Hondo,
Widescreen movies weren't shot until 1953, when Fox released The Robe in CinemsScope. So, any movie made before 1953 should be released in fullscreen. The only exception to this that I know of is The Big Trail, which was shot in an experimental widescreen process. In fact, it was the financial failure of The Big Trail that lead to Fox abandoning widescreen for over 20 years.
All I ask for in a DVD release is that the release remain true to the original aspect ratio of the film. (Just as a side note, a few years ago, there were some people making a lot of money off the internet selling bootlegged "widescreen" copies of Gone With The Wind. Of course, all they had done is cut off the top and bottom of the film! So, if anyone ever tries to sell you one of those, it's a fake!). For my money, this is one area where DVD is a big improvement over VHS (remember all those "reformatted" titles). As I was saying my three criteria for a good DVD release is as follows:
1) The release remain true to the original aspect ratio of the film (as I said this was a major problem with VHS)
2) The release present the film in its original color (if it was shot in black & white, release it in black & white; if it was shot in color, release it in color. This too was a problem with VHS tapes from some studios).
3) The release should take advantage of digital restoration processes to present the best audio and video experience possible.
As I said, my feeling about this is that if a movie was originally shot in widescreen, release the DVD in widescreen; if it was originally shot in fullscreen, release the DVD in fullscreen.
E.J.
