Aspect ratio is the proportion of a film image. For example, a “widescreen” film might have an aspect ratio of 2.35:1—that is, the image is 2.35 times as wide as it is tall. Song of the South‘s pressbooks starting in 1972 state that Song of the South‘s aspect ratio is 1.75:1. However, Song of the South was filmed in 1946 when the standard aspect ratio was 1.37:1 or 1.33:1 (the same aspect ratio as, say, Gone With the Wind.) So, then, is Song of the South‘s aspect ratio 1.75:1 or 1.37:1?
Thanks to an email from reader Phil Smoot, Song of the South was most likely shot and debuted at 1.37:1. It wasn’t until around 1953 that widescreen as we know it came into existence. Then, some older movies shot in the narrower format were “soft-matted” to give the movie a faux widescreen appearance. Essentially, what this did was crop off the top and/or bottom of the picture to make it appear wider on screen! Song of the South theoretically could have been shown in theaters at 1.75:1 as early as the 1956 re-release, but the 1956 pressbook makes no mention of any aspect ratio. We do know, based uponSong of the South‘s pressbooks, that the movie was shown in 1.75:1 in 1972, 1973, and 1980. Thanks to Phil for the report!