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Online access to this book is only available to eligible users.
Files
Download Full Text (23.5 MB)
Description
When widescreen technology was introduced to filmmaking in 1953, it changed the visual framework and aesthetic qualities of cinema forever. Before widescreen, a director's vision for capturing beautiful landscapes or city skylines was limited by what could be included in the boxy confines of an Academy Ratio film frame. The introduction and subsequent evolution of widescreen technology has allowed directors to push the boundaries of filmmaking. This book explores the technological changes of the widescreen technique and how the format has inspired directors and also sparked debates among film critics. Examining early filmmakers such as Buster Keaton and D. W. Griffith and genre pioneers like Nicholas Ray and Douglas Sirk, the book explains how directors use wider aspect ratios to enhance their creative visions. The book tracks the history of stylistic experimentation with the film frame and demonstrates how the expansion of the screen has uncovered myriad creative possibilities for directors.
Publication Date
2010
Publisher
The University Press of Kentucky
Place of Publication
Lexington, KY
ISBN
978-0-8131-2651-7
eISBN
978-0-8131-2659-3 (pdf version)
eISBN
978-0-8131-3996-8 (epub version)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5810/kentucky/9780813126517.001.0001
Keywords
Widescreen technology, Filmmaking, Cinema, Film frame, Buster Keaton, D. W. Griffith, Nicholas Ray, Douglas Sirk
Disciplines
Film and Media Studies | Mass Communication
Recommended Citation
Cossar, Harper, "Letterboxed: The Evolution of Widescreen Cinema" (2010). Film and Media Studies. 41.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_film_and_media_studies/41
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