With The Brutalist, Brady Corbet and cinematographer Lol Crawley revived VistaVision for a 21st century cinema. In the process, they also brought the format back to the Oscar stage, becoming the first film since Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief to win the Best Cinematography Oscar for a VistaVision lensing. If you've read my reviews over the years, you might have noticed I have a passion for film form. This fascination encompasses the innovations that took over the medium in the midcentury, with the introduction of new aspect ratios, processes, and techniques after decades under the 4:3 Academy ratio hegemony.
I really love VistaVision, a happy medium between more extreme widescreen propositions and the classical square-ish proportions that dominated pre-1950s cinema. It's quite beautiful, harmonious and the technique itself lends itself to rich images, full of detail, crisp yet not in the sometimes bloodless way of digital filmmaking. But what is VistaVision exactly? And how have films shot in this widescreen variant performed at the Oscars? Let's find out…
Developed by Paramount Pictures in the mid-50s, VistaVision came to be as an alternative to the CinemaScope technology utilized by other studios. Those other anamorphic processes worked on the base of a distorted image captured on film, when the picture is squeezed vertically into the 35mm strip and stretched back into shape later. If you watch a lot of 1950s movies, you may have noticed the early stages of CinemaScope often look a bit fuzzy, losing precious detail as a consequence of these material transformations. Look at the 1954 A Star Is Born as a prime example, where the glory and such limitations were on full display.
With VistaVision, the celluloid strip runs on the horizontal – similar to how it works in still photography – allowing for a larger area and finer-grain resolution. Basically, if you look at a VistaVision frame on its original print, you'll see the perforations on the top and bottom rather than the sides and a less compressed visual. The result is pleasingly detailed, a rich texture with exquisite quality. There was nothing else like it in the Hollywood context for a short period, before Panavision stole its thunder. I find it especially gorgeous in color pictures, where it conveys a sense of hyper-reality to the artifice of classic cinema. Consider the first major VistaVision feature – White Christmas – its rhapsodies of dancing color where every spangle is discernable on the screen.
Indeed, the history of VistaVision at the Oscars started with the Yuletide musical. Here's a list of all the movies, their Academy Award nominations, and wins:
WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954) Michael Curtiz
- BEST ORIGINAL SONG, "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," Irving Berlin
White Christmas is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. You can also rent it from Apple TV, Amazon Video, Fandango at Home, and the Microsoft Store.
THE ROSE TATTOO (1955) Elia Kazan
- BEST PICTURE, Hal B. Wallis
- BEST ACTRESS, Anna Magnani *winner*
- BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, Marisa Pavan
- BEST FILM EDITING, Warren Low
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, BLACK-AND-WHITE, James Wong Howe *winner*
- BEST ART DIRECTION-SET DECORATION, BLACK-AND-WHITE, Hal Pereira, Tambi Larsen, Sam Comer & Arthur Krams *winner*
- BEST COSTUME DESIGN, Edith Head
- BEST MUSIC, SCORING OF A DRAMATIC OR COMEDY PICTURE, Alex North
The Rose Tattoo is streaming on Kanopy and Pluto TV. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and the Microsoft Store.
THE SEVEN LITTLE FOYS (1955) Melville Shavelson
- BEST WRITING, STORY AND SCREENPLAY, Melville Shavelson & Jack Rose
The Seven Little Foys isn't currently streaming anywhere. However, you can find it uploaded on YouTube.
STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND (1955) Anthony Mann
- BEST WRITING, MOTION PICTURE STORY, Beirne Lay Jr.
Strategic Air Command is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Kanopy, and the History Channel Vault. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
TO CATCH A THIEF (1955) Alfred Hitchcock
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, COLOR, Robert Burks *winner*
- BEST ART DIRECTION-SET DECORATION, COLOR, Hal Pereira, J. McMillan Johnson, Sam Comer & Arthur Krams
- BEST COSTUME DESIGN, COLOR, Edith Head
To Catch a Thief is streaming on Paramount Plus and Hoopla. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, the Microsoft Store, and Spectrum On Demand.
RICHARD III (1955) Laurence Olivier
- Best Actor, Laurence Olivier
Richard III is streaming on Max, Kanopy, and the Criterion Channel. You can also rent it from Amazon Video and Apple TV.
HIGH SOCIETY (1956) Charles Walters
- BEST MUSIC, SCORING OF A MUSICAL PICTURE, Johnny Green & Saul Chaplin
- BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SONG, "True Love," Cole Porter
High Society is streaming on Hoopla. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and the Microsoft Store.
THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1956) Alfred Hitchcock
- BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SONG, "Whatever Will be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)," Jay Livingston & Ray Evans *winner*
The Man Who Knew Too Much is available for rent and purchase from Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
THE PROUD AND PROFANE (1956) George Seaton
- BEST ART DIRECTION-SET DECORATION, BLACK-AND-WHITE, Hal Pereira, A. Earl Hedrick, Sam Comer & Frank R. McKelvy
- BEST COSTUME DESIGN, BLACK-AND-WHITE, Edith Head
The Proud and Profane isn't currently streaming anywhere. However, you can find an upload of it on YouTube.
THE RAINMAKER (1956) Joseph Anthony
- BEST ACTRESS, Katharine Hepburn
- BEST MUSIC, SCORING OF A DRAMATIC OR COMEDY PICTURE, Alex North
The Rainmaker is streaming on Pluto TV. You can rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956) Cecil B. DeMille
- BEST PICTURE, Cecil B. DeMille
- BEST FILM EDITING, Anne Bauchens
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, COLOR, Loyal Griggs
- BEST ART DIRECTION-SET DECORATION, COLOR, Hal Pereira, Walter H. Tyler, Albert Nozaki, Sam Comer & Ray Moyer
- BEST COSTUME DESIGN, COLOR, Edith Head, Ralph Jester, John Jensen, Dorothy Jeakins, Arnold Friberg
- BEST EFFECTS, SPECIAL EFFECTS, John P. Fulton *winner*
- BEST SOUND, RECORDING, Loren L. Ryder
The Ten Commandments are available to rent from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Plex, and Fandango at Home.
WAR AND PEACE (1956) King Vidor
- BEST DIRECTOR, King Vidor
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, COLOR, Jack Cardiff
- BEST COSTUME DESIGN, COLOR, Maria De Matteis
War and Peace is streaming on Hoopla, Kanopy, and Pluto TV. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and the Microsoft Store.
FUNNY FACE (1957) Stanley Donen
- BEST WRITING, STORY AND SCREENPLAY – WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN, Leonard Gershe
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, Ray June
- BEST ART DIRECTION-SET DECORATION, Hal Pereira, George W. Davis, Sam Comer & Ray Moyer
- BEST COSTUME DESIGN, Edith Head & Hubert de Givenchy
Funny Face is streaming on Hoopla, Kanopy, and Pluto TV. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and the Microsoft Store.
GUNFIGHT AT THE O.K. CORRAL (1957) John Sturges
- BEST FILM EDITING, Warren Low
- BEST SOUND, RECORDING, George Dutton
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is streaming on Fubo TV and MGM+. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and the Microsoft Store.
THE JOKER IS WILD (1957) Charles Vidor
- BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SONG, "All the Way," Jimmy Van Heusen & Sammy Cahn *winner*
The Joker is Wild isn't currently streaming anywhere. However, you can find it uploaded on YouTube.
THE TIN STAR (1957) Anthony Mann
- BEST WRITING, STORY AND SCREENPLAY – WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN, Barney Slater, Joel Kane & Dudley Nichols
The Tin Star is streaming on Fubo TV and MGM+. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
WILD IS THE WIND (1957) George Cukor
- BEST ACTRESS, Anna Magnani
- BEST ACTOR, Anthony Quinn
- BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SONG, "Wild Is the Wind," Dimitri Tiomkin & Ned Washington
Wild is the Wind isn't currently streaming anywhere. However, you can find it uploaded on YouTube.
THE BUCCANEER (1958) Anthony Quinn
- BEST COSTUME DESIGN, Ralph Jester, Edith Head & John Jensen
The Buccaneer is streaming on Kanopy and Pluto TV. You can also rent it on Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS (1958) Delbert Mann
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, BLACK-AND-WHITE, Daniel L. Fapp
Desire Under the Elms is streaming on Hoopla. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
HOUSEBOAT (1958) Melville Shavelson
- BEST WRITING, STORY AND SCREENPLAY – WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN, Melville Shavelson & Jack Rose
- BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SONG, "Almost in Your Arms," Jay Livingston & Ray Evans
Houseboat is streaming on Brit Box, Hoopla, and Pluto TV. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and the Microsoft Store.
TEACHER'S PET (1958) George Seaton
- BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, Gig Young
- BEST WRITING, STORY AND SCREENPLAY – WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN, Fay Kanin & Michael Kanin
Teacher's Pet is streaming on Kanopy. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and the Microsoft Store.
VERTIGO (1958) Alfred Hitchcock
- BEST ART DIRECTION-SET DECORATION, Hal Pereira, Henry Bumstead, Sam Comer & Frank R. McKelvy
- BEST SOUND, George Dutton
Vertigo is available to rent from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, the Microsoft Store, and Spectrum On Demand.
THE FIVE PENNIES (1959) Melville Shavelson
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, COLOR, Daniel L. Fapp
- BEST COSTUME DESIGN, COLOR, Edith Head
- BEST MUSIC, SCORING OF A MUSICAL PICTURE, Leith Stevens
- BEST MUSIC, ORIGINAL SONG, "The Five Pennies," Sylvia Fine
The Five Pennies is streaming on Hoopla and Kanopy. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
LIL' ABNER (1959) Melvin Frank
- BEST MUSIC, SCORING OF A MUSICAL PICTURE, Nelson Riddle & Joseph J. Lilley
Lil' Abner isn't currently available for streaming. However, you can find it uploaded on YouTube.
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) Alfred Hitchcock
- BEST WRITING, STORY AND SCREENPLAY – WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN, Ernest Lehman
- BEST FILM EDITING, George Tomasini
- BEST ART DIRECTION-SET DECORATION, COLOR, William A. Horning, Robert F. Boyle, Merrill Pye, Henry Grace & Frank R. McKelvy
North by Northwest is available to rent from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and Spectrum On Demand.
IT STARTED IN NAPLES (1960) Melville Shavelson
- BEST ART DIRECTION-SET DECORATION, COLOR, Hal Pereira, Roland Anderson, Sam Comer & Arrigo Breschi
It Started In Naples is streaming on Hoopla and Kanopy. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, and the Microsoft Store.
ONE-EYED JACKS (1961) Marlon Brando
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, COLOR, Charles Lang
One-Eyed Jacks is streaming on Fubo TV, Peacock, the Roku Channel, Hoopla, Pluto TV, Shout! Factory, FlixHouse, Plex, Filmzie, DarkRoom, Cultpix, and Public Domain Movies. You can also rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
THE BRUTALIST (2024) Brady Corbet
- BEST PICTURE, Brady Corbet, D.J. Guggenheim, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison & Nick Gordon
- BEST DIRECTOR, Brady Corbet
- BEST ACTOR, Adrien Brody *winner*
- BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, Felicity Jones
- BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, Guy Pearce
- BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY, Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
- BEST FILM EDITING, Dávid Jancsó
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, Lol Crawley *winner*
- BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN, Judy Becker & Patricia Cuccia
- BEST ORIGINAL SCORE, Daniel Blumberg *winner*
The Brutalist is still in some theaters. You can also buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.
As you can see, there's a big gap between One-Eyed Jacks and The Brutalist. It would be even grander if one considers the Brando-directed misadventure was shot in 1958. After the format became obsolete, there was simply no incentive for the American industry to perpetuate its usage. However, Paramount sold many of their machinery. They started early, allowing other studios to enjoy the VistaVision beauty – Warner Bros., for example – but later expanded beyond borders. Japanese cinema was the process' new home for the decades to come. Nagisa Oshima shot three movies in VistaVision, and some famous big screen animes followed suit – The End of Evangelion says hi.
In its country of origin and industrial birthplace, VistaVision was mostly used for special visual effects shots. I only counted films primarily shot this way for that Oscars list, since it would be much longer were I to include productions that used it in this limited capacity. From the first Star Wars to Poor Things, going through Roger Rabbit, Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump, The Matrix and countless others, many of AMPAS' favorite features have a sprinkle of VistaVision in them. Researching that list, I confess I became curious about what a full Spielberg film in this form would look like. Probably beautiful beyond my wildest dreams.
Speaking of specific directors, three auteurs top the list of VistaVision masters, with five films entirely shot in the format to their name. They are Alfred Hitchcock – only The Trouble with Harry missed out on Oscar nominations – Melville Shavelson, and Michael Curtiz. Jerry Lewis is the king of VistaVision cinema in front of the camera, with ten films, while Sophia Loren is our queen with a fine-grained septet. The most experienced cinematographer has to be Daniel L. Fapp, with 13 credits to his name, though Loyal Griggs, Robert Burks, Haskell B. Boggs, and Charles Lang aren't too far behind. Mostly, this is just a list of Paramount artisans of the 1950s. That's why Hal Pereira and the fabulous Edith Head are all over that Oscar list.
That’s enough formalist nerdery and trivia. Would you like to see VistaVision make a comeback, unlikely as that is? Then again, the format opened the doors to what would become IMAX and that is becoming increasingly popular.