Films
/
Orpheus (1950)
Orpheus (1950) poster

Orpheus (1950)

Orphée

Romance, Fantasy, Drama • 1h 35m

Director: Jean Cocteau

BFI Blu-ray

Best English-friendly release · updated 1 year ago

Overview

A poet in love with Death follows his unhappy wife into the underworld.

Release details

Best Video Release

BFI > Criterion

TSPDT
2026: #417
2025: #410
2024: #411
2023: #399
2022: #399
Criterion Forum
Review

Picture: 8, Audio: 6, Extras: 8

Length
95 mins
Type
Movie

More from Jean Cocteau

See more →

Director: Jean Cocteau

Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal UK/French Blu-ray

Director: Jean Cocteau

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

BFI new 4k resto > Criterion, significant improvement https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?d1=14201&d2=14200&c=5506

More from Criterion

See more →

Director: Preston Sturges

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion The Palm Beach Story Blu-ray extras

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

Video Notes:

While it's included on both Criterion The Palm Beach Story extras and Arrow's Sullivan's Travels' extras, Criterion uses a different source and is vastly superior, see caps

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set

Video Notes:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray worse than Blu-ray with poor encoding (review)

Director: Michael Bay

Video format: HD Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney+ HD Streaming

Upcoming Release:

4K possibly teased?

Video Notes:

Disney+ has new master better than Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Criterion DVD/Disney Blu-ray is missing a line:

Hummel: (line missing)
 
Lou Lindstrom: "Hello Frank. Lou Lindstrom"

Disney+:

Hummel: Hummel.

Lou Lindstrom: "Hello Frank. Lou Lindstrom"

Director: Wong Kar-Wai

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2012 Criterion Blu-ray

Video Notes:

2012 Criterion Blu-ray is the most accurate

4K Blu-ray unrecommended because of controversial colours, no HDR, minimal resolution uptick, and DNR master

Best Audio:

2002 Criterion DVD for original Dolby Digital 5.0 theatrical

Audio Notes:

The 4K Blu-ray 5.1 adds additional foley and effects.

Director: Charlie Chaplin

Best English-Friendly & Video:

1928 version: Image Entertainment DVD

1969 version: Criterion Blu-ray

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

Director: David Lynch

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray or Optimum/Kadokawa Blu-rays

Sources: Reddit (opens in a new tab) · dvdexotica.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Director: Sidney Lumet

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

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray replacement disc for fixed audio (there were some dialogues missing)

Additional Info:

While the video on the replacement disc is exactly the same as the original release, the Atmos with missing lines has been corrected as it was also corrected on the Criterion commentary. Criterion also included the 6-track which is almost identical to the PAL track; It’s 4.0 in a 5.1 container. This 6-track is slightly better than the PAL DVD track as the PAL has some flutter on some parts that Criterion doesn’t have.

The Atmos on the replacement is identical to the Imprint AUS Blu-ray track which also has all the lines. The compatibility track is also the same,

It is worth mentioning the Imprint only has the Atmos and no 6-track. The 5.1 surround is with LFE and split surrounds and it’s just a downmix of the Atmos. Ditto for the LPCM 2.0 on said Blu-ray.

Directors: Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

4K encode is low-pass filtered and noticeably so, which was unfortunately par for the course with Criterion 4Ks until sometime in 2024. Still better than the Criterion and Lionsgate Blu-Ray discs for the Dolby Vision grading alone.

Director: David Lynch

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

 Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray

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

Upcoming Release:

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray in December

Video Notes:

Subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking

Best Audio:

1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD

Audio Notes:

Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110

Director: Jūzō Itami

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Japan Toho Blu-ray

More Romance on Blu-ray

Director: Preston Sturges

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Director: Preston Sturges

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Arrow Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Arrow Blu-ray slightly better than Criterion Blu-ray, not sure about France Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

(Arrow Blu-ray better than Criterion)

Director: Jamie Babbit

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Lionsgate Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray is a disaster. The compression on the base layer is horrid, and the oversized 18 Mbps FEL barely helps.

Best Audio:

Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray includes original matrixed Dolby Stereo mix, albeit lossy, and a 5.1 surround upmix. The stereo track on previous BD and DVD releases is also lossy and sounds about the same.

Director: Sofia Coppola

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Various old Blu-rays

Video Notes:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray cancelled.

Director: Renato Castellani

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Director: René Clair

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Gaumont France Blu-ray has no EN subtitles

Director: David Hamilton

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Blu-ray better than Capelight Germany 4K Blu-ray, heavy DNR on the 4K Blu-ray

Director: F. W. Murnau

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

MoC OOP Blu-ray

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

Upcoming Release:

SFFP new 4K restoration

Director: Gaspar Noé

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK Artificial Eye 3D Blu-ray

Director: John Schlesinger

Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal Blu-ray

Additional Info:

StudioCanal was overseen and approved by Nicolas Roeg and has a more filmic color grade than the Warner Archive Blu-Ray. 

Edit history

No edit history available

Maintained by the community

· last reviewed 1 year ago

Every recommendation follows the same method — how these calls are made.