Robert Emmett O'Connor

40 films on Best Blurays1 in 4K24 in HD11 in SD4 with no official release

Robert Emmett O'Connor (March 18, 1885 – September 4, 1962) was an American film actor. He appeared in 204 films between 1919 and 1950. He is probably best known as the warmhearted bootlegger Paddy Ryan in The Public Enemy (1931) and as Detective Sergeant Henderson pursuing the Marx Brothers in A Night at the Opera (1935). He also appeared as Jonesy (the older Paramount gate guard) in Billy Wilder's 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, as well as made a cameo appearance at the very beginning and very end of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon short Who Killed Who? (1943).

Biography from Wikipedia via TMDB

By format

List

1 in 4K

UHD Blu-ray or 4K streaming

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Small role · Director: Billy Wilder

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray or Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray. See caps
HDR/grading: nice, but some blown out
Encoding: inconsistent, smeared motion
DNR: inconsistent, frozen
Old Paramount Blu-ray is arguably a solid alternative choice

Best Audio:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray mono

Audio Notes:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray mono is different version of the Blu-ray mono from the same old 2000 DVD transfer.

Additional Info:

The 5.1 remix on the 4K Blu-ray is an appalling remix done by going wild with artificially generated stems from Park Road Post who were given the surviving mono to separate. The experience is jarring and fidelity to original mix in terms of level balance, directionality and impact is nonexistent. Not only does this sound painfully weird, but the Paramount mixers then did whatever they wanted in terms of LFE, sound pans and effect changes.
The original mono mix was not restored and still needs it badly. The 4K master is filled with frozen grain examples coming and going plus some HDR issues in addition to the usual Paramount problems. It is simultaneously better and worse than the Blu-ray master.

4.4

24 in HD

Blu-ray or HD streaming

Picture Snatcher (1933)

Supporting role · Director: Lloyd Bacon

Video format: HD Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Apple TV HD Streaming

3.5

American Madness (1932)

Supporting role · Director: Frank Capra

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony Blu-ray

3.6

Blonde Venus (1932)

Supporting role · Director: Josef von Sternberg

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Indicator Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Indicator Blu-ray > Criterion Blu-ray > Elephant Films France Blu-ray see DVDBeaver caps

3.6

A Night at the Opera (1935)

Supporting role · Director: Sam Wood

Best English-Friendly:

WB Blu-ray

Best Video:

WB 4k transfer

3.9

The Kid from Spain (1932)

Supporting role · Director: Leo McCarey

Video format: HD Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Apple TV HD Streaming

3.2

The Public Enemy (1931)

Supporting role · Director: William A. Wellman

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

3.7

Desire (1936)

Supporting role · Director: Frank Borzage

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

While Indicator Blu-ray used a newer 4K restoration from 2022 instead of the older 2K restoration, Kino Lorber has the original aspect ratio, and the Indicator Blu-ray looks very soft in comparison see comparison