Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse (1940)
Documentary • 8m
Overview
The collapse of the bridge was recorded on film by Barney Elliott, owner of a local camera shop. The film shows Leonard Coatsworth leaving the bridge after exiting his car. In 1998, The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. This footage is still shown to engineering, architecture, and physics students as a cautionary tale. Elliott's original film of the construction and collapse of the bridge was shot at 16 frames a second, on 16mm Kodachrome film, but most copies in circulation are in black and white because newsreels of the day copied the film onto 35 mm black-and-white stock (not to mention, often showed the film at the wrong speed).
Directors: Barney Elliott & Harbine Monroe
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: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: Robert Wise
Disney 4K Blu-ray, see caps https://slow.pics/c/hE3HUCdj
Disney 4K Atmos is great, a reference quality track. It's a very slight remix (music seems to be from a better source), but it's completely seamless and faithful to the original, better fidelity than anything since the 1994 30th Anniversary Edition LaserDisc.
All DVDs (and 2010 Blu-ray) sound far worse than the 4K Blu-ray/LaserDisc and have various missing sound cues.
Director: André de Toth
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: André de Toth
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
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
Director: John McTiernan
Director: John McTiernan
Director: John Ford
Director: John Ford
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
Director: Alfred E. Green
Director: Alfred E. Green
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
Director: William Wyler
Director: William Wyler
Directors: Frank Capra & Anatole Litvak
Directors: Frank Capra & Anatole Litvak
Director: Frank Capra
Director: Frank Capra
Director: Frank Capra
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
Director: Frank Capra
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
Directors: Frank Capra & Hugh Stewart & John Huston & John Boulting & Roy Boulting
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
Directors: Frank Capra & Hugh Stewart & John Huston & John Boulting & Roy Boulting
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
Director: Frank Capra
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
Director: Frank Capra
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
Director: Frank Capra
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
Director: Frank Capra
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
US Periscope Blu-ray OOP https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Why-We-Fight-Blu-ray/87823/
Otherwise there are DVDs
More Documentary on Blu-ray
2026 Sony/Columbia 4K Blu-ray
2026 Sony/Columbia 4K Blu-ray
2026 Sony/Columbia 4K Blu-ray
2026 Sony/Columbia 4K Blu-ray
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Directors: Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
4K Streaming
The Capelight 4K Blu-ray has both German and English audio, defaulting to the former, but only has German subtitles
Directors: Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
4K Streaming
The Capelight 4K Blu-ray has both German and English audio, defaulting to the former, but only has German subtitles
Edit History
5/18/2026
Format
Added
SD Streaming
Added
SD Streaming
Best English-Friendly Release
Best Video Release
Blu-ray.com
Added
https://www.blu-ray.com/Tacoma-Narrows-Bridge-Collapse/1064639/#Releases
Added
https://www.blu-ray.com/Tacoma-Narrows-Bridge-Collapse/1064639/#Releases