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The Clowns (1970)
The Clowns (1970) poster

The Clowns (1970)

I Clowns

TV Movie, Comedy • 1h 33m

Director: Federico Fellini

Best English-friendly release

US RaroVideo Blu-ray or UK MoC Blu-ray, both OOP

Updated 11 months ago

Best video release

US RaroVideo Blu-ray or UK MoC Blu-ray

US RaroVideo Blu-ray or UK MoC Blu-ray has no discernible difference even though MoC has more bitrate, see caps Both OOP

Italy Eagle Pictures Blu-ray is also OOP, not English-friendly and has no caps for comparison.


About the film

Fellini exposes his great attraction for the clowns and the world of the circus first recalling a childhood experience when the circus arrives nearby his home. Then he joins his crew and travel from Italy to Paris chasing the last greatest European clowns still live in these countries. He also meets Anita Ekberg trying to buy a panther in a circus.

More from Federico Fellini

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Director: Federico Fellini

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Fellini's segment on Spirits of the Dead

The Toby Dammit segment is also available in Criterion boxset but seems to be SD, so Arrow Blu-ray > Plaion Blu-ray > Criterion boxset Blu-ray

Director: Federico Fellini

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

2022 Paramount Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

2014 Criterion Blu-ray is from the same master and has only slightly worse compression. JP/DE/FR releases all have incorrect levels. Caps

Audio Notes:

All Blu-ray releases are from the same mastering, superior to the one on older DVD releases which is sourced from a higher generation source. They all sound about the same, with the exception of Criterion, which sounds worse due to extraneous filtering.

Paramount's disc also includes a contemporary English dub, previously unreleased on home video.

Director: Federico Fellini

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

2017 StudioCanal Blu-ray

Director: Federico Fellini

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Audio Notes:

Image Entertainment DVD is slightly better than Criterion 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray/DVD (all basically the same)
Other Blu-ray releases are all much worse.

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: Federico Fellini

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Federico Fellini

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

HD Streaming

Best Video:

France Tamasa Blu-ray

Video Notes:

But not English friendly.

WB has HD Streaming on multiple platforms, but no home release.

Director: Federico Fellini

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Essential Fellini Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Federico Fellini

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Essential Fellini Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Directors: Tatti Sanguineti & Federico Fellini

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Intervista Blu-ray extras

More from Masters of Cinema

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Director: Elaine May

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cinématographe 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Cinématographe 4K Blu-ray > MoC > Olive Films. From nicolas:

The master is good but it’s not that big an upgrade from the Olive Films disc and Vinegar Syndrome’ encode has some blocky highlights. A shame that they didn’t hire David Mackenzie here.

Audio Notes:

Cinématographe has unnecessary noise gating not present on the previous releases.

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

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: 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: Hal Ashby

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

See caps https://slow.pics/c/lVdZaG0W

Best Audio:

Criterion/MoC Blu-ray

Directors: Irving Pichel & Ernest B. Schoedsack

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK MoC Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

MoC Blu-ray offers both restored and an unrestored tracks

Director: Paul Leni

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Theatrical/Original A negative: MoC Blu-ray

European C/D negative but better picture quality: Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

From DVDBeaver: The MoC Blu-ray is scanned from the American A negative, as opposed to the European C or D negatives used by Photoplay and others (Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray), so it is identical with the film US audiences saw in 1927

See caps for comparison

In addition, the Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has sepia tinting throughout while the MoC Blu-ray has yellow for normal scenes, blue for night scenes, and some even green tintings.

Director: Louis Feuillade

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK MoC Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

UK MoC Blu-ray is slightly sharper than French Gaumont Blu-ray see caps

Director: John Frankenheimer

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

UK MoC Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

UK MoC Blu-ray uses the same restoration as Criterion but has more natural contrast and more organic grains see caps

Audio Notes:

MoC Blu-ray has the exactly same audio as Criterion Blu-ray

Director: Josef von Sternberg

More TV Movie on Blu-ray

Director: Jacques Tati

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray (part of Jacques Tati boxset releasing December 2026)

Director: Trey Parker

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Paramount Blu-ray

Director: Clive Donner

Best English-Friendly & Video:

20th Century Studios Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Suffers from a liberal application of DNR

Best Audio:

5.1 remix: Blu-ray 

Stereo:Blu-ray and DVD appear to have the same one, not sure if it’s the original stereo mix.

Directors: Jules Bass & Arthur Rankin, Jr.

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Directors: Jules Bass & Arthur Rankin, Jr.

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Director: Larry Roemer

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Director: Erik Nelson

Best English-Friendly & Video:

OOP Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Director: Geoffrey Sax

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

BBC 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

2016 BBC Blu-ray

Director: Steven Spielberg

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

"Director's Cut" (Theatrical cut with minor changes): Universal 4K Blu-ray

Theatrical Cut: VHS

TV Cut: Fan restoration

Best Audio:

1993 MCA LaserDisc (with EQ adjusted)

Directors: George Harrison & Ringo Starr & Bernard Knowles & John Lennon & Paul McCartney

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2012 Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Media VHS Tape

Audio Notes:

Media VHS Tape is the only release to date to include the original mono mix of the film, but it is in very poor quality

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Researched and maintained by

vanshady

· last reviewed 11 months ago

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