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Rome, Open City (1945)
Rome, Open City (1945) poster

Rome, Open City (1945)

Roma città aperta

Drama, War • 1h 45m

Director: Roberto Rossellini

Cast: Aldo Fabrizi, Marcello Pagliero, Harry Feist, Anna Magnani, Maria Michi, Francesco Grandjacquet, Vito Annichiarico, Ákos Tolnay, Joop van Hulzen, Carla Rovere, Giovanna Galletti, Nando Bruno, Eduardo Passarelli, Carlo Sindici, Turi Pandolfini, Amalia Pellegrini, Alberto Tavazzi

Best video release

Criterion Roberto Rossellini’s War Trilogy Blu-ray

Video notes:

BFI Blu-ray slightly better encode but gamma is off

Updated 2 months ago


About the film

In WWII-era Rome, underground resistance leader Manfredi attempts to evade the Gestapo by enlisting the help of Pina, the fiancée of a fellow member of the resistance, and Don Pietro, the priest due to oversee her marriage. But it’s not long before the Nazis and the local police find him.

TSPDT
2026: #145
2025: #142
2024: #154
2023: #148
2022: #148

Featured in Cannes Palme d’Or Winners

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Director: Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina

Best Video:

Criterion Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project No. 5 Blu-ray

Director: Jerry Schatzberg

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

4K · Excellent
Best Video:

Theatrical Cut: Italy Eagle Pictures 4K Blu-ray
Redux Cut: Lionsgate vs Eagle Pictures?
Final Cut: Lionsgate or Eagle Pictures, both are not great (visible chroma noise)

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Theatrical: Germany 4K Blu-ray/US Blu-ray DD 5.1 (1979 mix)

Additional Info:

In the Lionsgate US/UK 6-disc set, there are 4 discs of the main feature. For whatever reason, the 4K discs lack the *original track. The Germany 4K Blu-ray release is different on this matter.

  1. UBD: Final Cut: Atmos, DD2.0

  2. UBD: Redux/Theatrical: Atmos

  3. BD: Final Cut: Atmos, DD2.0

  4. BD: Redux/Theatrical: Dtru5.1 (Redux mix?), DD5.1 (?), DD5.1 (Theatrical only), DD2.0 (downmix??)

    1. As a result the Theatrical Cut has 4 tracks, The Redux has 3. Differences are unclear.

  5. BD: Hearts of Darkness

  6. BD: Special Features

Director: Bong Joon Ho

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

UK Artificial Eye 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray releasing January 2027

Best Video:

France The Jokers 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

France The Jokers 4K Blu-ray has the least DNR (UK Artificial Eye might be similar? Both better than Universal 4K Blu-ray)

Criterion even though doesn’t have 4K, it has the B&W version and a lot of extras.

Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot

4K · Excellent

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray > BFI 4K Blu-ray. caps Criterion presents the master as originally graded in SDR whereas FiM added HDR / Dolby Vision for the BFI.

Best Audio:

1991 Criterion LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray's audio mix has more detail than BFI’s and same applies to the subtitles, covering both English and France spoken word

Director: Luis Buñuel

4K · Solid
Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Radiance Blu-ray / Criterion DVD

Additional Info:

Radiance's audio is ported from the Criterion DVD, see Blah-ray

Director: Jacques Demy

4K · Excellent
Best Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

For Blu-ray Criterion Demy Set > StudioCanal

Director: Renato Castellani

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Best English-Friendly:

UK New Wave Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:
Video Notes:
Best Audio:

Germany Universum Blu-ray or France Memento Blu-ray seems to be better than UK New Wave Blu-ray? https://slow.pics/c/LD1gLnYF

US Blu-ray only has 2.0 and no DTS-HD MA 5.1

Additional Info:

UK New Wave Blu-ray, compared to the US Adopt Blu-ray, has the making of documentary and no burned in subtitles

Director: Carol Reed

4K · Solid

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray/Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray (shared encode); slight improvement over the 2015 StudioCanal Blu-ray

Best Audio:

StudioCanal/LG UHDs

Audio Notes:

StudioCanal/LG UHDs port the 1999 Criterion DVD, considered the best source

Additional Info:

StudioCanal has a remastered Blu-ray, Lionsgate only a 4K Blu-ray

More from Roberto Rossellini

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Director: Roberto Rossellini

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion 4k transfer

Best Audio:

2003 BFI DVD

Additional Info:

The audio track on the BFI DVD is less processed than the Criterion Blu-ray.

Director: Roberto Rossellini

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Director: Roberto Rossellini

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion or BFI Blu-ray?

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion

Video Notes:

Criterion darker and more contrast than BFI and Plaion Germany see cap https://caps-a-holic.com/c_list.php?c=2461

Director: Roberto Rossellini

Best Video:

BFI Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

BFI Blu-ray is newer master than Criterion

Director: Roberto Rossellini

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion, 2k transfer, source can't be improved

Director: Roberto Rossellini

Best Video:

BFI Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

BFI Blu-ray is a newer master than Criterion

More from Criterion

See more →

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best Video & Audio:

US Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

US Criterion 4K Blu-ray > UK MoC 4K Blu-ray > Australia Imprint > US Kino Lorber better encoding

The MoC, Criterion and Imprint UHDs were encoded by FiM making all 3 very close. The higher bitrate helped in deciding and some luck; however Criterion is the most consistent one of all 3. Imprint has some scenes with more splotchy grain while MoC is quite close to Criterion but has some more blocking in dark scenes (e.g.: comp #27). With Criterion’s superior audio, it ensures complete consistency.

Audio Notes:

From cbc: "I'm personally quite fond of the restored track on Eureka's 4K Blu-ray. It does have spots with objectively worse fidelity, but for the most part, it sounds a lot more natural and less shrill, particularly dialogue. It seems to be a new mixdown of stems. Technically a remix, so not everyone's cup of tea, but it's not revisionist like most new movie mixes tend to be"

Additional Info:

Both Imprint (included in their set) and Capelight (on its own/individually) offer remastered BDs. All other BDs, including the one included in The Complete Kubrick, are sourced from the same older master from around 2010.

Director: Sofia Coppola

4K · Excellent
Best Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

See comparison

Audio Notes:

All sources are almost identical, Criterion has very minor high frequency whine filtering, unlikely to be audible. See spectrograms

Additional Info:

2016 Sony US Blu-ray (caps) compared to French Blu-ray has a better encode and original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. French disc is flawed, with chroma bleed and blocking throughout.

Director: Hal Ashby

4K · Excellent

Director: Govindan Aravindan

Best Video:

Criterion World Cinema Project Vol 5 Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration

Director: Idrissa Ouedraogo

Best Video:

Criterion World Cinema Project Vol 5 Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K Restoration

Director: Anthony Mann

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray, Universal 2008 DVD

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

2008 Universal DVD mono

Audio Notes:

The mono on the Criterion is severely filtered resulting in it sounding incredibly muffled. It is nearly as filtered as the 2003 original Universal DVD which had extreme filtering and sounds horribly thin. The 2008 DVD remaster and original LaserDisc analog mastering are mostly left alone. The original LD master is from a worn element but otherwise sounds very natural. The 2008 DVD is the highest quality version we have without the heavy filtering and the defects of the LD master. It isn't perfect but easily the best of the main four sources by a dramatic margin. 

Additional Info:

The existing 4K SDR restoration looks excellent, but the Criterion extras are limited and disappointing. The classic Stewart interview commentary from the LD is ported over but given a new mastering. Compared to past releases it has been very slightly noise reduced.

Director: Anthony Mann

Best Video & Audio:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Additional Info:

Criterion Blu-ray upgrade removes the pictureboxing of their old DVD transfer. New HD discussion extra added to the DVD supplements package and reprints the rare out of print source novel as a paperback.

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

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

Best Audio:

Anything other than Criterion 4K/Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

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.

Additional Info:

The Criterion Complete Kubrick and Imprint 1953-1957 sets include remastered BDs. All standalone releases are from an earlier master.
Arrow UK Blu-ray has an exclusive isolated score & effects track. Kino Lorber and Imprint have an exclusive commentary each.

Director: Sidney Lumet

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber US / Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K  / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K

Video Notes:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K  / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K but low pass filtered

Comparison between the 4Ks, Criterion on the AR choice

Audio Notes:

Other discs have unnecessary filtering and sound worse, the difference isn't substantial but audible

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the Universal release without the filtering.

Audio Notes:

DTS:X mix on Universal 4K Blu-ray most closely approximates original surround mix

Additional Info:

Criterion DVD and Universal 4K Blu-ray has additional features not found on the Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Edit history

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Researched and maintained by

AdamA

· last reviewed 2 months ago

Every recommendation follows the same method — how these calls are made.