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The Coen Brothers' Fargo

The Coen Brothers' Fargo statements made at the time. In effect, general CinemaScope practice was never as unthinking as Pinel assumes. Early in his discussion, Bordwell tries to determine whether there was a formula for the disposition of actors within the CinemaScope frame. He assumes that directors and cinematographers might have divided the frame roughly into fifths, keeping interest focused in the central threefifths during shot/reverse shot passages. As I have argued elsewhere, the most common division of the frame is into quarters. Such a division emphasizes the center of the frame, something Bordwell recognizes, and keeps interest focused in the center quarters of the frame. Dividing the frame into quarters further supports Bordwell’s argument that the adoption of CinemaScope was managed though the adjustment of classical norms, because the central quarters at 1:2.35 are only slightly smaller than the entire Academy ratio image. (The central quarters were exactly the same size as the older format when CinemaScope was the full 1:2.66 ratio). Thus during shot/reverse shot cutting in CinemaScope films actors are usually positioned on what would have been the outermost edges of the Academy frame. All in all, despite some contributors’ unquestioning reliance upon received opinion, Le Cinemascope entre art http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Film Quarterly University of California Press

The Coen Brothers' Fargo

Palmer, R. Barton
Film Quarterly , Volume 58 (4) – Jul 1, 2005
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Publisher
University of California Press
Copyright
Copyright © by the University of California Press
ISSN
0015-1386
eISSN
1533-8630
DOI
10.1525/fq.2005.58.4.57
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

statements made at the time. In effect, general CinemaScope practice was never as unthinking as Pinel assumes. Early in his discussion, Bordwell tries to determine whether there was a formula for the disposition of actors within the CinemaScope frame. He assumes that directors and cinematographers might have divided the frame roughly into fifths, keeping interest focused in the central threefifths during shot/reverse shot passages. As I have argued elsewhere, the most common division of the frame is into quarters. Such a division emphasizes the center of the frame, something Bordwell recognizes, and keeps interest focused in the center quarters of the frame. Dividing the frame into quarters further supports Bordwell’s argument that the adoption of CinemaScope was managed though the adjustment of classical norms, because the central quarters at 1:2.35 are only slightly smaller than the entire Academy ratio image. (The central quarters were exactly the same size as the older format when CinemaScope was the full 1:2.66 ratio). Thus during shot/reverse shot cutting in CinemaScope films actors are usually positioned on what would have been the outermost edges of the Academy frame. All in all, despite some contributors’ unquestioning reliance upon received opinion, Le Cinemascope entre art

Journal

Film Quarterly – University of California Press

Published: Jul 1, 2005

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