Biography from TMDB
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Supporting role · Director: Billy Wilder
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
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
Paramount 4K Blu-ray mono
Paramount 4K Blu-ray mono is different version of the Blu-ray mono from the same old 2000 DVD transfer.
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.
Small role · Director: Richard Fleischer
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Small role · Director: Michael Curtiz
Small role · Director: Elia Kazan
Small role · Director: Busby Berkeley
Small role · Director: Edwin L. Marin
4K restoration from technicolor negatives
Small role · Director: Fritz Lang
Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)
Imprint Blu-ray not only has the best encoding, but also has the "correct" aspect ratio compared to ClassicFlix which is horizontally stretched or Eagle Pictures which is squished see DVDBeaver caps
Small role · Director: Preston Sturges
No information on French Elephant Films Blu-ray
Small role · Director: Billy Wilder
Kino Lorber Blu-ray > MoC. Kino Lorber is made from a 4K scan of negative, the older MoC have crushed black levels.
Small role · Director: John Sturges
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray is disappointing (review)
Small role · Director: Charles Walters
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.
Small role · Director: Stanley Kubrick
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
The 4K discs in both Criterion and Imprint sets are FiM encodes, but low-passed. The compression is better, but some of the grain is lost. Difference is pronounced in screen caps, but not likely to be noticed during playback, without a reference to compare it to. Comparisons
All discs use the same source transfer. It's not of the highest quality, and it includes some slight distortion, looping, clicks, pops, and hum. Criterion cleaned it up for their release, but unfortunately also lost a lot of fidelity in the process.
MGM NTSC DVD doesn't seem to have some of the more prominent distortion and has slightly different EQ but is otherwise the same.
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