The Square (2017)
Drama • 2h 31m
Director: Ruben Östlund
Cast: Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, Terry Notary, Christopher Læssø, Lise Stephenson Engström, Lilianne Mardon, Marina Schiptjenko, Annica Liljeblad, Elijandro Edouard, Daniel Hallberg, Martin Sööder, John Nordling, Maja Gödicke, Nicki Dar, Josephine Schneider, Sofie Hamilton, Robert Hjelm, Anna-Stina Malmborg, Gunnar Häglund, Nina Strand, Erik Sundfeldt, Peggy Johansson, Jonas Dahlbom, Sofica Ciuraru, Stefan Gödicke, Mia Svenheimer, Per Magnus Johansson, Erika Jareman, Julia Sporre, Clemens Poellinger, Copos Pardaliam, Pauline Hansson, Pierre Elmqvist, Madeleine Barwén Trollvik, Tiby, Johan Jonason, Bo Melin, Sonya Flores Espinosa, Joakim Lamotte, Kolya Hardy, Bobcats, Eva Kumler, Robert Oskarsson, Kalle Soukas, Jan Wallin, Roger Andersson, Geica Pruteanu, Marcel Macau, Simona Ciuraru, Papusa Ciuraru, Omar Ahmed, Ceikh Secka Sosse, Oliver Roque Sakari, Ali Al-Anbari, Mohammad Admirza, Torleif Svensson, John Rindefjäll, Julia Frej, Nicole Walker, Konrad Olsson, Jimmy Guo, Christel Elsayah, Holly Astera, Sara Bourke, Peter Vitanen, Amélie Juliusson, Linda Anborg, Emelie Beckius, Peter Díaz, Sarah Giercksky, Fareed Ahmedi, Daniel Kristiansson, Janet Leon, Uri Levanon, Jan Lindwall, Iman Mirbioki, Marga Pettersson, Moa Enqvist Stefansdotter, Henric Wassberg, Cicci Green, Denise Wessman
Best English-friendly release · updated 1 year ago
Overview
A prestigious Stockholm museum's chief art curator finds himself in times of both professional and personal crisis as he attempts to set up a controversial new exhibit.
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
> BFI 4K Blu-ray. caps Criterion presents the master as originally graded in SDR whereas FiM added HDR / Dolby Vision for the BFI.
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
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
For Blu-ray Criterion Demy Set > StudioCanal
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Gaumont Blu-ray but no English subtitles: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Deux-sous-de-violettes-Blu-ray/288976/
Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Caps for France vs Germany vs UK vs Turkish release https://slow.pics/c/jYBS2CWE not sure what the correct grading is but Germany release looks too dark
Director: Carol Reed
StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray or Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray/Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray (shared encode); slight improvement over the 2015 StudioCanal Blu-ray
StudioCanal/LG UHDs
StudioCanal/LG UHDs port the 1999 Criterion DVD, considered the best source
StudioCanal has a remastered Blu-ray, Lionsgate only a 4K Blu-ray
Director: Martin Scorsese
2024 Sony 4K Blu-ray Steelbook
Sources: blah-ray.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab)
2024 Sony 4K Blu-ray Steelbook fixes duplicate shot seen on the previous Columbia Classics release and has better encoding
Original mono mix: 1990 Criterion LaserDisc/1991 Columbia LaserDisc
The 4K Blu-ray mono is only minimally worse (see blah-ray).
5.1 remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray
Director: David Lynch
Censored US version: Shout! Factory or Twilight Time Blu-ray
Uncensored version: old DVD
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray, confirmed to be uncut
Director: Ruben Östlund
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Ruben Östlund
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
US Magnolia Blu-Ray or British Artificial Eye Blu-Ray?
US and British Blu-Rays have different extras
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
4k transfer. Shochiku Blu-ray is similar
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Curzon 4K Blu-ray scheduled for October 2026 release
Supposed to have better translation than Criterion.
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
2010 US Kino Lorber or 2012 UK Artificial Eye
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
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
Wong Kar-Wai on the framing:
With Fallen Angels, I have changed the format to cinemascope, because it was originally what I had intended to release the film in. When we were cutting the film, we accidentally turned the Steenbeck on anamorphic instead of standard. I felt that the film looked much more interesting because it enhanced the distance of the characters on top of the extreme wide angle that we shot on. Back then, it was impossible to shoot a film in standard and release it in anamorphic. With this restoration, we have successfully fulfilled this wish.
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Theatrical Cut: UK Artificial Eye Blu-ray
2023 "Director's" Cut: Unreleased
Passion According to Andrei Cut: MosFilm Youtube Stream
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · YouTube (opens in a new tab)
Theatrical Cut: Netherlands Lumière Blu-ray has best encoding
2023 "Director's" Cut: Unreleased
Passion According to Andrei Cut: MosFilm Youtube Stream
Theatrical Cut: UK Artificial Eye Blu-ray > Criterion
Passion According to Andrei Cut: MosFilm Youtube Stream > Criterion Blu-ray
Passion According to Andrei Cut: MosFilm Youtube Stream > Criterion Blu-ray
Theatrical Cut: 2011/2018 RU Blu-ray
Passion According to Andrei Cut: ??
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
France Rimini 4K Blu-ray see caps vs Artificial Eye Blu-ray
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
France The Jokers 4K Blu-ray
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.
UK Artificial Eye vs France Carlotta no comparison
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