The Crazy Ray (1925)
Paris qui dort
Comedy, Science Fiction • 59m
Overview
A night watchman on the Eiffel Tower wakes up to find the entire population of the city frozen in place.
Director: René Clair
VCI US or Filmjuwelen Blu-ray
VCI US or Filmjuwelen Blu-ray are both MP2 encoded, most likely from the same master. Judging from the size and the caps from DVDBeaver or BR for VCI or caps-a-holic for Filmjuwelen, they are probably very similar.
VCI US or Filmjuwelen Blu-ray
VCI US or Filmjuwelen Blu-ray are both MP2 encoded, most likely from the same master. Judging from the size and the caps from DVDBeaver or BR for VCI or caps-a-holic for Filmjuwelen, they are probably very similar.
Director: René Clair
Included as extras in Pathé Paris qui dort + Entr'acte Blu-ray
Included as extras in Pathé Paris qui dort + Entr'acte Blu-ray
Director: René Clair
Included as extras in Pathé Paris qui dort + Entr'acte Blu-ray
Included as extras in Pathé Paris qui dort + Entr'acte Blu-ray
Director: René Clair
Director: René Clair
Director: René Clair
The latest and best restoration from official screencaps are from Shout! Factory Silent Film Festival + Cinémathèque Française https://silentfilm.org/preservation/the-italian-straw-hat/ which is from Original Camera Negative and original France title negative. Janus seems to have acquired the rights https://www.janusfilms.com/films/2259 The Grapevine Blu-ray (including their updated 2K transfer) or the Flicker Alley DVD might be the ones referred in the above Shout! Factory Silent Film Festival as "US viewers have had to be satisfied with either the alternate version that was released in the United States in 1931, or hybrids that supplement the US version with additional footage"
Director: René Clair
The latest and best restoration from official screencaps are from Shout! Factory Silent Film Festival + Cinémathèque Française https://silentfilm.org/preservation/the-italian-straw-hat/ which is from Original Camera Negative and original France title negative. Janus seems to have acquired the rights https://www.janusfilms.com/films/2259 The Grapevine Blu-ray (including their updated 2K transfer) or the Flicker Alley DVD might be the ones referred in the above Shout! Factory Silent Film Festival as "US viewers have had to be satisfied with either the alternate version that was released in the United States in 1931, or hybrids that supplement the US version with additional footage"
Director: René Clair
Director: René Clair
Director: René Clair
Director: René Clair
Director: René Clair
Director: René Clair
Director: René Clair
No home release, BFI has 35mm print
Director: René Clair
No home release, BFI has 35mm print
Director: René Clair
Director: René Clair
Director: René Clair
Director: René Clair
Director: Akira Kurosawa
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.
Director: Akira Kurosawa
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.
Director: Mike Hodges
Director: Mike Hodges
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Director: François Truffaut
Director: François Truffaut
Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray upcoming
New 4K restoration without Ritrovata color timing
Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray upcoming
New 4K restoration without Ritrovata color timing
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or 2018 Olive Films/BFI or 2012 Olive Films/Italy Sinister Films Blu-ray, all three are not ideal.
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or 2018 Olive Films/BFI or 2012 Olive Films/Italy Sinister Films Blu-ray, all three are not ideal.
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has frozen grain, sharpening, lots of debris, and handles lesser materials. The supposed non-Superscope version is false advertising. It merely reveals more picture information.
1992 Republic Pictures LaserDisc PCM Mono
Criterion LaserDisc has exclusive commentary. Olive Films Signature Blu-ray and BFI Blu-ray each have exclusive extras. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has exclusive commentary.
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or 2018 Olive Films/BFI or 2012 Olive Films/Italy Sinister Films Blu-ray, all three are not ideal.
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or 2018 Olive Films/BFI or 2012 Olive Films/Italy Sinister Films Blu-ray, all three are not ideal.
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has frozen grain, sharpening, lots of debris, and handles lesser materials. The supposed non-Superscope version is false advertising. It merely reveals more picture information.
1992 Republic Pictures LaserDisc PCM Mono
Criterion LaserDisc has exclusive commentary. Olive Films Signature Blu-ray and BFI Blu-ray each have exclusive extras. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has exclusive commentary.
Director: Jack Glenn
BFI 720p Streaming: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/collection/the-march-of-time no longer available
BFI 720p Streaming: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/collection/the-march-of-time no longer available
Director: Jack Glenn
BFI 720p Streaming: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/collection/the-march-of-time no longer available
BFI 720p Streaming: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/collection/the-march-of-time no longer available
More Comedy on Blu-ray
Director: Jean Renoir
The Criterion 4K Blu-ray has marginally better detail and grain structure than ESC 4K Blu-ray
The ESC France 4K Blu-ray is an SDR grade erroneously presented in HDR, but if your player can force the HDR into SDR it looks very good.
Director: Jean Renoir
The Criterion 4K Blu-ray has marginally better detail and grain structure than ESC 4K Blu-ray
The ESC France 4K Blu-ray is an SDR grade erroneously presented in HDR, but if your player can force the HDR into SDR it looks very good.
Director: George Sidney
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: George Sidney
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Kino Lorber 4k resto
The audio on the Kino Lorber Blu-ray comes from a better source than the various DVDs and the previous HD version on streaming. This audio is relatively untampered with, and is likely the best available source as no laserdisc was ever issued.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Kino Lorber 4k resto
The audio on the Kino Lorber Blu-ray comes from a better source than the various DVDs and the previous HD version on streaming. This audio is relatively untampered with, and is likely the best available source as no laserdisc was ever issued.
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Director: Ken Hughes
MGM Blu-ray's stereo track.
MGM's 7.1 track is a remix with a few flaws and much worse fidelity. Capelight's stereo and 7.1 track are both from the remix.
The movie was originally premiered as a roadshow release, with a a 70mm 6-Track Stereo mix. This mix, unfortunately has not been released on home video.
The closest thing to that mix, is the stereo track included on the 2010 Blu-ray. It sounds great, with high fidelity and little filtering. It's lossy, but that doesn't matter very much.
Both the DVD 5.1 and the Blu-ray 7.1 tracks (identical on both discs) are a new remix, rather than a repackaging of the original mix. The 7.1 track sounds quite muffled, though not evenly so. The Capelight Blu-ray's lossless stereo track uses the same remix, but with higher fidelity than the surround tracks, sounding significantly less muffled. Compared to the original, this remix sounds wider and more "cleaned up". The remix contains a handful of errors, for example the intermission cue fades out, rather than ending correctly.
Comparison samples
Director: Ken Hughes
MGM Blu-ray's stereo track.
MGM's 7.1 track is a remix with a few flaws and much worse fidelity. Capelight's stereo and 7.1 track are both from the remix.
The movie was originally premiered as a roadshow release, with a a 70mm 6-Track Stereo mix. This mix, unfortunately has not been released on home video.
The closest thing to that mix, is the stereo track included on the 2010 Blu-ray. It sounds great, with high fidelity and little filtering. It's lossy, but that doesn't matter very much.
Both the DVD 5.1 and the Blu-ray 7.1 tracks (identical on both discs) are a new remix, rather than a repackaging of the original mix. The 7.1 track sounds quite muffled, though not evenly so. The Capelight Blu-ray's lossless stereo track uses the same remix, but with higher fidelity than the surround tracks, sounding significantly less muffled. Compared to the original, this remix sounds wider and more "cleaned up". The remix contains a handful of errors, for example the intermission cue fades out, rather than ending correctly.
Comparison samples
Edit History
12/24/2025
Best Video Release
From
4/10/2025
Best Video Release
From
FR Pathe BD, 4k resto. It has both original negative image cut and a first gen tinted cut owned by BFI
4/10/2025
Best Video Release
From
FR Pathe BD, 4k resto. It has both original negative image cut and a BFI cut
To
FR Pathe BD, 4k resto. It has both original negative image cut and a first gen tinted cut owned by BFI
From
FR Pathe BD, 4k resto. It has both original negative image cut and a BFI cut
To
FR Pathe BD, 4k resto. It has both original negative image cut and a first gen tinted cut owned by BFI
4/10/2025
Best Video Release
From
FR Pathe BD, 4k resto. It has both original negative image cut, and a BFI cut
To
FR Pathe BD, 4k resto. It has both original negative image cut and a BFI cut
From
FR Pathe BD, 4k resto. It has both original negative image cut, and a BFI cut
To
FR Pathe BD, 4k resto. It has both original negative image cut and a BFI cut
4/10/2025
Best Video Release
From
FR Pathe BD, 4k resto
To
FR Pathe BD, 4k resto. It has both original negative image cut, and a BFI cut
From
FR Pathe BD, 4k resto
To
FR Pathe BD, 4k resto. It has both original negative image cut, and a BFI cut
3/20/2025
