Biography from Wikipedia via TMDB
Leading role · Director: Akira Kurosawa
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
BFI 4K Blu-ray has excellent master and grade, no DNR and tasteful HDR
Restored original mono mix: Toho Japan 4K Blu-ray
Unrestored original mono: 2014 BFI Blu-ray
BFI 4K Blu-ray has OG Perspecta (in 5.1 container) and a stereo downmix of it; no original mono.
The unrestored track on BFI's earlier release appears to be an almost entirely unmanipulated transfer of the original mix. It suffers from a distracting low-frequency hum. The 4K restoration comes with a restored track, which appears to be the same transfer, but which appears to be cleaned up with a moderate amount of noise reduction and some EQ, nicely opening up the high-end, and which is likely to be preferable to most listeners. All earlier releases sound poor.
Perspecta isn't a discrete surround format, instead only relying on manipulating volume and panning of the mono track across L/C/R channels, based on embedded control tones. As such, even the Perspecta track is technically just the mono mix, though the omission of the proper mono on BFI's 4K is still unfortunate.
Supporting role · Director: Akira Kurosawa
Supporting role · Director: Akira Kurosawa
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
No clear winner, Criterion SDR 4K Blu-ray has better defined grain and is cleaned-up more thoroughly. But looks grayer and flatter in daytime scenes. BFI 4K Blu-ray's HDR/DV is better in contrast but the grading can be debatable.
Supporting role · Director: Akira Kurosawa
BFI 4K Blu-ray for video or Criterion Blu-ray for subtitles
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
See detailed review However Criterion has better subtitles
> Criterion Blu-ray > BFI 4K Blu-ray > Toho Blu-ray See DonaldMcDonald's post
Supporting role · Director: Akira Kurosawa
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
(second audio track, not included in the menu)
Small role · Director: Akira Kurosawa
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
> Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps: https://slow.pics/c/s7AfL3XW
Grain is sharper/clearer on the new Carlotta/Criterion 4K; BFI's grain resolves slightly worse and more so in motion, being a standard Blu-ray; The Toho 4K's grain is softer, probably DNR'd.
BFI Player used to have the same mastering available to stream in 2019.
Small role · Director: Akira Kurosawa
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Criterion NTSC DVD overall. The 4K restoration's track is denoised and sounds muffled, but has a few of moments where it edges out in detail
Audio analysis between the Criterion 4K Blu-ray, BFI Blu-ray and Toho 4K Blu-ray
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