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Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life (1925)
Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life (1925) poster

Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life (1925)

Documentary • 1h 11m

Directors: Ernest B. Schoedsack & Merian C. Cooper

Cast: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack, Marguerite Harrison, Haidar Khan, Lufta

Best English-friendly & video release

Updated 6 months ago


About the film

A silent documentary which follows a branch of the Bakhtiari tribe of Persia as they and their herds make their epic seasonal journey to better pastures.

Featured Lists
National Film Registry

Year of Induction: 1997

Alternative Titles
Grass

Featured in National Film Registry

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Director: Richard Brooks

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Director: Jonathan Demme

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Criterion Blu-ray has exclusive extras

Director: George B. Seitz

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

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: Sidney Lumet

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber US / Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray

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

Best Video:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K  / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K

Video Notes:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K  / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K but low pass filtered

Comparison between the 4Ks, Criterion on the AR choice

Audio Notes:

Other discs have unnecessary filtering and sound worse, the difference isn't substantial but audible

Director: Dennis Hopper

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony UK 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

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: Stanley Kubrick

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

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the Universal release without the filtering.

Audio Notes:

DTS:X mix on Universal 4K Blu-ray most closely approximates original surround mix

Additional Info:

Criterion DVD and Universal 4K Blu-ray has additional features not found on the Criterion 4K Blu-ray

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

More from Ernest B. Schoedsack

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Directors: Ernest B. Schoedsack & Merian C. Cooper

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 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

More from Milestone

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Directors: Jeffrey Friedman & Rob Epstein

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Milestone Blu-ray

Directors: Rob Epstein & Nancy Adair & Peter Adair & Lucy Massie Phenix & Veronica Selver & Andrew Brown

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Milestone DVD

Director: Ayoka Chenzira

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Milestone Alma's Rainbow Blu-ray

Director: Winsor McCay

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Milestone Winsor McCay: The Master Edition DVD

Video Notes:

Also available on Library of Congress Streaming

Director: Billy Woodberry

Best English-Friendly:

Milestone Blu-ray

Best Video:

Milestone Blu-ray 2K restoration

Directors: Winsor McCay & J. Stuart Blackton

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Milestone Winsor McCay: The Master Edition DVD

Directors: Lois Weber & Phillips Smalley

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Milestone Blu-ray

Director: Winsor McCay

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Milestone Winsor McCay: The Master Edition DVD

Director: Norbert A. Myles

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Milestone Blu-ray

Director: Lionel Rogosin

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Milestone Blu-ray

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vanshady

· last reviewed 6 months ago

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