Chronicle of the Years of Fire (1975)
Chronique des Années de Braise
Drama, War, History • 2h 57m
Overview
A meticulous chronicle of the evolution of the Algerian national movement from 1939 until the outbreak of the revolution on November 1, 1954, the film unequivocally demonstrates that the "Algerian War" is not an accident of history, but a slow process of suffering and warlike revolts, uninterrupted, from the start of colonization in 1830, until this "Red All Saints' Day" of November 1, 1954. At its center, Ahmed gradually awakens to political awareness against colonization, under the gaze of his son, a symbol of the new Algeria, and that of Miloud, half-mad haranguer, half-prophet, incarnation of Popular memory of the revolt, the liberation of Algeria and its people.
Director: Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina
Director: Andrzej Wajda
Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema, Volume 1 Blu-ray
Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema, Volume 1 Blu-ray or potentially French Intersections Blu-ray but not English-friendly
There are no comparisons, and all releases are likely the same transfer from 2K restoration. However, given that other releases in the Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema, Volume 1 Blu-ray are superior to other Polish releases, likely the same conclusion applies here.
Director: Andrzej Wajda
Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema, Volume 1 Blu-ray
Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema, Volume 1 Blu-ray or potentially French Intersections Blu-ray but not English-friendly
There are no comparisons, and all releases are likely the same transfer from 2K restoration. However, given that other releases in the Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema, Volume 1 Blu-ray are superior to other Polish releases, likely the same conclusion applies here.
Director: Chen Kaige
Director: Chen Kaige
Director: Robert Altman
Director: Robert Altman
Director: Martin Scorsese
2024 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2024 Sony 4K Blu-ray Steelbook fixes duplicate shot from Columbia Classics 4K Blu-ray
Director: Martin Scorsese
2024 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2024 Sony 4K Blu-ray Steelbook fixes duplicate shot from Columbia Classics 4K Blu-ray
Director: Quentin Tarantino
2025 Taiwan Deltamac 4K Blu-ray
2025 Taiwan Deltamac 4K Blu-ray > US Paramount 4K Blu-ray (Taiwan 4K Blu-ray is not low passed as the US 4K Blu-ray and has better grain and fine detail retention)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
2025 Taiwan Deltamac 4K Blu-ray
2025 Taiwan Deltamac 4K Blu-ray > US Paramount 4K Blu-ray (Taiwan 4K Blu-ray is not low passed as the US 4K Blu-ray and has better grain and fine detail retention)
Director: Carol Reed
StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray or Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray
StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray/Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray (shared encode); slight improvement over the 2015 StudioCanal Blu-ray
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: Carol Reed
StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray or Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray
StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray/Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray (shared encode); slight improvement over the 2015 StudioCanal Blu-ray
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: Éric Rohmer
Director: Éric Rohmer
Director: Gregory La Cava
Criterion Blu-ray, although there's a bit of aggressive grain management see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=15853770&postcount=43
Director: Gregory La Cava
Criterion Blu-ray, although there's a bit of aggressive grain management see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=15853770&postcount=43
Director: Stanley Kubrick
US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray
International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray
Criterion Box Set
US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray
International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray
No Blu-ray or DVD release has presented the movie in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 for the US cut or 1.66:1 for the International cut.
The packaging on the back of the 4K Blu-ray incorrectly states it as 1.85:1 when the movie is actually 1.78:1 as is the original Blu-ray.
Director: Stanley Kubrick
US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray
International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray
Criterion Box Set
US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray
International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray
No Blu-ray or DVD release has presented the movie in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 for the US cut or 1.66:1 for the International cut.
The packaging on the back of the 4K Blu-ray incorrectly states it as 1.85:1 when the movie is actually 1.78:1 as is the original Blu-ray.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray has slightly better compression than Criterion 4K Blu-ray.
The master in DV looks all but identical to the Criterion’s HDR grade. Detail-wise, FiM’s encode looks like it uncovered a tiny bit of extra high-frequency information that got filtered on the Criterion. See nicolas review
1990 Criterion LaserDisc/1993 MGM LaserDisc/2002 R2 MGM DVD are the best. See blah-ray https://blah-ray.blogspot.com/2018/01/raging-bull-1980.html
Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray has better audio than Criterion 4K Blu-ray, from nicolas:
I believe that what’s on Imprint’s 4K is one of the good mixes MGM and Criterion released during the LaserDisc days. Music is powerful and detailed, dialogues have excellent fidelity and ambient sounds have perceptible depth. I compared the "new" 2.0 with the anemic 5.1 as well as the Criterion 4K mix and could clearly hear the improvements.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray has slightly better compression than Criterion 4K Blu-ray.
The master in DV looks all but identical to the Criterion’s HDR grade. Detail-wise, FiM’s encode looks like it uncovered a tiny bit of extra high-frequency information that got filtered on the Criterion. See nicolas review
1990 Criterion LaserDisc/1993 MGM LaserDisc/2002 R2 MGM DVD are the best. See blah-ray https://blah-ray.blogspot.com/2018/01/raging-bull-1980.html
Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray has better audio than Criterion 4K Blu-ray, from nicolas:
I believe that what’s on Imprint’s 4K is one of the good mixes MGM and Criterion released during the LaserDisc days. Music is powerful and detailed, dialogues have excellent fidelity and ambient sounds have perceptible depth. I compared the "new" 2.0 with the anemic 5.1 as well as the Criterion 4K mix and could clearly hear the improvements.
Director: Anatole Litvak
Director: Anatole Litvak
Director: Edward Yang
France Carlotta 4K Blu-ray is FiM encoded and superior to Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps but the Carlotta release is not English friendly
A user writes: 'the 5.0 mix does not closely resemble the matrixed stereo track included on all prior releases (save for a 2003 French DVD which had 5.1). There is significant dialogue emphasis in the 5.0 mix while the older stereo mix has ambient sounds and dialogue mixed at nearly the same loudness. Additionally, the 5.0 mix has minor limiting in select loud sequences and a strange distorted quality on occasion (one notable example is the sound of a plane taking off which plays during a static shot of clouds in the sky). The stereo mix included on the FRA UHD/BD is a downmix of the 5.0 track.'
Director: Edward Yang
France Carlotta 4K Blu-ray is FiM encoded and superior to Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps but the Carlotta release is not English friendly
A user writes: 'the 5.0 mix does not closely resemble the matrixed stereo track included on all prior releases (save for a 2003 French DVD which had 5.1). There is significant dialogue emphasis in the 5.0 mix while the older stereo mix has ambient sounds and dialogue mixed at nearly the same loudness. Additionally, the 5.0 mix has minor limiting in select loud sequences and a strange distorted quality on occasion (one notable example is the sound of a plane taking off which plays during a static shot of clouds in the sky). The stereo mix included on the FRA UHD/BD is a downmix of the 5.0 track.'
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Criterion Box Set
WB 4K Blu-ray (early pressing has errors of a shot, later pressings fixed)
Criterion Box Set
WB 4K Blu-ray (early pressing has errors of a shot, later pressings fixed)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Criterion Box Set
4K Blu-ray DTS:X mix most closely approximates original surround mix
Criterion DVD has additional features not found on the 4K Blu-ray
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Criterion Box Set
4K Blu-ray DTS:X mix most closely approximates original surround mix
Criterion DVD has additional features not found on the 4K Blu-ray
More Drama on Blu-ray
Director: George Cukor
Director: George Cukor
Director: Rob Reiner
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray teased
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or Germany Capelight 4K Blu-ray no comparison available
Shout! Factory Blu-ray has exclusive extras the Kino Lorber/ Capelight release doesn't
Director: Rob Reiner
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray teased
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or Germany Capelight 4K Blu-ray no comparison available
Shout! Factory Blu-ray has exclusive extras the Kino Lorber/ Capelight release doesn't
Director: Brian De Palma
Director: Brian De Palma
Director: Richard Rush
Director: Richard Rush
Director: Walter Fyrst
Director: Walter Fyrst
Director: Clint Eastwood
WB 4K Blu-ray - Dolby Stereo mix
According to one source: "Best audio is the original dolby stereo that is included on the UHD Blu-ray. It sounds miles better than anything released on DVD, Blu-ray (they sound much more muffled), and when compared to the atmos...However, it's not without its faults, as WB had to spoil and boost it causing clipping, still it's the best audio available for the time being."
Director: Clint Eastwood
WB 4K Blu-ray - Dolby Stereo mix
According to one source: "Best audio is the original dolby stereo that is included on the UHD Blu-ray. It sounds miles better than anything released on DVD, Blu-ray (they sound much more muffled), and when compared to the atmos...However, it's not without its faults, as WB had to spoil and boost it causing clipping, still it's the best audio available for the time being."
Director: Chen Kaige
Director: Chen Kaige
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Criterion Box Set
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray worse than Blu-ray with poor encoding (review)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Criterion Box Set
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray worse than Blu-ray with poor encoding (review)
Edit History
10/15/2025
Format
From
DVD
To
1080p Blu-ray
From
DVD
To
1080p Blu-ray
10/15/2025
Blu-ray.com
Added
https://www.blu-ray.com/Chronicle-of-the-Years-of-Fire/1597360/#Releases
Added
https://www.blu-ray.com/Chronicle-of-the-Years-of-Fire/1597360/#Releases
10/15/2025
Best English-Friendly Release
From
DVD
To
From
DVD
To
Upcoming Release
Best Video Release
From
DVD only, Criterion World Cinema Project reportedly owns the licensing but no releases yet
To
DVD only
From
DVD only, Criterion World Cinema Project reportedly owns the licensing but no releases yet
To
DVD only
9/20/2025
