Man of Iron (1981)
Człowiek z żelaza
Drama, History • 2h 27m
Director: Andrzej Wajda
Cast: Jerzy Radziwiłowicz, Krystyna Janda, Marian Opania, Irena Byrska, Wiesława Kosmalska, Bogusław Linda, Franciszek Trzeciak, Janusz Gajos, Andrzej Seweryn, Marek Kondrat, Jerzy Trela, Krzysztof Janczar, Krystyna Zachwatowicz, Bogusław Sobczuk, Wojciech Alaborski, Leonard Andrzejewski, Artur Barciś, Zbigniew Buczkowski, Jacek Domański, Bożena Dykiel, Adam Ferency, Andrzej Gawroński, Lech Grzmociński, Tadeusz Gwiazdowski, Magdalena Jarosz, Michał Juszczakiewicz, Witold Kałuski, Jerzy Kiszkis, Maja Komorowska, Helena Kowalczykowa, Irena Kownas, Krzysztof Machowski, Maciej Michalak, Stanisław Michalski, Klemens Mielczarek, Kazimierz Orzechowski, Tatiana Sosna-Sarno, Lech Sołuba, Andrzej Szenajch, Marcin Troński, Jan Szczepański, Krzysztof Zaleski, Janusz Zaorski, Halina Łabonarska, Jolanta Kozak-Sutowicz, Zofia Mayr, Janusz Pawłowski, Jerzy Popielarczyk, Stanisław Staniek, Piotr Suchora, Ludmiła Terlecka, Krzysztof Wieczorek, Lech Wałęsa, Anna Walentynowicz, Stanisław J. Borowczak, Zbigniew Lis, Teodor Kudła, Tadeusz Fiszbach, Jerzy Borowczak
Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema, Volume 1 Blu-ray
Best English-friendly & video release · updated 3 months ago
Overview
In Warsaw in 1980, the Communist Party sends disgruntled radio reporter Winkel to Gdańsk to dig up dirt on the shipyard strikers - particularly on Maciek Tomczyk, an independent labour union leader whose father was killed in the December 1970 protests. Posing as sympathetic, Winkel interviews the people surrounding Tomczyk, including his detained wife, Agnieszka.
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
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
> Artificial Eye Blu-ray, Korea Nova Media 4K Blu-ray release is AI upscaled
Director: Andrzej Wajda
More Drama on Blu-ray
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
BD LPCM 5.1
The DTS-HD on the UHD has been dynamically compressed, has had its center channel boosted, and surrounds lowered (typical modern nearfield mix for soundbars). Very different from the BD and DVD tracks. The BD LPCM is basically just a lossless version of the DTS and AC3 from the original DVD (the AC3 actually being the superior mix on that particular release).
Directors: Emeric Pressburger & Michael Powell
Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · filmalert101.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
FiM encode and none of the low-pass filtering present on the Criterion 4K, resulting in more detail and better handling of highlights on Imprint
Review, comparisons
All HD and 4K sources use the same 2009 restoration. Criterion's master (also used by Imprint) is a bit more rolled off, though the difference is minor.
Director: Tony Scott
The 70mm 6-track mix has a higher bitrate on the Paramount 1998 DVD, but is more limited than on the THX LaserDisc The Paramount 1998 DVD also has open matte versions in fullscreen 1.33:1 and widescreen 2.00:1 instead of the theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1, but the 2.00:1 widescreen presentation is non-anamorphic. The THX LaserDisc is available in both fullscreen 1.33:1 and widescreen 2.00:1 variants.
Director: Lloyd Bacon
4K restoration from Original Camera Negative
Director: Preston Sturges
No information on French Elephant Films Blu-ray
Director: Ralph Bakshi
Director: Martin Scorsese
Other releases have horrendous DNR
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