Paul Bradley

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray is a remaster from the original VistaVision camera negaitve, FiM encode

The original mono sounds good. The Atmos remix is a mixed bag, music performances are sourced from magnetic stereo recordings and sound great, but mono dialogue/effectshas undergone destructive noise reduction and unnecessary EQ, so the jumps in fidelity are incredibly jarring.

Criterion 4K Blu-ray (review)

A new transfer from the optical soundtrack negative.

the older Blu-ray is included in the Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Criterion is new 2K restoration, but wrong aspect ratio (1.85:1 instead of AR 2.00:1)

Arrow's deluxe presentation is a fantastic package with great supplements, art and printed materials. Sadly the master is a heavily processed Paramount affair. It has seemingly been severely grain managed and the mono audio is horribly thin when it shouldn't be. Stereo and 5.1 options are also given but they seem to be more of home video remixes. They do not have the fidelity issue of the compromised mono but also show marked differences as if they were remixed from stem sources. This seems to have suffered lesser degrees of the problems that plagued The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance's 4K master. This is the best version to date but one wishes Paramount could leave scans alone.

Brand new HD master by Paramount Pictures – from a 6K Scan of the 35mm VistaVision Original Camera Negative

Arrow 4K Blu-ray > Kino Lorber > Capelight Germany

(transfer of the 1989 MGM LaserDisc, without problems plaguing Kino Lorber's release)

Arrow UHD is an update of the original 4K scan done for their BD. It is also visually far superior to the Kino version and adds Dolby Vision HDR. The Arrow UHD uses a new LD mono capture and has none of the issues or processing found in the Kino UHD which also used an LD mono capture and somehow mucked it up. Short of a brand new scan, the Arrow UHD is as good as it possibly can be.

Criterion 4K Blu-ray; caps