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Say Amen, Somebody (1983)
Say Amen, Somebody (1983) poster

Say Amen, Somebody (1983)

Documentary, Music • 1h 40m

Director: George T. Nierenberg

Cast: Thomas Dorsey, Willie Mae Ford Smith

Best video & English-friendly release

Updated 7 months ago


About the film

Documentary on modern black gospel music, focusing on the pioneering Rev. Thomas Dorsey and Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith

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National Film Registry

Year of Induction: 2025

Featured in National Film Registry

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Director: Victor Sjöström

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Flicker Alley Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Blu-ray with a new score composed and performed by Matti Bye

Director: Victor Sjöström

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Blu-ray 

  • New 4K digital restoration of the 1928 theatrical-release version, preserved and digitally restored by the MoMA, with original soundtrack

  • New 2K digital restoration of the 1983 variable-frame-rate version, with a score by Carl Davis

Director: Leo McCarey

Best Video & English-Friendly:

2012 MoC Blu-ray or Elephant Films France Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Blu-ray with new 4K restoration

Video Notes:

They are using the same very old HD transfer.

Directors: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

4K · Excellent
Best Video & English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Philip Kaufman

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

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray is a significant upgrade over previous WB Blu-ray see comparison

Audio Notes:

Criterion for the first time on home video have provided the 70mm 6-track as well as the Dolby stereo which was previously on LaserDisc. Both tracks are unique so included both with the 6-track default. Criterion’s 5.1 remix is lossless compared to the lossy tracks of the previous blu-rays and DVDs.

See comparison

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Best Video & English-Friendly:

WB Blu-ray

Additional Info:

New restoration to be shown at TCM Film Fest

Director: Joel Coen

4K · Excellent
Best Video & English-Friendly:

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Shout is still very good but Arrow has the edge due to better handling of highlights and less chroma noise, comparison

Best Audio:

All the same

Director: John G. Avildsen

4K · Excellent
Best Video & English-Friendly:

Sony boxset or 2024 VHS packaging 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Sony boxsets or 2024 VHS packaging has Dolby Vision, 2019 Sony 4K Blu-ray is HDR10 only.

Best Audio:

Original Stereo mix: Columbia Pictures LaserDisc, Sony 4K Blu-ray (any) 

5.1 remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray, Sony Blu-ray 

Dolby Atmos remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray (any)

Directors: Ernest B. Schoedsack & Merian C. Cooper

Best Video & English-Friendly:

WB Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray

Director: Mike Nichols

4K · Solid
Best Video & English-Friendly:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

StudioCanal 4K caps.Criterion Blu-ray better encode than StudioCanal Blu-ray.

Best Audio:

1987 Criterion LaserDisc

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Directors: Jeffrey Friedman & Rob Epstein

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Milestone Blu-ray

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

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Milestone DVD

Director: Ayoka Chenzira

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Milestone Alma's Rainbow Blu-ray

Director: Winsor McCay

Best Video & English-Friendly:

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 Video & English-Friendly:

Milestone Winsor McCay: The Master Edition DVD

Directors: Lois Weber & Phillips Smalley

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Milestone Blu-ray

Director: Winsor McCay

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Milestone Winsor McCay: The Master Edition DVD

Director: Norbert A. Myles

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Milestone Blu-ray

Director: Lionel Rogosin

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Milestone Blu-ray

More Documentary on Blu-ray

Director: János Zsombolyai

4K · Disappointing
Best Video & English-Friendly:

Sony Music 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

AI upscale but color and HDR grading is improved as it's way more subdued see caps

Director: Vivian Kubrick

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Mono: 1999 WB DVD
5.1: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Werner Herzog

Best Video & English-Friendly:

2015 UK Lionsgate Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Blu-ray scheduled for Dec 2026 release

Directors: Frank Capra & Anatole Litvak

Best Video & English-Friendly:

US Periscope Blu-ray OOP

Director: Steve James

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray and UK Dogwoof Blu-ray probably similar

Director: Leos Carax

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Director: Hal Ashby

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

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has excellent master in SDR and a good encode. BD caps here.

Audio Notes:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has poor audio: The 2.0 is fine but unremarkable, the 5.1 is presumably an upmix with a botched, strongly raised LFE channel which makes the entire track unlistenable on well-tuned equipment. Audio graphs here.

Director: Preston Sturges

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Criterion The Palm Beach Story Blu-ray extras

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: Mitra Farahani

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Radiance Treasures from the Golestan Film Studio Blu-ray

Director: Ebrahim Golestan

Best Video & English-Friendly:

Radiance Treasures from the Golestan Film Studio Blu-ray

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· last reviewed 7 months ago

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