SilverWook said:
In the case of Kubrick, it gets complicated. IIRC, there is a storyboard glimpsed on the Blu Ray supplements for The Shining that clearly shows the intended theatrical ratio. Might be some framing marks on a playback monitor as well.
Yes, I recall the intended ratio for The Shining was 1.85:1 according to that storyboard. I think the latest video release is in 1.78:1 instead of 1.85:1, don't you still see those helicopter blades in the opening? An interesting article related to this discussion: http://www.hdvision-mag.com/2012/03/was-the-terminator-shown-in-two-different-formats.html