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The Leopard (1963)
The Leopard (1963) poster

The Leopard (1963)

Il gattopardo

Drama • 3h 6m

Director: Luchino Visconti

Italy Medusa Blu-ray

Best English-friendly release · updated 1 year ago

Italy Medusa Blu-ray is the 4K resto but boosted contrast and colours. Still probably better than Criterion

Overview

As Garibaldi's troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilian family grudgingly adapts to the sweeping social changes undermining their way of life. Proud but pragmatic Prince Don Fabrizio Salina allows his war hero nephew, Tancredi, to marry Angelica, the beautiful daughter of gauche, bourgeois Don Calogero, in order to maintain the family's accustomed level of comfort and political clout.

Release details

Best Video Release

France Pathé Blu-ray

France Pathé Blu-ray is the 4K resto and best encoding

TSPDT
2026: #76
2025: #75
2024: #76
2023: #75
2022: #75
Criterion Forum
Review

Picture: 7, Audio: 6, Extras: 8

Length
186 mins
Type
Movie

Featured in Sight and Sound’s Greatest Films

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Director: Lucrecia Martel

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Apple TV 4K Streaming

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

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

Upcoming Release:

StudioCanal 4K

Best Audio:

2005 WB DVD

Audio Notes:

> Criterion Blu-ray > StudioCanal Blu-ray. Maybe 1998 LaserDisc better? See Blah-Ray

Director: Preston Sturges

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Arrow Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Arrow Blu-ray slightly better than Criterion Blu-ray, not sure about France Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

(Arrow Blu-ray better than Criterion)

Director: Forugh Farrokhzad

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Radiance Treasures from the Golestan Film Studio Blu-ray

Director: Wong Kar-Wai

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2012 Criterion Blu-ray

Video Notes:

2012 Criterion Blu-ray is the most accurate

4K Blu-ray unrecommended because of controversial colours, no HDR, minimal resolution uptick, and DNR master

Best Audio:

2002 Criterion DVD for original Dolby Digital 5.0 theatrical

Audio Notes:

The 4K Blu-ray 5.1 adds additional foley and effects.

Director: John Carpenter

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Sources: blog.sporv.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:
Audio Notes:
  • the only track on Universal 4K, which is in DTS:X, has a mixing error of around 6dB too low on side channels, otherwise very similar to other 5.1 mixes.

Director: F. W. Murnau

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

MoC OOP Blu-ray

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

Upcoming Release:

SFFP new 4K restoration

Director: David Lynch

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

 Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion 4K Blu-ray

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

Upcoming Release:

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray in December

Video Notes:

Subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking

Best Audio:

1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD

Audio Notes:

Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Best English-Friendly:

2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray or US Disney Blu-ray

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

Best Video:

2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray

Video Notes:

2014 "Hayao Miyazaki Collection" Studio Ghibli Japan Blu-ray
Comparisons: https://slow.pics/c/6JWnlfit

Best Audio:

All sources are within margin of error. Comparisons: Japanese, English
Alternate Streamline English dub is available only on 1994 Fox LD.

Additional Info:

US GKIDS Blu-ray has more bonuses than the US Disney Blu-ray

Director: Carol Reed

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray or Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray/Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray (shared encode); slight improvement over the 2015 StudioCanal Blu-ray

Best Audio:

StudioCanal/LG UHDs

Audio Notes:

StudioCanal/LG UHDs port the 1999 Criterion DVD, considered the best source

Additional Info:

StudioCanal has a remastered Blu-ray, Lionsgate only a 4K Blu-ray

More from Luchino Visconti

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Director: Luchino Visconti

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Image Entertainment DVD

Upcoming Release:

Radiance Blu-ray with 4K restoration

Best Video:

Japan Blu-ray

Director: Luchino Visconti

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

BFI 4K Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

BFI 4K Blu-ray is significantly better than older Blu-ray however the HDR grade is questionable as it introduces black crushes, see nic's review and caps

For Blu-rays, Germany StudioCanal Blu-ray > MoC Blu-ray see caps

Audio Notes:

All disc sourced from the 4K restoration use the same solid audio track. Older DVD releases are from a higher generation source with less detail and more hiss.

Directors: Luchino Visconti & Mauro Bolognini & Pier Paolo Pasolini & Franco Rossi & Vittorio De Sica

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow Blu-ray

Director: Luchino Visconti

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Radiance Blu-ray

Director: Luchino Visconti

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Radiance Blu-ray

Directors: Mario Monicelli & Luchino Visconti & Federico Fellini & Vittorio De Sica

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray doesn’t have good encoding, but according to BR, the English Cult Films Blu-ray is worse, and the original master just isn’t that good

Director: Luchino Visconti

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion, 4k transfer

Director: Luchino Visconti

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Criterion resto bad? but no other BDs

More Drama on Blu-ray

Director: Neil Jordan

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

WB 4K Blu-ray

Director: Ron Shelton

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK Arrow Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray disappointing, nice new master, but poor encode, grain completely crippled in some scenes, artifacts abound, etc, makes Kino Lorber look like FiM.

Director: Sian Heder

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Italy Eagle Pictures 4K Blu-ray

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

English-Friendly Notes:

Has full and forced English subtitles

Video Notes:

See caps comparing Italy vs US release

Best Audio:

Apple TV 4K Blu-ray with Atmos

Audio Notes:

(Eagle Pictures is 5.1)

Director: Celine Song

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK StudioCanal Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

UK StudioCanal Blu-ray is the better release. Plaion Italy 4K Blu-ray has macroblocking and chroma noise issues, and the US Lionsgate Blu-ray has elevated gamma levels and macroblocking https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=22310555&postcount=31

Director: Dennis Hopper

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Blu-ray

Video Notes:

BFI Blu-ray renders grain structure better than Severin 4K Blu-ray’s disappointing encode, although Severin does feature an HDR grading with Dolby Vision. Furthermore, Severin’s soundtrack is worse due to the noise reduction applied.

Additional Info:

Severin 4K Blu-ray has very good extras that are more relevant to the film

Director: Andreas Prochaska

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray or Germany Blu-ray but no comparison available 

Germany Blu-ray doesn’t have good encoding, with visible blocking and banding etc.

Additional Info:

Germany Blu-ray lacks English subtitles. Kino Lorber Blu-ray has English subtitles but is OOP 

Kino Lorber Blu-ray retains both the French and German dialogue in their native languages.

Germany Blu-ray dubs over the French dialogue in German.

Director: Phil Joanou

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK Second Sight Blu-ray?

Video Notes:

UK Second Sight Blu-ray maybe better than all the other Blu-rays?

Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray is disappointing with DNR and poor compression

Additional Info:

US Twilight Time and Germany NSM Blu-rays have exclusive extras

Director: Frank Capra

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony Frank Capra Boxset Blu-ray

Director: Joachim Trier

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

MUBI 4K Blu-ray has zero extras

Directors: Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

4K encode is low-pass filtered and noticeably so, which was unfortunately par for the course with Criterion 4Ks until sometime in 2024, and the encode is still less than ideal even despite that. Still better than the Criterion and Lionsgate Blu-Ray discs for the Dolby Vision grading alone.

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· last reviewed 1 year ago

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