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Children of Paradise (1945)
Children of Paradise (1945) poster

Children of Paradise (1945)

Les Enfants du Paradis

Drama, Romance • 3h 15m

Director: Marcel Carné

Best English-friendly & video release

New 2016 Pathé France 4K transfer Blu-ray

Video notes:

New 2016 Pathé France 4K transfer Blu-ray > Criterion/Second Sight with old transfer heavy DNR https://slow.pics/c/z8p3fR0G

Updated 1 year ago


About the film

In a chaotic 19th-century Paris teeming with aristocrats, thieves, psychics, and courtesans, theater mime Baptiste is in love with the mysterious actress Garance. But Garance, in turn, is loved by three other men: pretentious actor Frederick, conniving thief Lacenaire, and Count Edouard of Montray.

TSPDT
2026: #74
2025: #76
2024: #75
2023: #73
2022: #73

Featured in Sight and Sound’s Greatest Films

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Director: F. W. Murnau

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

MoC OOP Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Flicker Alley 4K confirmed for 2027 https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24404584&postcount=1

Director: Sam Peckinpah

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Plaion Germany Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

4K Blu-ray said to be coming from Criterion, per Bill Hunt

Video Notes:

Includes Director's Cut and Roadshow Version

Same master as old WB Blu-ray but better encoding

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

An undeniably significant improvement from the BD yet still severely flawed. See DFIC's review.

Best Audio:

1984 MGM Hi-Fi VHS

Director: Buster Keaton

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber new Seven Chances / Sherlock Jr. Blu-ray?

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

MoC 4K Blu-ray late 2027

Video Notes:

Lobster Films (Kino Lorber?) > Cohen/Eureka https://slow.pics/c/3KWXoMyR The new Kino Lorber's Seven Chances / Sherlock Jr. might be using the same restoration as Lobster Films

Director: Billy Wilder

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Audio Notes:

(transfer of the 1989 MGM LaserDisc, without problems plaguing Kino Lorber's release)

Additional Info:

Arrow UHD is an update of the original 4K scan done for their BD. It is also visually far superior to the Kino version and adds Dolby Vision HDR. The Arrow UHD uses a new LD mono capture and has none of the issues or processing found in the Kino UHD which also used an LD mono capture and somehow mucked it up. Short of a brand new scan, the Arrow UHD is as good as it possibly can be.

Director: Michael Cimino

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

2020 Shout! Factory 4K

Video Notes:

2020 Shout! Factory 4K slightly better than StudioCanal in HDR10. Similar in DV

Best Audio:

35mm mix: 1991 Universal LaserDisc

70mm mix: StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

35mm mix: 1991 Universal LaserDisc marginally better than StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is downmix.

70mm mix: StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is remix.

Director: Orson Welles

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · blah-ray.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

WB Europe 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

WB Europe 4K Blu-ray slightly better encoding than Criterion (caveat: missing Criterion extras)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Theatrical Cut: Italy Eagle Pictures 4K Blu-ray
Redux Cut: Lionsgate vs Eagle Pictures?
Final Cut: Lionsgate or Eagle Pictures, both are not great (visible chroma noise)

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Theatrical: Germany 4K Blu-ray/US Blu-ray DD 5.1 (1979 mix)

Additional Info:

In the Lionsgate US/UK 6-disc set, there are 4 discs of the main feature. For whatever reason, the 4K discs lack the *original track. The Germany 4K Blu-ray release is different on this matter.

  1. UBD: Final Cut: Atmos, DD2.0

  2. UBD: Redux/Theatrical: Atmos

  3. BD: Final Cut: Atmos, DD2.0

  4. BD: Redux/Theatrical: Dtru5.1 (Redux mix?), DD5.1 (?), DD5.1 (Theatrical only), DD2.0 (downmix??)

    1. As a result the Theatrical Cut has 4 tracks, The Redux has 3. Differences are unclear.

  5. BD: Hearts of Darkness

  6. BD: Special Features

Director: George Lucas

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

OG: "4K77" or "D+77" on high seas.

Special Edition: "4K97_IV" or "D+97_IV" on high seas.

Upcoming Release:

2027 Original Trilogy restoration/50th anniversary rerelease clips leaked plus release confirmed

Best Audio:

OG: LaserDisc audio is the best option for the Dolby Stereo mixes (and usually included in fan restorations). There are 16mm/TV rips of the mono mixes.

Special Edition: Cinema DTS or 1997 LaserDisc for the Special Edition.

Director: David Lean

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Additional Info:

The 5.1 on Sony 4K Blu-ray is from the 1989 70mm mix. The original is 4-track. not on the disc.

More from Marcel Carné

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Director: Marcel Carné

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

France StudioCanal 2025 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

StudioCanal 2025 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray uses a new 4K restoration. Even though France release, they included EN subtitles.

For Blu-ray, StudioCanal 2025 Blu-ray > Kino Lorber > StudioCanal.

See DVDBeaver comparisons

More from Pathé

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Director: Sofia Coppola

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2016 Sony US Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray announced

Video Notes:

2016 Sony US Blu-ray (caps)

The US disc has a better encode and original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. French disc is flawed, with chroma bleed and blocking throughout.

Best Audio:

2016 Sony US Blu-ray / 2012 Pathé FR Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

2016 Sony US Blu-ray / 2012 Pathé FR Blu-ray (identical)

Director: Neil Marshall

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

UK StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray or FR Pathé 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

UK StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray or FR Pathé 4K Blu-ray share the same disc (caps)

The StudioCanal UHD has a much better encode than the Lionsgate UHD with the same grade. The Vuelta UHD has a decent encode but it is in an incorrect color space and has German overlays.

Audio Notes:

UK disc includes only 5.1.

The 7.1 mix included on the Lionsgate UHD appears to be identical to the 2006 USA BD's LPCM 7.1 track and to be a straight transfer of the theatrical Dolby Digital Surround EX mix (originally matrixed 6.1, with the rear surrounds in the discrete 7.1 presentation being dual mono). The old GER BD has a 6.1 mix but it is a poor remix and the GER UHD has an Auro-3D remix of the 7.1 mix (mostly adjusted surround levels). All other discs offer a 5.1 mix, including the Studio Canal UHD

Director: Jacques Audiard

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Netflix 4K Streaming

Best Video & Audio:

France Pathé 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Netflix 4K Streaming has 4K and Dolby Vision + Atmos.

Audio Notes:

France Pathé 4K Blu-ray has Dolby Atmos audio

Additional Info:

Only English-friendly home video release is a badly-encoded 1080p Australia Madman Entertainment Blu-ray with hardcoded subtitles and 5.1 audio only.

Director: Saul Dibb

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK Pathé Blu-ray for the uncut version

Director: Pedro Almodóvar

Best English-Friendly & Video:

US Sony Blu-ray or UK Pathé Blu-ray?

Director: Bruce Beresford

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Pathé France Blu-ray

Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Pathé France Blu-ray is a different master and significantly better not only in compression or colors, but also aspect ratio than either US Blu-ray or Germany Blu-ray caps

Director: René Clair

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Included as extras in Pathé Paris qui dort + Entr'acte Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Director: René Clair

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best Video:

France Pathé Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4k resto. It has both original negative image cut (not tinted) and a first gen tinted cut owned by BFI but not English-friendly

Director: René Clair

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Pathé France Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Pathé France has 4k restoration in Blu-ray

Director: René Clair

Best English-Friendly:

France Pathé Blu-ray

Best Video:

France Pathé Blu-ray, 4k resto

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Researched and maintained by

M_Avanshady

· last reviewed 1 year ago

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