Have you checked the input on your TV? Seems to me like you are set to either “Zoom” or “Full”, when you should be set to normal. The Criterion DVD worked just fine for me and had no such look.
Agree with above. I can testify that the Double Life disc is perfect. So your TV could be causing a readjustment in the way the image is displayed.
This is a much more common issue with 4:3 images that TV try to convert for widescreen TVs while still keeping the aspect ratio (in the center of the screen) correct, while stretching out the margins of the frame, or at least that sounds like what your describing.
Could also be you’ve become hyper sensitive (a common fault of mine) and natural things like a major wide angles with fished edges can make you start doubting the whole thing. Aspect Paranoia. Common among us I’m sure.
I figured it out.. it’s a new region free DVD player I got. It seems to have some built in zoom that can’t be turned off. It’s ever so slight but I cannot get rid of it. It has additional zoom but those are set manually. I got suspicious when I noticed the same thing on “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” & “Dreams”. I bought the region free so that I could watch Historie(s) du Cinema by Godard. It is a Samsung DVD-C350 Multi All Region Code Zone Free PAL/NTSC DVD Player. When I put “Dreams” for example back in my old DVD player, there is a slight top and bottom letter box effect that keeps the picture in normal ratio. In the region free, it blows it up a bit. Real bummer.
Wow sounds, like it’s time to replace that player then
Doug C
I’m wondering if someone can provide some insight as to whether the film itself, or the regular DVD Criterion release of “Double Life”, has a sort of – compressed vertical feel to the picture? This is perhaps a deliberate cinematographic choice, but I’m not 100% convinced. I just had an older Woody Allen film in last night, and they advertised a “wide-screen” version one side of the DVD.. and “full-screen” on the other.. but the wide-screen wasn’t letterbox, it just looked bizarre – slightly like a fun-house mirror – although I do mean slightly. I’m not saying this effect in this film is bad, or that it’s even that serious, I’m just wondering if I’m seeing things. Almost like the picture should be about 5% wider? I get that yellow filters were used to help create a sort of ethereal effect.. but what about this? Is it there at all? Does anyone agree? This cinematography is overall remarkable but this little thing is bugging me. Looking for confirmation.. couldn’t find anything about it anywhere on google or bing.