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Melancholia (2011)
Melancholia (2011) poster

Melancholia (2011)

Drama, Science Fiction • 2h 16m

Director: Lars von Trier

Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård, Cameron Spurr, Stellan Skarsgård, John Hurt, Brady Corbet, Jesper Christensen, Charlotte Rampling, Udo Kier, James Cagnard, Deborah Fronko, Charlotta Miller, Claire Miller, Gary Whitaker, Katrine A. Sahlstrøm, Christian Geisnæs

Best English-friendly release

No disc has correct frame rate (25fps) and English subtitles

Updated 10 months ago

Best video release


Best audio release

About the same


About the film

Justine and Michael are celebrating their marriage at a sumptuous party in the home of her sister Claire, and brother-in-law John. Despite Claire’s best efforts, the wedding is a fiasco, with family tensions mounting and relationships fraying. Meanwhile, a planet called Melancholia is heading directly towards Earth…

TSPDT
2026: #319
2025: #311
2024: #321
2023: #306
2022: #306

Featured in Sight and Sound’s Greatest Films

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Director: F. W. Murnau

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

MoC OOP Blu-ray

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

Upcoming Release:

Flicker Alley 4K confirmed for 2027 https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24404584&postcount=1

Director: Sam Peckinpah

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Plaion Germany Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

4K Blu-ray said to be coming from Criterion, per Bill Hunt

Video Notes:

Includes Director's Cut and Roadshow Version

Same master as old WB Blu-ray but better encoding

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

An undeniably significant improvement from the BD yet still severely flawed. See DFIC's review.

Best Audio:

1984 MGM Hi-Fi VHS

Director: Buster Keaton

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber new Seven Chances / Sherlock Jr. Blu-ray?

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

Upcoming Release:

MoC 4K Blu-ray late 2027

Video Notes:

Lobster Films (Kino Lorber?) > Cohen/Eureka https://slow.pics/c/3KWXoMyR The new Kino Lorber's Seven Chances / Sherlock Jr. might be using the same restoration as Lobster Films

Director: Billy Wilder

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

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Audio Notes:

(transfer of the 1989 MGM LaserDisc, without problems plaguing Kino Lorber's release)

Additional Info:

Arrow UHD is an update of the original 4K scan done for their BD. It is also visually far superior to the Kino version and adds Dolby Vision HDR. The Arrow UHD uses a new LD mono capture and has none of the issues or processing found in the Kino UHD which also used an LD mono capture and somehow mucked it up. Short of a brand new scan, the Arrow UHD is as good as it possibly can be.

Director: Michael Cimino

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

2020 Shout! Factory 4K

Video Notes:

2020 Shout! Factory 4K slightly better than StudioCanal in HDR10. Similar in DV

Best Audio:

35mm mix: 1991 Universal LaserDisc

70mm mix: StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

35mm mix: 1991 Universal LaserDisc marginally better than StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is downmix.

70mm mix: StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is remix.

Director: Orson Welles

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray

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

Best Video:

WB Europe 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

WB Europe 4K Blu-ray slightly better encoding than Criterion (caveat: missing Criterion extras)

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: George Lucas

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

OG: "4K77" or "D+77" on high seas.

Special Edition: "4K97_IV" or "D+97_IV" on high seas.

Upcoming Release:

2027 Original Trilogy restoration/50th anniversary rerelease clips leaked plus release confirmed

Best Audio:

OG: LaserDisc audio is the best option for the Dolby Stereo mixes (and usually included in fan restorations). There are 16mm/TV rips of the mono mixes.

Special Edition: Cinema DTS or 1997 LaserDisc for the Special Edition.

Director: David Lean

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

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

Additional Info:

The 5.1 on Sony 4K Blu-ray is from the 1989 70mm mix. The original is 4-track. not on the disc.

More from Lars von Trier

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Director: Lars von Trier

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

4K Restoration: Curzon 4K Blu-ray

Theatrical Presentation: 2013 Japan King Records Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Curzon 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Criterion  Blu-ray contains exclusive interviews.

The 2013 King Records Blu-ray is the only Blu-Ray release with the video processed look that appeared theatrically, all following Blu-Ray releases use an restoration straight from the original camera negative.

Director: Lars von Trier

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Italy Eagle Pictures 4K Blu-ray or France Potemkine Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

(needs gamma correction)

The movie was shot in HD and  France Potemkine Blu-ray (needs gamma correction) has slightly stronger encoding than Italy Eagle Pictures 4K Blu-ray. Curzon Blu-ray is the worst of all three (not by much) see caps.

Director: Lars von Trier

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Curzon Blu-ray

Director: Lars von Trier

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

DK Zentropa/Germany Blu-ray

Video Notes:

DK Zentropa/Germany Blu-ray presented in original 25fps framerate. Otherwise, Criterion Blu-ray.

Director: Lars von Trier

Best English-Friendly:

UK Curzon Blu-ray

Best Video:

Curzon

Video Notes:

Curzon > Potemkine

More from Potemkine

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Director: Werner Herzog

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

HD Streaming

Best Video:

Potemkine Blu-ray

Director: Éric Rohmer

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Rohmer Potemkine set

Video Notes:

Rohmer Potemkine set vs Criterion set?

Best Audio:

Netherlands 2006 Homescreen DVD

Director: Leos Carax

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Shout! Factory BD (caveat: burned-in English subtitles)

Best Video:

France Potemkine Blu-ray

Additional Info:

The Indomina release (and possibly some other releases) censor a scene of full frontal nudity via optical blurring, the Shout release is uncensored.

Director: Robert Bresson

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

Potemkine France Blu-ray is a recent 4K restoration compared to the old Japan Imagica Blu-ray, it unfortunately also has the eclair teal https://slow.pics/c/BIIWAPtO

Given that it's a Janus theatrical release, an English-friendly and Criterion release can be expected in the near future.

Director: Abbas Kiarostami

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion, 4K transfer

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

Best Video:

Potemkine Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Criterion is regraded with no reference information provided. Comparisons

Director: Abel Gance

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Potemkine 4K

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

Video Notes:

Potemkine 4K for the 7h Grand Version https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=36908

Director: Larisa Shepitko

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

2022 France Potemkine Blu-ray

Video Notes:

2022 France Potemkine Blu-ray > Criterion

Best Audio:

France Potemkine

Audio Notes:

France Potemkine > Criterion

Director: Alain Resnais

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

New Yorker DVD?

Director: Orson Welles

Best English-Friendly & Video:

France Potemkine Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

France Potemkine Blu-ray is new 4K master

Director: Mikhail Kalatozov

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

2019 Potemkine France Blu-ray

Video Notes:

2019 Potemkine France Blu-ray less processing than Criterion. Need to adjust luminence from 16-235 (limited) to 0-255 (full) to fix crushed blacks

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· last reviewed 10 months ago

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