Best Blurays IconBest Blurays
Films
/
Maytime (1923)
Maytime (1923) poster
Letterboxd

Maytime (1923)

Drama, Romance • 50m

Overview

Ottilie Van Zandt is forced to wed her cousin, despite her love for Richard Wayne, the gardener's son. Richard leaves, vowing to return a wealthy man and eligible suitor for her. He returns to find she has already married and, in turn, marries another girl on impulse. Two generations later, the grandchildren of Ottilie and Richard, who both have inherited their names as well, meet and develop a close friendship that culminates in the romance that their grandparents began but could not consummate years before.

Best Video Release

Official SD Streaming on NFPF https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/maytime-1923 Four out of the original seven reels had survived

Format

SD Streaming

External Links

Length

50 mins

Type

Movie

Last Updated

3 months ago

Contributors

Best English-Friendly Release
Best Video Release

Official SD Streaming on NFPF https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/maytime-1923 Four out of the original seven reels had survived

Format
SD Streaming
Length
50 mins
Type
Movie
Last Updated
3 months ago
Contributors

More from Louis J. Gasnier

See more →
Gambling Ship poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Universal Blu-ray

Best Video:

Universal Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Universal Blu-ray

Best Video:

Universal Blu-ray

More from NFPF

See more →
Fake Fruit Factory poster
DVD
Best English-Friendly:

Image Entertainment Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947-1986 OOP DVD

Best Video:

Image Entertainment Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947-1986 OOP DVD

Also available on NFPF official SD Streaming https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/2011-nfr-fake-fruit-factory-1986

Best English-Friendly:

Image Entertainment Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947-1986 OOP DVD

Best Video:

Image Entertainment Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947-1986 OOP DVD

Also available on NFPF official SD Streaming https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/2011-nfr-fake-fruit-factory-1986

A Time for Burning poster
DVD
Best English-Friendly:

Docurama OOP DVD

Best Video:

Docurama OOP DVD

Also available on NFPF official SD Streaming https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/a-time-for-burning-1966 which has better compression than PBS "HD" Streaming

Best English-Friendly:

Docurama OOP DVD

Best Video:

Docurama OOP DVD

Also available on NFPF official SD Streaming https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/a-time-for-burning-1966 which has better compression than PBS "HD" Streaming

The Making of an American poster
HD Streaming
Best Video:

Library of Congress official HD Streaming https://www.loc.gov/item/2023600540/ is a superior copy to the  NFPF copy

Best Video:

Library of Congress official HD Streaming https://www.loc.gov/item/2023600540/ is a superior copy to the  NFPF copy

More Drama on Blu-ray

The Bad Seed poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Warner Bros 2011 Blu-ray

The older track sounds significantly more natural. The WAC BD uses a new mastering which sounds much worse. A lot of the dialogue sounds off, sort of echoey, garbled or even artifacted. Its overzealous click removal also erased some sounds. Its only positive is a new EQ that brings out the bass more making some of the score more effective.

It seems that the new mastering likely uses AI "enhancement" or some other form of aggressive filtering, resulting in extended peaks despite losing real high end detail (most pronounced on sample 3).

Samples (WAC is mislabeled as UHD)

Additional Info:

Commentary is mono on the Blu-rays and panned stereo on NTSC DVD (different channels for each speaker).

The Bad Seed poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Warner Bros 2011 Blu-ray

The older track sounds significantly more natural. The WAC BD uses a new mastering which sounds much worse. A lot of the dialogue sounds off, sort of echoey, garbled or even artifacted. Its overzealous click removal also erased some sounds. Its only positive is a new EQ that brings out the bass more making some of the score more effective.

It seems that the new mastering likely uses AI "enhancement" or some other form of aggressive filtering, resulting in extended peaks despite losing real high end detail (most pronounced on sample 3).

Samples (WAC is mislabeled as UHD)

Additional Info:

Commentary is mono on the Blu-rays and panned stereo on NTSC DVD (different channels for each speaker).

Thank You, Life poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Indicator 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Indicator 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Indicator 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

The older Studio Canal disc has incorrect pitch - 0.7 semitones lower than it should be. As their PAL DVD release was pitched correctly despite running at 25 FPS, it's likely they just took that master and slowed it down without accounting for that.

Best English-Friendly:

Indicator 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Indicator 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Indicator 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

The older Studio Canal disc has incorrect pitch - 0.7 semitones lower than it should be. As their PAL DVD release was pitched correctly despite running at 25 FPS, it's likely they just took that master and slowed it down without accounting for that.

Nouvelle Vague poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Criterion has English subtitles burned in for the entire film, stylized to look like an old film print.

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Criterion has English subtitles burned in for the entire film, stylized to look like an old film print.

West Side Story poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Germany Capelight 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Capelight's 5.1 is sourced from the original 6-track. The fidelity is comparable to the 4.0 from the 4-track available on previous BDs.
An alternate 5.1 mix was created for the 1999 MGM DVD / LaserDisc, It boasts better high end detail throughout, but the trade off is reduced bass.

See additional info for more detail.

Additional Info:

West Side Story was produced as a 70mm Todd-AO presentation, with an accompanying 6-track audio mix in the following channel configuration: see diagram. 35mm presentations used a 4-track or a mono mixdown instead.

The original 6-track elements were thought to have been lost until they were recovered and restored in 2010. In 1981, for the film's 20th anniversary, a new 6-track mix was created by upmixing the available 4-track elements.

Capelight's release is sourced from original 6-track elements uncovered in 2010, but unfortunately it's not as detailed as it should be, owing to unnecessary noise reduction. It's by no means bad, but it could be better. As the Lc/Rc channels are mixed into into L/C/R, it's also essentially no different to a 4-track fold-down. This isn't exactly an issue as left/right center channels mix down to L/C/R very well, but a better way of handling this would be to use Atmos objects to position those channels where they should be, as Disney did on The Sound of Music.

The 4-track mix was included in a discrete form on MGM's previous BD, it trades blows with Capelight's 6-track-derived 5.1.

Interestingly, the 1999 MGM LaserDisc/DVD release includes a different 5.1 mix, which sounds a bit more detailed than the two other tracks. It's sound signature is on the brighter side, with a slight emphasis on the treble instead of bass like other releases. Although that accounts for some of the perceived detail, even after matching EQ there are spots where Capelight loses out. It's a slight upmix, with split surrounds and LFE. Whether it was derived from 4-track or 6-track elements is not clear, though it matters little, as the end result would have been very similar in either case. There are no booklet notes stating the source used, but it sounds very similar to the matrixed 1992 LD, which was attributed to the 6-track. Still, given that the original elements were thought to have been lost, I would assume that this refers to the 1981 mix.

Previous LaserDisc releases are similar to the discrete 1999 track. All LD releases are missing the intermission music and a brief whistling sequence.

The 7.1 upmix on MGM's Blu-ray offers little of value.

Best English-Friendly:

Germany Capelight 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Capelight's 5.1 is sourced from the original 6-track. The fidelity is comparable to the 4.0 from the 4-track available on previous BDs.
An alternate 5.1 mix was created for the 1999 MGM DVD / LaserDisc, It boasts better high end detail throughout, but the trade off is reduced bass.

See additional info for more detail.

Additional Info:

West Side Story was produced as a 70mm Todd-AO presentation, with an accompanying 6-track audio mix in the following channel configuration: see diagram. 35mm presentations used a 4-track or a mono mixdown instead.

The original 6-track elements were thought to have been lost until they were recovered and restored in 2010. In 1981, for the film's 20th anniversary, a new 6-track mix was created by upmixing the available 4-track elements.

Capelight's release is sourced from original 6-track elements uncovered in 2010, but unfortunately it's not as detailed as it should be, owing to unnecessary noise reduction. It's by no means bad, but it could be better. As the Lc/Rc channels are mixed into into L/C/R, it's also essentially no different to a 4-track fold-down. This isn't exactly an issue as left/right center channels mix down to L/C/R very well, but a better way of handling this would be to use Atmos objects to position those channels where they should be, as Disney did on The Sound of Music.

The 4-track mix was included in a discrete form on MGM's previous BD, it trades blows with Capelight's 6-track-derived 5.1.

Interestingly, the 1999 MGM LaserDisc/DVD release includes a different 5.1 mix, which sounds a bit more detailed than the two other tracks. It's sound signature is on the brighter side, with a slight emphasis on the treble instead of bass like other releases. Although that accounts for some of the perceived detail, even after matching EQ there are spots where Capelight loses out. It's a slight upmix, with split surrounds and LFE. Whether it was derived from 4-track or 6-track elements is not clear, though it matters little, as the end result would have been very similar in either case. There are no booklet notes stating the source used, but it sounds very similar to the matrixed 1992 LD, which was attributed to the 6-track. Still, given that the original elements were thought to have been lost, I would assume that this refers to the 1981 mix.

Previous LaserDisc releases are similar to the discrete 1999 track. All LD releases are missing the intermission music and a brief whistling sequence.

The 7.1 upmix on MGM's Blu-ray offers little of value.

Auntie Mame poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray from 12K scan

Best Audio:

Warner Bros NTSC DVD

For the most part, the mono track available on the BD and UHD is fine, but there's an 8 minutes long segment which sounds terrible with artificially expanded frequency range causing very audible artifacting. The 5.1 remix doesn't have that issue. Sample

Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray from 12K scan

Best Audio:

Warner Bros NTSC DVD

For the most part, the mono track available on the BD and UHD is fine, but there's an 8 minutes long segment which sounds terrible with artificially expanded frequency range causing very audible artifacting. The 5.1 remix doesn't have that issue. Sample

Scarlet poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Sony 4K Blu-ray has the original theatrical Dolby Atmos mix

Scarlet poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Sony 4K Blu-ray has the original theatrical Dolby Atmos mix

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

DreamWorks/Universal Blu-ray

Best Video:

DreamWorks/Universal Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

DreamWorks/Universal Blu-ray

Best Video:

DreamWorks/Universal Blu-ray

Hud poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Hud poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Exotica poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion Blu-ray: from 4K restoration but exhibits compression artifacts

Exotica poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion Blu-ray: from 4K restoration but exhibits compression artifacts

Edit History

1 edit
Maytime (1923) backdrop