Kodachrome and Ektachrome films require K14 and E6 processing respectively; there are such fundamental differences in the emulsions and processes that they cannot be cut from the same roll though they may be made in the same factory.
Film does ripen; otherwise there would be no problem with deterioration due to ageing. Keeping film in a fridge will reduce the rate of deterioration, putting it in the freezer will halt deterioration; if the film passes its use by date while in the freezer then dont worry, you stopped the clock ticking when you put it in there. On removing film from the freezer just allow it to reach ambient temperature before opening the container and loading the cassette I found that 15 to 30 minutes in a pocket close to the body was plenty of time to warm the film, otherwise just leave it in a room for about an hour. I once worked for a commercial diving company and we always stored film in a freezer when working in hot climates we certainly would not have done this if there was any chance at all of the film being damaged because a reshoot could cost up to $5000 per hour.
Professional films are expected to be kept in ideal conditions, usually in a fridge, to be used quickly, ie not left lying around for a year before you decide to put it in the camera, and to be developed soon after exposure. For professional film the manufacturers can very accurately determine the speed of each batch of film, AGFA used to do it (maybe still do, I havent used their film recently) to within one third of a stop, and be confident that the film would be kept under ideal circumstances and used promptly. Consumer film could have been kept in a shop under elevated temperatures, inadequate stock rotation etc; for these films the speed quoted is a guide only since the degree of ageing that has occurred between manufacture and use cannot be determined.
The moral is: only buy film from reputable dealers who do not store it under unsuitable conditions and have a good turnover of stock and dont spend extra on professional films unless you really need to and are going to store the film correctly and use it promptly.
