Stanley Kubrick Movies

[dfgh11]

Anyone know why Kubrick movies on DVD are all in 4:3?

[Baldrick]

Many of kubricks movies are in 4:3. See imdb.com under Technical spec for the original aspect ratio.

[dfgh11]

for Full metal jacket it says-
1.66 : 1 (intended ratio, Europe)
1.85 : 1 (intended ratio, USA)

Yet on a region 2 DVD it's not this.

Same with a lot of Kubrick's later films: A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut. They're widescreen it appears (70mm) aspect ratios mainly.

[dcsos]

It seems to have been Kubrick's preference for his films to be shown in the 4:3 or "full frame" aspect ratio, because, according to his long-standing personal assistant Leon Vitali, that was the way he composed them through the camera viewfinder and if it were technically still possible to do so, he would have liked them to be shown full frame in cinemas as well.

from the KUBRICK FAQ
http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/faq/
Also Check Vitali interview on DVD RELEASES
http://www.dvdtalk.com/leonvitaliinterview.html

[dfgh11]

I knew it must have been for a person reason rather than a technical reason. Thanks DCSOS, for clearing that up for me so promptly.

[guns1inger]

The exceptions to this are

2001 : A Space Oddyssey - Available in it's OAR of 2.22:1

A Clockwork Orange - Available in 1.66:1

Dr. Strangelove - This is available in it's OAR, which is mixed 1.33:1 and 1.66:1. This is possibly due to second unit using a different gate.

There are also two versions of Eyes Wide Shut doing the rounds. R1 has digital compositing used to hide naughty bits during the orgy. Apparently the PAL versions do not suffer this humiliation. It is still presented 1.33:1.

While it is disappointing in some respects, if these were shot open matte, and this is how they get presented, then you are not missing anything other than your memory of the cinema framing (probably 1.85:1). If they have been cropped to fit (and none seem to be pan and scan, thankfully) it would be different.