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An Inspector Calls (1954)
An Inspector Calls (1954) poster
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3.6

An Inspector Calls (1954)

Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance • 1h 20m

Overview

An upper-crust family dinner is interrupted by a police inspector who brings news that a girl known to everyone present has died in suspicious circumstances. It seems that any or all of them could have had a hand in her death. But who is the mysterious Inspector and what can he want of them?

Director: Guy Hamilton

Best English-Friendly Release

Best Video Release

Format

UHD Blu-ray

UHD Tiers

Excellent
Studio Canal:

review

Length

80 mins

Type

Movie

Last Updated

2 years ago

Contributors

Best English-Friendly Release
Best Video Release
Format
UHD Blu-ray
UHD Tiers
Excellent
Studio Canal:

review

Length
80 mins
Type
Movie
Last Updated
2 years ago
Contributors

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Kino Lorber US Blu-ray - Brit Noir: Collection I set

Best Audio:

Network UK PAL DVD

Both DVD and BD use the same transfer. Blu-ray is more cleaned up (hiss, clicks, pops) but loses detail in quiet moments due to noise gating and sounds less natural throughout.

The Ringer poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best Video:

Kino Lorber US Blu-ray - Brit Noir: Collection I set

Best Audio:

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Both DVD and BD use the same transfer. Blu-ray is more cleaned up (hiss, clicks, pops) but loses detail in quiet moments due to noise gating and sounds less natural throughout.

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Best English-Friendly:

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WB 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1988 MGM VHS Hi-Fi, 1988 LaserDisc analog

Additional Info:

Criterion LaserDisc includes an exclusive commentary, which was later banned by EON and caused the release to be recalled.

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WB 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

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Additional Info:

Criterion LaserDisc includes an exclusive commentary, which was later banned by EON and caused the release to be recalled.

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Best Video:

2020 StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray vs 2017 Sony 4K Blu-ray (20th annivesary) vs 2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray (Luc Besson Box Set). The first two have totally different texture.

  • StudioCanal: More natural looking. Better defined grain. The white balance is rather yellow/orange. Some say it is closer to the original theatrical release.

  • 2017 Sony: More vibrant and impactful. The white balance is rather neutral. While color noise and grain can look busy because it had been sharpened and had micro-contrast boosted.

  • 2025 Sony: Supposedly an improved version of the 2017 release? Shows around 20mbps-higher overall video bitrate. caps

Best Audio:

2025 Sony US 4K Blu-ray has the original 5.1.

The Atmos on the Sony release is reportedly better than StudioCanal's.

Additional Info:

Disc info of the box set discs. This film have recieved multiple encode/versions in different regions over the years. The 2017 Germany4K Blu-ray is encoded differently than the 2017 Sony but not better. Also, the same can be said to 2024 France Gaumont 4K Blu-ray while comparing to the 2020 StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. The StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray omits all the extras from previous releases, being barebones.

Best English-Friendly:

StudioCanal UK 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

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  • 2017 Sony: More vibrant and impactful. The white balance is rather neutral. While color noise and grain can look busy because it had been sharpened and had micro-contrast boosted.

  • 2025 Sony: Supposedly an improved version of the 2017 release? Shows around 20mbps-higher overall video bitrate. caps

Best Audio:

2025 Sony US 4K Blu-ray has the original 5.1.

The Atmos on the Sony release is reportedly better than StudioCanal's.

Additional Info:

Disc info of the box set discs. This film have recieved multiple encode/versions in different regions over the years. The 2017 Germany4K Blu-ray is encoded differently than the 2017 Sony but not better. Also, the same can be said to 2024 France Gaumont 4K Blu-ray while comparing to the 2020 StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. The StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray omits all the extras from previous releases, being barebones.

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Best English-Friendly:

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Best Video:

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Best English-Friendly:

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Best Video:

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Best English-Friendly:

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Best Audio:

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Additional Info:

The UHD is slightly cropped in.

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UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

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Best English-Friendly:

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Best Audio:

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1080p Blu-ray
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Upcoming Release:

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UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

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Best Audio:

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The Trial poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

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Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray > StudioCanal: Although Criterion is low-pass filtered, StudioCanal exhibits very clear and distracting macroblocking.

Best Audio:

TBD: UHDs sound muffled, but old YT clips sound clear. Need to look into DVDs and possibly VHS.

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Best English-Friendly:

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Best Video:

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Best Audio:

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Additional Info:

Criterion's subtitles seem to be better than StudioCanal's which omits too much IMO.

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray/2020 remastered StudioCanal Blu-ray (preference)

Best Video:

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Best Audio:

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Additional Info:

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1984 CBS/Fox Hi-Fi VHS maybe better?

Best English-Friendly:

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Best Video:

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Best Audio:

1992 MGM LaserDisc [ML102699], but still a bit overly noise-managed.

1984 CBS/Fox Hi-Fi VHS maybe better?

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