Aspect Ratio 1:2.66 ? Is this true or a joke ?
I've never heard of such an aspect ratio...
But several sites write this.
Or was it a mistake on IMDB that the others repeated ?
Does anybody know?
It is not a mistake. The 1:2.66 aspect ratio is one of the so called anamorphic formats (e.g Panavision, Cinemascope, Technirama) used to project a wider image from a narrower film frame. BTW, it's an old one.
shareInteresting that this is coming about at the same time as Tarantino's The Hateful Eight which wields an aspect ratio of 2.76:1 (so slightly wider).
When watching From Afar, I was initially suspicious that the projectionist had the masking incorrect but then I became convinced it was at the standard scope setting and that this was a deliberate choice of the film. That it was.
What it adds to the film (rather than the usual, modern 2.39:1) I'm still trying to reconcile but it was refreshing to see a slightly different use of frame and as for the film itself, I have to say I loved it,
Going to see this tomorrow with my wife.
It will be interesting as she is from Caracas, where the movie takes place.
I don't think the aspect ratio was a good choice for this movie, or at least not for the people making it. There were times when you couldn't see what the characters were eating, or doing, or faces were blocked, or you just didn't get a good view of the scene. Since the director is so self-consciously artsy (or what passes for artsy in recent Latin American films) the aspect ratio was no doubt a deliberate choice. It reflects the minimalist approach, only showing us a little bit, leaving us to guess the rest.
I've seen dozens of Latin American films done in this minimalist style in the past five or ten years, and I keep wondering when the fad is going to play itself out.