Napoleon (1927)
Napoléon
Drama, History, War • 3h 55m
Director: Abel Gance
Cast: Albert Dieudonné, Nicolas Roudenko, Edmond van Daële, Alexandre Koubitzky, Antonin Artaud, Abel Gance, Gina Manès, Nicolas Koline, Annabella, Marguerite Gance, Yvette Dieudonné, Eugénie Buffet, Maurice Schutz, Philippe Hériat, Acho Chakatouny, Louis Sance, Suzanne Bianchetti, Georges Cahuzac, Max Maxudian, Harry Krimer, Francine Mussey, Robert Vidalin, Henri Baudin, Daniel Buiret, Adrien Caillard, Roger Blum, Pierre Batcheff, Alex Bernard, Carrie Carvalho, Sylvio Cavicchia, Léon Courtois, Damia, Pierre de Canolle, Gilbert Dacheux, Pierre Danis, W. Percy Day, Boris de Fast, Guy Favières, Serge Freddy-Karl, Jean Gaudrey, Simone Genevois, Georges Hénin, Jean Henry, Henry Krauss, Georges Lampin, Alexandre Mathillon, Genica Missirio, Jeanne Pen, Roblin, Jack Rye, Andrée Standart, Suzy Vernon, Petit Vidal, Louis Vonelly, Jean d'Yd, René Jeanne, Philippe Rolla, François Viguier, Grégoire Metchnikoff, Pierrette Lugand, Roger Chantal, Jean Rauzena, Henri Beaulieu, Daniel Mendaille, Paul Amiot, Georgette Sorelle, Mony Thomassin, Lise Carvalho, Florence Talma, Noëlle Mattô, Henry Bonvallet, Raphaël Lievin, Conrad Veidt, Camille Beuve, Olaf Fjord
Best English-friendly & video release
Potemkine 4K
Potemkine 4K for the 7h Grand Version https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=36908
Updated 1 year ago
About the film
A biopic of Napoleon Bonaparte, tracing the Corsican's career from his schooldays (where a snowball fight is staged like a military campaign) to his flight from Corsica, through the French Revolution (where a real storm is intercut with a political storm) and the Terror, culminating in his triumphant invasion of Italy in 1797.
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- Alternative Titles
- Abel Gance's Napoleon
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Flicker Alley 4K confirmed for 2027 https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24404584&postcount=1
MoC audio is better https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=225532&page=3
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
WB 4K
Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)
An undeniably significant improvement from the BD yet still severely flawed. See DFIC's review.
Director: Buster Keaton
Kino Lorber new Seven Chances / Sherlock Jr. Blu-ray?
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
MoC 4K Blu-ray late 2027
Lobster Films (Kino Lorber?) > Cohen/Eureka https://slow.pics/c/3KWXoMyR The new Kino Lorber's Seven Chances / Sherlock Jr. might be using the same restoration as Lobster Films
Director: Billy Wilder
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
(transfer of the 1989 MGM LaserDisc, without problems plaguing Kino Lorber's release)
Arrow UHD is an update of the original 4K scan done for their BD. It is also visually far superior to the Kino version and adds Dolby Vision HDR. The Arrow UHD uses a new LD mono capture and has none of the issues or processing found in the Kino UHD which also used an LD mono capture and somehow mucked it up. Short of a brand new scan, the Arrow UHD is as good as it possibly can be.
Director: Michael Cimino
2020 Shout! Factory 4K
2020 Shout! Factory 4K slightly better than StudioCanal in HDR10. Similar in DV
35mm mix: 1991 Universal LaserDisc
70mm mix: StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray
35mm mix: 1991 Universal LaserDisc marginally better than StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is downmix.
70mm mix: StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is remix.
Director: Orson Welles
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · blah-ray.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab)
WB Europe 4K Blu-ray
WB Europe 4K Blu-ray slightly better encoding than Criterion (caveat: missing Criterion extras)
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)
Theatrical: Germany 4K Blu-ray/US Blu-ray DD 5.1 (1979 mix)
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.
UBD: Final Cut: Atmos, DD2.0
UBD: Redux/Theatrical: Atmos
BD: Final Cut: Atmos, DD2.0
BD: Redux/Theatrical: Dtru5.1 (Redux mix?), DD5.1 (?), DD5.1 (Theatrical only), DD2.0 (downmix??)
As a result the Theatrical Cut has 4 tracks, The Redux has 3. Differences are unclear.
BD: Hearts of Darkness
BD: Special Features
Director: George Lucas
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
OG: "4K77" or "D+77" on high seas.
Special Edition: "4K97_IV" or "D+97_IV" on high seas.
2027 Original Trilogy restoration/50th anniversary rerelease clips leaked plus release confirmed
OG: LaserDisc audio is the best option for the Dolby Stereo mixes (and usually included in fan restorations). There are 16mm/TV rips of the mono mixes.
Special Edition: Cinema DTS or 1997 LaserDisc for the Special Edition.
Director: David Lean
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
The 5.1 on Sony 4K Blu-ray is from the 1989 70mm mix. The original is 4-track. not on the disc.
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
Director: Éric Rohmer
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Rohmer Potemkine set
Netherlands 2006 Homescreen DVD
Director: Leos Carax
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
Shout! Factory BD (caveat: burned-in English subtitles)
Director: Lars von Trier
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
(needs gamma correction)
The movie was shot in HD and France Potemkine Blu-ray (needs gamma correction) has slightly stronger encoding than Italy Eagle Pictures 4K Blu-ray. Curzon Blu-ray is the worst of all three (not by much) see caps.
Director: Lars von Trier
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
No disc has correct frame rate (25fps) and English subtitles
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Director: Abbas Kiarostami
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
Criterion, 4K transfer
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Criterion is regraded with no reference information provided. Comparisons
Director: Éric Rohmer
More Drama on Blu-ray
Director: John Woo
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Arrow has a different grade and a better encode than the Shout! Factory, though the difference in either is not major. Imprint release, which leaves Shout! Factory's master and subtitles as is, is encoded by FiM. https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24473097&postcount=56
Original mix: Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray
Alternate mix: Scanbox Nordic PAL DVD
Surround remix: HK Video France 4K Blu-ray (5.0)
Original mix: Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray (similar to Criterion LaserDisc, but less distorted)
Alternate mix: Scanbox Nordic PAL DVD
Surround remix: HK Video France 4K Blu-ray (5.0)
Arrow used the alternate mix, but with extra filtering and lowered dynamic range. The alternate mix has much better fidelity.
Imprint presumably used the Shout! Factory original mix and left it as is, though no official confirmation.
Director: Richard Brooks
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Director: Vincent Sherman
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Arrow 4K Blu-ray > Criterion 4K Blu-ray > Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray
1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray
Director: Compton Bennett
4K restoration from original technicolor negatives
Director: Jack Conway
4K restoration from safety preservation elements
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