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Losing Ground (1982)
Losing Ground (1982) poster

Losing Ground (1982)

Comedy, Drama • 1h 26m

Director: Kathleen Collins

Cast: Seret Scott, Bill Gunn, Duane Jones, Maritza Rivera, Billie Allen, Gary Bolling, Maureen Grady, Clarence Branch Jr., Joe Garcia

Best video release

Video notes:

Milestone US has Blu-ray

Updated 1 year ago


About the film

Sara, a cold college professor, and her husband, an ecstatic painter, spend a summer away from the city, straining their rocky relationship.

Featured Lists
National Film Registry

Year of Induction: 2020

TSPDT
2026: #853
2025: #829
2024: #823
2023: #820

Featured in National Film Registry

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Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best Video & Audio:

US Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

US Criterion 4K Blu-ray > UK MoC 4K Blu-ray > Australia Imprint > US Kino Lorber better encoding

The MoC, Criterion and Imprint UHDs were encoded by FiM making all 3 very close. The higher bitrate helped in deciding and some luck; however Criterion is the most consistent one of all 3. Imprint has some scenes with more splotchy grain while MoC is quite close to Criterion but has some more blocking in dark scenes (e.g.: comp #27). With Criterion’s superior audio, it ensures complete consistency.

Audio Notes:

From cbc: "I'm personally quite fond of the restored track on Eureka's 4K Blu-ray. It does have spots with objectively worse fidelity, but for the most part, it sounds a lot more natural and less shrill, particularly dialogue. It seems to be a new mixdown of stems. Technically a remix, so not everyone's cup of tea, but it's not revisionist like most new movie mixes tend to be"

Additional Info:

Both Imprint (included in their set) and Capelight (on its own/individually) offer remastered BDs. All other BDs, including the one included in The Complete Kubrick, are sourced from the same older master from around 2010.

Director: Jonathan Demme

4K · Excellent
Best Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

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

Best Audio:

1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray vs Criterion

Audio Notes:

Three masterings of the original Dolby Stereo SR mix exist: the original Orion video releases, the Criterion (which is from their LD) and the Arrow. All three are excellent with slight mastering differences between them. The original Orion still is probably the one with the most fidelity, the Criterion is the cleanest with a kind of warm feel to it and the Arrow has a bit of both aspects. The Arrow mastering has a tiny almost imperceptible bit of audio bleeding into the surround that isn't on the Criterion. Each has their own pluses and minuses but you can't go wrong with any of them. Whatever you do though: DO NOT WATCH WITH THE 5.1 REMIX. It is another MGM botch job that fundamentally alters the impact of many scenes. It is vastly inferior to the original mix in every way.

Additional Info:

Criterion Blu-ray has exclusive extras, Arrow UHD has the most extras of any release

Director: Hal Ashby

4K · Excellent

Director: Anthony Mann

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray, Universal 2008 DVD

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

2008 Universal DVD mono

Audio Notes:

The mono on the Criterion is severely filtered resulting in it sounding incredibly muffled. It is nearly as filtered as the 2003 original Universal DVD which had extreme filtering and sounds horribly thin. The 2008 DVD remaster and original LaserDisc analog mastering are mostly left alone. The original LD master is from a worn element but otherwise sounds very natural. The 2008 DVD is the highest quality version we have without the heavy filtering and the defects of the LD master. It isn't perfect but easily the best of the main four sources by a dramatic margin. 

Additional Info:

The existing 4K SDR restoration looks excellent, but the Criterion extras are limited and disappointing. The classic Stewart interview commentary from the LD is ported over but given a new mastering. Compared to past releases it has been very slightly noise reduced.

Director: Richard Brooks

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Director: George B. Seitz

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

Director: Elaine May

4K · Solid
Video Notes:

Cinématographe 4K Blu-ray > MoC > Olive Films. From nicolas:

The master is good but it’s not that big an upgrade from the Olive Films disc and Vinegar Syndrome’ encode has some blocky highlights. A shame that they didn’t hire David Mackenzie here.

Audio Notes:

Cinématographe has unnecessary noise gating not present on the previous releases.

Director: Sidney Lumet

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber US / Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray

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

Best Video:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K  / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K

Video Notes:

1.85:1: Kino Lorber 4K  / Capelight 4K

1.66:1: Criterion 4K but low pass filtered

Comparison between the 4Ks, Criterion on the AR choice

Audio Notes:

Other discs have unnecessary filtering and sound worse, the difference isn't substantial but audible

Director: Dennis Hopper

4K · Solid

Director: F. W. Murnau

More from Milestone

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Directors: Jeffrey Friedman & Rob Epstein

Best Video:

Milestone Blu-ray

Directors: Rob Epstein & Nancy Adair & Peter Adair & Lucy Massie Phenix & Veronica Selver & Andrew Brown

Best Video:

Milestone DVD

Director: Ayoka Chenzira

Best Video:

Milestone Alma's Rainbow Blu-ray

Director: Winsor McCay

Best Video:

Milestone Winsor McCay: The Master Edition DVD

Video Notes:

Also available on Library of Congress Streaming

Director: Billy Woodberry

Best English-Friendly:

Milestone Blu-ray

Best Video:

Milestone Blu-ray 2K restoration

Directors: Winsor McCay & J. Stuart Blackton

Best Video:

Milestone Winsor McCay: The Master Edition DVD

Directors: Lois Weber & Phillips Smalley

Best Video:

Milestone Blu-ray

Director: Winsor McCay

Best Video:

Milestone Winsor McCay: The Master Edition DVD

Director: Norbert A. Myles

Best Video:

Milestone Blu-ray

Director: Lionel Rogosin

Best Video:

Milestone Blu-ray

More Comedy on Blu-ray

Director: Mike Cheslik

Best Video & Audio:

UK Blu-ray

Video Notes:

> US Blu-ray

Director: Tom Holland

4K · Excellent
Best Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

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

Best Audio:

Eureka Blu-ray's stereo or LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

sounds better than the Sony 4K Blu-ray , https://slow.pics/c/pJfES0fl

Additional Info:

Twilight Time has an isolated score

Director: Alan J. Pakula

Best Video:

Olive Films Blu-ray

Director: Frank Oz

Best Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Director: Steve Gordon

Best Video:

WB Blu-ray

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Director: Jack Conway

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

Director: Jack Conway

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

Director: William Dieterle

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

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· last reviewed 1 year ago

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