Early Cinemascope: The Robe
Cinemascope still exists as a process, though not as a brand name (this year's Inglourious Basterds and Star Trek were both shot in it). But in early films like The Robe (1953), it looked and sounded very different. Back then, filmmakers had much more fun with the wide screen (slightly wider than the current ‘scope) and "four-track stereophonic sound." For instance, when people on the left side of the screen spoke, their voices actually came out of the left speaker; that almost never happens in recent movies. The Robe was the first film released in Cinemascope. This corny but fun Biblical melodrama plays with the wide screen and stereo like a shiny new toy.
The Blu-ray disc has plenty of Cinemascope-oriented extras, too, including a Bonusview feature that lets you compare the wide images with the simultaneously shot 4:3 version.
See also:
Tech that makes you smile
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Republished with permission from PC World (view original version)
