Best English-friendly & video release · updated 9 months ago
Official HD Streaming from NFPF https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/the-fighting-blade-1923
Compare the discs
slow.pics (opens in a new tab)Overview
In the war-like times of Oliver Cromwell, in and around 'olde Oxford towne', Dutchman Karl Van Kerstenbrook, Dutch soldier-of-fortune and sword-for-hire, stands ready to defend his lady-love, the fair Thomsine Musgrove, and prove his nettle, and that his blade is made of the finest metal.
Kino Lorber Blu-ray, old HD master
Director: Roy William Neill
Video format: HD Streaming
NFPF HD Streaming https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/my-lady-s-lips
Director: Louis J. Gasnier
Video format: SD Streaming
Official SD Streaming on NFPF https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/maytime-1923
Sources: filmpreservation.org (opens in a new tab)
Four out of the original seven reels had survived
Director: Frank Shaw
Video format: HD Streaming
Official HD Streaming by NFPF https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/the-oath-of-the-sword-1914
Director: Lee Dick
Video format: SD Streaming
Official NFPF SD Streaming https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/men-and-dust-1940
Video format: HD Streaming
Official NFPF HD Streaming https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/the-middleton-family-at-the-new-york-world-s-fair-1939
Sources: filmpreservation.org (opens in a new tab) · loc.gov (opens in a new tab)
The Library of Congress HD Streaming has very heavy DNR compared to NFPF and very muted colors https://www.loc.gov/item/2023600635/
Director: Scott Bartlett
Video format: SD Streaming
NFPF official SD Streaming https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/offon-1968-2000kbps
Video format: SD Streaming
NFPF official SD Streaming https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/t1-princess-nicotine-or-the-smoke-fairy-1909
Director: Lewis H. Moomaw
Video format: SD Streaming
NFPF official SD Streaming https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/t1-the-chechahcos-1924
Director: Saul Bass
Video format: SD Streaming
NFPF official SD Streaming https://www.filmpreservation.org/sponsored-films/screening-room/why-man-creates-1968
Video format: SD Streaming
NFPF official SD Streaming https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/t1-demolishing-and-building-up-the-star-theatre-1901
More Drama on Blu-ray
Director: Joel Coen
Director's Cut: Disappointing UK StudioCanal/US Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Theatrical Cut: LaserDisc or 2001 UK Universal DVD
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?p=21782879#post21782879 - comparison. StudioCanal is a massive improvement to the Criterion but still flawed in some areas (chroma noise)
Director: Liliana Cavani
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Iain Softley
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Both 88 Films and Germany Capelight are superior to the Shout! Factory in HDR10 but their FEL layer may even things out. Objectively, the Capelight looks best as they avoided the chroma blocking that’s visible in 88’s disc but they in turn included an Atmos mix. I have the Shout! Factory, love how it looks and the 4K transfer is spectacular. https://slow.pics/c/vPmFQSAH
Shout! Factory has the exclusive The Beauty of the Baud and the You Can't Stop Us All featurettes.
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Bruce Robinson
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Arrow 4K Blu-ray has stronger encode than Criterion
Director: Olivier Assayas
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Encoding is clunky on both Arrow and Criterion BDs but Arrow at least included the original stereo mix in addition to the 5.1 remix, while Criterion only included the 5.1 remix.
Director: John Woo
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
review: Disk Kino
Both have better encoding than Disk Kino, some shots are better on Shout! Factory, others on Arrow
Shout Factory still has the best video while Arrow did a questionable regrade. Arrow definitely has less grain in most shots, has a worse encode and is cm v2.9 compared to Shout’s cm v4.0.
Shout! Factory/Arrow 4K Blu-ray has the original mono
Edit history
Every recommendation follows the same method — how these calls are made.