Best Blurays IconBest Blurays
Films
/
Port of Shadows (1938)
Port of Shadows (1938) poster
Letterboxd

3.9

Port of Shadows (1938)

Le quai des brumes

Romance, Drama, Crime • 1h 31m

Overview

Down a foggy, desolate road to the port city of Le Havre travels Jean, an army deserter looking for another chance to make good on life. Fate, however, has a different plan for him, as acts of both revenge and kindness render him front-page news.

Director: Marcel Carné

Best English-Friendly Release

Best Video Release

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

Format

UHD Blu-ray

UHD Tiers

Excellent
StudioCanal

TSPDT

2026: #896
2025: #911
2024: #962
2023: #939
2022: #939

Criterion Forum

Review

Picture: 5, Audio: 6, Extras: 2

Length

91 mins

Type

Movie

Last Updated

10 months ago

Contributors

Best English-Friendly Release
Best Video Release

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

Format
UHD Blu-ray
UHD Tiers
Excellent
StudioCanal
TSPDT
2026: #896
2025: #911
2024: #962
2023: #939
2022: #939
Criterion Forum
Review

Picture: 5, Audio: 6, Extras: 2

Length
91 mins
Type
Movie
Last Updated
10 months ago
Contributors

More from Marcel Carné

See more →
Children of Paradise poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

New 2016 Pathé France 4K transfer Blu-ray

Best Video:

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

Best English-Friendly:

New 2016 Pathé France 4K transfer Blu-ray

Best Video:

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

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 Romance on Blu-ray

Ruby Sparks poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Fox Blu-ray

Best Video:

Fox Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Fox Blu-ray

Best Video:

Fox Blu-ray

Wild at Heart poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Censored US version: Shout! Factory or Twilight Time Blu-ray

Uncensored version: old DVD

Upcoming Release:

Australia Imprint Blu-ray upcoming included in After Dark Neo-Noir Cinema Vol. 4

2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Censored US version: Shout! Factory or Twilight Time Blu-ray

Uncensored version: old DVD

Wild at Heart poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Censored US version: Shout! Factory or Twilight Time Blu-ray

Uncensored version: old DVD

Upcoming Release:

Australia Imprint Blu-ray upcoming included in After Dark Neo-Noir Cinema Vol. 4

2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Censored US version: Shout! Factory or Twilight Time Blu-ray

Uncensored version: old DVD

Harold and Maude poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Paramount Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Paramount new 4K master

Best Audio:

Criterion/MoC Blu-ray

Harold and Maude poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Paramount Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Paramount new 4K master

Best Audio:

Criterion/MoC Blu-ray

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

Warner Archive Blu-ray

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

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Portrait of a Lady on Fire poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Artificial Eye UK Blu-ray? Supposed to have better translation than Criterion.

Upcoming Release:

Curzon 4K Blu-ray scheduled for October 2026 release

Best Video:

Pyramide France Blu-ray

Streaming in 4K on Netflix

Best English-Friendly:

Artificial Eye UK Blu-ray? Supposed to have better translation than Criterion.

Upcoming Release:

Curzon 4K Blu-ray scheduled for October 2026 release

Best Video:

Pyramide France Blu-ray

Streaming in 4K on Netflix

Pierrot le Fou poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

2020 Criterion

Best Video:

2020 Criterion > StudioCanal > 2009 Criterion

Best Audio:

2007 StudioCanal DVD

Best English-Friendly:

2020 Criterion

Best Video:

2020 Criterion > StudioCanal > 2009 Criterion

Best Audio:

2007 StudioCanal DVD

The Philadelphia Story poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4k transfer

Best Audio:

1986 MGM LaserDisc. 1987 VHS probably even better

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4k transfer

Best Audio:

1986 MGM LaserDisc. 1987 VHS probably even better

A Midsummer Night's Dream 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

Random Harvest poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Best Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray 4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Random Harvest poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Best Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray 4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Presenting Lily Mars 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

Edit History

1 edit
Port of Shadows (1938) backdrop