There Once Was a Singing Blackbird (1970)
იყო შაშვი მგალობელი
Drama, Comedy, Music • 1h 18m
Overview
Gia is a carefree young percussionist who works at a theater in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. He lives in a small apartment with his mother. Gia spends his days flitting from friend to friend, lover to lover, avoiding any responsibility, and never staying still for five minutes. However, he always manages to arrive at the theater just in time to play the drums at the end of the ballet.
Director: Otar Iosseliani
Cast: Gela Kandelaki, Gogi Chkheidze, Jansug Kakhidze, Irine Jandieri, Elene Landia, I. Mdivani, Marina Kartsivadze, Nugzar Erkomaishvili, Irakli Kokrashvili, Natia Anjaparidze, Dea Ivanidze, Tamari Ishkhneli, T. Gedevanishvili, R. Baramidze, Robert Sturua, G. Margvelachvili, Zurab Nizharadze, G. Gzirishvili, Maka Makharadze, Tengiz Magalashvili, Dimitri Takaishvili, Kakhi Kavsadze, Manana Tskhovrebova
Director: Otar Iosseliani
Carlotta FR Blu-ray box set: 2K restoration of 4K scan. This 2K restoration’s detail level is quite good, although its highlights are somewhat blown out. On the other hand, the newer 4K restoration (on DCP only as of Aug 2026) exhibits severe black crush.
TBD. Carlotta sounds muffled.
Carlotta’s English subtitles omit quite a bit of dialog. This was improved upon in the subs accompanying the newer 4K restoration DCP.
Director: Otar Iosseliani
Carlotta FR Blu-ray box set: 2K restoration of 4K scan. This 2K restoration’s detail level is quite good, although its highlights are somewhat blown out. On the other hand, the newer 4K restoration (on DCP only as of Aug 2026) exhibits severe black crush.
TBD. Carlotta sounds muffled.
Carlotta’s English subtitles omit quite a bit of dialog. This was improved upon in the subs accompanying the newer 4K restoration DCP.
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Director: Béla Tarr
Curzon 4K Blu-ray see caps
Director: Béla Tarr
Curzon 4K Blu-ray see caps
Director: Bert Stern
Director: Bert Stern
Director: Takashi Miike
4K Remaster: Carlotta FR 4K Blu-ray
Original digital master: Tokyo Shock US Blu-ray
The original master is of poor quality, blurry with some damage and bad levels, which the 4K remaster improves upon, with better detail in compression. Unfortunately, the 4K master has significant issues with color posterization, making it look like poor quality digital video rather than 16mm film. Comparison between masters, Carlotta/Tokyo Shock clip
Original Japanese: Carlotta FR 4K Blu-ray
English dub: Tokyo Shock US Blu-ray
Well Go does not include the dub.
Director: Takashi Miike
4K Remaster: Carlotta FR 4K Blu-ray
Original digital master: Tokyo Shock US Blu-ray
The original master is of poor quality, blurry with some damage and bad levels, which the 4K remaster improves upon, with better detail in compression. Unfortunately, the 4K master has significant issues with color posterization, making it look like poor quality digital video rather than 16mm film. Comparison between masters, Carlotta/Tokyo Shock clip
Original Japanese: Carlotta FR 4K Blu-ray
English dub: Tokyo Shock US Blu-ray
Well Go does not include the dub.
Director: Delmer Daves
Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps
All audio tracks originate from the same DVD-era master, no real audible differences between them, but Carlotta is least filtered out of all
Director: Delmer Daves
Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps
All audio tracks originate from the same DVD-era master, no real audible differences between them, but Carlotta is least filtered out of all
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Director: Edward Yang
France Carlotta 4K Blu-ray is FiM encoded and superior to Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps but the Carlotta release is not English friendly
A user writes: 'the 5.0 mix does not closely resemble the matrixed stereo track included on all prior releases (save for a 2003 French DVD which had 5.1). There is significant dialogue emphasis in the 5.0 mix while the older stereo mix has ambient sounds and dialogue mixed at nearly the same loudness. Additionally, the 5.0 mix has minor limiting in select loud sequences and a strange distorted quality on occasion (one notable example is the sound of a plane taking off which plays during a static shot of clouds in the sky). The stereo mix included on the FRA UHD/BD is a downmix of the 5.0 track.'
Director: Edward Yang
France Carlotta 4K Blu-ray is FiM encoded and superior to Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps but the Carlotta release is not English friendly
A user writes: 'the 5.0 mix does not closely resemble the matrixed stereo track included on all prior releases (save for a 2003 French DVD which had 5.1). There is significant dialogue emphasis in the 5.0 mix while the older stereo mix has ambient sounds and dialogue mixed at nearly the same loudness. Additionally, the 5.0 mix has minor limiting in select loud sequences and a strange distorted quality on occasion (one notable example is the sound of a plane taking off which plays during a static shot of clouds in the sky). The stereo mix included on the FRA UHD/BD is a downmix of the 5.0 track.'
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.
More Drama on Blu-ray
Director: James Gray
Director: James Gray
Director: Morton DaCosta
Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray from 12K scan
Director: Morton DaCosta
Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray from 12K scan
Director: John G. Avildsen
Warner Bros 2024 Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray/ Warner Bros 2023 Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray (replacement disc)
Warner Bros 2024 Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray/ Warner Bros 2023 Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray (replacement disc)
Original Mono: Ultimate Knockout Collection/Knockout Collection replacement disc> Knockout collection original.
The Mono mix on the initial release of the Knockout Collection is a fold-down of the 5.1, the replacement disc and the ultimate knockout version fixed the error.
The Steelbook and UK standard edition is the same disc as the 2023 knockout collection.
Director: John G. Avildsen
Warner Bros 2024 Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray/ Warner Bros 2023 Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray (replacement disc)
Warner Bros 2024 Ultimate Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray/ Warner Bros 2023 Knockout Collection 4K Blu-ray (replacement disc)
Original Mono: Ultimate Knockout Collection/Knockout Collection replacement disc> Knockout collection original.
The Mono mix on the initial release of the Knockout Collection is a fold-down of the 5.1, the replacement disc and the ultimate knockout version fixed the error.
The Steelbook and UK standard edition is the same disc as the 2023 knockout collection.
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Canada Blu-ray or Netherlands Blu-ray?
better than Constantin Germany 4K Blu-ray and Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray's encode is awful.
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Canada Blu-ray or Netherlands Blu-ray?
better than Constantin Germany 4K Blu-ray and Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray's encode is awful.
Director: Roman Polanski
Paramount disappointing 4K Blu-ray
Paramount disappointing 4K Blu-ray
Director: Roman Polanski
Paramount disappointing 4K Blu-ray
Paramount disappointing 4K Blu-ray
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Director: Roberto Rossellini
Director: Roberto Rossellini
Director: William Wyler
Italy Plaion 4K Blu-ray > Paramount 4K Blu-ray (marginally)
Director: William Wyler
Italy Plaion 4K Blu-ray > Paramount 4K Blu-ray (marginally)
Director: Walter Hill
Director: Walter Hill
Director: Martin Scorsese
MVD 4K Blu-ray see caps but it has the encoding error with the dropped frames
Director: Martin Scorsese
MVD 4K Blu-ray see caps but it has the encoding error with the dropped frames
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