Best Blurays IconBest Blurays
Films
/
Ride Lonesome (1959)
Ride Lonesome (1959) poster
Letterboxd

3.7

Ride Lonesome (1959)

Western • 1h 13m

Overview

On the way to pick up the bounty on a wanted murderer, a bounty hunter stops at a staging post where he is forced to continue his journey with two outlaws who want the murderer for their own reasons and a recently-widowed woman, with the murderer's brother and his men in hot pursuit.

Director: Budd Boetticher

Best English-Friendly Release

Best Video Release

Additional Info

Indicator Blu-ray has better presented extras plus additional unique extras.

Format

UHD Blu-ray

UHD Tiers

Excellent
Criterion

Criterion Forum

Review

Picture: 9, Audio: 7, Extras: 8

Length

73 mins

Type

Movie

Last Updated

5 months ago

Contributors

Best English-Friendly Release
Best Video Release
Additional Info

Indicator Blu-ray has better presented extras plus additional unique extras.

Format
UHD Blu-ray
UHD Tiers
Excellent
Criterion
Criterion Forum
Review

Picture: 9, Audio: 7, Extras: 8

Length
73 mins
Type
Movie
Last Updated
5 months ago
Contributors

More from Budd Boetticher

See more →
Comanche Station poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Indicator Blu-ray has better presented extras plus additional unique extras.

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Indicator Blu-ray has better presented extras plus additional unique extras.

Buchanan Rides Alone poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Indicator Blu-ray has better presented extras plus additional unique extras.

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Indicator Blu-ray has better presented extras plus additional unique extras.

Decision at Sundown poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Indicator Blu-ray has better presented extras plus additional unique extras.

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Indicator Blu-ray has better presented extras plus additional unique extras.

The Tall T poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Indicator Blu-ray has better presented extras plus additional unique extras.

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Indicator Blu-ray has better presented extras plus additional unique extras.

More from Criterion

See more →
This Is Spinal Tap poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1998 Criterion DVD Stereo

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1998 Criterion DVD Stereo

In the Heat of the Night poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Wicked Vision Germany 4K Blu-ray or US Criterion 4K Blu-ray?

Best Audio:

Criterion Blu-ray probably better?

Best English-Friendly:

Wicked Vision Germany 4K Blu-ray or US Criterion 4K Blu-ray?

Best Audio:

Criterion Blu-ray probably better?

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray see caps

Additional Info:

2019 BFI Blu-ray is the older master but better encode + extra footage than Criterion Blu-ray

Italy CG Entertainment Blu-ray is 4K resto, but horrible colours.

Best English-Friendly:

Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray see caps

Additional Info:

2019 BFI Blu-ray is the older master but better encode + extra footage than Criterion Blu-ray

Italy CG Entertainment Blu-ray is 4K resto, but horrible colours.

Fallen Angels poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

2010 US Kino Lorber or 2012 UK Artificial Eye

Best Video:

2017 JP Kadokawa Blu-ray has the best encoding out of all the older discs.


Kino Lorber and Artificial Eye Blu-ray use the same master, between the two the PQ on Kino's release is slightly better, but the difference is negligible.

The 4K restoration (Criterion, 4K etc) are cropped to 2.35:1, have revisionistic colour grading and other changes.

Caps: old master, old master vs 4K restoration

Fallen Angels poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

2010 US Kino Lorber or 2012 UK Artificial Eye

Best Video:

2017 JP Kadokawa Blu-ray has the best encoding out of all the older discs.


Kino Lorber and Artificial Eye Blu-ray use the same master, between the two the PQ on Kino's release is slightly better, but the difference is negligible.

The 4K restoration (Criterion, 4K etc) are cropped to 2.35:1, have revisionistic colour grading and other changes.

Caps: old master, old master vs 4K restoration

The Elephant Man poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion or StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray is SDR
StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray is HDR

The DV/HDR grade is tasteful and not overdone. SC has better compression, though not flawless; encoded by FiM, but Criterion also holds up quite well. Both releases claim to be approved by Lynch.

SC has a missing fade that Criterion reinstated.

Best Audio:

Original matrixed Dolby Stereo mix: 2001 R1 Paramount US NTSC DVD/2008 R2 Optimum UK PAL or 1999 Pioneer JP LaserDisc

Restored stereo mix: Criterion / StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

The film was originally mixed in Dolby Stereo (matrixed LCRS). For the 4K restoration, this mix has been transferred from the original magnetic elements and remastered with Lynch's supervision. Unfortunately, the fidelity suffered in the process, with many sections ending up significantly less detailed due to a noise reduction pass. This track has been altered compared to the original, with reverb added to some dialogue, different ambient sound effects, changed panning, and extended bass.

For the unrestored mix, there are two major options, each with its own merits and flaws. The 2001 Paramount DVD, which I would say is the best well-rounded mastering, and the 1999 Japanese LaserDisc, which has noticeably better clarity and high-end detail, as well as better dynamics, but suffers from occasional distortion and has less bass than the DVD.

The LD also has some ambiance buried too low in the mix, and some dialogue panned more to the centre than the DVD. There are no content changes I was able to find. Unfortunately, I don't know what accounts for those differences.

The other available tracks all have more significant flaws. The Italian and Japanese BDs use the same base mastering as the DVD, but with some patching in a few shots. HD-DVD is sourced from an inferior transfer, the same as the Momentum DVD.

The 5.1 remix, originally introduced on the 2002 DVD, and carried over without changes to the 2009 BD is a light and mostly faithful remix, with fairly minimal LFE and surround use, but still potentially worthwhile as the only discrete track.

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion or StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray is SDR
StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray is HDR

The DV/HDR grade is tasteful and not overdone. SC has better compression, though not flawless; encoded by FiM, but Criterion also holds up quite well. Both releases claim to be approved by Lynch.

SC has a missing fade that Criterion reinstated.

Best Audio:

Original matrixed Dolby Stereo mix: 2001 R1 Paramount US NTSC DVD/2008 R2 Optimum UK PAL or 1999 Pioneer JP LaserDisc

Restored stereo mix: Criterion / StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

The film was originally mixed in Dolby Stereo (matrixed LCRS). For the 4K restoration, this mix has been transferred from the original magnetic elements and remastered with Lynch's supervision. Unfortunately, the fidelity suffered in the process, with many sections ending up significantly less detailed due to a noise reduction pass. This track has been altered compared to the original, with reverb added to some dialogue, different ambient sound effects, changed panning, and extended bass.

For the unrestored mix, there are two major options, each with its own merits and flaws. The 2001 Paramount DVD, which I would say is the best well-rounded mastering, and the 1999 Japanese LaserDisc, which has noticeably better clarity and high-end detail, as well as better dynamics, but suffers from occasional distortion and has less bass than the DVD.

The LD also has some ambiance buried too low in the mix, and some dialogue panned more to the centre than the DVD. There are no content changes I was able to find. Unfortunately, I don't know what accounts for those differences.

The other available tracks all have more significant flaws. The Italian and Japanese BDs use the same base mastering as the DVD, but with some patching in a few shots. HD-DVD is sourced from an inferior transfer, the same as the Momentum DVD.

The 5.1 remix, originally introduced on the 2002 DVD, and carried over without changes to the 2009 BD is a light and mostly faithful remix, with fairly minimal LFE and surround use, but still potentially worthwhile as the only discrete track.

Infernal Affairs II poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion US Blu-ray or Umbrella Australia 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Maybe Umbrella Australia 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode), Plaion Germany 4K Blu-ray, or Pony Canyon Japan 4K Blu-ray. All other existing 4K Blu-rays have terrible compression: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=21423337&postcount=173

The master is heavily DNR'd.

Best Audio:

Original 5.1 from Jokers France 4K Blu-ray or Criterion US Blu-ray or older Blu-rays

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion US Blu-ray or Umbrella Australia 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Maybe Umbrella Australia 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode), Plaion Germany 4K Blu-ray, or Pony Canyon Japan 4K Blu-ray. All other existing 4K Blu-rays have terrible compression: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=21423337&postcount=173

The master is heavily DNR'd.

Best Audio:

Original 5.1 from Jokers France 4K Blu-ray or Criterion US Blu-ray or older Blu-rays

2046 poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion US Blu-ray

Best Video:

4K restoration: Koch Media DE 4K Blu-ray
Original digital master: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD

4K remaster is cropped 2.35:1 from the original 2.55:1 presentation, and has significantly different color grading, as is the case with most WKW supervised restorations. Due to DNR the detail is sometimes lacklustre compared to the old master. CGI scenes appear to be rerendered. A sepia tinted scene was altered to be fully black and white.

Caps: Criterion US BD vs Cannes HD-DVD, HD-DVD vs KR BD vs DVDs vs US BD

Best Audio:

Remixed 5.1: The Jokers FR 4K Blu-ray
Original 5.1: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD

The remixed track has different front panning and little LFE use compared to the original.

HD-DVD is by far the best option for the original track, as DVDs and Korean BD suffer from noise gating, limiting and duplicated surrounds. Remixed tracks are all similar, but French disc has slightly better dynamics, particularly on the LFE channel.

Additional Info:

The 2006 HD-DVD is a promotional release made in only 100 copies, handed out to VIPs at Cannes Film Festival. See this blog post for details. The same master can be found on KR BD, though it suffers from interlacing, blended frames and a gamma bug, as well as older DVD releases.

2046 poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion US Blu-ray

Best Video:

4K restoration: Koch Media DE 4K Blu-ray
Original digital master: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD

4K remaster is cropped 2.35:1 from the original 2.55:1 presentation, and has significantly different color grading, as is the case with most WKW supervised restorations. Due to DNR the detail is sometimes lacklustre compared to the old master. CGI scenes appear to be rerendered. A sepia tinted scene was altered to be fully black and white.

Caps: Criterion US BD vs Cannes HD-DVD, HD-DVD vs KR BD vs DVDs vs US BD

Best Audio:

Remixed 5.1: The Jokers FR 4K Blu-ray
Original 5.1: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD

The remixed track has different front panning and little LFE use compared to the original.

HD-DVD is by far the best option for the original track, as DVDs and Korean BD suffer from noise gating, limiting and duplicated surrounds. Remixed tracks are all similar, but French disc has slightly better dynamics, particularly on the LFE channel.

Additional Info:

The 2006 HD-DVD is a promotional release made in only 100 copies, handed out to VIPs at Cannes Film Festival. See this blog post for details. The same master can be found on KR BD, though it suffers from interlacing, blended frames and a gamma bug, as well as older DVD releases.

Double Indemnity poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1991 MCA LaserDisc

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1991 MCA LaserDisc

Hud poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Hud poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Ashes and Diamonds poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

2021 Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

2021 Criterion Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

2021 Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

2021 Criterion Blu-ray

More Western on Blu-ray

Without Honor poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Without Honor poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Law and Order poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 4K restoration

Law and Order poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 4K restoration

The Texas Rangers poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 4K restoration

The Texas Rangers poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 4K restoration

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

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1988/1990 WB Hi-Fi VHS, crystal clear, albeit with some distortion in louder areas

The 4K Blu-ray reuses the same poor mastering used on the 2006 WB Blu-ray, only with a completely unnecessary bass cut and extra noise reduction.

Additional Info:

Even putting resolution aside, the Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray has the best video. The old Blu-ray master and earlier DVD both had massive issues with colour.

That said, picture on the 4K Blu-ray isn't perfect, with strange posterized magenta glints and some instances of DNRhttps://bsky.app/profile/dagscott.bsky.social/post/3leahavqi7k2l

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

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1988/1990 WB Hi-Fi VHS, crystal clear, albeit with some distortion in louder areas

The 4K Blu-ray reuses the same poor mastering used on the 2006 WB Blu-ray, only with a completely unnecessary bass cut and extra noise reduction.

Additional Info:

Even putting resolution aside, the Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray has the best video. The old Blu-ray master and earlier DVD both had massive issues with colour.

That said, picture on the 4K Blu-ray isn't perfect, with strange posterized magenta glints and some instances of DNRhttps://bsky.app/profile/dagscott.bsky.social/post/3leahavqi7k2l

Red Sun poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

US Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

US Arrow > UK StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray, better color grading

Red Sun poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

US Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

US Arrow > UK StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray, better color grading

Keoma poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

UK Cult Films Blu-ray

Best Video:

German Plaion 4K Blu-ray see caps but doesn't have EN subtitles

Keoma poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

UK Cult Films Blu-ray

Best Video:

German Plaion 4K Blu-ray see caps but doesn't have EN subtitles

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

2022 Paramount Presents Blu-ray disc included in 4K Blu-ray set

Best Video:

2022 Paramount Presents Blu-ray disc included in 4K Blu-ray set, same master, but less bitrate starved.

Best Audio:

1980s Paramount VHS

Additional Info:

The encode on the BD is preferable to the UHD. Same master, but less bitrate starved: https://x.com/SadHillDevan/status/1530057783885721607?s=20 and see caps

Best English-Friendly:

2022 Paramount Presents Blu-ray disc included in 4K Blu-ray set

Best Video:

2022 Paramount Presents Blu-ray disc included in 4K Blu-ray set, same master, but less bitrate starved.

Best Audio:

1980s Paramount VHS

Additional Info:

The encode on the BD is preferable to the UHD. Same master, but less bitrate starved: https://x.com/SadHillDevan/status/1530057783885721607?s=20 and see caps

3:10 to Yuma poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

European Sony Blu-ray

Best Video:

European Sony Blu-ray is the best. 4K Blu-ray has DNR applied to film out of the 2K DI, better depth and blacks than the US Blu-ray

Best Audio:

US Blu-ray has a 7.1 track

3:10 to Yuma poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

European Sony Blu-ray

Best Video:

European Sony Blu-ray is the best. 4K Blu-ray has DNR applied to film out of the 2K DI, better depth and blacks than the US Blu-ray

Best Audio:

US Blu-ray has a 7.1 track

3:10 to Yuma poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps

Best Audio:

Carlotta Blu-ray

Additional Info:

All audio tracks originate from the same DVD-era master, no real audible differences between them, but Carlotta is least filtered out of all

3:10 to Yuma poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps

Best Audio:

Carlotta Blu-ray

Additional Info:

All audio tracks originate from the same DVD-era master, no real audible differences between them, but Carlotta is least filtered out of all

Dances with Wolves poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Shout! Factory/Australia Via Vision Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

4K restoration of the extended cut to be screened in Locarno Film Festival

Best Video:

PQ looks the same for all BDs, but only Shout! Factory/Australia Via Vision Blu-ray/Germany Kinowelt Anniversary Blu-ray has both theatrical and extended cut

Best English-Friendly:

Shout! Factory/Australia Via Vision Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

4K restoration of the extended cut to be screened in Locarno Film Festival

Best Video:

PQ looks the same for all BDs, but only Shout! Factory/Australia Via Vision Blu-ray/Germany Kinowelt Anniversary Blu-ray has both theatrical and extended cut

Edit History

2 edits
Ride Lonesome (1959) backdrop

Made with ❤️ 📀 by vanshady