The Rules of the Game (1939)
La Règle du jeu
Drama, Comedy, Romance • 1h 53m
Overview
A weekend at a marquis’ country château lays bare some ugly truths about a group of haut bourgeois acquaintances.
Director: Jean Renoir
Cast: Jean Renoir, Marcel Dalio, Nora Gregor, Julien Carette, Roland Toutain, Paulette Dubost, Gaston Modot, Mila Parély, Anne Mayen, Eddy Debray, Odette Talazac, Claire Gérard, Pierre Magnier, Pierre Nay, Richard Francœur, Léon Larive, Lise Elina, Nicolas Amato, Jacques Beauvais, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Celestin, Tony Corteggiani, Géo Forster, Camille François, Jenny Hélia, Maurice Marceau, Marcel Melrac, André Zwobada, Marguerite de Morlaye
2017 Olive Films Signature Blu-ray. (Jokers 4K Blu-ray has forced France subs)
The Jokers 4K Blu-ray has raised black levels/gamma issue, good when fixed
1992 Republic Pictures LaserDisc
2017 Olive Films Signature Blu-ray. (Jokers 4K Blu-ray has forced France subs)
The Jokers 4K Blu-ray has raised black levels/gamma issue, good when fixed
1992 Republic Pictures LaserDisc
Director: Jean Renoir
Director: Jean Renoir
Japan IVC Blu-ray but not English-friendly
Film Foundation has 4k restoration https://www.film-foundation.org/world-cinema but no EN-friendly release yet
Japan IVC Blu-ray but not English-friendly
Film Foundation has 4k restoration https://www.film-foundation.org/world-cinema but no EN-friendly release yet
2022 Paramount Presents Blu-ray disc included in 4K Blu-ray set
2022 Paramount Presents Blu-ray disc included in 4K Blu-ray set, same master, but less bitrate starved.
The encode on the BD is preferable to the UHD. Same master, but less bitrate starved: https://x.com/SadHillDevan/status/1530057783885721607?s=20 and see caps
2022 Paramount Presents Blu-ray disc included in 4K Blu-ray set
2022 Paramount Presents Blu-ray disc included in 4K Blu-ray set, same master, but less bitrate starved.
The encode on the BD is preferable to the UHD. Same master, but less bitrate starved: https://x.com/SadHillDevan/status/1530057783885721607?s=20 and see caps
Director: John Ford
4K Blu-ray is muffled, even compared to already poor WB Blu-ray, from nicolas: "The most noise reduction of any release, leaving hardly anything above 8 kHz. Bass content has also been removed globally."
Even putting resolution aside, the Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray has the best video, the old Blu-ray master and earlier DVD both had massive issues with colour.
That said, picture on the 4K Blu-ray isn't perfect, with strange posterized magenta glints and some instances of DNR: https://bsky.app/profile/dagscott.bsky.social/post/3leahavqi7k2l
Director: John Ford
4K Blu-ray is muffled, even compared to already poor WB Blu-ray, from nicolas: "The most noise reduction of any release, leaving hardly anything above 8 kHz. Bass content has also been removed globally."
Even putting resolution aside, the Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray has the best video, the old Blu-ray master and earlier DVD both had massive issues with colour.
That said, picture on the 4K Blu-ray isn't perfect, with strange posterized magenta glints and some instances of DNR: https://bsky.app/profile/dagscott.bsky.social/post/3leahavqi7k2l
Director: Orson Welles
MoC 4K Blu-ray and Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray are similar
Director: Orson Welles
MoC 4K Blu-ray and Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray are similar
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray - subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking
1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD
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: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray - subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking
1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD
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: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray is closer to the original DVDs than the 2015 Criterion release, not sure about whether the StudioCanal 4K is like the Criterion 4K/original DVD
Criterion 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision, StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has MEL
Director: David Lynch
Criterion 4K Blu-ray is closer to the original DVDs than the 2015 Criterion release, not sure about whether the StudioCanal 4K is like the Criterion 4K/original DVD
Criterion 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision, StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has MEL
Director: Jean Vigo
Director: Jean Vigo
Director: Charlie Chaplin
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1954 version: Criterion Blu-ray
Cut info: https://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?t=31209
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
Director: Charlie Chaplin
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
1954 version: Criterion Blu-ray
Cut info: https://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?t=31209
1936 version: Image Entertainment DVD
Director: Jean Renoir
The BFI and Gaumont Blu-ray releases are both from the same restoration by Éclair. Although this restoration is much superior in detail to the old Criterion DVD, like many Éclair restorations, it has issues with colour. There is a definite yellow cast to the footage, making skin tones appear sickly and dampening the impact of the colour. The image is also murkier than the Criterion.
As Renoir scholar Tag Gallagher notes: "I talked a lot toward the end about the light blue walls (Criterion); but when I got the BFI blu I was greatly deflated, because the walls are light gray!"
That said, as visible in the screen caps at DVD Beaver, the Criterion has compromised colour too, and often looks too blue/magenta. There is a regraded edition of the BFI Blu-ray out there on the high seas.
The audio on the Blu-ray releases is slightly compressed, but better than earlier DVD releases and relatively full frequency.
The BFI is most likely the best English-friendly release as it includes English subtitles for the bonus features.
Director: Jean Renoir
The BFI and Gaumont Blu-ray releases are both from the same restoration by Éclair. Although this restoration is much superior in detail to the old Criterion DVD, like many Éclair restorations, it has issues with colour. There is a definite yellow cast to the footage, making skin tones appear sickly and dampening the impact of the colour. The image is also murkier than the Criterion.
As Renoir scholar Tag Gallagher notes: "I talked a lot toward the end about the light blue walls (Criterion); but when I got the BFI blu I was greatly deflated, because the walls are light gray!"
That said, as visible in the screen caps at DVD Beaver, the Criterion has compromised colour too, and often looks too blue/magenta. There is a regraded edition of the BFI Blu-ray out there on the high seas.
The audio on the Blu-ray releases is slightly compressed, but better than earlier DVD releases and relatively full frequency.
The BFI is most likely the best English-friendly release as it includes English subtitles for the bonus features.
Director: Jean Renoir
Director: Jean Renoir
Director: Jean Renoir
Director: Jean Renoir
Director: Jean Renoir
Director: Jean Renoir
Director: Jean Renoir
2021 StudioCanal Blu-ray
2021 StudioCanal Blu-ray has better encode and gamma levels compared to older StudioCanal Blu-ray caps
Director: Jean Renoir
2021 StudioCanal Blu-ray
2021 StudioCanal Blu-ray has better encode and gamma levels compared to older StudioCanal Blu-ray caps
StudioCanal 4k transfer
StudioCanal 4k transfer
Director: Jean Renoir
Kino Lorber/Raro Blu-ray
Director: Jean Renoir
Kino Lorber/Raro Blu-ray
Director: Jean Renoir
StudioCanal France and Spain have BDs
Director: Jean Renoir
StudioCanal France and Spain have BDs
Director: Max Ophüls
French version: Criterion Blu-ray (Carlotta has no English subtitles)
German version: Filmmuseum DVD
French version: 2020 Carlotta Blu-ray
German version: Filmmuseum DVD
Carlotta Films corrects the mistakes of Criterion due to the compression on dark scenes and gives the gorgeous transfer of the restoration a better encode/compression and more bitrate.
The German cut, titled Lola Montez, is considered by Ophüls scholars such as Jonathan Rosenbaum, Dan Sallitt and Tag Gallagher to be superior to the French cut. It has only been reissued on the Filmmuseum DVD.
Director: Max Ophüls
French version: Criterion Blu-ray (Carlotta has no English subtitles)
German version: Filmmuseum DVD
French version: 2020 Carlotta Blu-ray
German version: Filmmuseum DVD
Carlotta Films corrects the mistakes of Criterion due to the compression on dark scenes and gives the gorgeous transfer of the restoration a better encode/compression and more bitrate.
The German cut, titled Lola Montez, is considered by Ophüls scholars such as Jonathan Rosenbaum, Dan Sallitt and Tag Gallagher to be superior to the French cut. It has only been reissued on the Filmmuseum DVD.
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
Director: Sidney Lumet
2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2011 Criterion Blu-ray is the best. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has heavily filtered audio
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
Director: Ridley Scott
Capelight 4K Blu-ray has better encode than Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Director: Ridley Scott
Capelight 4K Blu-ray has better encode than Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Director: Chen Kaige
Director: Chen Kaige
Edit History
6/16/2026
Best English-Friendly Release
Best Video Release
From
ESC France 4K Blu-ray, need to force SDR (slightly better than Criterion 4K Blu-ray)
To
The Criterion 4K Blu-ray has marginally better detail and grain structure than ESC 4K Blu-ray
The ESC France 4K Blu-ray is an SDR grade erroneously presented in HDR, but if your player can force the HDR into SDR it looks very good.
From
ESC France 4K Blu-ray, need to force SDR (slightly better than Criterion 4K Blu-ray)
To
The Criterion 4K Blu-ray has marginally better detail and grain structure than ESC 4K Blu-ray
The ESC France 4K Blu-ray is an SDR grade erroneously presented in HDR, but if your player can force the HDR into SDR it looks very good.
Best Audio Release
UHD Tiers
From
(French import) caveat: reference if your player can force the HDR into SDR
if compared to their BD
if your player can convert the HDR into SDR manually
To
Slightly better detail and grain structure than the ESC
From
(French import) caveat: reference if your player can force the HDR into SDR
if compared to their BD
if your player can convert the HDR into SDR manually
To
Slightly better detail and grain structure than the ESC
