MovieChat Forums > Braindead (1993) Discussion > Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 vs 1.66 : 1 vs 1.53...

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 vs 1.66 : 1 vs 1.53:1

posted 13 years ago by zachtheman
3 replies | jump to latest

the German laser paradise dvd ids the longer cut of the movie and has the same ratio as the shorter US cut on the uk version is 1.53:1 <<< i think i have seen this version witch if it is the one version i saw it seamed to be window boxed why ?

IMDB states the original ratio is 1.66 : 1 this is the same ratio as the German dvd i own its called the blood edition and not the same release as the 1.78:1 version by laser paradise anyway the 1.66 : 1 version i own is from a company called astro anyway the astro version looks kind of cropped to me but dose look better than the UK 1.53:1 window boxed version i have never seen the film in 1.78:1 i hear its also Anamorphic is the 1.78:1 ratio achieved by cropping the top and bottom a bit or has this version got the most screen information

any way what is the correct ratio and what ratio shows the most screen info sorry if this is a confusing question but if anyone knows what im talking about please fill me in

you will have to forgive the lack of full stops lack of proper spelling im dyslexic but not stupid

[–] BHt88 12 years ago

The U.S. dvd is 1.66:1
The U.S. blu ray is apparently 1.85:1
^^Tho it may be false

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/2762/1111111ey.jpg
this is true 16x9 1.7777778:1

BHT RISES myspace.com/blackheart60

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Oxcom7 7 years ago

I believe the right aspect ratio is 1.66:1 as the movie was shot on Super16 rather than 35mm as they say everywhere (it probably is a marketing ploy to make the movie sound more sumptuous).
As you can see in this behind-the-scene picture, the camera operator is holding an Arriflex SR (can't say if it is a SRI or SRII, but it doesn't matter), a 16mm camera which was likely converted to Super16 for a wider frame as they were going to blow the film up to 35mm for its theatrical release.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c5/e5/39/c5e539c3ce7d89b5b77f7f0e12eee83e.jpg

I guess the movie was screened (wherever it actually got a theatrical release) in 1.66:1, which is also a 35mm aspect ratio. As for home video releases, 1.78:1 is 16:9 (the earlier is used for film, the latter for video), just as 1.33:1 is 4:3 - since DVDs and especially BRs have a standard ratio of 16:9 (DVDs can actually be either 4:3 or 16:9, it depends on the content, while BR are 16:9 by default, with 4:3 material being pillar-boxed), it makes sense they actually cropped the image a bit to better fit the screen - most movies shot in 1.66:1 (like "The Blood On Satan's Claw" or Dario Argento's "Phenomena") are "optimized" for 16:9 in their home video editions.

I do own the British uncut VHS of this movie, which is presented in 4:3, but the framing isn't very different from what I've seen on websites dissecting the Blu Ray edition - that is because 1.66:1 falls somewhat between 1.33:1 and 1.85:1 (which was the standard widescreen ratio for 35mm with spherical lenses - at least until the advent of Super35) and did translate well on old television screens - some producers\directors in the 1980s, when home video became a viable distribution, actually started to shoot their movies in 1.66:1 to actually ensure they didn't loose much when transferred to videotape.