forums > The Secret Life of Plants (1978) Discussion > 2.35:1?

2.35:1?

posted 8 years ago by BornJaded
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Can anyone actually confirm or refute that this was 2.35:1 in its original OAR?

Did anyone see this when it screened at the Jacob Burns Film Center (Pleasantville, NY) back in 2001/2002?

I strongly suspect that the 2.35:1 info here is erroneous. In the very clean-looking full-frame version of this that's streaming on Amazon Instant (and has previously streamed on Netflix), the opening and tail-end Paramount (Gulf+Western) logo is the one used on full-frame 1.37:1 (open matte) prints, and not the most tightly cropped one found on 'scope prints, and the closing credits appear mindful of 1.85:1 theatrical matting. Nothing about the film or any of its compositions suggests that it was shot in 2.35:1.

Anyone know the OAR firsthand?

[–] ScopeWatcher 8 years ago

I was surprised to notice that anamorphic aspect ratio myself when I accessed this film's page today for the first time.

THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS turned up in my native Chicago only once, that I'm aware of, for a one-day booking at a revival theatre in 1980 or '81. While I don't pretend to infallibility, I do generally remember whether a film I've seen theatrically was anamorphic. It feels to me as if this one was no wider than 1.85:1.

Most great films deserve a more appreciative audience than they get.

[–] blackcauldron 8 years ago

The film is most definitely in scope. The print I saw had its opening and end credits in scope... only to change to full-screen for the remainder of the film. That was disappointing.