{"id":146307,"date":"2025-09-18T23:34:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T23:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/146307\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T23:34:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T23:34:14","slug":"how-to-watch-one-battle-after-another-in-vistavision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/146307\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Watch ‘One Battle After Another’ in VistaVision"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the rise of television threatened movie attendance in the 1950s, Hollywood responded by introducing several new exhibition formats<\/a> designed to bring people back to theaters with the promise of widescreen images and stereophonic sound. CinemaScope, Cinerama, and VistaVision<\/a> were just a few of these processes, which dazzled audiences and yielded films like \u201cThe Robe,\u201d \u201cThe Bridge on the River Kwai,\u201d and \u201cAround the World in 80 Days,\u201d attracting customers in droves.<\/p>\n

Now, as exhibitors struggle with the rise of streaming and declining theater attendance, one of America\u2019s greatest living filmmakers has revived one of the greatest of all widescreen formats, giving today\u2019s audiences the same reason to get off their couches that Alfred Hitchcock<\/a>, Michael Curtiz, and other premier directors of their era gave in the 1950s. The glorious return of VistaVision<\/a> began last year when Brady Corbet shot \u201cThe Brutalist<\/a>\u201d in the format and exhibited the film<\/a> in several venues in 70mm, a gauge that approximates VistaVision\u2019s high resolution \u2014 but that was only the beginning.<\/p>\n

\"'Jay<\/a> \"'Arco'\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

Now, director Paul Thomas Anderson<\/a> has not only filmed but is releasing \u201cOne Battle After Another<\/a>\u201d in VistaVision, with a handful of venues projecting the movie in a format that hasn\u2019t been seen by audiences of a new release film since Marlon Brando\u2019s \u201cOne-Eyed Jacks\u201d in 1961. (Lucky viewers at this year\u2019s TCM Film Festival<\/a> did get to see revivals of \u201cWe\u2019re No Angels\u201d and \u201cGunfight at the O.K. Corral\u201d in true VistaVision.)<\/p>\n

Why is that important? And what does it mean for audiences, filmmakers, and projectionists? Let\u2019s break it down.<\/p>\n

What made VistaVision special compared to rival formats like CinemaScope was its larger negative \u2014 around twice the size of a typical 35mm film frame, as the film was run through the camera horizontally rather than vertically. As Margaret Bodde, who works with Martin Scorsese\u2019s Film Foundation<\/a>, told IndieWire, \u201cWith CinemaScope, you have a four-perf negative. VistaVision is eight-perf, so you\u2019re doubling the size of the image. It just has a superior image quality.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In spite of that superior quality, VistaVision ultimately became more or less obsolete for feature film production, though it continued to be used extensively for special effects work on blockbusters like the original \u201cStar Wars,\u201d \u201cBack to the Future,\u201d and \u201cJurassic Park.\u201d \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d was shot using a combination of VistaVision and Super 35, and will be released in no fewer than seven formats. This has led to intense excitement among cinephiles \u2014 and no small amount of misinformation.<\/p>\n

In one example, a fan-created graphic recently took off on social media and led to widespread confusion over aspect ratios of the various exhibition formats. (Among other things, it incorrectly stated that the movie would be released in a 2.20:1 aspect ratio in 70mm.) To clarify what formats \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d will be presented in, their technical specs, and where to see them, IndieWire reached out to the source: Paul Thomas Anderson.<\/p>\n

Anderson referred us to three members of his post-production team: editor Andy Jurgensen, post-production supervisor Erica Frauman, and associate editor Jay Trautman, all of whom dealt with the complexities of VistaVision and the movie\u2019s varied release prints throughout the post-production process. Together, they addressed several important questions related to the different ways you can watch \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d when it opens in theaters on September 26.<\/p>\n

The below interview condenses and combines responses from Jurgensen, Frauman, and Trautman on the specifics of formats for seeing \u201cOne Battle After Another.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Are the Release Formats for \u201cOne Battle After Another,\u201d Their Aspect Ratios, and Sound Specs?<\/p>\n

\"Screenshot\"<\/p>\n

What Aspect Ratio Was the Movie Originally Shot in?<\/p>\n

The film was shot using a combination of VistaVision (8-perf) and Super 35 (4-perf) formats. (\u201cPerf\u201d referring to the perforations that run alongside or \u2014 depending on the format \u2014 above and below the image so that the celluloid can be pulled through the projector.) Both offer a tall enough negative to accommodate the full IMAX 1.43:1 aspect ratio, though the image can be cropped top and bottom to fit the 1.90:1 IMAX or standard 1.85:1 aspect ratios. Camera operator Colin Anderson used ground glass marked with framelines for both 1.85:1 and 1.43:1 compositions to ensure flexibility in framing.<\/p>\n

When the opportunity for special VistaVision screenings arose, Paul Thomas Anderson chose to present the film in the full 1.50:1 VistaVision frame, an aspect ratio very close to IMAX\u2019s 1.43:1. The 5-perf 70mm version is presented in 1.85:1, pillarboxed within a 2.20:1 frame, while standard DCPs are also formatted in 1.85:1.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

How Do the Different Release Formats Complicate the Post Process?<\/p>\n

We often say that each release format offers its own unique experience of the film. In the photochemical world, it\u2019s impossible to make all formats look exactly the same!<\/p>\n

Because the film was shot with both VistaVision and Super 35mm cameras, we had to navigate not only multiple release formats but also multiple capture formats. If we were using the digital intermediate process that nearly every modern film uses, we would just scan all of the negative and resize it in a computer. However, we cut and splice the camera negative and print photochemically. This means that we had to figure out how to create the VistaVision negative from our Super 35mm shots and our digital visual effects. We started testing these processes over two years ago. In the end, FotoKem configured both an optical printer and a digital film recorder specifically for VistaVision, allowing us to create all the necessary elements to assemble a complete VistaVision negative and produce a VistaVision release print.<\/p>\n

Does Paul Thomas Anderson Have a Preferred Format?<\/p>\n

Paul has noted that the VistaVision presentation is the closest to the film\u2019s intended look, as it\u2019s struck directly from the VistaVision cut negative. There are only four of these special screening venues currently scheduled \u2014 in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and London.<\/p>\n

That said, we always knew there would be an IMAX release, so from the beginning, the 1.43:1 and 1.90:1 IMAX presentations (both film and digital) were intended to be the most immersive. This is the first narrative feature film to be presented entirely in IMAX\u2019s 1.43:1 aspect ratio (with no jumping between aspect ratios). The 70mm (5-perf) version is an optical blow-up from the VistaVision-cut negative. It has slightly more grain and contrast, and its 1.85:1 aspect ratio matches the non-IMAX DCP presentations.<\/p>\n

What Does It Really Mean to Capture and Project in True VistaVision?<\/p>\n

Unlike traditional 35mm film, which runs vertically through the camera gate, VistaVision uses a horizontal feed. This allows the image to be recorded on a frame that is twice the size of a standard 4-perf 35mm frame, resulting in a finer-grained negative with improved image quality.<\/p>\n

Just like the cameras, VistaVision projectors must also run the film horizontally. Very few of these projectors still exist today. According to VistaVision expert Charlotte Barker, \u201cIt\u2019s been exactly 70 years since VistaVision projectors were first installed for commercial use, debuting with Paramount\u2019s \u2018Strategic Air Command\u2019 in 1955. Back then, seven U.S. theaters were outfitted with VistaVision projectors, custom 2-foot-deep curvilinear screens, and special aperture plates. \u2018One Battle After Another\u2019 will echo this historic rollout next week at The Vista in Los Angeles, Regal Union Square 17 in New York, Coolidge Corner Theater in Boston, and Odeon Leicester Square in London.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warner Bros. refurbished two Ballantyne VistaVision projectors for use in Los Angeles and New York; Barry Wright (Bell Theatre Services) refreshed their VistaVision projector in London. Boston Light & Sound had previously refurbished two projectors supplied by the George Eastman Museum for the TCM Festival in April of 2025; these will be used in Boston. Each Ballantyne projector is equipped with DTS readers to synchronize audio and fitted with custom-built platters capable of running the entire two-hour, 40-minute film on a single reel. The Boston location will utilize two projectors and play reel-to-reel. Projectionists at each location are receiving specialized training to operate the equipment.<\/p>\n

Projecting in VistaVision allows prints made directly from the original cut negative to be shown to an audience. This hasn\u2019t been possible for over 60 years. Historically, footage shot on VistaVision had to be converted to another format for exhibition. As far as we know, this is the first new release feature film to be projected from true VistaVision prints since \u201cOne-Eyed Jacks\u201d in 1961.<\/p>\n

Where Can We See the Movie Projected on Film?<\/p>\n

See the below listings across select cities when \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d opens starting September 26.<\/p>\n

VISTAVISION ENGAGEMENTS<\/p>\n

Los Angeles, CA, USA \u2014 Vista Theater
New York, NY, USA \u2014 Regal Union Square 17
Boston, MA, USA \u2014 Coolidge Corner Theater
London, England, UK \u2014 Odeon Leicester Square<\/p>\n

IMAX 70MM (15-PERF) ENGAGEMENTS<\/p>\n

Dallas, TX, USA \u2014 Webb Chapel IMAX
Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA \u2014 AutoNation IMAX
Indianapolis, IN, USA \u2014 Indiana State Museum
Irvine, CA, USA \u2014 Regal Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21
London, England, UK \u2014 BFI IMAX
New York, NY, USA \u2014 AMC Lincoln Square 13
San Francisco, CA, USA \u2014 AMC Metreon 16
Tempe, AZ, USA \u2014 Harkins Arizona Mills 18
Universal City, CA, USA \u2014 AMC Universal Citywalk 19
Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada \u2014 Cineplex Vaughan IMAX<\/p>\n

70MM (5-PERF) ENGAGEMENTS<\/p>\n

Atlanta, GA, USA \u2014 Plaza
Austin, TX, USA \u2014 Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
Berlin, Germany \u2014 Delphi
Berlin, Germany \u2014 Zoo
Chicago, IL, USA \u2014 Music Box
Copenhagen, Denmark \u2014 Denmark Imperial
Dublin, Ireland \u2014 Irish Film Institute
Melbourne, Australia \u2014 Palace
Milwaukee, WI, USA \u2014 Oriental
New Orleans, LA, USA \u2014 Prytania
New York, NY, USA \u2014 Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn
New York, NY, USA \u2014 Angelika Cinema 1, 2, 3
New York, NY, USA \u2014 Angelika Village East 7
Oakland, CA, USA \u2014 Grand Lake
Portland, OR, USA \u2014 Hollywood
San Francisco, CA, USA \u2014 Alamo Drafthouse New Mission
Silver Spring, MD, USA \u2014 AFI Silver
Somerville, MA, USA \u2014 Somerville
Sydney, Australia \u2014 Ritz
Vancouver, BC, Canada \u2014 Park<\/p>\n

Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d opens in theaters on September 26. Special thanks to Benjamin Tucker for his assistance with this article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When the rise of television threatened movie attendance in the 1950s, Hollywood responded by introducing several new exhibition…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":146308,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[96,2332,2839,13448,34572,67385,56,54,55,67386],"class_list":["post-146307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-film","tag-movies","tag-one-battle-after-another","tag-paul-thomas-anderson","tag-top-of-the-line","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-vistavision"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146307\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}