Best Blurays IconBest Blurays
Films
/
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) poster
Letterboxd

For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)

War, Romance, History, Drama, Adventure • 2h 50m

Overview

Spain in the 1930s is the place to be for a man of action like Robert Jordan. There is a civil war going on and Jordan—who has joined up on the side that appeals most to idealists of that era—has been given a high-risk assignment up in the mountains. He awaits the right time to blow up a crucial bridge in order to halt the enemy's progress.

Director: Sam Wood

Cast: Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Akim Tamiroff, Arturo de Córdova, Vladimir Sokoloff, Mikhail Rasumny, Fortunio Bonanova, Eric Feldary, Victor Varconi, Katina Paxinou, Joseph Calleia, Lilo Yarson, Alexander Granach, Adia Kuznetzoff, Leonid Snegoff, Leo Bulgakov, Duncan Renaldo, Frank Puglia, Pedro de Cordoba, Michael Visaroff, Martín Garralaga, Jean Del Val, John Mylong, Feodor Chaliapin Jr., Yvonne De Carlo, Maxine Ardell, Samuel Azteca, Eumenio Blanco, John Bleifer, Dick Botiller, Yakima Canutt, Eduardo Ciannelli, Harry Cording, Franco Corsaro, George Coulouris, Michael Dalmatoff, Marjorie Deanne, Jack Deery, William Edmunds, Joe Gilbert, Lynda Grey, Soledad Jiménez, Chris King, Alice Kirby, Louise La Planche, Frank Lackteen, Manuel López, Ernesto Molinari, Alberto Morin, Mayo Newhall, Emilio Ortego, Manuel París, Marcella Phillips, Pedro Regas, Tito Renaldo, Nadine Riga, Luis Rojas, Armand Roland, Konstantin Shayne, George Sorel, Count Stefenelli, Robert Tafur, José Luis Tortosa, Trina Varella, Blanca Vischer, Antonio Molina

Best English-Friendly Release

Best Video Release

Probably Kino Lorber Blu-ray

While no comparison is available, this is indeed a new 4K restoration. However it has its problem like not scanned from best surviving prints due to some issues, or technicolor out of alignment but seems to be still better than older releases

Format

1080p Blu-ray

Length

170 mins

Type

Movie

Last Updated

21 days ago

Contributors

Best English-Friendly Release
Best Video Release

Probably Kino Lorber Blu-ray

While no comparison is available, this is indeed a new 4K restoration. However it has its problem like not scanned from best surviving prints due to some issues, or technicolor out of alignment but seems to be still better than older releases

Format
1080p Blu-ray
Length
170 mins
Type
Movie
Last Updated
21 days ago
Contributors

More from Sam Wood

See more →
A Day at the Races poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

A Day at the Races poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Goodbye, Mr. Chips poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Goodbye, Mr. Chips poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Guest Wife poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Olive Films Blu-ray

Best Video:

Olive Films Blu-ray

Guest Wife poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Olive Films Blu-ray

Best Video:

Olive Films Blu-ray

The Devil and Miss Jones poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Olive Films Blu-ray

Best Video:

Olive Films Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Olive Films Blu-ray

Best Video:

Olive Films Blu-ray

A Night at the Opera poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

WB Blu-ray

Best Video:

WB 4k transfer

Best English-Friendly:

WB Blu-ray

Best Video:

WB 4k transfer

More from Kino Lorber

See more →
Fallen Angels poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

2010 US Kino Lorber or 2012 UK Artificial Eye

Best Video:

2017 JP Kadokawa Blu-ray has the best encoding out of all the older discs.


Kino Lorber and Artificial Eye Blu-ray use the same master, between the two the PQ on Kino's release is slightly better, but the difference is negligible.

The 4K restoration (Criterion, 4K etc) are cropped to 2.35:1, have revisionistic colour grading and other changes.

Caps: old master, old master vs 4K restoration

Wong Kar-Wai on the framing:

With Fallen Angels, I have changed the format to cinemascope, because it was originally what I had intended to release the film in. When we were cutting the film, we accidentally turned the Steenbeck on anamorphic instead of standard. I felt that the film looked much more interesting because it enhanced the distance of the characters on top of the extreme wide angle that we shot on. Back then, it was impossible to shoot a film in standard and release it in anamorphic. With this restoration, we have successfully fulfilled this wish.

Fallen Angels poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

2010 US Kino Lorber or 2012 UK Artificial Eye

Best Video:

2017 JP Kadokawa Blu-ray has the best encoding out of all the older discs.


Kino Lorber and Artificial Eye Blu-ray use the same master, between the two the PQ on Kino's release is slightly better, but the difference is negligible.

The 4K restoration (Criterion, 4K etc) are cropped to 2.35:1, have revisionistic colour grading and other changes.

Caps: old master, old master vs 4K restoration

Wong Kar-Wai on the framing:

With Fallen Angels, I have changed the format to cinemascope, because it was originally what I had intended to release the film in. When we were cutting the film, we accidentally turned the Steenbeck on anamorphic instead of standard. I felt that the film looked much more interesting because it enhanced the distance of the characters on top of the extreme wide angle that we shot on. Back then, it was impossible to shoot a film in standard and release it in anamorphic. With this restoration, we have successfully fulfilled this wish.

Jazz on a Summer's Day poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

FRA Carlotta Blu-ray: FiM encode. At least slightly better than the Kino see caps

Additional Info:

Carlotta ports over all special features from the Kino release, except the booklet essay. All specials are in English.

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

FRA Carlotta Blu-ray: FiM encode. At least slightly better than the Kino see caps

Additional Info:

Carlotta ports over all special features from the Kino release, except the booklet essay. All specials are in English.

To Live and Die in L.A. poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

 Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray (damage removed, improved color/HDR, and best audio) or Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray (best compression but no damage removal and LaserDisc audio from Arrow)

Best Video:

Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray >
Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray  Kino Lorber US Blu-ray, see caps

Arrow has done additional cleanup work removing nearly all the damage in the transfer. They have massaged the color timing and HDR to try and improve what they could. The Capelight may have better encoding but it does not have these improvements. The Arrow encoding is solid and in motion there are no issues whatsoever. The Kino release has the damage and other issues plus frequent noise due to the lesser encoding.

Some scenes in the Arrow transfer are better, some better in the Capelight.

Best Audio:

Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: Arrow  4K Blu-ray or Image Entertainment LaserDisc
(Arrow is a port of the LD track, see spectrograms) This track has the best fidelity of any release but does have some channel bleeding baked in. The 2017 2.0 on the Arrow and Shout BDs was the Dolby Stereo original mix without channel bleeding but that had heavy noise reduction resulting in a very flat and underwhelming presentation. The surround winds up being lessened as well due to the processing. It's a tough choice between the two but the Image LD audio wins out because it hasn't been messed with and the impact is so unrestrained that no other version hits in the same way.

Capelight and old Arrow BD included the original stereo mix, but with excessive noise reduction rendering it much less detailed. Kino only included a painfully defective 2.0 track sourced from somewhere with limited fidelity, volume spikes and screechy high end which frequently ruins the music. The 5.1 remix on most modern release is a processed version that does not sound as good as it once did.

The best and most accurate of the 5.1 mixes is the original version from the 2003 Special Edition DVD in lossy AC3 form.

Best English-Friendly:

 Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray (damage removed, improved color/HDR, and best audio) or Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray (best compression but no damage removal and LaserDisc audio from Arrow)

Best Video:

Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray >
Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray  Kino Lorber US Blu-ray, see caps

Arrow has done additional cleanup work removing nearly all the damage in the transfer. They have massaged the color timing and HDR to try and improve what they could. The Capelight may have better encoding but it does not have these improvements. The Arrow encoding is solid and in motion there are no issues whatsoever. The Kino release has the damage and other issues plus frequent noise due to the lesser encoding.

Some scenes in the Arrow transfer are better, some better in the Capelight.

Best Audio:

Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: Arrow  4K Blu-ray or Image Entertainment LaserDisc
(Arrow is a port of the LD track, see spectrograms) This track has the best fidelity of any release but does have some channel bleeding baked in. The 2017 2.0 on the Arrow and Shout BDs was the Dolby Stereo original mix without channel bleeding but that had heavy noise reduction resulting in a very flat and underwhelming presentation. The surround winds up being lessened as well due to the processing. It's a tough choice between the two but the Image LD audio wins out because it hasn't been messed with and the impact is so unrestrained that no other version hits in the same way.

Capelight and old Arrow BD included the original stereo mix, but with excessive noise reduction rendering it much less detailed. Kino only included a painfully defective 2.0 track sourced from somewhere with limited fidelity, volume spikes and screechy high end which frequently ruins the music. The 5.1 remix on most modern release is a processed version that does not sound as good as it once did.

The best and most accurate of the 5.1 mixes is the original version from the 2003 Special Edition DVD in lossy AC3 form.

The Phantom poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

4K is defective with color space issues and poor encoding, disc replacement program for the 4K disc has been setup to correct the color space issue. The UHD has visible artifacts from the bad encoding. The HDR is overdone and the Paramount 4K master has grain management.
The new Kino Blu-ray has none of the UHD's problems and is superior to the UHD in every way though it still uses the same Paramount master.

Best Audio:

DVD 5.1 or LaserDisc 5.1 AC3, LD PCM 2.0 for the matrix stereo version. The LD and DVD seem to be the theatrical audio mix untouched with plenty of low end. This low end like a number of 90's Paramount titles was mixed out or tamed on subsequent releases. 

Additional Info:

The Lionsgate BD and Paramount BD share the same lackluster HD master with DNR and image distortion. The Lionsgate is much better encoded but has a 7.1 remix which messed up the original mix design by lessening all the great Foley work in favor of the score. The Paramount BD had a 5.1 lossless version of the original mix but it's a new version where the bass has been tamed so the track has lost its punch. The Kino Lorber UHD and Blu-ray recycle this same lesser 5.1 mastering. The original mix can still be heard on LD and DVD. The 2.0 stereo on the Kino is matrixed but also does not sound as good as the 2.0 matrix audio on DVD or LD.
Kino has announced a replacement program for the defective UHD but it is highly likely all the other problems will go unaddressed. The Billy Zane interview on the Kino BD has technical issues in the editing and clip quality used.

The Phantom poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

4K is defective with color space issues and poor encoding, disc replacement program for the 4K disc has been setup to correct the color space issue. The UHD has visible artifacts from the bad encoding. The HDR is overdone and the Paramount 4K master has grain management.
The new Kino Blu-ray has none of the UHD's problems and is superior to the UHD in every way though it still uses the same Paramount master.

Best Audio:

DVD 5.1 or LaserDisc 5.1 AC3, LD PCM 2.0 for the matrix stereo version. The LD and DVD seem to be the theatrical audio mix untouched with plenty of low end. This low end like a number of 90's Paramount titles was mixed out or tamed on subsequent releases. 

Additional Info:

The Lionsgate BD and Paramount BD share the same lackluster HD master with DNR and image distortion. The Lionsgate is much better encoded but has a 7.1 remix which messed up the original mix design by lessening all the great Foley work in favor of the score. The Paramount BD had a 5.1 lossless version of the original mix but it's a new version where the bass has been tamed so the track has lost its punch. The Kino Lorber UHD and Blu-ray recycle this same lesser 5.1 mastering. The original mix can still be heard on LD and DVD. The 2.0 stereo on the Kino is matrixed but also does not sound as good as the 2.0 matrix audio on DVD or LD.
Kino has announced a replacement program for the defective UHD but it is highly likely all the other problems will go unaddressed. The Billy Zane interview on the Kino BD has technical issues in the editing and clip quality used.

Monsieur Vincent poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Revenge of the Zombies poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

For Love or Money poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

The Beloved Rogue poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

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

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 6K master from Paramount

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

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 6K master from Paramount

College Confidential poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

More War on Blu-ray

Troy poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray Both cuts are excellent in 4K. See caps

Additional Info:

For BD:

Troy poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray Both cuts are excellent in 4K. See caps

Additional Info:

For BD:

Threads poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Severin 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Severin 4K Blu-ray see comparison but HDR is on the bright side

Threads poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Severin 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Severin 4K Blu-ray see comparison but HDR is on the bright side

Good Morning, Vietnam poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Disney Blu-ray

Best Video:

Disney Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1999 Disney DVD has the original 70mm 6-track mix in 4.1 (mislabelled as 5.1 in the US release)

Best English-Friendly:

Disney Blu-ray

Best Video:

Disney Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1999 Disney DVD has the original 70mm 6-track mix in 4.1 (mislabelled as 5.1 in the US release)

The Lost Patrol poster
1080p Blu-ray
The Lost Patrol poster
1080p Blu-ray
Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Best Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray 4K restoration from original technicolor negatives

Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Best Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray 4K restoration from original technicolor negatives

The Seventh Cross poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Best Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray 4K restoration

Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Best Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray 4K restoration

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

BFI 4K Blu-ray scheduled for October 2026 release

Best Video:

Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray see caps

Additional Info:

2019 BFI Blu-ray is the older master but better encode + extra footage than Criterion Blu-ray

Italy CG Entertainment Blu-ray is 4K resto, but horrible colours.

Best English-Friendly:

Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

BFI 4K Blu-ray scheduled for October 2026 release

Best Video:

Wicked Vision 4K Blu-ray see caps

Additional Info:

2019 BFI Blu-ray is the older master but better encode + extra footage than Criterion Blu-ray

Italy CG Entertainment Blu-ray is 4K resto, but horrible colours.

Till We Meet Again poster
1080p Blu-ray
Upcoming Release:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 4K scan from the 35mm B&W nitrate original negative and 35mm B&W composite fine grain

Upcoming Release:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray 4K scan from the 35mm B&W nitrate original negative and 35mm B&W composite fine grain

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

OOP Eureka MoC Blu-ray

Best Video:

MoC slightly better than Kino Lorber http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-ray_reviews_76/anatahan_blu-ray.htm

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

OOP Eureka MoC Blu-ray

Best Video:

MoC slightly better than Kino Lorber http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-ray_reviews_76/anatahan_blu-ray.htm

The Hurt Locker poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray

Edit History

1 edit
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) backdrop