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Under the Sun of Satan (1987)
Under the Sun of Satan (1987) poster

Under the Sun of Satan (1987)

Sous le soleil de Satan

Drama • 1h 38m

Director: Maurice Pialat

Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Sandrine Bonnaire, Maurice Pialat, Brigitte Legendre, Alain Artur, Yann Dedet, Jean-Claude Bourlat, Jean-Christophe Bouvet, Philippe Pallut, Marcel Anselin, Yvette Lavogez, Pierre D'Hoffelize, Thierry Der'ven, Bernard de Gouy, Yolène de Gouy

Best English-friendly & video release

Video notes:

No comparisons, but both US Cohen Media Blu-ray and France Gaumont Blu-ray are English friendly, and Japan Kinokuniya Blu-ray isn't

Updated 1 year ago


About the film

Satan tempts Father Dossignan, who is trying to save the soul of a young girl who killed one of her lovers.

Featured in Cannes Palme d’Or Winners

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Director: Jerry Schatzberg

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

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

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & 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
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

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 English-Friendly & 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 English-Friendly, 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
Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray or Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray

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

Director: Martin Scorsese

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2024 Sony 4K Blu-ray Steelbook

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

Video Notes:

2024 Sony 4K Blu-ray Steelbook fixes duplicate shot seen on the previous Columbia Classics release and has better encoding

Best Audio:

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

More from Maurice Pialat

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Director: Maurice Pialat

Best English-Friendly & Video:

France Gaumont Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

Gaumont France Blu-ray with english subtitles.

The source from Eclair lab has their usual teal tint see BD provided extras for before and after https://slow.pics/c/GEOvltF0

Director: Maurice Pialat

Best English-Friendly:

France Gaumont Blu-ray

Best Video:

Gaumont BR

Director: Maurice Pialat

Best English-Friendly:

Eureka MoC Blu-ray

Best Video:

Eureka MoC

Video Notes:

Eureka MoC > Cohen

More from Cohen

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Directors: Charles Reisner & Buster Keaton

Best English-Friendly & Video:

MoC/Cohen Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

MoC 4K Blu-ray late 2027

Video Notes:

MoC/Cohen Blu-ray > Kino Lorber

Director: Allan Dwan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cohen Blu-ray?

Director: James Ivory

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cohen 4K Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

Cohen 4K Blu-ray caps. Same 4K master that Cohen released on BD but grain resolves much better and the gamma levels are now correctly set.

Director: Jacques Rivette

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cohen Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4k resto, good bitrate but teal, no info on Potemkine France

Best Audio:

2004 New Yorker DVD

Director: Dudley Murphy

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cohen Syncopation Blu-ray 1080p extras

Sources: loc.gov (opens in a new tab)

Director: Dudley Murphy

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cohen Syncopation Blu-ray 1080p extras

Director: Albert Parker

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cohen Douglas Fairbanks Double Feature Blu-ray

Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Cohen Douglas Fairbanks Double Feature Blu-ray is slightly better than 2010 Kino Lorber Blu-ray and potentially a different transfer, see comparison caps

Director: Joan Micklin Silver

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cohen Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Cohen Blu-ray is a newer 4K restoration than earlier Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Director: Federico Fellini

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cohen Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

Cohen Blu-ray is the best with the least amount of DNR or sharpening among Germany StudioCanal, UK MoC and France Gaumont. Even though Cohen doesn't have the best encoding, it's definitely the most superior release. See caps-a-holics caps

Director: Cyril Gardner

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cohen Blu-ray

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vanshady

· last reviewed 1 year ago

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