The Valley of the Bees (1968)
Údolí včel
Drama, History • 1h 37m
Director: František Vláčil
Cast: Petr Čepek, Jan Kačer, Zdeněk Kryzánek, Věra Galatíková, Miroslav Macháček, Josef Somr, Václav Kotva, Josef Kotapiš, Petr Sedlák, Jana Hlaváčková, František Kovářík, Antonín Pražák, Ludvík Wolf, Ladislav Gzela, Petr Štěpánek, Michal Kožuch, Jana Hájková, Zdeněk Sedláček, Miloš Willig, František Husák, Vladimír Navrátil, Vlastimila Vlková, Jan Kratochvíl, Karel Engel, Zdeněk Chlum, Jiří Stivín, Václav Mach, Vlastimil Hašek, Vilém Besser, Pavel Landovský, Vítězslav Vejražka, Zdeněk Řehoř
Best English-friendly & video release · updated 9 months ago
HD transfer from Original Camera Negative
Overview
Cast out by his father, young Ondrej joins the Order of the Teutonic Knights, where he is raised by strict monk Armin. After years of hardship, Ondrej escapes from the Order when he is wrongly punished, and sets out for his former home. Arriving to discover his father to be dead, Ondrej now not only assumes control of his father's properties, but seeks to marry his former stepmother.
Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)
More Drama on Blu-ray
Director: Michael Mann
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · thedigitalbits.com (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Arrow 4K Blu-ray is encoded by FiM and is better than Criterion, see caps https://slow.pics/c/Z2RRQAAT
Criterion 4K Blu-ray vs Blu-ray: caps colors are more different and nuanced than anticipated even in the SDR-converted caps and the usual gain in highlight detail is also apparent. Encode looks excellent except for the brightest areas as usual.
5.1/5.0 mix (essentially a 4-track mix in 5.1 and 5.0 containers respectively)-Arrow/Criterion 4K Blu-ray. Only imperceptible differences in bit-depth: 20 vs 24.
2.0 mix- Arrow 4K Blu-ray (original stereo)
Directors: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
UK StudioCanal UHD
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
US Magnolia BD
UK Entertainment One release contains directors commentary track
Director: Samuel Fuller
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
Criterion Blu-Ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Steve De Jarnatt
2024 Kino Lorber Blu-ray
UK Transmission 4K Blu-ray in January 2027
Either the 2015 Kino Lorber Blu-ray or the Arrow Blu-ray
The 2024 Kino Lorber Blu-ray is botched.
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
Video format: 1080p 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)
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